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Love in the Afternoon and Other Delights by Penny Vincenzi (1-Aug-2013) Paperback
Excellent Book
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First published February 1, 2013
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About the author
Penny Vincenzi
69 books935 followersPenny was nine years old when she embarked on her storytelling career. She wrote her own magazine called “Stories”, which she copied out three times on carbon paper and sold for two pence at school. So began a career in writing which has seen 7 million copies sold, and 17 bestselling novels.
After secretarial college, Penny worked as a junior secretary at Vogue and Tatler magazines, before moving to the Daily Mirror as personal assistant to Marje Proops, Britain's legendary agony aunt.
Marje encouraged her to write, and she became fashion editor and beauty writer at the Mirror, working for the women's editor in what was irreverently known as the "fragrant department". Penny’s journalistic career as a celebrated writer and columnist spanned several decades working for many of the leading newspapers and magazines of the time.
She once asked bestselling British author Jilly Cooper for advice on writing a novel while interviewing her for a magazine profile. Jilly put Penny in touch with her own agent, who promptly auctioned off her (then unwritten) first novel. It was quickly snapped up and the rest, as they say, is history.
Penny died in 2018. She was the proud and much-loved mother of four equally proud daughters, and grandmother to nine grandchildren.
After secretarial college, Penny worked as a junior secretary at Vogue and Tatler magazines, before moving to the Daily Mirror as personal assistant to Marje Proops, Britain's legendary agony aunt.
Marje encouraged her to write, and she became fashion editor and beauty writer at the Mirror, working for the women's editor in what was irreverently known as the "fragrant department". Penny’s journalistic career as a celebrated writer and columnist spanned several decades working for many of the leading newspapers and magazines of the time.
She once asked bestselling British author Jilly Cooper for advice on writing a novel while interviewing her for a magazine profile. Jilly put Penny in touch with her own agent, who promptly auctioned off her (then unwritten) first novel. It was quickly snapped up and the rest, as they say, is history.
Penny died in 2018. She was the proud and much-loved mother of four equally proud daughters, and grandmother to nine grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
October 6, 2017
EXCERPTS: Because this is a book of short stories, I am going to give you two excerpts. The first is from a story titled 'Knowing Best'.
'Laura Maddox and Fergus O'Connell were very fond of telling people they had met at an old people's home. Since they were both young, stylish and successful, it was not a story that was easy to believe; nevertheless, it was perfectly true in essence, if not in detail, and was made much of in speeches at their wedding.
The detail was that the meeting place had been not quite an old people's home, rather a very expensive nursing home, where Laura's widowed grandmother was recovering from a hip operation and complaining ceaselessly about having to live with a lot of old people (most of whom were in fact the same age as, if not a little younger than, herself), and Fergus's twice-divorced great-uncle, in a room just two along the corridor, was recovering from a very nasty bout of pneumonia and was constantly in trouble with the nurses for locking himself in the lavatory with a flask of his best Irish whiskey.'
The second excerpt is from a story titled 'The Brooch'.
'It was a very beautiful brooch. It was what used to be called paste, and would now be called Diamante: glittery and brilliant and in the shape of a full moon and two stars trailing off it in two slender threads. It was the sort of thing you could make stories up about, which Anna had when she was little - like the moon wearing the stars as a sort of a sash. Or the stars were trying to get away from it. The brooch belonged to her grandmother, Bella, and was pinned to her large, cushiony bosom, and Anna would sit on her knee and play with it. Later on, she had been allowed to wear it when they went to tea with her and she would keep saying she wanted to go to the lavatory so she could pass the big mirror in the hall and admire it, pinned on to her cardigan, right in the middle of her small flat chest. One day, she thought, she would have wonderful bosoms like her grandmother and the brooch would show up much better. She had always known she would have the brooch; her grandmother had promised her that, adding quickly that Rachel, Anna's older sister, would have her pearls.
THE BLURB: A fabulous collection of short stories and essays by much loved and multi-million-copy bestselling author Penny Vincenzi.
From her sweeping novels to her searing journalism, Penny Vincenzi has been writing all her life, and this is a collection of her work brought together in a single edition for the first time. As well as ten stunning short stories, Penny also shares some of her thoughts on a huge range of subjects from love and relationships to work and families, and gives us a peek at the tantalising first chapter of her new novel - making LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON AND OTHER DELIGHTS a must-have for any Vincenzi fan.
MY THOUGHTS: I love Penny Vincenzi - and this collection of short stories, like the sweeping family sagas she is known for, I just couldn't put down. Along with the short stories is a preview of her then next book, A Perfect Heritage, and a series of published articles by Penny giving us a great insight into her character, including 'Getting Older', 'Being a Mother', and 'My Career in a Nutshell'. She also gives some great tips on writing, and I think this may have overtaken Stephen King's "On Writing" as my bible.
The short stories are amusing, entertaining and absorbing. Just the way they should be.
'Laura Maddox and Fergus O'Connell were very fond of telling people they had met at an old people's home. Since they were both young, stylish and successful, it was not a story that was easy to believe; nevertheless, it was perfectly true in essence, if not in detail, and was made much of in speeches at their wedding.
The detail was that the meeting place had been not quite an old people's home, rather a very expensive nursing home, where Laura's widowed grandmother was recovering from a hip operation and complaining ceaselessly about having to live with a lot of old people (most of whom were in fact the same age as, if not a little younger than, herself), and Fergus's twice-divorced great-uncle, in a room just two along the corridor, was recovering from a very nasty bout of pneumonia and was constantly in trouble with the nurses for locking himself in the lavatory with a flask of his best Irish whiskey.'
The second excerpt is from a story titled 'The Brooch'.
'It was a very beautiful brooch. It was what used to be called paste, and would now be called Diamante: glittery and brilliant and in the shape of a full moon and two stars trailing off it in two slender threads. It was the sort of thing you could make stories up about, which Anna had when she was little - like the moon wearing the stars as a sort of a sash. Or the stars were trying to get away from it. The brooch belonged to her grandmother, Bella, and was pinned to her large, cushiony bosom, and Anna would sit on her knee and play with it. Later on, she had been allowed to wear it when they went to tea with her and she would keep saying she wanted to go to the lavatory so she could pass the big mirror in the hall and admire it, pinned on to her cardigan, right in the middle of her small flat chest. One day, she thought, she would have wonderful bosoms like her grandmother and the brooch would show up much better. She had always known she would have the brooch; her grandmother had promised her that, adding quickly that Rachel, Anna's older sister, would have her pearls.
THE BLURB: A fabulous collection of short stories and essays by much loved and multi-million-copy bestselling author Penny Vincenzi.
From her sweeping novels to her searing journalism, Penny Vincenzi has been writing all her life, and this is a collection of her work brought together in a single edition for the first time. As well as ten stunning short stories, Penny also shares some of her thoughts on a huge range of subjects from love and relationships to work and families, and gives us a peek at the tantalising first chapter of her new novel - making LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON AND OTHER DELIGHTS a must-have for any Vincenzi fan.
MY THOUGHTS: I love Penny Vincenzi - and this collection of short stories, like the sweeping family sagas she is known for, I just couldn't put down. Along with the short stories is a preview of her then next book, A Perfect Heritage, and a series of published articles by Penny giving us a great insight into her character, including 'Getting Older', 'Being a Mother', and 'My Career in a Nutshell'. She also gives some great tips on writing, and I think this may have overtaken Stephen King's "On Writing" as my bible.
The short stories are amusing, entertaining and absorbing. Just the way they should be.
March 3, 2013
Fans of Penny Vincenzi's novels will know that she usually serves up huge, sweeping stories that span generations and are usually at least 600 pages long, and often around the 800 page mark. I adore her novels, they are the absolute perfect escape from daily life and usually feature glamour and glitz. I got a surprise when her latest book, Love In The Afternoon and other delights dropped through my letter box a couple of weeks ago. As always, the cover is beautiful, it's pure Vincenzi, but it's so slim! Just under 200 pages.
Love In The Afternoon was published by Headline on 14 February 2013 and is a collection of ten short stories, some articles about life in general and then, at the back, a glimpse of her new novel. I have something of love/hate relationship with short stories. When they are done well, I love them, but must admit that generally I tend to feel a little let down by them. I wondered just how Penny Vincenzi would fare, a short story is a long way from her trademark lengthy novels and she acknowledges in her Introduction how difficult it can be to write a successful short story.
In my view, Penny Vincenzi really has no need to worry. Unlike other collections of short stories, there were none of these that I wanted to skip, none of them that I didn't enjoy and each one was a satisfying read. I really love Vincenzi's world - she always creates characters that seem so realistic, even if they tend to live in a world of glamour and beauty and luxury. These stories are all themed around love, but are not all romantic. They explore every emotion that can be associated with a love affair, from jealousy to lies to passion and as the title of the collection indicates, they really are a delight to read.
There are ten short stories in all which are followed by a collection of Vincenzi's articles and snippets all about life. There is her opinion of motherhood and how it can change a marriage; what she thought of the 1980s, and a really lovely insight into what it was like to work for Marje Proops. And then, to really tantalise the tastebuds, included right at the end of the book, is the first chapter of her next novel.
I enjoyed every one of the stories, and the articles and despite my initial reservations, I was not disppointed in the least by this book, in fact I'd really love to read more of Vincenzi's short stories.
Spend a very pleasurable few hours reading this book, I don't think you will be disappointed.
Love In The Afternoon was published by Headline on 14 February 2013 and is a collection of ten short stories, some articles about life in general and then, at the back, a glimpse of her new novel. I have something of love/hate relationship with short stories. When they are done well, I love them, but must admit that generally I tend to feel a little let down by them. I wondered just how Penny Vincenzi would fare, a short story is a long way from her trademark lengthy novels and she acknowledges in her Introduction how difficult it can be to write a successful short story.
In my view, Penny Vincenzi really has no need to worry. Unlike other collections of short stories, there were none of these that I wanted to skip, none of them that I didn't enjoy and each one was a satisfying read. I really love Vincenzi's world - she always creates characters that seem so realistic, even if they tend to live in a world of glamour and beauty and luxury. These stories are all themed around love, but are not all romantic. They explore every emotion that can be associated with a love affair, from jealousy to lies to passion and as the title of the collection indicates, they really are a delight to read.
There are ten short stories in all which are followed by a collection of Vincenzi's articles and snippets all about life. There is her opinion of motherhood and how it can change a marriage; what she thought of the 1980s, and a really lovely insight into what it was like to work for Marje Proops. And then, to really tantalise the tastebuds, included right at the end of the book, is the first chapter of her next novel.
I enjoyed every one of the stories, and the articles and despite my initial reservations, I was not disppointed in the least by this book, in fact I'd really love to read more of Vincenzi's short stories.
Spend a very pleasurable few hours reading this book, I don't think you will be disappointed.
Read
March 22, 2019A sweet and addictive collection of short stories all revolving around the subject of Love. Whether it be in an affair, a chance encounter, an unhappy marriage, the love of a sibling or the love of a parent, all these stories are just the right length, bounce delightfully off your tongue and simmer quietly in your mind after you have finished reading.
Great just to dip into or savour one after the other.
Great just to dip into or savour one after the other.
February 5, 2020
I loved these. Often short stories can be a little disappointing but these are great. I haven’t read any of Penny Vinchenzi’s novels but after getting a good feel for her style of short story I imagine her novels are probably even better!
January 31, 2019
I have never read anything of Penny Vincenzi's before but my Mum is a big fan and urged me to give this a go. I absolutely LOVED it! I've never really been a fan of short stories but I thought every one of these was absolutely brilliantly written and I genuinely enjoyed reading them all, especially The Glimpses. Her essays were fascinating too and I loved reading her hilarious views on motherhood! This has definitely made me want to read more by this author and I encourage others to give it a go!
October 12, 2014
Penny Vincenzi is to be congratulated on Love in the Afteroon, a book of ten short storiies each one of which has a surprising twist in the tale. These small slices of fictional life are like delicious bons bons which leave one craving more. Each of them have believable plots and themes. The little boy who mourns his mother and stubbornly rejects the new love of his father’s life the grandmothers who know best, the sisters who fell out over their grandmother’s uniique brooch and others.
Added to the stories are equally enjoyable articles that give fascinating glimpses into Penny Vincenzi’s life.
An ideal book to dip into at bedtime.
May 16, 2021
I usually don't enjoy short stories, but these ones were perfect for having a nice time
February 23, 2017
I'm not a short story fan, but if you're familiar with Penny Vincenzi's work, then these stories are the very opposite of her sprawling novels, and so consequently fun to read. From the articles section, I especially enjoyed A Day in My Life, where she described a typical day, and particularly her in depth research techniques - a must for would be writers.
October 13, 2017
Some short stories, for when you just want a short story!
October 18, 2017
I liked it - it was a light read.
February 12, 2019
This is an absolutely delightful book with excellent writing skill and talent. The stories are beautifully told and realistically rendered. I was pleasantly surprised with the level of writing and how flawless it is. I am so glad that I finally read it. Actually, I have all her novels except: "Glimpses" and "A Question of Trust" and will not hesitate to read any of the others.
September 27, 2023
Not a fan of novella and short stories for the most part, but I am a huge decades long fan of Penny Vincenzi. As I set my sights on the last couple of books she wrote, that I have yet to savor, I decided to take a little break with this. A collection of short stories & a few biographical stories. It was delightful and very Penny Vincenzi.
December 14, 2017
Supposed to be a book for bookclub. I think I have read it before. There were some nice stories but nothing that makes me turn back to the beginning to start reading again. I am going to struggle to talk about it at BC.
April 19, 2023
Vicenzi's short stories remind me of some of the lesser Maeve Binchys. Good, but not great. I measure the quality of short story collections by asking, "Do I want to keep this book and read it again and again over the years?" This one does not make the cut. But it's a light weekend read.
May 7, 2017
This is proof that I really will read anything!
January 13, 2020
Not a fan of short stories or Romance novels, I shouldn't have wasted my time. No plot development or depth of characters make it meaningless. At least I didn't pay for it as the book was given to me!!
August 8, 2020
A bit of nothing fluff. A "my publisher says I need to get a book out" book. The stories are mostly trite and the interviews are padding. 2.5
December 29, 2021
Read as an obligation to a book club. The stories didn't grab me (I really don't think I'm the intended audience there) but the non-fiction was interesting.
July 24, 2022
A collection of short stories, good topics with a twist at end
Really enjoyed this quick easy read
Really enjoyed this quick easy read
October 10, 2022
Enjoyed the short stories very much
January 15, 2017
In general, I’m not too much of a short story fan but I will read absolutely anything that Penny Vincenzi writes. I adore her grand novels of love, family, fortune and loss but of course, they take time to write. Love in the Afternoon and other delights was the last of her books I had on the shelf. It seemed a perfect time just before Christmas to dip in and out of these short stories and writings as it was such a busy period.
I was a little sceptical about how Penny Vincenzi would be able to tie up everything in a story over 20 pages instead of 600. I was also a bit worried if they would have the same sparkle as her novels. Of course, I worried needlessly. The stories are instantly recognisable as Vincenzi’s and the endings work beautifully. The main theme is as the title suggests, love. But it’s not just romance. There is the love between father and son (The Mermaid) and the reluctance of the son to allow a new woman into his father’s life. There are a few affairs too (Love in the Afternoon and The Glimpses, which has the best ending!). The Brooch explores sisterly love and the argumentative side that crushes it. There are also some articles by Penny Vincenzi, on getting older to her favourite books. I really enjoyed this part of the book, as I really don’t hear too much about authors themselves, let alone in written format! She proves that she is just as sparkly and witty when writing fact in addition to fiction.
Sadly, this was a fast read but it confirmed that I will definitively read anything of Penny Vincenzi’s work. I love the British tone of her novels, and the peek into the big houses and lavish parties. But most of all, I loved the twists in this short stories – they were truly delightful.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
I was a little sceptical about how Penny Vincenzi would be able to tie up everything in a story over 20 pages instead of 600. I was also a bit worried if they would have the same sparkle as her novels. Of course, I worried needlessly. The stories are instantly recognisable as Vincenzi’s and the endings work beautifully. The main theme is as the title suggests, love. But it’s not just romance. There is the love between father and son (The Mermaid) and the reluctance of the son to allow a new woman into his father’s life. There are a few affairs too (Love in the Afternoon and The Glimpses, which has the best ending!). The Brooch explores sisterly love and the argumentative side that crushes it. There are also some articles by Penny Vincenzi, on getting older to her favourite books. I really enjoyed this part of the book, as I really don’t hear too much about authors themselves, let alone in written format! She proves that she is just as sparkly and witty when writing fact in addition to fiction.
Sadly, this was a fast read but it confirmed that I will definitively read anything of Penny Vincenzi’s work. I love the British tone of her novels, and the peek into the big houses and lavish parties. But most of all, I loved the twists in this short stories – they were truly delightful.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
March 31, 2013
I've never read any of her work before but I was in the mood for short stories and this one was on my kobo while I was browsing. Read the preview and seemed quite good so I picked it up. Quite good I thought. I liked The Mermaid best and Baby Knows Best. The others I felt were like life sometimes, bittersweet. But that's how short stories are. You can never know where they're going and where they're going to stop. This one also includes the author's writing background and processes which I thought was fascinating. Pretty cool and the whole thing feels very British. One does not realize this until one picks it up. I've been reading a lot of American fiction and when I got to this, let's just say I was amazed. Didn't fully appreciate how writing, much like speaking, can give you away that way. Read it!
January 15, 2014
I'm generally not a fan of short stories as I often find myself wanting more of the characters, however, I've always loved Penny's full length novels and thought I'd give this a chance! All the stories had the central theme of love and relationships, though I do find it interesting that most of her novels/stories have an affair in them though! My favourites were The Best Table (set in the Hamptons), The Mermaid (the ending was sweet) and The Brooch (I guessed the end on early on). The last part is articles that Penny has published and I quite enjoyed those as well - they were delightfully funny!
I can't wait until her next full length novel comes out later this year!
I can't wait until her next full length novel comes out later this year!
July 17, 2013
I truly love Penny's books and am sad when I"m finished reading them. This book is different from her usual ones - it's short stories and some mini-autobiographical chapters about her. All delightful and in true Penny style.
October 11, 2013
A lovely collection of light hearted stories that make for a relaxing afternoon or few hours on the sofa! Well written and refreshing if you have just read a hefty novel perfect for a lazy afternoon with a cuppa and some biscuits.
April 4, 2013
delightful if predictable- a light little read
July 29, 2013
While I am not usually a fan of short stories, this one was better than most that I have read.
September 22, 2013
I don't usually seek out short stories but I love Penny Vincenzi. I wasn't disappointed.
December 18, 2013
This book was a joy to read, a fun indulgence as all Penny Vincenzi's books are. Decadent, deliciously naughty like eating a whole box of chocolates all by yourself.
May 3, 2014
A wonderful short stories book. It was funny and very enjoyable to read. She is one of my favourite authors. I look forward to Penny's next book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews