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Wilfred Price #1
The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price, Purveyor of Superior Funerals
Under the heady influence of a springtime picnic and vague notions of obligation, young undertaker Wilfred Price blurts out a marriage proposal to a woman he barely knows. Much to his consternation, she says yes. As Wilfred attempts to extricate himself from the situation, his betrothed’s overbearing father presents further complications. And when Wilfred meets another woman he does wish to marry, a comedy of manners ensues. Set in rural Wales during the 1920s, Wendy Jones’s charming first novel is a deceptive, subtly humorous entrance to the mores and social conventions of a world gone by.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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1801 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Jones
58 books32 followersWendy Jones is a graduate of the University of East Anglia and has a PhD from Goldsmiths in creative writing. She has published two novels and is the author of 'Portrait of the Artist as a Young Girl', a biography of Grayson Perry. She lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 336 reviews
June 20, 2017
This may have just been a case of right-book-right-time, but for whatever reason, I really enjoyed this lovely, languid tale of a Welsh funeral director and his rocky romantic life.
Spring, 1924
After being wonderstruck by the sight of Grace in her yellow silk dress, Wilfred Price blurts out a marriage proposal, and to his horror . . . Grace accepts. After weeks of avoiding the poor girl, he manages to rescind his offer and become disengaged. But, Grace is REALLY in need of a husband, so she neglects to share the news with her parents. They consider the marriage to be definitely ON, and in fact, a task to be accomplished as quickly as possible. Things are further complicated when Wilfred meets the woman who he truly wants to marry.
Jones' writing is lovely and evocative. I was particularly struck by her description of Wilfred's unhappy wedding night:
Wilfred had never been in bed with a woman before. He had thought about it, imagined that it would be very cosy. Not only cosy; he had hoped it might be something more than that. Perhaps that is what a loved and wanted wife gave to a man: sanctuary from the harshness of being male - but this iron bed wasn't a sanctuary. People who were sleeping in the desert in Arabia with a stone for a pillow were right now more comfortable than he was.
And then, two weeks later, we realize that there are two miserable people in that marriage bed:
She reached out her hand across the bed, across the gap between them that had been maintained each and every night for the fourteen nights of the marriage, and touched his arm, leaving her hand there for a few seconds; it was a touch devoid of sexuality or passion, desire or wanting. It was the touch of one broken person reaching out, in recognition, to another.
It was hard to dislike any of these characters . . . well, other than Grace's parents. I honestly had no idea what would happen next, and the ending was not what I was expecting. I don't think it's any kind of spoiler to say that all participants in this strange love triangle are left with at least a chance of happiness.
Spring, 1924
After being wonderstruck by the sight of Grace in her yellow silk dress, Wilfred Price blurts out a marriage proposal, and to his horror . . . Grace accepts. After weeks of avoiding the poor girl, he manages to rescind his offer and become disengaged. But, Grace is REALLY in need of a husband, so she neglects to share the news with her parents. They consider the marriage to be definitely ON, and in fact, a task to be accomplished as quickly as possible. Things are further complicated when Wilfred meets the woman who he truly wants to marry.
Jones' writing is lovely and evocative. I was particularly struck by her description of Wilfred's unhappy wedding night:
Wilfred had never been in bed with a woman before. He had thought about it, imagined that it would be very cosy. Not only cosy; he had hoped it might be something more than that. Perhaps that is what a loved and wanted wife gave to a man: sanctuary from the harshness of being male - but this iron bed wasn't a sanctuary. People who were sleeping in the desert in Arabia with a stone for a pillow were right now more comfortable than he was.
And then, two weeks later, we realize that there are two miserable people in that marriage bed:
She reached out her hand across the bed, across the gap between them that had been maintained each and every night for the fourteen nights of the marriage, and touched his arm, leaving her hand there for a few seconds; it was a touch devoid of sexuality or passion, desire or wanting. It was the touch of one broken person reaching out, in recognition, to another.
It was hard to dislike any of these characters . . . well, other than Grace's parents. I honestly had no idea what would happen next, and the ending was not what I was expecting. I don't think it's any kind of spoiler to say that all participants in this strange love triangle are left with at least a chance of happiness.
July 8, 2018
Sometimes I don't know what I want to read or what I'm in the mood for. So I peruse my physical bookshelves of those novels that are waiting. It feels a little like being in a private, mini bookstore, but I don't have to get in the car and I don't have to pay. I just wait for one to speak to me.
This is from Europa Press, which can always be counted on to have a beautiful cover with excellent writing inside. And you have to admit that the title is unusual, to say the least. The title and the cover are probably why I bought it in the first place.
Well, it turns out to have been just what I needed! Wilfred is the local undertaker in a small village in Wales, circa 1924. He is young and inexperienced around women, and on the first page he asks Grace to marry him, influenced by her yellow dress. On the second page he knows he's made a horrible mistake, but doesn't get around to rescinding his proposal for a few days, out of fear. Of course, by this time everyone knows about it, parents get involved, and things get complicated, to say the least. In the meantime, Wilfred falls in love with someone else. Things happen. Bear in mind this is a small village.
The beauty of this book for me was the writing. A gentle story told with humor and pathos, about a simpler time (was it really? ) and simpler people (were they really?). There are some very funny things and some very sad things, and some really wonderful people. I loved spending time with them.
I may go back to that same mini bookstore. There are some really good books on those shelves.
This is from Europa Press, which can always be counted on to have a beautiful cover with excellent writing inside. And you have to admit that the title is unusual, to say the least. The title and the cover are probably why I bought it in the first place.
Well, it turns out to have been just what I needed! Wilfred is the local undertaker in a small village in Wales, circa 1924. He is young and inexperienced around women, and on the first page he asks Grace to marry him, influenced by her yellow dress. On the second page he knows he's made a horrible mistake, but doesn't get around to rescinding his proposal for a few days, out of fear. Of course, by this time everyone knows about it, parents get involved, and things get complicated, to say the least. In the meantime, Wilfred falls in love with someone else. Things happen. Bear in mind this is a small village.
The beauty of this book for me was the writing. A gentle story told with humor and pathos, about a simpler time (was it really? ) and simpler people (were they really?). There are some very funny things and some very sad things, and some really wonderful people. I loved spending time with them.
I may go back to that same mini bookstore. There are some really good books on those shelves.
May 26, 2016
Ok, have a ton of books to finish, but I've had this for a few years and finally perused it not being able to stop reading it. This was another sort of homey, old fashioned read about a young man named Wilfred price, who happens to handle all the funerals for his small town and unwittingly finds himself proposing to a girl he barely knew only to regret it. I found this an enjoyable, mostly light hearted read, even when Wilfred describes the dead as he prepares them to be laid out for their funerals. During the course of Wilfred's blunder in proposing too hastily, he falls in love and what follows is Wilfred trying to figure out a way out of his mistake. The story does take a more serious note with Grace, the girl he intended to marry who is hiding a secret that pulls Wilfred further into his predicament.
July 22, 2017
It's a beautiful spring day, and Grace looks attractive in a new yellow dress. Before he really realizes what he is doing, Wilfred Price is proposing marriage. Minutes later, he knows that he really doesn't want to spend the rest of his life with a woman he hardly knows. But how is he going to get out of this predicament? Wilfred hasn't been around women much, and has such a difficult time talking to them that he buys a dictionary in the hope that new words might help. Wilfred also figures out that things that are unsaid are very important.
Wilfred is a young undertaker who describes himself as "a purveyor of superior funerals". It's 1924 in a small town in Pembrokeshire, Wales where everyone knows their neighbors' business. He finds love when he meets Flora whose father had recently passed away. Wilfred wants to live his life fully, but does not want to hurt anyone.
This is a charming story with characters I liked, and occasional moments of humor. It's about a young man emotionally maturing as he faces complex choices. Very enjoyable!
Wilfred is a young undertaker who describes himself as "a purveyor of superior funerals". It's 1924 in a small town in Pembrokeshire, Wales where everyone knows their neighbors' business. He finds love when he meets Flora whose father had recently passed away. Wilfred wants to live his life fully, but does not want to hurt anyone.
This is a charming story with characters I liked, and occasional moments of humor. It's about a young man emotionally maturing as he faces complex choices. Very enjoyable!
August 29, 2012
This is one of the most delightful books I have read in a long time. Quirky, funny, poignant ... altogether lovely. Highly recommended.
August 21, 2018
" How can we fully live our lives without hurting other people?" Wendy Jones
Yes indeed, there are so many things that shape our character, whether by our own actions or by that of another.
This was a delightful book about the handsome undertaker in a 1920's small Welch town named Wilfred Price, who gets himself into a bit of a pickle when he encounters Grace Reese, the local doctor's daughter, at the annual spring picnic. Though he doesn't know her well, he's overcome by the atmosphere of the day and her shapely beauty in a yellow dress, and haplessly proposes marriage on the spur of the moment, little knowing the labyrinth of events he has put into play.
The inside cover of my 2014 Europa Edition of this book states that the miniseries options have been purchased by the producers of Downtown Abbey.
No surprise to me, thoroughly enjoyed this. 5 stars
Yes indeed, there are so many things that shape our character, whether by our own actions or by that of another.
This was a delightful book about the handsome undertaker in a 1920's small Welch town named Wilfred Price, who gets himself into a bit of a pickle when he encounters Grace Reese, the local doctor's daughter, at the annual spring picnic. Though he doesn't know her well, he's overcome by the atmosphere of the day and her shapely beauty in a yellow dress, and haplessly proposes marriage on the spur of the moment, little knowing the labyrinth of events he has put into play.
The inside cover of my 2014 Europa Edition of this book states that the miniseries options have been purchased by the producers of Downtown Abbey.
No surprise to me, thoroughly enjoyed this. 5 stars
September 18, 2012
I was surprised and not a little disappointed by this book. It sounded charming and quirky, and I was imagining another gem like 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society'. Instead it was slow, far too slow and I'm afraid I found the spineless Wilfred rather annoying, instead of charming. I got halfway through, my eyes continued to be drawn to that lovely exciting pile of books waiting patiently and I skim-read to the end. I love the sort of books that have a gentle story and are beautifully described, but I'm afraid there was something missing from this (for me) and I was disappointed as I expected so much more from the story (and that beautiful cover).
February 11, 2017
If I could I would rate this 3.5 stars ( goodreads could introduce this ! )
The story is set in a small village in Wales in the 1920's. It follows the life of a young man Wilfred and his struggles in "settling down" . It is at times funny, quirky and sad with a rather serious undertone of nasty unspoken things. I could conjure up the characters very well and enjoyed immensely the descriptions of his relationship with his Da. All in all an enjoyable read.
The story is set in a small village in Wales in the 1920's. It follows the life of a young man Wilfred and his struggles in "settling down" . It is at times funny, quirky and sad with a rather serious undertone of nasty unspoken things. I could conjure up the characters very well and enjoyed immensely the descriptions of his relationship with his Da. All in all an enjoyable read.
August 21, 2017
I've gone and done it again ... Bought a book with great enthusiasm, rushed home to check it out on Goodreads ... and was knocked sideways by that sinking feeling which, by now, is becoming increasingly familiar. Yep, my latest fantastic book buy is in fact the first novel in a series. Talk about losing interest in a matter of moments. I decided to chalk it up to experience and get on with my life. But the rather fascinating cover kept haunting me, plus the occasional involuntary peek inside kept revealing beautifully written passages that whetted my appetite unceasingly for a bit more of the same. I slowly began to realize that I was not equal to resisting the book's considerable pull -- telling me in no uncertain terms to put my churlish disappointment aside and read the damned thing. I'm not sure what attracted me most -- was it the unusual setting of a Welsh town in the 1920's, or the fact that the main protagonist is a young undertaker hopelessly entangled in some thorny peccadilloes concerning the affairs of the heart? Both, I think. Main thing is I gave in and started reading. Boy, am I glad I did!
I could identify with poor Wilfred from the first page. Imagine proposing marriage in the heat of the moment (while enjoying a picnic with the beautiful Grace in a beguiling dress "the colour of lemon curd", complete with sumptious trifle as dessert), only to come to your senses a moment later with the sobering realization that you definitely do not love the person who has just this moment accepted your request for her hand with delighted alacrity. But this ill-advised slip is only the beginning of Wilfred's problems ... How was he to know of Grace's dark secret, or the relentless insistence of her dour father to see that the right thing is done by his daughter ... or indeed that his usual efficient handling of yet another funeral would result in him meeting the charming Flo, soon to take her place as the love of his life despite the shadow hanging over him?
Jones' pleasant plot meanders gracefully, always poised to add another complication to the procedures. In unfolding her tale, she gives us much to savor: among other delights, Wilfred's wonderfully earthy relationship with his widowed father (gravedigger of the community) and his contrasting interactions with Grace and Flo, complete with spot-on dialogue and sinuous writing to make the characters come gloriously alive.
I suspect any reader will root for Wilfred Price every step of the way, urging him to take the right decision at the right moment and to stick to his guns even in the face of daunting obstacles. And be amazed at how well the author gets into the psyche of her main character. If there is any guy out there who reads this and thinks, "Right ... so just another typical chick-lit offering when all is said and done", let me assure him that nothing could be further from the truth.
Now all that remains for me is to get my hands on the sequel. I can't possibly let these characters go without finding out what's in store for them. And to remember to consult Goodreads BEFORE I decide to add yet another book to my collection ...
I could identify with poor Wilfred from the first page. Imagine proposing marriage in the heat of the moment (while enjoying a picnic with the beautiful Grace in a beguiling dress "the colour of lemon curd", complete with sumptious trifle as dessert), only to come to your senses a moment later with the sobering realization that you definitely do not love the person who has just this moment accepted your request for her hand with delighted alacrity. But this ill-advised slip is only the beginning of Wilfred's problems ... How was he to know of Grace's dark secret, or the relentless insistence of her dour father to see that the right thing is done by his daughter ... or indeed that his usual efficient handling of yet another funeral would result in him meeting the charming Flo, soon to take her place as the love of his life despite the shadow hanging over him?
Jones' pleasant plot meanders gracefully, always poised to add another complication to the procedures. In unfolding her tale, she gives us much to savor: among other delights, Wilfred's wonderfully earthy relationship with his widowed father (gravedigger of the community) and his contrasting interactions with Grace and Flo, complete with spot-on dialogue and sinuous writing to make the characters come gloriously alive.
I suspect any reader will root for Wilfred Price every step of the way, urging him to take the right decision at the right moment and to stick to his guns even in the face of daunting obstacles. And be amazed at how well the author gets into the psyche of her main character. If there is any guy out there who reads this and thinks, "Right ... so just another typical chick-lit offering when all is said and done", let me assure him that nothing could be further from the truth.
Now all that remains for me is to get my hands on the sequel. I can't possibly let these characters go without finding out what's in store for them. And to remember to consult Goodreads BEFORE I decide to add yet another book to my collection ...
July 3, 2012
'Wilfred was beginning to realise that the profession of undertaker wasn't much use to him when it came to matters of romance.'
Wilfred Price is the undertaker in the Welsh village of Narberth in Pembrokeshire. One day in 1924, quite unintentionally and just swept up by the moment, Wilfred impulsively proposes marriage to a girl, Grace, whilst at a picnic. As soon as he has done it, he wishes he hadn't, as he realises he doesn't love her at all. He decides that he will explain this to her, and believes he can resolve this awkward situation. But extricating himself from what he has done isn't going to be as straightforward as he might have hoped. Wilfred has always taken pride in his work, bearing in mind at all times the guidelines imprinted in his mind by Mr Ogmore Auden, his apprentice-master in all matters funereal. Wilfred was used to a simple life, but subsequent to the events in the opening pages of the story, his life is anything but. He then meets a woman he thinks he really could and does love, and then Grace reveals a secret that will further confuse and complicate matters for Wilfred.
The author has captured these characters beautifully, and painted a convincing, well-observed picture of life in a small rural village, with everyone knowing everyone else's goings-on, and no one wanting to be the brunt of village gossip. At the same time, she illustrates the love of the place and the country felt by Wilfred's father as he digs the graves; 'he was cutting the good Welsh earth, the fields of which had fed his family for generations and which he would in turn nourish with his own body.' This is a place that instills both love and yet imposes a sense of limitation in the inhabitants, 'a town that pretended innocence and only allowed for innocence.'
Wilfred has a contented life, living with his father, his mother having passed away many years ago. Wilfred therefore has little idea about women and relationships. 'Wilfred didn't know what marriage involved. Because his father was widowed, Wilfred had had no insight into the day-to-day goings-on of marriage, hadn't grown up enveloped in one. He imagined the worst ones were like Punch and Judy's marriage.' When considering a partner for himself, he wonders, 'What did a man look for in a wife,...Was it cooking? Cleaning? Cleaning would be handy: neither he nor his da were very particular around the house and it could get a bit much sometimes.'
This is a gentle and sweet debut novel from Wendy Jones, written with humour and an insight into love, relationships, loss, and the damage that pride and secrecy can cause. The author writes with warmth and compassion towards her characters, the nervousness and delicate feelings as they tiptoe around the truth of their emotions, and she demonstrates a keen awareness of the social situation and restricted possibilities, especially for women, during those times. I found it delightful to read and I look forward to reading more by this author.
Wilfred Price is the undertaker in the Welsh village of Narberth in Pembrokeshire. One day in 1924, quite unintentionally and just swept up by the moment, Wilfred impulsively proposes marriage to a girl, Grace, whilst at a picnic. As soon as he has done it, he wishes he hadn't, as he realises he doesn't love her at all. He decides that he will explain this to her, and believes he can resolve this awkward situation. But extricating himself from what he has done isn't going to be as straightforward as he might have hoped. Wilfred has always taken pride in his work, bearing in mind at all times the guidelines imprinted in his mind by Mr Ogmore Auden, his apprentice-master in all matters funereal. Wilfred was used to a simple life, but subsequent to the events in the opening pages of the story, his life is anything but. He then meets a woman he thinks he really could and does love, and then Grace reveals a secret that will further confuse and complicate matters for Wilfred.
The author has captured these characters beautifully, and painted a convincing, well-observed picture of life in a small rural village, with everyone knowing everyone else's goings-on, and no one wanting to be the brunt of village gossip. At the same time, she illustrates the love of the place and the country felt by Wilfred's father as he digs the graves; 'he was cutting the good Welsh earth, the fields of which had fed his family for generations and which he would in turn nourish with his own body.' This is a place that instills both love and yet imposes a sense of limitation in the inhabitants, 'a town that pretended innocence and only allowed for innocence.'
Wilfred has a contented life, living with his father, his mother having passed away many years ago. Wilfred therefore has little idea about women and relationships. 'Wilfred didn't know what marriage involved. Because his father was widowed, Wilfred had had no insight into the day-to-day goings-on of marriage, hadn't grown up enveloped in one. He imagined the worst ones were like Punch and Judy's marriage.' When considering a partner for himself, he wonders, 'What did a man look for in a wife,...Was it cooking? Cleaning? Cleaning would be handy: neither he nor his da were very particular around the house and it could get a bit much sometimes.'
This is a gentle and sweet debut novel from Wendy Jones, written with humour and an insight into love, relationships, loss, and the damage that pride and secrecy can cause. The author writes with warmth and compassion towards her characters, the nervousness and delicate feelings as they tiptoe around the truth of their emotions, and she demonstrates a keen awareness of the social situation and restricted possibilities, especially for women, during those times. I found it delightful to read and I look forward to reading more by this author.
March 16, 2013
Don't be misled by the charming cover because you will find a much darker tale at the heart of this seemingly unassuming book set in rural Wales in the 1920`s. Our hero Wilfred finds himself embroiled in a complicated love triangle (despite the advice of his funereal mentor Mr Auden forbidding `fancy business with the ladies') with a quite shocking secret at its heart that hits you square on and makes you reassess the predicament that he and Grace (his intended) find themselves in, further complicated by Wilfred's illicit love for the emotionally battered Flora. Alongside this, the relationship between Wilfred and his `Da' is beautifully drawn adding a sense of stability to Wilfred's complicated life and the writing throughout regarding human relationships seems so understated but leads the reader along effortlessly. The story is punctuated by moments of mordant wit (mainly in the good advice dispensed by the aforementioned Mr Auden) and then by turn injections of extreme pathos which really makes you care about the characters and ponder on their fate after the last page is turned. An accomplished debut that I can wholeheartedly recommend for those who like books that make you think...
April 11, 2012
I wanted to love it but I just found the plot to be rather slow. Some bits touched me,particularly Grace's situation & the grief Flora & her mother shared after her fathers death. However,it wasn't enough to make that special connection to the characters. Wendy Jones writes well though & I look forward to seeing what she comes out with next.
August 21, 2012
The title of Wendy Jones' first novel sums up just what the story is about, and although it's a bit of a mouthful, it really is the perfect title for this wonderful story. Looking at the cover, which depicts the back view of a shapely young woman in a beautiful dress, the reader can suppose that many of Wilfred's thoughts centre around his relationships.
The story is set in the small Welsh town of Narbeth in the early 1920s. Wendy Jones has brought this insular, sometimes petty, often snobbish town and it's inhabitants to life so well. Wilfred has lived in Narbeth for all of his life, now in his late 20s, he's been the town undertaker since finishing his apprenticeship under Mr Ogmore Auden some years before. Grace Reece has also lived in Narbeth since she was a child. Grace is the only daughter of the local Doctor and his rather haughty wife, her brother Madoc is in the Army, and the apple of his mother's eye. Wilfred and Grace are enjoying a picnic together, when out of the blue he proposes to her. Grace is delighted, Wilfred is horrified by what he has done, and realises that his mind was turned by Grace's beautiful yellow dress, that showed just a little more cleavage than is acceptable. Wilfred does not love Grace.
The characters appear quite simple and straightforward at first. Wilfred has got himself into a situation that he needs to get out of but he has no experience with women as his Mother died four days after he was born and he has no sisters. He's a kind soul at heart and also knows that if he just dumps Grace, his business will suffer. Grace is a very unhappy girl, delighted to be 'engaged', and ignoring the fact that Wilfred seems to be avoiding her.
There were times when I wanted to shake Wilfred, and at first I really disliked Grace. As the story moves on though, the reader learns that Grace is not what she at first seems, and is hiding heartbreak and horror from everyone. Wendy Jones handles these hidden secrets very delicately, allowing the reader to gradually realise that all is not what is seems in sleepy Narbeth.
The sense of place, the characters and the community spirit shine through in this novel. There is a sprinkling of humour, lots of secrets, passion and wonderful dialogue. I enjoyed Wilfred Price far more than I expected to and will look forward to more from this author.
The story is set in the small Welsh town of Narbeth in the early 1920s. Wendy Jones has brought this insular, sometimes petty, often snobbish town and it's inhabitants to life so well. Wilfred has lived in Narbeth for all of his life, now in his late 20s, he's been the town undertaker since finishing his apprenticeship under Mr Ogmore Auden some years before. Grace Reece has also lived in Narbeth since she was a child. Grace is the only daughter of the local Doctor and his rather haughty wife, her brother Madoc is in the Army, and the apple of his mother's eye. Wilfred and Grace are enjoying a picnic together, when out of the blue he proposes to her. Grace is delighted, Wilfred is horrified by what he has done, and realises that his mind was turned by Grace's beautiful yellow dress, that showed just a little more cleavage than is acceptable. Wilfred does not love Grace.
The characters appear quite simple and straightforward at first. Wilfred has got himself into a situation that he needs to get out of but he has no experience with women as his Mother died four days after he was born and he has no sisters. He's a kind soul at heart and also knows that if he just dumps Grace, his business will suffer. Grace is a very unhappy girl, delighted to be 'engaged', and ignoring the fact that Wilfred seems to be avoiding her.
There were times when I wanted to shake Wilfred, and at first I really disliked Grace. As the story moves on though, the reader learns that Grace is not what she at first seems, and is hiding heartbreak and horror from everyone. Wendy Jones handles these hidden secrets very delicately, allowing the reader to gradually realise that all is not what is seems in sleepy Narbeth.
The sense of place, the characters and the community spirit shine through in this novel. There is a sprinkling of humour, lots of secrets, passion and wonderful dialogue. I enjoyed Wilfred Price far more than I expected to and will look forward to more from this author.
October 31, 2013
After once again interrogating the poor owner of a divine little bookstore in Mt Tambourine I walked away with this little discovery! This is quite a quirky and surprisingly little book. It tells the story of Wilfred Price, who is fighting to make something of himself as the local funeral director in a small little town where judgement and assumptions are rife. One summer day he mistakes beauty, loneliness and probably lust for love and asks a young woman to marry him. Instantly regretting the decision he retracts his proposal but his actions take him down a sinister and very different path to the original story. In fact the jump for me was so marked it almost felt as though the book had swapped authors. While the book has an interesting reflection on the world post world war one, there was a kind of isolation from the characters I didn’t enjoy. I wanted to have a stronger intimacy with them that never came despite my level of empathy. I certainly enjoyed the book but didn’t love it as I perhaps could of. One to check out for yourselves…very easy to read with a number of turns to the story.
May 23, 2014
Wilfred Price's tip-toeing into situations with the opposite sex start out befuddled and amusing. Caught up in the swirling eddies (both figurative and literal) of the complexities of love, commitment and marriage, Wilfred tries hard to navigate his way through these uncharted waters. Thrust into an unfair dilemma, Wilfred's steady climb out of a mess that is only partially his making leads to his own personal growth, and it is lovely to watch. This novel is funny, slightly haunting and satisfying at the same time.
December 15, 2012
What a silly book. I have no idea how it's gotten an almost 5 star rating on both Amazon US and UK. It makes me a little sad at the quality of books people are reading these days and how these books are being measured in comparison to other more worthy books.
Wilfred Price is a silly man, who makes a silly mistake of proposing to a girl, and is then forced to marry her because the silly girl has a terrible secret and needs someone to blame it on. Then Wilfred falls in love in the silliest of ways with Flora, a silly girl whom he had just met, and needs to get out of his silly sham of a marriage to be with her.
It's a short book - 12 chapters long - but as far as I was concerned it could have been 120 chapters, because that's how it felt reading it. I read a lot, and I read all sort of books encompassing every genre out there, but this was just too much. I found myself skimming through paragraphs and paragraphs of text in order to get to the point of the story. There were a few interesting little things here and there (like Grace's terrible secret, which should have been made into a more critical storyline in the book), but all in all, it was just a waste of my time.
To be honest, I was sold by the cover of this book. The gorgeous hard cover with endpapers and a lovely font made me pick up this book and see what it was about. When I read the synopsis I was a little intrigued, but when I saw the raving reviews on here, I thought for sure I had landed on a gold mine. Sadly, I was proven wrong.
Never judge a book by its cover!
Wilfred Price is a silly man, who makes a silly mistake of proposing to a girl, and is then forced to marry her because the silly girl has a terrible secret and needs someone to blame it on. Then Wilfred falls in love in the silliest of ways with Flora, a silly girl whom he had just met, and needs to get out of his silly sham of a marriage to be with her.
It's a short book - 12 chapters long - but as far as I was concerned it could have been 120 chapters, because that's how it felt reading it. I read a lot, and I read all sort of books encompassing every genre out there, but this was just too much. I found myself skimming through paragraphs and paragraphs of text in order to get to the point of the story. There were a few interesting little things here and there (like Grace's terrible secret, which should have been made into a more critical storyline in the book), but all in all, it was just a waste of my time.
To be honest, I was sold by the cover of this book. The gorgeous hard cover with endpapers and a lovely font made me pick up this book and see what it was about. When I read the synopsis I was a little intrigued, but when I saw the raving reviews on here, I thought for sure I had landed on a gold mine. Sadly, I was proven wrong.
Never judge a book by its cover!
August 11, 2013
I thought this was a lovely book ! The characters were very interesting , especially that of Wilfred. There are many times I wanted to give him a good shake. Wilfred is pretty dreadful in the art of asking a woman out. Honestly if he was real and not just a character in a book I would be standing in front of him going no no no no no Wilfred!!! It is because he is so clueless that makes him adorable in a way, you can't help but want to take him under your wing. I really enjoyed this story!!! Wilfred helps run the family funeral home and he is very good at what he does, it is the subject of love he struggles with. When a moment of madness seeing a beautiful woman in a yellow dress takes over him it causes him more trouble than he could have ever imagined!
Wilfred's character really grew on me quite quickly as did the other characters in the book. Before you know it you are really keen to know them all and what makes them tic. Small town life and all that comes with that plays a role here too and it is really enjoyable seeing it all through the characters eyes. This story filled me with mixed emotions , I would love if this was made into a series!!!!!
It was the title of this book that first attracted me to it but I can honestly say I loved it.
Wilfred's character really grew on me quite quickly as did the other characters in the book. Before you know it you are really keen to know them all and what makes them tic. Small town life and all that comes with that plays a role here too and it is really enjoyable seeing it all through the characters eyes. This story filled me with mixed emotions , I would love if this was made into a series!!!!!
It was the title of this book that first attracted me to it but I can honestly say I loved it.
September 3, 2016
I could not make it though the book. The first 20% did not go anywhere and just jumped around, I have no idea what the plot it supposed to be, but I wasn't getting there any time soon. With my huge TBR list, I didn't have time for a book that did not catch my attention and seemed to be going no where.
Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
August 28, 2012
It's a charming novel, very descriptive and warm, but I didn't feel hat it had a great deal of substance and t times it dragged. I think what I liked most as how connected Wilfred felt to being an undertaker: he related his major lif decisions back to his chosen career/calling.
April 30, 2015
I thought this was very good. The story held my interest and the writing was lovely, like a work of art at times. At first I thought the book would be light-hearted and humourous but it became deeper. Wilfred had real depth to his character, and this developed through the novel.
June 2, 2015
A very enjoyable book, written in a light gentle style and yet handling serious topics and emotions. I liked the unexpected twists it had and the realistic outcome. Thank you Nicole!
June 17, 2020
Life is a series of choices and decisions. Some of them are made by us and others are made for us. But no matter how they're made and by whom, our lives are the sum of those choices and decisions. British author Wendy Jones could have placed her book, "The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price: Purveyor of Superior Funerals", in any time and given us any character and have made her point about choices and decisions and their effect on a man's life.
Set in the Welsh countryside in 1924, the main character, Wilfred Price, has made something of his life. The son of a poor widower who has lost his wife in childbirth, Wilfred has apprenticed himself to a funeral director and learned the trade. He has returned to his home town and opened up his own funeral home and waits for the bodies to arrive. And they do arrive; Wilfred finds himself a man-on-the-rise. In the sixth year after the end of The Great War, England is a land of quiet sorrow. Men who didn't return from the war and those who returned but are damaged either physically or emotionally are mourned by those who loved and cherished them. Along with war, the influenza epidemic continues to take lives of those on the back home. Wilfred Price decides, now that his business is established, that it's time to take a wife. He impetuously proposed to a local miss - Grace - the daughter of the town's doctor. He soon regrets his decision to propose to this bride of choice and he breaks off his engagement. While on the job, Wilfred meets the daughter of a recently buried man who he falls in love with. Then, a decision is made by Grace's father - a decision totally at odds with what Wilfred wants - and he marries Grace.
"Thoughts and Happenings" is filled with what these choices and decisions. Some are made by people with full knowledge of whatever facts there are and some are made blindly. Some are good and some are...bad. Wendy Jones writes well of the those sad times in the mid-1920's and does an excellent job of giving her three main characters and the many supporting ones nuanced portrayals. It's a very good novel and may cause you to think of all the choices and decisions you've made that you wish you could - possibly - reverse.
Set in the Welsh countryside in 1924, the main character, Wilfred Price, has made something of his life. The son of a poor widower who has lost his wife in childbirth, Wilfred has apprenticed himself to a funeral director and learned the trade. He has returned to his home town and opened up his own funeral home and waits for the bodies to arrive. And they do arrive; Wilfred finds himself a man-on-the-rise. In the sixth year after the end of The Great War, England is a land of quiet sorrow. Men who didn't return from the war and those who returned but are damaged either physically or emotionally are mourned by those who loved and cherished them. Along with war, the influenza epidemic continues to take lives of those on the back home. Wilfred Price decides, now that his business is established, that it's time to take a wife. He impetuously proposed to a local miss - Grace - the daughter of the town's doctor. He soon regrets his decision to propose to this bride of choice and he breaks off his engagement. While on the job, Wilfred meets the daughter of a recently buried man who he falls in love with. Then, a decision is made by Grace's father - a decision totally at odds with what Wilfred wants - and he marries Grace.
"Thoughts and Happenings" is filled with what these choices and decisions. Some are made by people with full knowledge of whatever facts there are and some are made blindly. Some are good and some are...bad. Wendy Jones writes well of the those sad times in the mid-1920's and does an excellent job of giving her three main characters and the many supporting ones nuanced portrayals. It's a very good novel and may cause you to think of all the choices and decisions you've made that you wish you could - possibly - reverse.
December 3, 2020
Hard truth here--my expectations for this novel were very low. In fact, I hesitated to even get it. I've been fooled before by enticing covers with promises of an "old-fashioned" type story to only find idiotic plots with graphic sex. Fortunately, something made me screw up my courage because I DID get the book and I fell IN LOVE.
This is a sneaky novel. It is told in a breezy and amusing fashion and quickly transports you to a sleepy village in Wales in the 1920s. There you are, happily sipping your tea and feeling quite content, when one of the characters moves you almost to tears, a plot twist makes you shudder and then you are back to sipping your tea and hours have passed. Wow!
Wendy Jones has done something I wish more modern authors would try. Tell a freaking story. Let the past shine in all its glory and also allow the warts and unsavory aspects of it speak for itself. Don't teach me a lesson--tell me a tale.
This is a sneaky novel. It is told in a breezy and amusing fashion and quickly transports you to a sleepy village in Wales in the 1920s. There you are, happily sipping your tea and feeling quite content, when one of the characters moves you almost to tears, a plot twist makes you shudder and then you are back to sipping your tea and hours have passed. Wow!
Wendy Jones has done something I wish more modern authors would try. Tell a freaking story. Let the past shine in all its glory and also allow the warts and unsavory aspects of it speak for itself. Don't teach me a lesson--tell me a tale.
June 8, 2023
I don't know who thought it was accurate to describe this book as charming and subtly humorous, but they need to have their head(s) examined! This book was bleak and dismal. I found absolutely nothing charming or humorous, subtle or otherwise, about the situations these characters found themselves in.
Wilfred was an idiot and deserved every predicament he put himself in.
Wilfred was an idiot and deserved every predicament he put himself in.
October 19, 2017
this was one of those books i didn't quite fancy reading but i'm all about characters and i liked most of them. i enjoyed reading about wilfred, his gentle love with his da and the pickle he finds himself in. would read more of this series for sure.
September 25, 2013
This will be a shortish review because I’m afraid it might be too easy to include spoilers if I’m not careful. I picked up my copy from the lovely new Birmingham library – and I have to say I do love the cover artwork. Jones writes with that friendly informal simplicity very much in the tradition of many of Alexander McCall Smith’s novels. This style suits perfectly the story of small town innocence and miscommunication that has a deceptively dark centre. I loved the opening scene, and it sucked me right in.
“It was because of a yellow dress. She was wearing a yellow dress and her arms were bare. It was slightly tart, the colour of lemon curd. He couldn’t remember seeing a dress in that shade before. It was pleated silk and sleeveless, with a low waistband and a square neck that was slightly too low, perhaps only by half an inch.
Wilfred wondered how she got the dress on. Maybe there were hooks and eyes hidden on the side, under her arm. Ladies dresses sometimes had those. Women hooked and encased themselves in their dresses but there was always a way out.
‘And there’s trifle’ Grace said triumphantly, ‘with cream from the Clunderwen Dairy.’ Wilfred noticed he trifle was sealed with thick whipped cream, and the cream was scattered with flaked almonds. She laid the white bowl on the Welsh wool picnic blanket.”
“Wilfred Price” – as I will be referring to this novel from now on – is set in a small Welsh village in 1924. It is a charming quick read, engaging and very readable. Our hero Wilfred Price is a thoughtful young man, an undertaker who lives with his quiet father – a grave-digger. Formerly apprenticed to Mr Auden – Wilfred Price faithfully follows the advice he received from his apprentice-master. Wilfred wants to get on in the world – he has been saving hard, and is considering extending his business to include a wallpaper shop, he buys an old dictionary to help extend his vocabulary. One day at a summer picnic Wilfred rather confuses his sudden lustful thoughts for a pretty young woman he barely knows, and rashly proposes to her. Grace Reece, the doctor’s daughter, accepts him. Wilfred knows immediately he has made a mistake, he hadn’t really meant to propose. Horrified Wilfred tries to take it back, explains to Grace that he doesn’t want to marry her. However Grace has her own disturbing secret – and is unwilling to reveal to her family that Wilfred has changed his mind. With neither Grace nor Wilfred communicating with the other – and with Grace keeping her secret – the situation soon gets out of hand. Naturally things are further complicated when Wilfred meets Flora from outside his village – and knows instantly that she is in fact the woman for him. Flora whose father has just died – that is how she and Wilfred meet – is also still grieving for the Fiancé who was killed at the end of The Great War, but she likes Wilfred – and begins to believe in a future.
..”it was the war and he went and he never came back. When I saw the telegram, it felt as if a bomb had exploded in my heart. Sometimes I think I died with him in the Battle of the Sambre as he went over the trench. And for a long while, I wanted to die with him. But there were years of life without Albert, numb flat years where all I wanted was the life I’d thought I was going to have with him. Other men came along but I couldn’t love them because my heart was too fractured; there wasn’t enough of it left to love. Then my father, like that gone. Nothing is as sudden as death”
In Wendy Jones’ debut novel there are themes which have some real depth to them, and could have been explored at much deeper level. Grace’s story has a very dark element to it – and is never completely tied up, although I can see that to do so may have made it a different kind of novel. Flora’s grief that she has nursed for six long years, a situation repeated for many women in the years following The Great War – could also have been brought to the fore. It was really touching when Flora describes her loss of Albert to Wilfred– as quoted above. At the heart of “Wilfred Price” – and what makes things so hard for poor Wilfred is the claustrophobic atmosphere of a small Welsh town in the years following the First World War, Wilfred fears the town’s judgement upon him, Grace acts as she does because of a similar fear.
I really liked the characters of Wilfred and Flora, I’m sure many other readers will too – although I wanted to know more about what happened to Grace. I’m sure I will enjoy finding out what happens to Wilfred next when I get the sequel to review.
“It was because of a yellow dress. She was wearing a yellow dress and her arms were bare. It was slightly tart, the colour of lemon curd. He couldn’t remember seeing a dress in that shade before. It was pleated silk and sleeveless, with a low waistband and a square neck that was slightly too low, perhaps only by half an inch.
Wilfred wondered how she got the dress on. Maybe there were hooks and eyes hidden on the side, under her arm. Ladies dresses sometimes had those. Women hooked and encased themselves in their dresses but there was always a way out.
‘And there’s trifle’ Grace said triumphantly, ‘with cream from the Clunderwen Dairy.’ Wilfred noticed he trifle was sealed with thick whipped cream, and the cream was scattered with flaked almonds. She laid the white bowl on the Welsh wool picnic blanket.”
“Wilfred Price” – as I will be referring to this novel from now on – is set in a small Welsh village in 1924. It is a charming quick read, engaging and very readable. Our hero Wilfred Price is a thoughtful young man, an undertaker who lives with his quiet father – a grave-digger. Formerly apprenticed to Mr Auden – Wilfred Price faithfully follows the advice he received from his apprentice-master. Wilfred wants to get on in the world – he has been saving hard, and is considering extending his business to include a wallpaper shop, he buys an old dictionary to help extend his vocabulary. One day at a summer picnic Wilfred rather confuses his sudden lustful thoughts for a pretty young woman he barely knows, and rashly proposes to her. Grace Reece, the doctor’s daughter, accepts him. Wilfred knows immediately he has made a mistake, he hadn’t really meant to propose. Horrified Wilfred tries to take it back, explains to Grace that he doesn’t want to marry her. However Grace has her own disturbing secret – and is unwilling to reveal to her family that Wilfred has changed his mind. With neither Grace nor Wilfred communicating with the other – and with Grace keeping her secret – the situation soon gets out of hand. Naturally things are further complicated when Wilfred meets Flora from outside his village – and knows instantly that she is in fact the woman for him. Flora whose father has just died – that is how she and Wilfred meet – is also still grieving for the Fiancé who was killed at the end of The Great War, but she likes Wilfred – and begins to believe in a future.
..”it was the war and he went and he never came back. When I saw the telegram, it felt as if a bomb had exploded in my heart. Sometimes I think I died with him in the Battle of the Sambre as he went over the trench. And for a long while, I wanted to die with him. But there were years of life without Albert, numb flat years where all I wanted was the life I’d thought I was going to have with him. Other men came along but I couldn’t love them because my heart was too fractured; there wasn’t enough of it left to love. Then my father, like that gone. Nothing is as sudden as death”
In Wendy Jones’ debut novel there are themes which have some real depth to them, and could have been explored at much deeper level. Grace’s story has a very dark element to it – and is never completely tied up, although I can see that to do so may have made it a different kind of novel. Flora’s grief that she has nursed for six long years, a situation repeated for many women in the years following The Great War – could also have been brought to the fore. It was really touching when Flora describes her loss of Albert to Wilfred– as quoted above. At the heart of “Wilfred Price” – and what makes things so hard for poor Wilfred is the claustrophobic atmosphere of a small Welsh town in the years following the First World War, Wilfred fears the town’s judgement upon him, Grace acts as she does because of a similar fear.
I really liked the characters of Wilfred and Flora, I’m sure many other readers will too – although I wanted to know more about what happened to Grace. I’m sure I will enjoy finding out what happens to Wilfred next when I get the sequel to review.
July 7, 2020
Very good, lovely and funny.
August 24, 2025
SLUMP OVER!
April 15, 2017
2.5 Stars
At about page 160 I started to find this book interesting. I think part of the problem with this book was that I initially pictured the main character as a 60 year old man. He's clearly not that old, but I couldn't get that image out of my mind for the entire book and it kind of ruined a lot of this book for me.
In the end I found a lot of this book depressing and none of it had to do with the fact that Wilfred was an undertaker.
At about page 160 I started to find this book interesting. I think part of the problem with this book was that I initially pictured the main character as a 60 year old man. He's clearly not that old, but I couldn't get that image out of my mind for the entire book and it kind of ruined a lot of this book for me.
In the end I found a lot of this book depressing and none of it had to do with the fact that Wilfred was an undertaker.
June 4, 2014
The words that come to mind when I think of this book are "sweet", "charming", "wistful", and "emotionally wrought". I almost gave it 5 stars, except I don't think I'll go back and read this book over and over again. Wilfred Price is a young man with an established undertaker business in South Wales. As his apprentice-master counseled, he seeks to take a wife as soon as he has his business. He impulsively proposes to one young lady he doesn't know very well, and when she unexpectedly accepts, their ordered lives are upset in various ways. Wilfred meets another young lady who he cannot stop thinking about, and is then in quite a predicament. Either way he chooses, somebody will be hurt, and he comes to realize that not only the two ladies, but all the people in Wilfred's life will be affected in one way or another. The story is set in 1925 so has many period details, and it was my first book to read that was set in Wales, so I learned a little bit about this country from reading the book.
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