The People on Privilege Hill

Old Filth #0.5

by Jane Gardam

“Engrossing stories of hilarity and heartbreak” from the Whitbread Award–winning author of the Old Filth trilogy (The Seattle Times).A collection of stories from a writer at the height of her powers—a celebrated stylist admired for her caustic humor, freewheeling imagination, love of humanity, and wicked powers of observation. This is a delightful grouping of stories, witty and wise, that includes the return of Sir Edward Feathers, “Old Filth” himself.“[Gardam’s] stories, like delicate tapestries, are alight with colors.” —The Times (London)“When Gardam hits her mark, like other exemplary short-story writers such as William Trevor, Sylvia Townsend Warner and Elizabeth Taylor, she can be dazzling.” —The Guardian“Gardam’s brisk narration and fearless temperament make for serious fun.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“Wry, economical and perpetually surprising, these 14 stories from English novelist Gardam follow the last of the intrepid, stiff upper lip WWII generation of British ladies and gentlemen. . . . Gardam vividly evokes an age of iron wills.” —Publishers Weekly“Gardam displays the consummate skill of the short-story-teller, which is that of the caricaturist, the ability to capture a personality in a few brief strokes. . . . Privilege Hill is a collection of gentle stories that you could read to your grandmother, with the kind of sharp wit that would no doubt give her a secret smile. But they’re deeper than they look . . . so don’t read them all at once.” —The Bookbag

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, British Literature, Literary Fiction, 21st Century, Literature, Contemporary

228 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2007

About the author

Jane Mary Gardam was an English writer of children's and adult fiction and literary critic. She also penned reviews for The Spectator and The Telegraph, and wrote for BBC Radio. She lived in Kent, Wimbledon, and Yorkshire. She won numerous literary awards, including the Whitbread Award twice. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first discovered Jane Gardam a few years ago when I read her subtle, completely brilliant, account of the life of English barrister Eddie Feathers, aka "Old Filth" ('failed in London, try Hong Kong'). Ms Gardam upped the ante late last year by publishing a companion volume, "The Man in the Wooden Hat", which retold, and deepened, the story of the Feathers marriage from the point of view of his wife Betty.

Old Filth and his nemesis Veneering make a cameo appearance in the first story in this awesome collection by Gardam. It's impossible for me to pinpoint exactly where her brilliance lies. I'll just say that no collection of stories has moved me as much in the past five years and leave it at that. The stories are all over the map - from a woman who falls in love with a gorilla to the unexpectedly moving account of a college reunion - each has a wit and poignancy that few authors can match.

You have to read these stories - they will surprise and delight you. A truly spectacular accomplishment from an author you may not have come across. It's for books like this one that I created my "unexpectedly terrific" shelf.

[Lyn Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection began with a perfect story about Sir Edward Feathers (see Old Filth) and two of his elderly friends as they walk in the rain to a luncheon party on Privilege Hill, where chaos prevails and the wildly veering conversation is a constant delight.

But the most of the stories are disturbing and, as seems to be a necessary feature of short stories, have uncomfortable twists at the end.

Gardam's writing is, as always, beautifully precise and her wit sardonic.

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Jane Gardam's writing - it is spare, elegant and full of insight into the quirks of human nature. This is a book of short stories and what a wonderful collection they are.

The first, which gives the book its title, is about Edward Feathers (Old Filth) and his acquaintances. There are ghost stories, compassionate stories of old and lonely people, and one set in London in the middle of the Blitz.

My runaway favourite is about a woman who is tempted into a one night stand up in the Lake District while her husband is absent from home, but has to take the dog (a Black Labrador) with her because there isn't anyone she can ask to mind it. There is a wonderful absurdity to this. We have a Black Lab and I suspect that Jane Gardam has one too - the dog's behaviour is spot on and the results are hilarious.

Highly recommended.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

The People on Privilege Hill contains stories, short and quick and with adult emotions. Gardam has a laser-eye, and can have a razor-tongue, but she knows what humans are and what makes a story.

In “The Fledgling," we are introduced to that self-conscious teen ready to leave the nest, and the mixed emotions of parent and child are recognizable and painful and funny at the same time. In “Dangers” we encounter a story reminiscent of the UK’s BBC radio show My Word, where segments often feature a funny and circuitous word etomology. “Waiting for a Stranger” may be my favorite of all, as an uncertain hostess waits for an overseas guest to arrive at her remote farm cottage. There had been only a day to prepare--it was a sudden request from her minister and her guest is a black African bishop. She is a farm wife and mother, and she’d never seen a black man in the flesh before, just on the telly. There is something terribly poignant about the care for a stranger.

In ”The Virgin of Bruges,” Gardam displays her trademark dry wit:

But even if she had not wanted me I would have gone to her. Frédérique is unlike me. She is a mother, wife of a farmer, beautiful, resourceful, practical, intellectual. I am a small, short man.

"Pangbourne" is a story of cherishing another being, sharing their space, and their life, with no expectation of any return. And Gardam breaks our hearts with “The Latter Days of Mr. Jones,” the story of an elderly man, alone and never married, accused of hateful crimes against children. Each story illuminates corners of the human psyche and doesn’t bore us with too much of anything—explanations or asides, regrets or remarks. Just short stories that remain long in one’s memory.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Description: Jane Gardam's delightful short stories range from the Lake District to Dorset; from Wimbledon, where an old Victorian mansion has been converted into a home for unmarried mothers, to wartime London, where a hospital is the scene of a job interview in the middle of the Blitz. In 'Pangbourne' (not, in this instance, the place, but the name of an ape), a lonely woman allows herself tenderly to fall in love with a gorilla; 'Snap' is about a loveless one-night stand - and its ironic punishment. Two of the stories are ghost stories; and fans of Gardam's most recent novel, the bestselling Old Filth, will be overjoyed to encounter Filth himself and his ancient enemy and sparring partner, Veneering, among the umbrellas at a luncheon party on a soaking wet day.

The People on Privilege Hill
Pangbourne
Babette
The Latter Days of Mr Jones
The Flight Path
The Milly Ming
The Hair of the Dog
Dangers
Waiting for a Stranger
Learning to Fly
The Virgins of Bruges
The Fledgling
Snap
The Last Reunion

The author of the Old Filth trilogy explains why, despite her award-winning career as a novelist, it’s short stories she loves best


4* Old Filth
5* The Man in the Wooden Hat
WL Last Friends
WL Crusoe's Daughters
3* Bilgewater
TR The People on Privilege Hill
4* The Stories

[Gesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obwohl die Kurzgeschichten objektiv alle nichts Ungewöhnliches schildern, haben mich manche davon aufgewühlt zurück gelassen, während andere eher vorhersagbar waren. Seltene Verknüpfungen zwischen den Hauptcharakteren erinnern daran, dass keine Wahrnehmung der Welt die absolut richtige ist, ohne den Zwang, alle Geschichten zusammen führen zu müssen.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent collection of stories which range in time from WW2 to present (well ten years ago or so). Sharp, witty and elegant. A couple really smash it - a woman conducting a first, tentative affair but has to take her black Labrador with her to the hotel delights; a college reunion upturns perceptions and brings some home truths to the main character - and all are worthwhile. Once or twice I was turned off by a reliance on the last sentence revealing further information in the manner of a punchline, but this was a minor flaw (others might not see it as a flaw of course)...

[William Koon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pause to give thanks to those who have guided me along the way. One was ex-student Charlie who right after he was expelled brought by a copy of “Cat’s Cradle,” and said, “I think you will enjoy Vonnegut. I did –and do. Another was Nicole who introduced me to Jane Gardam. Along the way I got to know one of the more remarkable characters (and his environs) in contemporary fiction, Gardam’s “Old Filth.”

Now, here is a wonderful selection of her stories, the first of which finds us back with “Old Filth” as he approaches ninety in a rain storm. Joyous. She takes us other places, too. Here’s a telling story about charity, and unwed mothers, and how we have all changed. Another is an enchanting piece about a woman who is in love with an ape, and whose love –seemingly-- is shared. I particularly am struck by how responsive Gardam is to the aged in society.

Throughout the collection there is not a false note. Not one word used that is not needed. No idea that needs to be added. My only wish is that this slim volume had been a fatter serving of Gardam’s considered and true prose which hides beneath it worlds of delight and art.

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Didn’t realize this was a book of short stories, very loosely connected to the Old Filth series.

Gardam is a stellar storyteller, though I prefer her novels. I found the short stories ranging from delightful to tedious, with most in the middle of the range.

I believe most of my disappointment was that I wasn’t in much of a short story frame of mind, and that I had recently read her series of Old Filth novels and was in the novel-length rhythm of her writing. I found it harder to stay tuned with her short fiction, and not because of poor writing.

[Danielle McClellan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth the price of the book just to revisit Filth and Veneering in the first story. I can't get enough of those characters's from Gardam's novels "Old Filth" and "The Man in the Wooden Hat." I enjoyed the other short stories as well, but was not quite as taken with the rest as I was with the first.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane Gardam kann wundervoll portraitieren und Geschichten in Nuancen entwickeln. Jede der Erzählungen in diesem Band ist für sich eine kleines Fenster in ein fremdes Leben.
Die Themenbereiche sind auf den ersten Blick vielschichtig:
Englische Klassenunterschiede, komplizierte Eltern-Kind-Beziehungen, rationale Lebensentscheidungen, Ehepartner die eigentlich nicht zusammen passen, verpasste Lieben, Tod eines Partners, Untreue.
Auf den zweiten Blick wiederholt sich jedoch so manches Motiv. Leider haben mich bei dieser Sammlung einige Geschichten nicht so überzeugt wie andere.
Gerade bei den längeren Geschichten merkt man, dass Gardams Stärke das ausführliche ist und nicht die Knappheit.

[Lady Drinkwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything single one of these magical, moving or twist in the tale stories. Just a delight!

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are quite different from her trilogy on Edward Feathers, Old Filth and his bunch. IMHO, 4 stars is a generous rating for this short story group. But do take that with a grain of salt because I am not a fan of short stories- yet I love novellas. Despite that, even in such tiny crisp exercises, the characterizations are excellent.

Regardless, Jane Gardam tackles some social issues here in context of the 1960's and 1970's that are done in present tense narrative BUT, IMHO, would be highly "suspect" to the PC police of 2012, 2013, 2014. For instance, I appreciated the unwed Mother story and think I understood it, but others might not at all. Or be appalled at such strong sensibilities of consequence in all these second half of the 20th Century stories.

[Spiros · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scintillating collection of lapidary stories which expose the foibles and strengths of the people that inhabit Jane Gardam’s fictive world. I’m convinced I have read two of the stories, “The Milly Ming” and the titular story (featuring our old friends Filth, Veneering, and Fiscal-Smith); I had no problems rereading these stories.

[Paul Fulcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some nice colour, particularly of Wimbledon of a certain vintage, and as someone who lives there I can see the transformation of the area she describes.

But many of the stories seemed more like observation pieces and didn't really go anywhere.

Much weaker for my taste that the Old Filth novels.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful collection of stories, sharp, clever, illuminating of character and issues. I enjoyed this collection immensely. But will I read it or anything else by her again? I don't know time will tell.

[Leselaunen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Leute von Privilege Hill ist das erste Buch von Jane Gardam, welches ich lese. Die Autorin sagte mir natürlich etwas, jedoch konnte ich, was ihren Schreibstil und ihre Geschichten anging, nicht mitreden. Das hat sich zumindest ein stückweit geändert. Bei diesem Buch handelt es sich um Erzählungen. Um kurze Geschichten. Sechzehn an der Zahl. Bisher haben mich Kurzgeschichten nicht angesprochen. Warum sich das änderte, das möchte ich folgend darlegen.

Hanser-Verlag zum Buch
Dass Jane Gardam hinreißende Romane schreibt, ist bekannt. Nun ist ein weiterer Schatz zu heben: Gardams Erzählungen, für die sie berühmt ist und mit Alice Munro und Katherine Mansfield verglichen wird. Hetty, die Familienmutter, die bei der Begegnung mit ihrem ehemaligen Liebhaber in einen somnambulen Zustand gerät. Annie, die Schriftstellerin, die sich gegen Neugier und Gier entscheidet und ein Geheimnis dem Meer übergibt. Der verstummte chinesische Junge, der in England einen vom Himmel gestürzten Schwan rettet und plötzlich zur Sprache zurückfindet. Sie alle berühren uns und entwickeln ein Eigenleben, das über die Geschichten hinausgeht – in jeder dieser Erzählungen steckt die Verheißung eines Romans.

Das Cover fand ich zunächst wenig spektakulär. Als ich das Buch aber in den Händen hielt, gefiel es mir schon viel besser. Das Hardcover mit Schutzumschlag ist sehr schön anzusehen und ich mag die typische Schriftart der Gardam-Bücher. In die erste Geschichte bin ich ziemlich schnell hinein gekommen. Dennoch war ich noch unsicher, ob mir ein Buch voller Erzählungen zusagen könnte.

Aber schon sehr schnell wurde mir klar, dass Gardam nicht ganz umsonst wegen ihrer Schreibweise in den Köpfen der Leser bleibt. Ihre Formulierungen sind gespickt von Hämen gegenüber der Spezies Mensch. Allerdings nie so, dass ich die Lust am Lesen verlor. Viel mehr fand ich diesen Umstand erheiternd. Das Interesse und die Faszination an ihren Mitmenschen, bzw. ihren Figuren ist immer spürbar.

Die Charaktere in den sechzehn Geschichten im Buch bekommen von der Autorin viel Leben eingehaucht und wirken authentisch. Einige Male musste ich schmunzeln, war oft amüsiert und angetan von der literarischen Kunst, die Gardam in jede ihrer Erzählungen einfliessen lässt. Ich habe mir bewusst viel Zeit für das Buch genommen und die einzelnen Geschichten auf mich wirken lassen.

Obwohl Kurzgeschichten normalerweise gar nicht mein Metier sind, hat mich Die Leute von Privilege Hill dafür etwas mehr begeistern können. Und sicherlich bleibt das nicht das letzte Buch von Jane Gardam, welches ich lese.

[Lucy Cummin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short stories, as opposed to novels, are slivers of life, a glimpse of a moment, alone or with someone else, that causes a shift. Maybe not a shift in the persona of the story, maybe a shift in you, the reader, as you watch this person make the same mistake again . . . Gardam is a master of the form. My feeling is that many readers don't like the form because they feel they've just become attached when the story ends, often abruptly. Well, yes, but aren't most of our interactions with people just like that? Anyway, here we get another glimpse of Old Filth and his frenemy Veneering and their joint frenemy Fiscal-Smith going to a luncheon up at the house of the most flamboyant person in their little neighborhood, supposedly a send-off for a cousin or someone who is going off to some obscure island to become a monk. Of course, nothing turns out as expected and umbrellas are involved. In another a young American boy, city-grown, is visiting his grandparents who live in the depths of some pastoral spot -- the lad is overwhelmed and a bit frightened (he has never picked a blackberry from a bush, for example, never seen cows or sheep, or really, anything rural) and just old enough not to want to reveal that, so he bluffs and blusters, but is then when all is said and done, a very small boy and granny's hand is essential. A lad is going off to college, finally, his much older parents (I can relate) feeling tremendous relief as they find him, at eighteen, a mix of mysterious, frightening, and strange. But you see too, they haven't exactly helped him to be responsible for himself, yet have no idea at all the part they played. Some stories are sad, most are funny with a prick of poignant. She's wonderful. *****

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read all of Jane Gardam's novels, I found this book of fourteen short stories. Some are so short they only take up less than ten pages. They start with a story taken from the book's title, reprising those, now elderly, ex-judges from the brilliant "Old Filth" trilogy: Sir Edward Feathers, Veneering and Fiscal-Smith. But it was far too short. I wanted a whole book. Then "Pangbourne" is a strange piece about the love for a gorilla. "The Flight Path" is also quite disturbing. We are in 1941, a time of never ending air raids in London where young Jim Smith arrives from a more quiet north of England. His success at "A" Levels has gained him an interview at a big city hospital. And an overnight stay with an aunt in Wimbledon Park. Right on the flight path of the bombers.

"The Milly Ming" is about the Amelia Menzies Trust, a project for unmarried pregnant girls. Then in "The Virgins of Bruges", Ursula, a nun, tries to get back from France to England on Christmas Eve to see her sister whose husband has just died. But no chance of a ferry from Calais, so it's off to Ostend but again she is denied. Then a short journey to Bruges and a strange Christmas Eve experience. (It reminded me of when, coming back at night from a European Cup Final in Paris, we had to leave our hire car in Zeebrugge in Belgium, a port I had never heard of.)

A once in a lifetime illicit meeting at a far away hotel for our heroine who is now in her fifties is the subject of "Snap". An accident might not stop her getting home before her husband. "The Last Reunion" finds four women in their sixties on their way by car to a final reunion for their old women only college. Driven by Lily who is now a famous novelist. All the stories are clever and have that Jane Gardam punch. I just prefer her novels.

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something for everyone in this collection of short stories by Gardam. But her fans will be delighted to find Feathers and Veneering heading out into the rain to walk to a luncheon at Dulcie's place. Some of the stories are very short; others are quite long. There is a delightful ghost story about a parishioner who accepted a guest that no one else wanted. All the people we meet in this collection are carefully and delightfully drawn. Gardam is able to see and describe people with their foibles, weaknesses, and endearing strengths. She doesn't shy away from gritty realities but all her characters are fully human.
This is a book that I wanted to continue and it was with regret that I finished the last story. I look forward to reading more of Gardam's works as our libraries slowly reopen and her books become available.

[Jürgen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich bin ja bekennender Jane Gardam-Fan und insofern war diese Kurzgeschichten-Sammlung ein Muss. Die bekannten Motive von Gardam - Kritik an der besseren Gesellschaft und der kolonialen Ordnung - finden sich durchgehend wieder, waren mir aber manchmal to much im Vordergrund. Es war wie ein Gewürz, das die Köchin auf jeden Gang streut. Manchmal passt es wunderbar, manchmal eher weniger. Einige der Geschichten waren grandios, absolute Meisterwerke der Erzählkunst, aber es gab auch eher mittelmäßige Geschichten, die für meinen Geschmack zu langweilig dahintrieben. Alles in allem: für Fans sicher eine Leseempfehlung, andere Interessent*innen sollten sich gern mit dem nachkolonialen Thema befassen wollen.

[Carol McGinty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had held off on this book, because it was the last bit of writing about the characters from Old Filth, etc., that I hadn't read; I wanted to keep something in reserve. The first story has Veneering, Feathers, and Fiscal-Smith, and it was even better than I had hoped. In the few-ish pages of the story, Gardam gives a lovely sketch of these characters, with a bit of longed-for extra information about Veneering. Very satisfying. All of the stories are wonderful, sympathetic, empathetic, forgiving, and well written. I'm looking forward to re-reading it someday.

[Kidlitter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gardam is the most English of English writers yet she manages to be funny, human and forgiving about all her characters' foibles - and to make us feel the same about them. Yes, the first story is another tale of Feathers and Veneering, fated to be together forever no matter how much they despise one another but there is other good stuff here too. I don't know if anything of Gardam's will ever resonate for me quite as much as Bilgewater did but am perfectly willing to keep reading her quite remarkable range of works in the meantime.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The owners came thundering down now and then on Friday nights in cars like Iraqi tanks stuffed with food from suburban farmers' markets" (16).
"...rubbing shoulders like in pounded cattle" (18).
"...shawled in snow, like a baby sleeping" (64).
"We began to bicker.
"I bickered with the vicar" (93).
"...pretty bridges over swan-scattered water" (144).
"... a mother duck marched confidently out from behind the greenhouse, followed by twelve thistledown balls on leg" (156).

[Barbara Sibbald]

I enjoyed "Old Filth" immensely, but these stories give full reign to her fertile imagination with astounding results. In love and loneliness. She covers a lot of ground: a woman in love with a gorilla; a young doctor-wannabe caught in a London blitz with strange companions; a naive, asexual man accused of repeated sexual assaults; and many more. Every single one is brilliant storytelling.

[Jeanine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading books by Jane Gardam, & I also love her short stories. This book is a collection of stories about different people's lives, & the first story is about a character I already know, Edward Feathers, from her series of Old Filth. All of the stories in this book were easy to get into, & each is a gem, well worth reading.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful collection especially the first story which I really enjoyed. Gardam can be funny, wry, so intuitive. Her prose is lovely, her characters very endearing and beautifully written and I love the way she can integrate the everyday into such amazing tales...

[Alec]

#4
Orange, black and white, Mr Jones remembered. Orange sun, the glossy blanket of snow and in the hollows at his feet in their little buttoned boots, black needles of grass pricking up through crisp rime. They were only glimpses now, but very vivid and the light of his life.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection of short stories in typical Jane Gardam style. Very readable.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this small collection of exquisite short stories. There is a wide variety of topics, but all are perfectly distilled to the essence, with quirky British humor that appeals to me!