Jutland Cottage

Barsetshire #22

by Angela Thirkell

In this mid-century installment of her much-loved modern Barsetshire chronicles, Angela Thirkell weaves two colorful strands into the fabric of a charming plot. The first continues her narrative of the social a romantic entanglements of the generations in her fictional stretch of English countryside, which, as the novel opens, has been cast into mourning by the death of King George VI. Soon enough, however, local gossip takes center stage, and other pieces of news, the appointment of a new Rector, "Tubby" Fewling from Northbridge, and the return to the vicinity of the beautiful Rose Fairweather ("A better antidote to true grief for a departed king could not have been imagined") begin to occupy the minds (and tongues!) of denizens. The second strand of this captivating novel is nothing less than a Barsetshire fairy tale. It begins when Canon Fewling meets, among his new parishioners, Margot Phelps, the impoverished spinster daughter of a retired admiral. Led by Rose Fairweather, the women of the community take it upon themselves to treat Margot to a make-over. It begins with hair and clothes and ends with her self-confidence that leads everyone to see her in a new light. Like Cinderella, Margot Phelps is transformed, and all her fortunes, from the romantic to the financial to even the literary, are happily enhanced.

Genres: Fiction, British Literature, Audiobook, Cozy, Historical

297 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Angela Margaret Mackail was born on January 30, 1890 at 27 Young Street, Kensington Square, London. Her grandfather was Sir Edward Burne-Jones the pre-Raphaelite painter and partner in the design firm of Morris and Company for whom he designed many stained glass windows - seven of which are in St Margaret's Church in Rottingdean, West Sussex. Her grandmother was Georgiana Macdonald, one of a precocious family which included among others, Stanley Baldwin, the Prime Minister, and Rudyard Kipling. Angela's brother, Denis Mackail, was also a prolific and successful novelist. Angela's mother, Margaret Burne-Jones, married John Mackail - an administrator at the Ministry of Education and Professor of Poetry at Oxford University.

Angela married James Campbell McInnes in 1911. James was a professional Baritone and performed at concert halls throughout the UK. In 1912 their first son Graham was born and in 1914 a second son, Colin. A daughter was born in 1917 at the same time her marriage was breaking up. In November 1917 a divorce was granted and Angela and the children went to live with her parents in Pembroke Gardens in London. The child, Mary, died the next year.

Angela then met and married George Lancelot Thirkell in 1918 and in 1920 they traveled on a troop ship to George's hometown in Australia. Their adventures on the "Friedricksruh" are recounted in her Trooper to the Southern Cross published in 1934. In 1921, in Melbourne Australia, her youngest son Lancelot George was born. Angela left Australia in 1929 with 8 year old Lance and never returned. Although living with her parents in London she badly needed to earn a living so she set forth on the difficult road of the professional writer. Her first book, Three Houses, a memoir of her happy childhood was published in 1931 and was an immediate success. The first of her novels set in Trollope's mythical county of Barsetshire was Demon in the House, followed by 28 others, one each year.

Angela also wrote a book of children's stories entitled The Grateful Sparrow using Ludwig Richter's illustrations; a biography of Harriette Wilson, The Fortunes of Harriette; an historical novel, Coronation Summer, an account of the events in London during Queen Victoria's Coronation in 1838; and three semi-autobiographical novels, Ankle Deep and Oh, These Men, These Men and Trooper to the Southern Cross. When Angela died on the 29th of January 1961 she left unfinished the last of her books, Three Score and Ten which was completed by her friend, Caroline LeJeune. Angela is buried in Rottingdean alongside her daughter Mary and her Burne-Jones grandparents.

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, Montclair Public Library of New Jersey, how I pine for you. I remember my excitement when I found you were within walking distance of my apartment. And what a beautiful walk that was, drifting past the stately Victorians on Park Street, crossing the bustling intersection at Bloomfield Avenue, and then taking the short jog down South Fullerton. That first walk was on a lovely May day. Your lawn was freshly clipped and the sidewalk was sparkling white and clean. I was a bit suspicious of your 1950s architecture, but my wariness turned to delight the moment I set foot into your sunny, open vestibule.

Your children's section was a joy to behold. From the big tank of tropical fish to the round window overlooking the neighboring rooftops to the unobtrusive librarian, you hit every note just right. Perusing your shelves, I saw you had all the authors that every great children's library should: Ruth Chew, Jane Louise Curry, Rumer Godden, Maud Hart Lovelace, Betty MacDonald, P.L. Travers, and Dare Wright. My eyes teared up when I saw a copy of FRIEND MONKEY...kudos to the thoughtful person who selected these books. Best of all, the floor was utterly silent, save the bubbling aquarium and soft clicking of computer keys. The horrendous cacophony of the Brooklyn Public Library's Children Room seemed light years away.

Although I didn't get a chance to glance through it that day, I would later realize what an incredible movie selection you had. Thanks to you, I saw two of my all-time favorite movies for the first time: MINNIE AND MOSKOWITZ and A CANTERBURY TALE. This carefully chosen collection wasn't a bit snobby; it included everything from Abbott and Costello to Fred Zinnemann. To the shy, elderly librarian who selected these movies, I must apologize. I realize I frightened you with my enthusiastic praise of your videos, but I truly do admire your taste. I'm sorry that my wild gesticulations nearly knocked off your bifocals.

Did I mention your bathroom? Clean, well-stocked, and roomy, one stall was as big as my old apartment in Brooklyn Heights. Whoever designed the low lighting scheme should be sainted. Its soft glow transformed me into a young Jennifer Jason Leigh, as opposed to a haggard Carol Channing, whom I always seem to channel whenever I enter the dressing room at Neiman Marcus.

Drawbacks? Sure, you had a few. Your computer system harkened back to the days of Pong. If you don't have the money for decent computers, why not hang on to the good old card catalog? It doesn't break, and it's fun to use. The fact that you kept the terminals hidden in random stacks was also perplexing. In the time it took to find a station, you had probably passed the book you wanted at least twice. Also, WTF with filing Isak Dinesen's books under Karen Blixen's name? I mean, bravo to whomever did their thesis on OUT OF AFRICA, but isn't the point of shelving books to find them easily? What will this brainiac do next? File Mark Twain under Samuel Clemens, Saki under Hector Hugo Munro, and Mr. T under Laurence Tureaud? Go to the head of the class, smartass, and while you're up, find my freakin' books.

All of your transgressions are forgiven, though, based on your Angela Thirkell collection. Never in the history of my library splunking have I ever found such a lovely array of her work. Virtually every volume was a first edition clothed in its original jacket. It was clear that the books were appreciated, with many of their yellowed pages bent at the corners or splashed with coffee (at least, I hope it was coffee). And best of all, my favorite of her books was sitting right there: JUTLAND COTTAGE. I realize Angela Thirkell isn't nearly as popular as say, Sue Grafton, but that didn't stop you from dedicating practically a whole shelf to her work.

*Sigh.* Montclair Public Library, I'll never forget you. We were truly on the same page.

[Susan in NC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another delightful visit with old friends in Barsetshire- as usual, old characters and new (or less familiar) mix and mingle, romance blooms...

This time, the delightfully dotty and stunning Rose Fairweather and her naval officer husband have returned for a couple years with their children. She meets up with several old favorite characters, Canon Tubby Fewling, some of the schoolmasters from Southbridge School, where her father was headmaster, the Luftons, the Crofts, and retIred Admiral Phelps and his family, who live at Jutland Cottage.

As the group of friends realize how hard Margot Phelps works to take care of her aged (and poor) parents, Rose comes up with an informal Friends of the Phelps society to visit and swap war stories with the admiral (most of the men have had some connection with the Royal Navy) thus allowing the spinsterish Margot to get on with housework, and the frail Mrs. Phelps to get her doctor-recommended daily rest. Rose and Lady Cora Waring also bulldoze Margot (ever so gently, so as not to wound her pride) into accepting a bit of a makeover and some new clothes. The usual happy endings ensue...

I always enjoy these books - some drone on a bit more than others, but Thirkell had me chuckling from the first page as she gently poked fun at herself for enlarging her recurring cast of characters to the point that no one could keep track of them all. After 14 books, it is true that, as Thirkell points out, she sometimes mixes up ages and anniversaries and other life events, along with events in Barsetshire history, but I still treasure my visits!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took awhile to get into this one. SO MANY CHARACTERS! But Angela Thirkell still delights me because a few pages into it when I was thinking TOO MANY CHARACTERS, she writes about how her books have too many characters. She cracks me up. We would have definitely been friends.

[Eleanor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable enough, but not up to the standard of some of her earlier novels in the series. No doubt as with any author, it is all being done by rote to some extent, especially as this is the 22nd novel set in Trollope's Barsetshire, but in the mid 20th century instead of the 19th.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always interested to see which inhabitants in the very extensive Trollope/Thirkell Barsetshire world will show up in each new novel. We got quite a cross section in this novel, including characters we hadn't seen for a long time, like Mrs. Villars, the John Leslies (though they completely disappeared in the second half of the novel), the Warings, the Fairweathers, the Crofts, etc. As Margot Phelps' social circle expands, the number of characters who pop in expands as well. I thought Margot was an endearing protagonist and the contrast between her and Rose (Birkett) Fairweather is both humorous and moving. I especially enjoyed Rose's new word (shatteringly). As everyone who has known Rose agrees, she has improved with age.

I think the story doesn't rate higher for me for several reasons. The main one is that the plot itself was quite meandering. It was hard to tell what the central plot is since we spend so much time with the Leslies and Canon Fewling (Tubby) to start before the action switches to Margot's story. I know there is some set up involved as well as some romantic tension to put in place, but I think it could have been done better. Honestly, though, if anyone has stayed with Angela Thirkell this long, the plot doesn't matter too much. At least to me, it's the whole world of characters that delights me to no end. Oh, and I loved Tubby! I hope we get more of him in the future.

The second and third reasons are the same but for different characters. I thought Margot's romantic storyline was satisfying at the end, but it just didn't get enough time! Maybe we'll get more in future books, but there should have been more here. Of course, I loved when the narrative moved to Framley because of my love of those early Trollope characters, so I was delighted when my old friend Eric Swan showed up. He's my current favorite Barsetshire bachelor, but I'm so glad he gets a happy married ending. And my complaint again here is that we didn't get to see enough of it! I don't feel that I know Justinia Lufton that well, though of course, Eric compares her to her great grandmother Lucy Robarts, so that bodes well. I thought their engagement scene was rather beautifully understated though with Eric's simple hand kiss and his use of 'my love'. I know Lady Lufton will be so happy...the Dowager, I mean, though no one can quite call her that yet. (LOL, parroting what Thirkell wrote about 10 times.)

So all in all, I'm always happy to read another Thirkell, but this one had me longing more for my favorites rather than adding it to my favorites list.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2½ stars. While the romance angle was sweet, the humor was mostly missing or slightly off kilter and certain descriptions were repeated far too often. Nothing really wrong with this book but it isn't up to the standard to which Thirkell has accustomed us in the Barsetshire series.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jutland Cottage is surely the most comfortable of Thirkell’s books (at least thus far in the series). The novel begins with a focus on the well-liked Reverend Canon “Tubby” Fewling, but the story’s center soon moves to Jutland Cottage, home of the now elderly Admiral and Mrs Phelps and their unmarried middle aged daughter, Margot. The Phelpses have very little money, (even an Admiral’s pension being quite modest), and Margot works her fingers to the bone scrimping, saving, and caring for her aging and somewhat frail parents.

Barsetshire rallies round the family, and soon Margot becomes the focus of much care and assistance. Much of the story revolves around getting different familiar characters to sit with Admiral Phelps, so Margot can get out of the house for an afternoon. This creates the comfortableness, as we see people in Barsetshire visiting each other, having conversations, and accomplishing daily tasks. If most novels are akin to a holiday, Jutland Cottage is warm and endearing in its very everyday-ness.

The former Rose Birkett plays a notable role, and I really liked the way Thirkell has developed her character as an adult. We also see a lot of Swan, and Wicks, and the Luftons, as well as Lady Cora and the usual cast of thousands.

I also think this is Thirkell’s first postwar book without any major diatribes against the government.

A lovely, pleasant read, and one I wish had gone on indefinitely.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy, comforting sloooooow read. It follows the members of two neighboring post-war English villages as they fix one another up and have tea and chat about nothing. At first I thought it was too boring but every time I wanted to read, I’d pick it up for a few more pages. I think I needed something quiet and inconsequential where the highest stakes are whether or not Margot can get her tweeds made.

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as a way to view society and life in England at the time, the book is charming. However it seemed tiresome and cliched as the story went on and on. Tweeds, pearls, dutiful daughters and the need for a husband in those days …sigh.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Careless, kind-hearted Rose Fairweather plays fairy godmother to Admiral Phelps's dowdy daughter. Rose and her friends whisk Margot away in their carriages, often allowing her to drive. After tea at The Priory or Framely Court, they always get her home in time to serve dinner to her elderly parents. With wavy hair and clean hands, clad in twin set, faux pearls, cotton stockings, and her own sensible and well-kept shoes, Margot wins the hearts of three wealthy bachelors.

Or: The local nobs, always on the lookout for a worthy cause, undertake to rescue a 40-something spinster from lifelong duty to her parents. They stuff her into a new brassiere and girdle, shower her with unasked-for (yet coveted) gifts and marry her off to a man of comparable social rank and abundant means. We hope she will live happily ever after.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite of the the Barsetshire books, perhaps because it was the first one I read. Although it is nearly halfway through the series, it can stand alone if you are willing to accept the mention of characters that have obviously been more fleshed out in earlier books. It made me want to read more of the books to learn about the characters, and now I have the entire series! This one is about Margot who is caring for her aging parents and how the community bands together to help her without her realizing it. All of Thirkell's books have some element of romance in them, but I would not characterize them as "romance novels", simply because there is so much else going on in everyone's daily life. The book starts out with the death of King George VI, and the sadness everyone feels.

Previously read November 25 2015 - reading it again!

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, solid, and gently funny in a wistful way. A good picture of the barren times for the UK right after the end of the war. I do want to get them all to read in order. Despite what she says, they are not the same book. Also, this is the first time I recall seeing direct references to Anthony Trollope's novels.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new, favorite writer. I love her language and style and characters. What a wonderful, unique voice. I'm glad that she published just about one book a year for many, many years - should keep me busy for awhile!

[LDuchess · Rating 4 out of 5]

hardbound edition--NOT Moyer Bell.

Margot Phelps goes from ugly duckling to....well, duck?
(Read this years ago, but didn't have chronological background that helps.)

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

sweet, kind, cute, gushy junk to me. A great book for a female pre teen, not me..terrible read to start the new year with.

[Mbuye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Angela Thirkell is back in form after the post-war bleakness of her last few novels. With Churchill back in office, a sense of relief and optimism pervades the novel, even when there's no real reason for either hope. The death of KingGeorge VI shadows the beginning, as he had come to be greatly beloved. His daughter is returning from an overseas tour, and the feeling is that she is too young to shoulder such heavy responsibilities as now face the nation.

We again meet the impossible Rose Birkett, but the hand of Capt Fairweather tethers her wilder ideas. Still, she seems to have grown more responsible than anyone else in her concern and care for the daughter of a former Admiral and his wife, both of whom are elderly, in very poor health, and with no money to leave, not even an adequate pension. Other Barsetshire friends come to work out a solution that will not smack of charity. Eric Swan, he of the broken heart, finds a new and more enduring love, and for a change, the romance is not restricted to the young ones only.

A kindly read, with more humour, if less dazzling wit, than a few earlier, almost bitter books.

[Pastor Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read Thirkell's books through in chronological order with the exception of Demon in the House, her second in the Barsetshire series. She hits her stride by the third book, Wild Strawberries and even the post-war books, which are often denigrated, are really good. Well, they're good until Jutland Cottage.

This one is a strange departure from her normal style, even as many of the tropes remain. The main difference is that there is really only one thread: everybody do-gooding for Margot Phelps. Normally Thirkell had several threads that were independent, but interrelated. But this one is unrelenting in its focus on Margot's hard life.

Worse, it just doesn't hang together very well. The story and its denouement just isn't realistic at all.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an on-line edition from Fadedpage.com, perhaps? Anyway, it was free and available! JC is a strong Thirkell, with a very sympathetic depiction of an unmarried daughter in a family with two parents in ill health and not much money. It's funny in many places and delves deeply into women's fashion, which is fun! Rose Birkett, now married and a Fairweather, is still a hoot. Nice that Thirkell kept the Admiral's endless retellings of the Battle of Jutland as a running but silent joke, vs. letting him actually narrate for pages and pages, as she does with Mr. Knox and that other terrible man who is married to a long-suffering wife!

[Margaret Conmey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Pleasant story mainly about the Cinderella like character of Margot Phelps with subplots relating to Tubby Fewling’s appointment as Rector toGreshembury Church and Eric Swan’s future
Mrs Thirkell’s writing is beginning to deteriorate a little by this stage in the series, with too much repetition- constantly being told that Margot’s father was old , her mother needed to rest in afternoon ,etc
Rose Birkett Fairweather is a joy , and the whole book is really about the kindness of strangers and a community rallying round to help
It ends with yet another rather odd proposal of marriage/ engagement

[Gypsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

As is always the case with her novels, Jutland Cottage is a charming, gentle read with genuine wit and a bit of snark. The characters are well developed and the situations believable. I love this series (which needs to be read in order) and this one has become my new favorite by Thirkell.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable, but there were so many characters that I found the first few chapters hard work. I thought that you didn’t have to read the Barsetshire novels in order, but I think after this I’ll be more cautious about jumping in at book 22.

[Joanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of my favorites.

[Kay Robart · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my review here:

https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2023...

[Wynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been a number of years since I read this novel and it has improved with age. Mrs. Thirkell throws in a younger romance for her more romantic readers, but this is really about a community rallying around less fortunate members to make life more comfortable. Admiral and Mrs. Phelps are barely surviving on a Navy pension and are in failing health. Devoted daughter Margot never complains or bewails her position, but she is overworked and over tired. In addition she is 40 but is looking 50. Under the direction of silly but beautiful and practical Rose Birkett Fairweather (don't miss Summer Half), the group of local gentry rally to help. The Vicar and Mrs. Croft are on a well-deserved holiday, so others commit to visiting times so that Mrs. P. can rest and the Admiral is entertained. Margot is invited to tea at several homes. Since the family has no car, others offer her rides and then get her home to make supper.
Most fun, Margot is the recipient of gifts from Rose and Lady Cora Waring which include a good tweed suit, a sweater set and the right undergarments to set them off. Hand cream and a good hair cut also appear. And the result is that Margot receives 2 proposals, plus one not made when her engagement is revealed. Granted, all the gentlemen are well over 50, but she is not unhappy.
How can one resist "St. Aella's Home for Stiffnecked Clergy", "The Committee of the Friends of Distressed Gentlewomen" along with "The Friends of Admiral Phelps"?

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books in the series, and one of the last to have much of a plot! Margot Phelps's transformation by her fairy godmothers, Rose Fairweather and Lady Cora, is most satisfying.
I will say: it's in this book that I begin to notice Thirkell repeating herself and becoming more vague. It's a shame her editors didn't help her; I think she honestly couldn't remember or keep things straight anymore. It would have been easy to clean up her books a bit before they were published. To cut out the extraneous repetition of explanations or anecdotes would have been very simple and detracted nothing from the story.