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English Climate: Wartime Stories
This book collects twenty-two stories dating from 1940 to 1946. Some were reprinted in two volumes, A Garland of Straw in 1943 and The Museum of Cheats in 1947, and one or two have appeared in anthologies since.
Lydia Fellgett writes in her Persephone Preface: ‘These stories show a writer seeking to understand what life was like in Britain at war. She worked quickly, without the haze of nostalgia, and (unlike her novels, which moved between the centuries) they were always contemporary, reflecting the texture of what was happening at that moment in time. Her wartime stories therefore epitomise what the historian Juliet Gardiner calls “fingertip history”: a telling of an age that is so close that you can still just about touch it.
‘Almost all the stories are set in the market towns and villages of Southern England’s countryside, with a few recurring characters providing snapshots of communities of women throughout the war. Occasionally a British reader senses a direct explanation of some quirk of specifically English culture for Warner’s American audience but, generally, the appeal they held for the New Yorker readership then carries over to the appeal they hold for a twenty-first century Persephone reader today. Funny, brilliantly written, at times utterly heart-breaking, delightfully sharp, dry, intelligent and full of memorable characters: they are stories that strike the reader as somehow true as only the best fiction can.'
Lydia Fellgett writes in her Persephone Preface: ‘These stories show a writer seeking to understand what life was like in Britain at war. She worked quickly, without the haze of nostalgia, and (unlike her novels, which moved between the centuries) they were always contemporary, reflecting the texture of what was happening at that moment in time. Her wartime stories therefore epitomise what the historian Juliet Gardiner calls “fingertip history”: a telling of an age that is so close that you can still just about touch it.
‘Almost all the stories are set in the market towns and villages of Southern England’s countryside, with a few recurring characters providing snapshots of communities of women throughout the war. Occasionally a British reader senses a direct explanation of some quirk of specifically English culture for Warner’s American audience but, generally, the appeal they held for the New Yorker readership then carries over to the appeal they hold for a twenty-first century Persephone reader today. Funny, brilliantly written, at times utterly heart-breaking, delightfully sharp, dry, intelligent and full of memorable characters: they are stories that strike the reader as somehow true as only the best fiction can.'
212 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
3 people are currently reading
146 people want to read
About the author
Sylvia Townsend Warner
94 books440 followersSylvia Townsend Warner was born at Harrow on the Hill, the only child of George Townsend Warner and his wife Eleanora (Nora) Hudleston. Her father was a house-master at Harrow School and was, for many years, associated with the prestigious Harrow History Prize which was renamed the Townsend Warner History Prize in his honor, after his death in 1916. As a child, Sylvia seemingly enjoyed an idyllic childhood in rural Devonshire, but was strongly affected by her father's death.
She moved to London and worked in a munitions factory at the outbreak of World War I. She was friendly with a number of the "Bright Young Things" of the 1920s. Her first major success was the novel Lolly Willowes. In 1923 Warner met T. F. Powys whose writing influenced her own and whose work she in turn encouraged. It was at T.F. Powys' house in 1930 that Warner first met Valentine Ackland, a young poet. The two women fell in love and settled at Frome Vauchurch in Dorset. Alarmed by the growing threat of fascism, they were active in the Communist Party of Great Britain, and visited Spain on behalf of the Red Cross during the Civil War. They lived together from 1930 until Ackland's death in 1969. Warner's political engagement continued for the rest of her life, even after her disillusionment with communism. She died on 1 May 1978.
She moved to London and worked in a munitions factory at the outbreak of World War I. She was friendly with a number of the "Bright Young Things" of the 1920s. Her first major success was the novel Lolly Willowes. In 1923 Warner met T. F. Powys whose writing influenced her own and whose work she in turn encouraged. It was at T.F. Powys' house in 1930 that Warner first met Valentine Ackland, a young poet. The two women fell in love and settled at Frome Vauchurch in Dorset. Alarmed by the growing threat of fascism, they were active in the Communist Party of Great Britain, and visited Spain on behalf of the Red Cross during the Civil War. They lived together from 1930 until Ackland's death in 1969. Warner's political engagement continued for the rest of her life, even after her disillusionment with communism. She died on 1 May 1978.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 5, 2021
This book is a collection of twenty-two short stories dating from 1940-1946, written by Sylvia Townsend-Warner and collated by Persephone books. The collection of stories depicts life in Britain during World War Two and reflects upon the atmosphere and tension felt during that time. Touching on subjects ranging from rationing to child evacuees, the book provides a glimpse of communities of women and how they coped with life during the war. The author touches on the small everyday experiences of the characters, without a hint of nostalgia.
I have read many books on World War Two and the 1940’s, as it is a period that I am fascinated with. I have also read other wartime books published by Persephone. For me, whilst I enjoyed the theme of the stories, this is the first book from Persephone that I didn’t really enjoy.
I have read many books on World War Two and the 1940’s, as it is a period that I am fascinated with. I have also read other wartime books published by Persephone. For me, whilst I enjoyed the theme of the stories, this is the first book from Persephone that I didn’t really enjoy.
January 21, 2021
This book contains a tremendous collection of twenty two stories that sum up a lot of the British attitudes to the Second World War. Written in the moment, these stories were submitted to the New Yorker and other publications and have been collected by Persephone in this fascinating book. Though some have not been seen since their original wartime publication, all stand up to being read again in the twenty first century, despite their brevity in some cases. Their accurate representation of life in the English countryside is witty, full of atmosphere and conveys a lot of the sense of the people’s reaction to the shortages, rationing, evacuees and so many other elements. These stories, though excellent and successful, were often unpublished since the original publication; indeed, as Lydia Fellgett writes in her excellent Preface, Townsend Warner was uncertain herself as to whether some of the stories had actually appeared in the New Yorker, given the complicated wartime situation. Fellgett goes on to write that the stories “perfectly balance the domestic and the political. And they bring such joy with their quick humour and their lively detail.” This book features stories of implication, suggestions and dialogue which speak of people beset by war, coming to terms with a new way of life. It is a collection to be savoured.
The stories are wide ranging, beginning with a well travelled shirt, and going on to discuss the almost mundane everyday story of a time bomb. The latter story makes much of the London landscape and what someone would save. “Noah’s Ark” reflects the difficulties people living in the countryside had with the expectations of evacuees, displaced children without parents shipped out into new environments. A mother of evacuees appears in a later story, together with some humour about a donated coat, and exasperation with her demands for help. This book mainly features women, coping, or trying to, with shortages and rations, learning new skills with weaponry, depending on men or striking a blow for independence. There are managing women, who insist on their war effort being up to standard, despairing of those who had not built up a store. There are people in difficult situations, as a funeral may mark more than one death. A story from December 1942 deals with a woman who has designed and surveyed her own remarkable house, as she tries to take over the whole war effort in the area, earning herself the title “Austerity Jane”. A strange tale sends a mixed message about the generosity of others regarding much loved possessions.
Most of these stories are fairly short, some almost impressions, others introducing more nuanced characters, reacting to new experiences and challenges. The writing is generally light, but none the less successful in conveying so much. Townsend Warner is known for her novels, but also produced several collections of short stories, and on the evidence of this book I would love to track them down. Persephone have produced several collections of stories, diaries and novels actually written during the Second World War, and for its immediacy, its ability to convey an impression of how people felt, and sheer audacity of its style, this is an incredible example of a Persephone reprint.
The stories are wide ranging, beginning with a well travelled shirt, and going on to discuss the almost mundane everyday story of a time bomb. The latter story makes much of the London landscape and what someone would save. “Noah’s Ark” reflects the difficulties people living in the countryside had with the expectations of evacuees, displaced children without parents shipped out into new environments. A mother of evacuees appears in a later story, together with some humour about a donated coat, and exasperation with her demands for help. This book mainly features women, coping, or trying to, with shortages and rations, learning new skills with weaponry, depending on men or striking a blow for independence. There are managing women, who insist on their war effort being up to standard, despairing of those who had not built up a store. There are people in difficult situations, as a funeral may mark more than one death. A story from December 1942 deals with a woman who has designed and surveyed her own remarkable house, as she tries to take over the whole war effort in the area, earning herself the title “Austerity Jane”. A strange tale sends a mixed message about the generosity of others regarding much loved possessions.
Most of these stories are fairly short, some almost impressions, others introducing more nuanced characters, reacting to new experiences and challenges. The writing is generally light, but none the less successful in conveying so much. Townsend Warner is known for her novels, but also produced several collections of short stories, and on the evidence of this book I would love to track them down. Persephone have produced several collections of stories, diaries and novels actually written during the Second World War, and for its immediacy, its ability to convey an impression of how people felt, and sheer audacity of its style, this is an incredible example of a Persephone reprint.
January 22, 2021
English foibles highlighting class and human nature on the home front during the Second World War. It is small slices of the offbeat manners/behaviour of individuals in small village communities getting by.
The incidental light hearted style of these snapshot stories obliquely reveal the very core of the human psyche. A military wife returning to her conscientious objector husband; a proud woman who has designed her own home and wants to show it off rather than offer to evacuees; a call-up necessitating the handing over of an administrative job...they are all played out rather like Ambridge in wartime, scratching the scabs off these familiar "types"
What might be dismissed as very mannered English society is given a good shakedown by investing the characters with so much more texture than what might appear as anecdotal gloss.
The incidental light hearted style of these snapshot stories obliquely reveal the very core of the human psyche. A military wife returning to her conscientious objector husband; a proud woman who has designed her own home and wants to show it off rather than offer to evacuees; a call-up necessitating the handing over of an administrative job...they are all played out rather like Ambridge in wartime, scratching the scabs off these familiar "types"
What might be dismissed as very mannered English society is given a good shakedown by investing the characters with so much more texture than what might appear as anecdotal gloss.
July 22, 2020
Disappointed not to have liked this more, since Persephone had talked this up as being similar to Good Evening, Mrs. Craven, which I loved. WWII obviously wasn’t a fun time, but each story left me depressed about humanity in a way other collections of short stories/letters/diaries of the British home front haven’t.
February 25, 2022
Why have I never read anything by this author? She even won the Pulitzer in the 1920s. I really loved this book of short stories, many of them published originally in The New Yorker. Amazing how well she can develop a character in just a few pages. Highly recommend. Her books are quite easy to find.
October 11, 2020
I didn't enjoy these as much as I thought I would. Shame. There was a dark, witty edge running through all these stories about life on the home front but there was nothing cosy about this collection. The names, the places all had that comfortable, bumbling Englishness about them but the situations where just tilted towards the absurd for example Colonel Edmund Pomeroy (retired) and his wife, Dollie, were shining lights in wartime conserving, producing and prudence at their cottage in the wilds of Huntingdonshire but were busy planning a 'Scorched Earth Policy' in the a for said short story. Or, the entire family leaping into the open grave at the arrival of a land mine coming down during the funeral service in 'The Trumpet Shall Sound' short story. Need to be in mood I think.
Toast
Toast
November 12, 2021
A collection of stories written for the New Yorker during (and in one case, just after) the Second World War. They're arranged in chronological order which makes sense in some ways - you witness the characters becoming more tired and crotchety towards the end of the war - but it means they rather fizzle out at the end.
Sylvia Townsend Warner was just a name to me before I read this collection, and I thought of her as perhaps a difficult literary figure, but I really enjoyed the quirky humour running these stories and would definitely read more of her work.
Sylvia Townsend Warner was just a name to me before I read this collection, and I thought of her as perhaps a difficult literary figure, but I really enjoyed the quirky humour running these stories and would definitely read more of her work.
September 19, 2020
Great stories that depict different perspectives on WWII in the UK (and France in 1 story). Don't expect cozy stories, but do read if you're longing for short stories that depict the complexity of human relations.
August 10, 2025
This book took me longer to read than I expected because I found I didn't connect to the stories. I very much appreciate that they were written at the time in which they are set, and that the author didn't know how the war would turn out, but I didn't get the same satisfying look into British culture that I did with Molly Panter-Downes' excellent book, Good Evening, Mrs. Craven. Several people have commented on how dark the stories are, and I agree. I'm not averse to war stories being dark, but adversity also can bring out the good in people snd we certainly don't see much of that in this book. It would have been nice to have a mix. I enjoyed some stories that were edgy comedies of manners, but over all, this was not a winner for me. I recommend Panter-Downes' book and also Irene Nemirovsky's Dimanche and Other Stories, which covers similar home-front issues, but in France.
November 6, 2021
English Cimate contains impeccably written snapshots of middle-class life in England during the Second World War. Full of engaging characters, lively dialogue and well-observed descriptions, the refreshingly unsentimental stories have an immediacy that takes you right into the period. Maybe the Covid epidemic gives them added relevance, suggesting parallels with the privations and insecurity felt by people at that time.
The tales make perfect bedtime reading: a couple, perhaps, before putting the light out. A few of them (Poor Mary for instance) could be the start of a longer story, a novel even. Others, often tantalisingly truncated, leave you wanting more.
Despite the addition of an excellent Preface by Lydia Fellgett, overall I found the collection enjoyable but, slightly unsatisfying.
The tales make perfect bedtime reading: a couple, perhaps, before putting the light out. A few of them (Poor Mary for instance) could be the start of a longer story, a novel even. Others, often tantalisingly truncated, leave you wanting more.
Despite the addition of an excellent Preface by Lydia Fellgett, overall I found the collection enjoyable but, slightly unsatisfying.
August 17, 2021
This is a fine collection of stories. It is interesting that most, if not all, of them were written for an American readership via 'The New Yorker'. I found some of the stories quite challenging in that Warner's style can be somewhat oblique, and I wonder what the Americans made of them. Many of the stories are bleak, unsurprisingly given the wartime setting, but there is also humour. In fact I found that the more humorous stories are the more successful.
I shall read this collection again soon and I suspect that I will find them much more approachable (and possibly even more rewarding) second time around.
I shall read this collection again soon and I suspect that I will find them much more approachable (and possibly even more rewarding) second time around.
February 15, 2021
An interesting collection of stories set during the Second World War. Some of the ideas and attitudes seem so dated but there are also some similarities of experience with the current pandemic (such as people longer for it to be over, a sense of camaraderie, sacrifices being made, some necessary changes that people actually prefer). I particularly liked ‘Poor Mary’ and ‘The Cold’ and the humour found within.
March 26, 2021
The only reason it took a month to read this collection was i felt the need to pace myself and enjoy each story. I knew I would love this book and did, and did not want it to end. Each story is a gem. STW is one of my absolute favourite authors but this does not make me an uncritical reader, indeed I would have been disappointed had there been a less than wonderful story included here - but there really is not.
May 2, 2021
This collection of short stories from Persephone Books was another glimpse into the home front in England during WWII- but I found the stories had a harder edge than a similar collection by Mollie Panter-Downes, Good Evening Mrs. Craven.
The stories were generally interesting and varied and certainly believable. But I enjoyed the people and characters less than in Mrs Craven. Still, a worthwhile addition to this genre of stories about a crucial time in our history.
The stories were generally interesting and varied and certainly believable. But I enjoyed the people and characters less than in Mrs Craven. Still, a worthwhile addition to this genre of stories about a crucial time in our history.
December 31, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed her novel Lolly Willowes and normally enjoy short stories but have to admit I was actually disappointed, especially as the other Persephone books I've bought I've loved. I know that life was grim and bleak during the war but didn't find her characters even likeable or observations wry - the stories just left me cold!
September 14, 2023
A satisfying read. I was thinking about halfway through this would be a 5-starrer, but near the end of the collection I came across several stories of which I did not get the point. And that is frustrating. It’s not the fault of the author I didn’t “get it”...and thankfully I got enough of her stories where overall I still enjoyed the read. This was a re-issue published by the wonderful Persephone Books (London).
I forgot she was friends with William Maxwell, one of my fave authors and I also forgot I have a book edited by William Maxwell on some of the letters she wrote to various people including himself (Sylvia Townsend Warner: Letters). So, I want to read that in the near future.
What impressed me about this collection is that she was writing these stories from 1940-1945 when World War Two was going on, and she had no idea how it was going to turn out. The majority of stories in this collection were published in The New Yorker.
Most of the stories were about people living in England, and most were ordinary folks, sometimes behaving in admirable ways, sometime behaving in unadmirable ways, and other times just behaving. Just getting on with life during a time when there was serious rationing of food (and cigarettes and coffee), and nights when all windows had to be covered completely so no light could be visible to planes up above (blackouts).
It appears that the mail between England and the United States was altered due to the war, because sometimes Sylvia Townsend Warner was only aware that a story of hers had been published in The New Yorker when someone told her they had recently read a story of hers in the periodical (I guess The New Yorker’s letter to her saying they had accepted her story was not sent to her or was sent in a delayed manner).
The stories are presented in chronological order...and I am listing their titles and my ratings of them, and when I didn’t “get it”:
1. The Water and the Wine | October 5, 1940 | 3.5 stars
2. My Shirt Is in Mexico | January 4, 1941 | 3.5 stars
3. From Above | January 18, 1941 | 3 stars | dng
4. Noah’s Ark | June 21, 1941 | 5 stars
5. Setteragic On (read backwards it reads ‘No Cigarettes’) | September 13, 1941 | 5 stars
6. Rainbow Villa | October 18, 1941 | 4.5 stars
7. The Trumpet Shall Sound | April 1942 | 3.5 stars
8. Scorched Earth Policy | April 18, 1942 | 5 stars
9. The Family Revived | July 11, 1942 | 2 stars | dng
10. The Mothers | August 1942 | 3 stars | dng
11. England, Home and Beauty | October 10, 1942 | 3 stars
12. Mutton’s Only house | December 1942 | 2.5 stars | dng
13. It’s What We’re Here For | February 20, 1943 | 3.5 stars | dng
14. English Climate | May 1, 1943 | 4 stars
15. Bow to the Rising Sun | June 12, 1943 | 4.5 stars
16. Sweethearts and Wives | December 4, 1943 | 2.5 stars
17. Daphnis and Chloe | March 25, 1944 | 2.5 stars | dng
18. Arsace, II Faut Partir | June 1944 | 3 stars
19. The Cold | March 10, 1945 | 2.5 stars
20. Poor Mary | June 9, 1945 | 4.5 stars
21. The Way Back | July 1945 | 2 stars | dng
22. Major Brice and Mrs. Conway | May 1946 | 2 stars | dng
dng = did not get (understand)
Reviews:
• https://uclpress.scienceopen.com/host...
• https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2021/...
• https://northernreader.wordpress.com/...
• https://gallimaufry.typepad.com/blog/...
I forgot she was friends with William Maxwell, one of my fave authors and I also forgot I have a book edited by William Maxwell on some of the letters she wrote to various people including himself (Sylvia Townsend Warner: Letters). So, I want to read that in the near future.
What impressed me about this collection is that she was writing these stories from 1940-1945 when World War Two was going on, and she had no idea how it was going to turn out. The majority of stories in this collection were published in The New Yorker.
Most of the stories were about people living in England, and most were ordinary folks, sometimes behaving in admirable ways, sometime behaving in unadmirable ways, and other times just behaving. Just getting on with life during a time when there was serious rationing of food (and cigarettes and coffee), and nights when all windows had to be covered completely so no light could be visible to planes up above (blackouts).
It appears that the mail between England and the United States was altered due to the war, because sometimes Sylvia Townsend Warner was only aware that a story of hers had been published in The New Yorker when someone told her they had recently read a story of hers in the periodical (I guess The New Yorker’s letter to her saying they had accepted her story was not sent to her or was sent in a delayed manner).
The stories are presented in chronological order...and I am listing their titles and my ratings of them, and when I didn’t “get it”:
1. The Water and the Wine | October 5, 1940 | 3.5 stars
2. My Shirt Is in Mexico | January 4, 1941 | 3.5 stars
3. From Above | January 18, 1941 | 3 stars | dng
4. Noah’s Ark | June 21, 1941 | 5 stars
5. Setteragic On (read backwards it reads ‘No Cigarettes’) | September 13, 1941 | 5 stars
6. Rainbow Villa | October 18, 1941 | 4.5 stars
7. The Trumpet Shall Sound | April 1942 | 3.5 stars
8. Scorched Earth Policy | April 18, 1942 | 5 stars
9. The Family Revived | July 11, 1942 | 2 stars | dng
10. The Mothers | August 1942 | 3 stars | dng
11. England, Home and Beauty | October 10, 1942 | 3 stars
12. Mutton’s Only house | December 1942 | 2.5 stars | dng
13. It’s What We’re Here For | February 20, 1943 | 3.5 stars | dng
14. English Climate | May 1, 1943 | 4 stars
15. Bow to the Rising Sun | June 12, 1943 | 4.5 stars
16. Sweethearts and Wives | December 4, 1943 | 2.5 stars
17. Daphnis and Chloe | March 25, 1944 | 2.5 stars | dng
18. Arsace, II Faut Partir | June 1944 | 3 stars
19. The Cold | March 10, 1945 | 2.5 stars
20. Poor Mary | June 9, 1945 | 4.5 stars
21. The Way Back | July 1945 | 2 stars | dng
22. Major Brice and Mrs. Conway | May 1946 | 2 stars | dng
dng = did not get (understand)
Reviews:
• https://uclpress.scienceopen.com/host...
• https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2021/...
• https://northernreader.wordpress.com/...
• https://gallimaufry.typepad.com/blog/...
December 4, 2023
Most of these short stories were originally written for 'The New Yorker' during the Second World War, and give a series of fascinating glimpses into ordinary lives lived in England during this conflict. Some are more successful than others; the best are perfect miniature comedies of manners, encapsulating the strangeness and specificity of their place and time, while a few are a bit odd or simply uninteresting. The writing, however, is perfectly honed and the dialogue exquisitely observed.
December 8, 2025
I had been looking forward to reading this as I find the time period to be particularly interesting. Sadly this authors tone and style did not engage me. The characters felt cold and distant and I was not overfond of the writing. I tried reading straight through but eventually changed tactics and tried to read some of the stories at the end to see if things might improve. They didn’t so I gave up.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews