Northbridge Rectory

Barsetshire #10

by Angela Thirkell

As the war continues, life in Northbridge sees changes. Mrs Villars, the Rector's wife, finds the attentions of Lieutenant Holden of the Barsetshires, who is billeted with her, quite exhausting. The middle-aged ladies and gentlemen who undertake roof-spotting from the church tower are more concerned with their own daily life than with parachutists. There is also the triangle, together with a chorus of officers billeted at the Rectory, ladies with violent leanings to High or Broad church, and other village characters.

Genres: Fiction, British Literature, World War II, Classics, Historical Fiction, Romance, Ebooks

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1941

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

[Damaskcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Northbridge is coping as best it can with the trials and tribulations of war time. Officers are billeted at the Rectory, the air raid siren only seems to go off when the planes have gone past, and love strikes in the most unlikely places. Miss Pemberton exercises control over her lodger, Mr Downing, though Mrs Turner looks as though she will make her move. Mrs Turner's nieces are looking for love among the officers at the Rectory as is one of the Rectory's servants.

For those readers who read Cheerfulness Breaks In and want to know what happened after the cliff hanging ending to that novel will need to read nearly half of this book to find out! I enjoyed this book but I didn't think it was as good as others I've read by this author - maybe because I read it in very short bursts rather than reading it in longer sessions.

I do think every day life in war time is well done and it really brings the problems to life and makes me realise how lucky we are in the relatively peaceful twenty first century.

[Mary Durrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful book with wonderful characters all told with subtle humour and charm.
I absolutely adored it, one of her best!
A little bit of romance, roof-spotting, sherry and tea parties along with the war effort.
I loved it!

[Cphe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed it - the period, the setting and the characters. Have decided that I have to be in the right mindset for the author.
Appreciated the perspective of the war from another angle.

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really liked Mrs. Villars in this book. She's the wife of a schoolmaster turned clergyman. Everyone is constantly trying to protect her from being overtired, which she evidently looks all the time, but is not really. Although social situations and difficult people do wear on her, in other ways she and the other women of this book seem to be typical stiff-upper-lip, everyone-do-their-bit wartime matrons. Hysterics lurk somewhere below the surface at times but don't really get out. Very interesting look at the way that rural Britain handled World War II.
The thing that stands out most about Angela Thirkell's books is the irony and satire; yet, her characters (almost all of them) also get moments of sympathy and depth from her pen.
Not much plot; the war looms large. The main things happening are that Mr. Downing, an intellectual and an author, is boarding with Miss Pemberton (an older woman in the community), and she constitutes herself his companion, proofreader, adviser, best friend, landlady, etc., and jealously tries to keep all female neighbors away from him, viewing them as distractions and snares.
Also a bunch of officers are quartered at the rectory with Mr. and Mrs. Villars; the weekend visit of the major's wife is a total nightmare because she is kind of a loon.
Then there are Mrs. Turner and her nieces ("Betty" and "The Other Niece"), who are hilarious and sweet. Betty's claim to fame is her overuse and corruption of the word "actually." Ackcherly.

[Jon Blanchard · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first read an Angela Thirkell novel I was enchanted. Like Jane Austen, E M Delafield or Barbara Pym she had an oblique, ironic view of social awkwardness and human self-deception, although quite a bit more stringent than them. Reading Northbridge Rectory I began to have my considerable doubts about Thirkell and feel less amused than uncomfortable. Austen, Delafield and Pym seem to write in the hope the reader will come to personal self-knowledge or at least tolerance for others in their silliness. I got the impression Thirkell wrote, and wrote brilliantly, primarily to show how clever she was.
Northbridge Rectory includes a brilliant example of Thirkell’s comic virtuosity in the character of Mrs Spender. Here is a social bore like Jane Austen’s Miss Bates whose rambling monologues are a crashing embarrassment for the other characters, but a delight to the readers as inconsequent garrulity is outrageously piled on inconsequent garrulity. But the comparison shows Thirkell’s limitations. Unlike Mrs Spender, who repeatedly reveals her self absorption, Miss Bates is portrayed with considerable sympathy. And Miss Bates’ monologues are integrated into the narrative and moral structure of the book. Mrs Spender is there solely for amusement. There is little narrative structure in any case.

The book was published in 1941 and set during the Second World War showing how the anxiety of the times dominated small town life. It must have been cheering for many readers at the time to find amusement in that situation.

[Elinor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find myself reading these books in pairs…after finishing one, I’m not ready to give up the “inner laughter” that Thirkell induces with her highly original characters and barbed wit; after reading the second, I’m ready for something a little meatier before sinking back into English village life. This is the tenth book in the Barsetshire series, always an antidote to the stresses of modern life —mine, anyway.

[Teri-K · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first disappointing Thirkell book I've read. Mrs. Villars isn't interesting enough to carry the book as the MC, and there was no one else that I cared about at all. Add in nothing particularly happening, and it was a mostly boring story I struggled to finish. What a sad contrast to Cheerfulness Breaks in, which came just before it!

[Brona's Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last week, as the winter days drew in, I was in need of something gentle and comforting. I suspected that Thirkell would fulfil this need nicely. From the start I found her to be just like a warm English Breakfast tea served in a floral bone china cup - delicate yet robust, obvious and subtle in the same mouthful with the bitterness covered up by a generous spoonful of sweetness.

Written in 1941, we see Thirkell and her characters making do and muddling through the war years the best they can, in what we now know to be the middle of the WWII. However, neither Thirkell or her characters knew this. They had no idea how much longer they would have to soldier on or how much more making do they would have to do. This sense of uncertainty, stoicism and nostalgia for the pre-war days imbues everything that happened in Northbridge Rectory. From the constant discussions around food supplies (or the lack thereof) to the billeting of soldiers and evacuees from London and the hilarious saga around the 'roof-spotters' watching for paratroopers atop the local church.

The descriptions of war-time England were certainly one of the stand-out features of Northbridge Rectory. Thirkell related, almost by accident, the hardships and dreariness, the speculation and gossip, the stiff upper lip and social decorum at all costs that was so typical of so many of the English at this time. The fact that Thirkell was writing her war story as it happened makes it all the more poignant to the modern reader as well as being a remarkable snapshot in time now long gone. I'd be curious to know if Thirkell realised that her books might become a kind of historical record of England pre, during and post WWII? Yes, there is a lot of author fantasy and wish-fulfilment at work here, but a certain kind of truth and bitter reality shines through the sweetness as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed the gentle English humour and charming nostalgia that this book evoked. The lovely relationship between the Rector and his wife, Mrs Villars, shone with gentle understanding and tenderness. The kindhearted noisy nieces (one named and one unnamed throughout the entire novel) with their love interests and common vocabulary made me smile at every encounter. The dear old ladies in Glycerine Cottage with their terrible French and chere amie's living a quiet life of love with nobody blinking an eye. Mr Holden and his weird devotion to Mrs Villars health, the co-dependent relationship between the studious Mr Downing and tough-as-cookies Miss Pemberton, Ex-navy man Father Fewling happily manning the air raid shelter and keeping everything in tip top shape. Kitchen maid Edie carrying on behind the scenes with Corporal Jackson in constant fear of Mrs Chapman finding out. I really loved them all by the end, even the truly ghastly Mrs Spender with her 'believe it or not's, 'I'm funny that way' and 'if you know what I mean's. Mrs Spender is one of those gloriously awful characters that you love to hate, rather like Catherine de Bourgh in Pride and Prejudice or Miss Bates in Emma (or even Emma in Emma!)
Full review here - http://bronasbooks.blogspot.com/2018/...

[Mela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another cozy satire by Mrs. Thirkell. There were all parts characteristic for her novel. I have really enjoyed reading it. I love (it applies to her every book) when she talked to a reader directly or just winked at us.

But... I am spoiled, pampered by her previous books of series. So, I give it only three stars. I can't say that something was wrong with this story. I just have been missing something. But I really don't know what. When I am thinking of the characters (Miss Pemberton, Mrs. Turner, Betty, The Other Niece, Mr. Downing, Edie, Father Fewling, Mrs. Spender) and their stories, personalities they were so... Thirkell-ish ;-), so perfect. I can't even tell that I was bored, not even once. Of course, there was little plot but it was in all Thirekll's novels and it didn't matter at all.

Nonetheless, the truth is, I value her other books much more than this one. (Although much more than many, many other historical fictions.) And the best part was the last scene when young John Villars appeared (for the first time) in the pages, coming home on leave. It was like fresh air, I think not only to me but also to his mother. I would really love to read his story.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite Angela Thirkell, but still lots of fun. World War II drags on and our staunch Barsetshire patriots are doing their best to guard the home front. Best relationship award: Miss Pemberton and Mr. Downing, because it's so complex and interesting. Worst relationship: Mrs. Villars and Mr. Holden, because it's so tedious. (That was the point, but it doesn't make it any more fun to read about.) Best new character: Father Fewling, ex-Navy Anglo-Catholic priest.

[Jamie Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another delightful Barsetshire book, set in an English village during WWII where everyone is cheerfully doing their part, but that hasn't stopped people from being as as obnoxious and troublesome and peculiar as always. The main character is the Rector's wife, who I liked very much. She has officers billeted in her house, including one who has a crush on her and keeps telling her that she looks tired, tempting her to succumb to languor and lassitude and say bravely that it was nothing.

I love the satirical description of Christmas:

Christmas, bad enough at the best of times, now began to cast an even thicker gloom than usual over the English scene. No one has ever yet described with sufficient hatred and venom this Joyous and Festive Season. As the Rector when off his guard so truly said, the war was little but an intensification of Christmas in that it either separated families that wanted to be together, or far worse, herded together families for whom normally twelve counties were not large enough. Outwardly, he said, on the Third Sunday in Advent, that once again families were drawing together at this season and not only finding in the companionship of fathers, mothers, sons, daughters and many others a joy they had never felt before, but rejoicing also in the privilege of having among them some less fortunate than themselves, victims of one of the most terrible crimes known in the history of our so-called civilization. Everyone said what a nice sermon the Rector had preached, and went home to lunch.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The charming Verena Villars has had a houseful of officers billeted on the rectory, and they can be a challenge. She also has the normal responsibilities of a rector's wife in Northbridge, even though they don't come naturally to her. As Thirkell truly comments, it takes a rector's daughter to really understand the position. For me the most dynamic storyline was the relationship between Miss Pemberton and Mr Downing, in which a pair of authors gradually learn what they want in life. There is a lot about village life as ordinary citizens gear up for wartime. This is a candidate for my favorite novel of this year.

[Gypsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 1941 novel focuses on the Rector's wife, Mrs. Villars, and the village relationships that surround her. In her usual charming way, Thirkell dishes out humor, sometimes biting, as she writes about the local consequences of war, an atypical relationship triangle, and a lieutenant's chivalric infatuation with Mrs. Villars. Sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, at others, poignant, Northbridge Rectory is filled with characters that the reader will be concerned about and root for till the end.

[cloudyskye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite charming, once I had a vague idea of who was who. It's a large-ish cast of characters with rather bland names for most of them. The war is on, nobody knows (not even the author!) how long it's going to last. Hardships are faced with a lot of calm and courage. They are all so very, very English!
Not my favourite Thirkell, perhaps, but so far I found all her books worth reading.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not as light-hearted as her earlier books as the residents of Barsetshire are now in the middle of the war and suffering the privations of rationing, but I'm still enjoying them and looking forward to reading the next instalment.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another delightful entry in the Barsetshire series. WWII is ongoing and officers are billeted at Northbridge Rectory with Rector and Mrs. Villars. Blackouts, tea parties, sherry parties are all included here. Really enjoyed the characters and subtle humour. I wish the Villars' son John had a more substantial part; he only appeared in the last chapter, home on leave, but he made a great impression.

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this as much as other books by the author. I struggled to get into it. Not sure if it was the war setting or if there were just too many characters...

[Penelope · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are fantastic, entertaining and funny. I’m enjoying them all. #Thirkellbar. Reading all this author’s novels in the order of their publication.

[booksandcarbs]

Northbridge Rectory wasn't my favorite Angela Thirkell novel but I still liked it quite a bit. This novel about village life in WWII England drags at points, but, as ever, it's full of perfectly imperfect characters and at least some of Thirkell's impressive wit and subtle social commentary. Take, for example, the words of a young publisher, "I'm sick of those clever novels by women writers all about everyday life. My trade is enough to sicken you of women altogether." I don't think I'll ever be sick of such novels, nor of clever women writers like Thirkell. The final two pages of this novel are perfection.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting view of the war before it began to really take its toll. The burden on the village is more one of inconvenience than of suffering. The story, for me, lacked traction -- it felt like Thirkell's narrative, which thrives on gentle ironies and insignificant edges, was, like Mrs Villiard, feeling displaced and worn out by the pressing flow of immediate, serious significances that are necessarily part of living during wartime. The most compelling part of the story was the mini-narrative of Miss Pemberton, Mr Downing, and Mrs Turner., which introduced questions about love, gender, and intellect -- and about what draws people together and apart. Mrs Spender's splendid lack of intuitiveness combined with her equally splendid insightful observation was another aspect of the book that added some complexity to an otherwise less endearing than usual Thirkell story. If you have never read any Thirkell, I would recommend something earlier like 'High Rising' or 'Pomfret Towers.'

[Verity W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favourite of the series, but this is still a fun and clever read. The war has come to Barsetshire and it's causing chaos. There's some familiar faces - and some new ones. There's an officer's wife who has no idea how awful she is, an officer in the grips of a hopeless passion (or he thinks he is) for the Rector's Wife - who is well aware of his fixation and really wants him to go away and an array of village ladies. Very good fun indeed.

[Molly]

Some of the character descriptions are brilliant, but yes, one can get tired of Angela Thirkell. This was not the most engaging one that I've read.
I'm re-reading Angela Thirkell.
If you're old fashioned, and need something reassuring to read in a stormy time, I recommend Angela Thirkell. Almost like heaven as described by the Talking Heads: nothing, nothing every happens.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.

This was another of my least favourite Thirkell's. I enjoyed the characters somewhat, and Thirkell as always has a highly enjoyable writing style, but for me I just didn't connect with this Barsetshire novel as much as I have with the previous ones.

[Sonia Gensler]

Took me a long while to get through this one. I loved Mrs. Villars, and there were several amusing moments, but altogether the book was a bit too easy to put down. This does not dampen my enthusiasm for Thirkell in the least, however!

[Robin Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely soothing and fun - and very useful for my research into World War II! 12+

*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. Please do not use it in any marketing material, online or in print, without asking permission from me first. Thank you!*

[Annez · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best of Thirkell's.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mommy loves these books. Tiger's mommy loves these books. My favorite customer at HPB loves these books. So, I had one, and I started reading it this morning. It's adorable and clever and funny!

[Cera · Rating 2 out of 5]

My least favourite so far, but still worth reading.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Thirkell I read on recommendation of Bea & it was wonderful. Set in England during WWII. Lots of great characters in the little town.

[LDuchess · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK...not my favorite AT