Reading the 20th Century discussion

A dedicated thread for Ivy Compton-Burnett


Roman Clodia wrote: "Taylor seems to get mentioned with Ivy Compton-Burnett, an author who seems to have dropped out of fashion but who sounds interesting - anyone read her?"

I've seen her name crop up in histories and biographies but have never gone on to investigate

Do you think we should dive in?

Plenty to choose from....

Dolores (1911)
Pastors and Masters (1925)
Brothers and Sisters (1929)
Men and Wives (1931)
More Women Than Men (1933)
A House and Its Head (1935)
Daughters and Sons (1937)
A Family and a Fortune (1939)
Parents and Children (1941)
Elders and Betters (1944)
Manservant and Maidservant (1947)*
Two Worlds and Their Ways (1949)
Darkness and Day (1951)
The Present and the Past (1953)
Mother and Son (1955)
A Father and His Fate (1957)
A Heritage and Its History (1959)
The Mighty and Their Fall (1961)
A God and His Gifts (1963)
The Last and the First (posthumous, 1971)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_Com...

http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/ivy/i...

Roman Clodia wrote: "A House and Its Head has recently been republished by New York Review Books but there are also Kindle and second hand copies of her books on Amazon and elsewhere.

I'll investigate a bit and we can see what we think."

As mentioned in the Elizabeth Taylor thread, I have read one of her books, Darkness and Day,but didn't really get on with it. I would be willing to give her another try at some point though.

Thanks Tania - as you mentioned she certainly seems to divide readers if the reviews on GoodReads for Darkness and Day are any indication

Yes, I am interested in reading her. I saw this quote:

“Speaking of things robs them of half their terrors.”
― Ivy Compton-Burnett, Manservant and Maidservant

I like the line. It appeals to me. There are lots of her books available at audible.uk, but Manservant and Maidservant isn't one of them. I need a book at Audible due to my poor vision.

I have read nothing by her. I would like to try one, but which?!

It's a great line, with a lot of truth


I am not sure I'll have the time to read any Ivy Compton-Burnett for the next few months, but never say never. If you agree one that looks easy to procure and a short-ish read then I may be tempted. Either way, I would be very interested to follow a discussion and find out more about her life and work.

This website is dedicated to her....

http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/ivy/i...

This part of the site also seems to confirm that she was a divisive writer. Those that loved her really loved her but the few anti-Ivy comments further down the page are also unequivocal....

http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/ivy/i...

Nigeyb wrote: "It's a great line, with a lot of truth


I am not sure I'll have the time to read any Ivy Compton-Burnett for the next few months, but never say never. If you agree one that looks ea..."

Thanks for the links. This month is full for me, but I will pick one for next month. which it will be I don't yet know. Thank you for all you information and introducing me to the author

Chrissie wrote: "This month is full for me, but I will pick one for next month. Which it will be I don't yet know. Thank you for all you information and introducing me to the author"

Please do keep us informed Chrissie

Are you interested in discussing your choice with other members, if anyone else is interested in reading with you next month?

Nigeyb wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "This month is full for me, but I will pick one for next month. Which it will be I don't yet know. Thank you for all you information and introducing me to the author"

Please do kee..."

I have picked The Present and the Past, pretty much by a flip of a coin. I basically want to try something by the author. If another wants to read it too that would be great, otherwise I can be the guinea pig. I read through a book in a few days; others may not like this.

Looks like a good choice - and fairly short too. I look forward to your reaction.

I haven't read anything by her that I remember - I may have tried one in the past, but that would have been long before I joined Goodreads. Interested to hear what you think, Chrissie.

Judy, I will test it. People complain that in The Present and the Past the youngest son sounds older than his years. I don't know....I see kids as being just as perceptive and"wise" as adults even if they of course have not the book knowledge that adults have. I listened to a section where you hear how the child is playing with and evidently curious about words. This is exactly the kind of child that would develop a vocabulary earlier than other children.

Another reason I picked it were the two sentences I have underlined in Audible's book description--"Nine years after her divorce from Cassius Clare, Catherine decides to re-enter his life. Her decision causes a dramatic upheaval in the Clare family and its implications are analysed and redefined, not only in the drawing-room, but in the children's nursery and the servants' quarters. At first, Flavia, Cassius's second wife, feels resentment, fearing that she may be usurped. But as a friendship develops between the two women, it is Cassius who is excluded and whose self-pity intensifies, erupting in a shocking, unexpected way."

It seems to me to be essentially a book of character study, drawn through dialog. I have to see how the writing affects me! This will be impossible to know until I have tested it.

As I mention on our thread about The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym by Paula Byrne, Ivy Compton-Burnett was adored by Barbara Pym and her good friend Robert Liddell (aka Jock Liddell)

I've read Pastors and Masters. It was wonderfully sarcastic. Interesting about Pym. I also noted in The Uncommon Reader, the Queen found her "unsentimental, severe and wise."

The only book of hers available in my library is The Mighty and Their Fall, but it does sound fun!

Thanks Kathleen. Please let us know if you read The Mighty and Their Fall


My library had four biographies of ICB but no actual books by her

Ah, some of her books have been republished by Pushkin... and this one has an introduction by Hilary Mantel who seems to be a big fan:

A House and Its Head
Duncan Edgeworth rules over his family with steely authority in a country village of idyllic beauty, rapacious gossip and motives of the purest malignity. A crowd of neighbours watches on as Duncan’s scandalous remarriage sparks the chaos that will engulf his family and set off a battle of wills in their tangled community.
Unfolding almost entirely in dialogue of vicious wit and layered implications, A House and its Head is a brutally funny demolition of Victorian patriarchal authority and the hypocrisy of English society. Republished after decades out of print, it confirms Ivy Compton-Burnett’s status as the twentieth century’s greatest chronicler of the violent dysfunction of families.

The Pushkin editions are available on Kindle too so I might do a Look Inside when I have some time.

Compton-Burnett sounds interesting. The list of titles of her books tells us her focus is the domestic sphere. I have never read her, but would like to try her at some point.

Nigeyb wrote: "As I mention on our thread about The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym by Paula Byrne, Ivy Compton-Burnett was adored by Barbara Pym and her good friend .Robert Liddell.."

I recently read Elizabeth and Ivy by Robert Liddell which was about his friendship with Ivy Compton-Burnett and Elizabeth Taylor told through their letters. She certainly came across as a very interesting character and I'd like to read the Ivy: the Life of Ivy Compton-Burnett, but I'm not in a tremendous hurry to read more of her novels.

Ivy C-B sounds divisive stylistically so I think I'd like to do a few Look Insides before committing. In theory I'm interested...

My sense is she might not be for me but never say never. A look inside is a good idea. I'll do likewise when I have a spare moment

I read three back in my 20s - A House and its Head, Parents and Children, and A God and his Gifts. Why I read three I have no idea, I didn't like any of them. (Probably they were on the shelves near Elizabeth Bowen whom I also read then.) To remind myself of the stories, which I have completely forgotten I looked up Parents and Children. The first review is from Buck. It is very humourous and may help determine whether ICB is for you.

Roman Clodia wrote: "Ivy C-B sounds divisive stylistically so I think I'd like to do a few Look Insides before committing. In theory I'm interested..."

I tried one, think it was A House and its Head and found the style quite off-putting. I keep meaning to try again, a friend loves her, but never quite have the urge!