Virago Modern Classics discussion

Because March is Reading Ireland Month it would be nice to read a book or two from the VMC list that takes place or is written by an Irish writer.

It could be e.g.:

The Rising Tide by Molly Keane (or others by the author that are VMC)
The Ante-room by Kate O'Brien (or others by the author that are VMC)
The Fly On the Wheel by Katherine Cecil Thurston
Never No More and No More Than Human by Maura Laverty
Damage and Sin by Josephine Hart
Keynotes and Discords by George Egerton
All of Us There by Polly Devlin
The Wind Changes by Olivia Manning

There are probably more books on the VMC list connected with Ireland, so if you see such - let me know.

I would like to read at least one or two books by Molly Keane.

I am participating in the Irish Readathon. I like readathons as it gives me a good reason to sweep up unread books from my TBR.

I have made a cheeky head start and have just finished Title: The Wind Changes. Although Olivia Manning was not born in Ireland her mother came from Ulster, and Olivia Manning spent childhood holidays there. The book is set in 1921 Ireland before the Anglo Irish truce.

I have two books by Molly Keane to read Good Behaviour and Two Days in Aragon
I have previously read Devoted Ladies and Full House. I like Keane's writing, but she does write unlikeable characters.

Sonia wrote: "I am participating in the Irish Readathon. I like readathons as it gives me a good reason to sweep up unread books from my TBR..."

Yes, that is the main reason I want to participate ;-)

PS I am adding "The Wind Changes" to the list in my first message.

I had to go searching for Wind Changes and ended up buying a copy from eBay.

Cphe wrote: "I had to go searching for Wind Changes and ended up buying a copy from eBay."

👍 Congratulation! ;-)

It's coming from England so may be a few weeks yet

So far I have finished and enjoyed The Wind Changes by Olivia Manning and Two Days in Aragon by Molly Keane.
The Wind Changes set before the Anglo Irish truce concentrates on three characters. It is Manning's first book and shows the promise of what is to come in the Balkan and Levant trilogies. Olivia Manning's mother was from Ulster and Olivia spent her holidays there. Probably the strongest part of the book is the sense of place Manning gives the story.
Two Days in Aragon describes the Irish civil war in the 1920s and the destruction of an Irish great house. I enjoy books where there is a short time frame, where action is condensed and what happens next has to be imagined. Great characters and who you like in the beginning may not be who you like at the end.
Next up I have Good Behaviour also by Molly Keane.

Recent secondhand bookshopping in Norfolk has provided me with four Viragos for next year's Readathon.
The Land of Spices
On the Side of the Angels
No Mate for the Magpie
The Knight of Cheerful Countenance

I have read Time After Time by Molly Keane and I am reading The Ante-room by Kate O'Brien.

Besides VMC, I have read three other books by Irish authors, and I think I have enough for now. All novels were disturbing (in a touching and fascinating way), and I need a break from the mood.

I read Good Behaviour by Molly Keane.

Marilyn wrote: "I read Good Behaviour by Molly Keane."

Do you like it? (I did.)

Yes, I did and would like to read more of her books. Someday.

Marilyn wrote: "Yes, I did and would like to read more of her books. Someday."

My second by Keane was the mentioned "Time After Time" (here my review). I didn't love it as much as "Good Behaviour", although it was good literature. I will try her earlier novels, someday.

I think Molly Keane is very good at writing unlikeable characters, but you have to be in the right mood for that.

I also finished Title: The Wind Changes couldn't engage as much with this one found it difficult to emphasise with the characters.

Shame because I loved the Balkan and Levant series.

Cphe wrote: "I also finished Title: The Wind Changes couldn't engage as much with this one found it difficult to emphasise with the characters.

Shame because I loved the Balkan and Levant series."

I enjoyed the writing and I think that Manning was good at creating a sense of place and a little of the history of the time. I also felt that it was the characters that let the book down, they were all miserable loners. Them getting together seemed implausible.

Only just finished Good Behaviour

Rare for me to give 5 stars but this was worthy. Will have to source more books by this author.

Cphe wrote: "Only just finished Good Behaviour

Rare for me to give 5 stars but this was worthy. Will have to source more books by this author."

In addition to Good Behaviour I have read Devoted Ladies (great unlikeable characters with a fitting ending), Full House (which I found a bit dull) and Two Days in Aragon (probably my favourite, great sense of time and place and I like novels set over a short time frame).

Thank you - I'll have a look

Well this is a themed read - I've also read Good Behaviour by Molly Keane and I definitely want to read more by her. Maybe we could continue with this themed read. Any others want to read Molly Keane? Cphe? Marilyn?

I've also read just about everything by Olivia Manning - maybe we could do a sweep - and pickup the lesser known ones by her?

Our March buddy read is by an Irish author Kate O'Brien The Land of Spices

Sonia wrote: "Our March buddy read is by an Irish author Kate O'Brien The Land of Spices"

Hi - yes - I'll see if I can get a copy - not read it - so definitely interested. Thanks Sonia.

Talk of Angels by Kate O'Brien is set in Spain - "at the brink of the civil war" - there's a link if I ever saw one. But the book is not part of Virago's list.

Found a copy of The Land of Spices - on Vinted - which is a pretty good resource for me. Ordered - hope it arrives soon !

There is no rule we can't read more than one book. ;-)

I would like to read another novel by Molly Keane, Laura. I could read (I can borrow in on archive.org):
Loving And Giving
Conversation Piece
The Knight of Cheerful Countenance
Loving Without Tears
Young Entry

Would you read one of those with me?

Yes to Molly Keane - let me run through the options. I also use Internet Archive - let me check if any of the above are available.

Yes - Loving And Giving - noted as even better than Good Behaviour.
Devoted Ladies- available
Loving Without Tears - available

Maybe we could do Molly Keane as the Buddy read for May? I see above that Marilyn would also like to read another by her.

I have tried "Devoted Ladies" and abandoned.

The other I listed above are available on archive.org too.

Conversation Piece - https://archive.org/details/conversat...
The Knight of Cheerful Countenance - https://archive.org/details/knightofc...
Young Entry - https://archive.org/details/youngentr...

So, which one do we choose? I can roll the dice ;-)

Mela wrote: "I have tried "Devoted Ladies" and abandoned.

The other I listed above are available on archive.org too.

Conversation Piece - https://archive.org/details/conversat...
The Knight of Che..."

Loving And Giving - it was published in 1988 - seven years after Good Behaviour (1981).

Laura wrote: "Loving And Giving - it was published in 1988 - seven years after Good Behaviour (1981)."

Ok. I will try to read with you "Loving And Giving" in March.

Yes - but I've already ordered Land of Spices - which is the March read - and I've not yet finished - In Diamond Square - plus I have some other commitments.

Laura wrote: "Yes - but I've already ordered Land of Spices - which is the March read - and I've not yet finished - In Diamond Square - plus I have some other commitments."

I understand. I want to read this month at least 3 books yet. Then I have books from the library I have to return in March. Then in March, I think, I would like to read at least 3-4 books with different groups, and a few from my read-challenges. So, I understand how it is ;-)

Mela wrote: "Laura wrote: "Yes - but I've already ordered Land of Spices - which is the March read - and I've not yet finished - In Diamond Square - plus I have some other commitments."

I understand. I want to..."

And I have a large stack - gathering dust.

I can see Sonia's point now - which is that she wants her reading here to align with all the Viragos she has found in second-hand shops !! :)

What about a May Buddy read - Molly Keane is Irish - but she could also be classed as pre 1st World War - or dark humour - she connects in my mind to Elizabeth Jolley - who has something similar - wicked, and shocking. Virago has Wicked Women - I would say Molly Keane - comes under that heading!

Laura wrote: "What about a May Buddy read - Molly Keane is Irish - but she could also be classed as pre 1st World War - or dark humour - she connects in my mind to Elizabeth Jolley - who has something similar - wicked, and shocking. Virago has Wicked Women - I would say Molly Keane - comes under that heading!"

If you want to add a book as buddy-read, please suggest the book in the thread about it.

I am going to start Loving And Giving.

Hi Mela - yes, I'll start reading also - Loving and Giving.

I love Molly Keane's wit, hidden and satirical.

Hi - I'm only on p.26, but I'm interested - everything is seen through Nicandra's eyes - I think that distance between childhood and the "secrets" of the adults is very well done.

Laura wrote: "Hi - I'm only on p.26, but I'm interested - everything is seen through Nicandra's eyes - I think that distance between childhood and the "secrets" of the adults is very well done."

Yes, she captured it splendidly.

Hi Mela - can you let me know where you are - in the book - and I'll try to catch up with you.

I've finished Part one of Loving And Giving - and the first response is yes - not one single adult is able to be present for the 8 year old Nicandra. The servants present a false front, the mother is evil, even Aunt Tossie is full of her own cares and woes - and is drunk. The father distant - not uncaring but so completely disconnected from his daughter.

My mind keeps going to another passage - I think by Antonia White - whereby she says awful things happen to children and yet they are protected in a sense by their lack of knowledge about the adult world. White indicates that especially in the moment children are shielded to some extent by their instinct to distract themselves - and it is only later when knowledge gained interacts with memories that they are able to interpret how others have caused pain to them. I must try and find that particular passage. It's about a young girl - neglected and hurt and yet White states the hurt is deflected to some extent by the protective coverage of innocence

I have finished the novel. I liked the most, part about the child's perspective. The rest was interesting too, the personalities that gave and those that take...

Hi - I stopped reading it because - I was already committed to another buddy read, which I have now finished. I will go back to Loving And Giving - but I found the first part extra-ordinarily painful. I'm not surprised - when I read Good Behaviour with a friend, we had to supply each other with moral support.