Persephone Books discussion

Is anyone ready to discuss this one yet? I thought it was an enjoyable, fast read! Any ideas about the meaning of the title?

Ooh no I hadn't thought about the title at all. Does the phrase have a meaning in the US like "brick wall" here in the UK, where if you hit or come up against a brick wall it means that you encounter such a major obstacle that you cannot follow your planned course of action?

Generally, I found the setup very funny, with several laugh out loud moments. The characters were great and I really felt for Lucia trying to protect her family while her husband is away at war. Her father is so sweet too! The ending was a little bit of a disappointment for me - it worked, but it didn't add anything. But I loved reading the American 'home front' WW2 perspective for a change.

I don't think there is an American meaning to "blank wall"...or maybe I'm not aware of it! I'm still trying to figure out what the title means.
It was interesting to read about an American perspective on WW2, since many of the Persephone books take place in England! And I agree with you, Rosemary, I didn't care for the ending. I was frustrated with the characters for much of the book because there was such a lack of communication! It probably would have been easier if Lucia had told her father about the accident...or even if Lucia had told Bee what happened. Bee was so annoying! I also noticed that Lucia was very compulsive about cleaning--it seemed like instead of processing what was happening, she would clean. It was her way of escaping.

I can’t exactly remember about the meaning of the title right now...

Personally, I was hooked on Lucia’s voice, and her typical WWII wife and mother role, dealing with shortages and what not while her husband is away fighting. Especially how she changes faced with these extreme situations, letting her individuality finally come to the fore. She comes to see how society and indeed her family have corseted her in this role. Everyone treats her like a child, from her father to her children (15 and 17!); she has little to no privacy, and yet they all expect her to hold the home ties together. The complex web of relationships in her household was fascinating to see, even if I felt like screaming at some of the behaviours around her, from the rebellious Bee, to the enigmatic Donnelly and the ever reliable Sybil. Lucia, who starts with such low esteem of herself, grows into a fully rounded woman, full of resourcefulness and resolve.

Also, for a thriller, it is a most unusual one, focusing more on the psychology of the characters than the ‘crime’ and culprits. Here is Lucia dealing with blackmail and worrying about doing the dishes and the beds. It sounds silly but also much more realistic, and it is this reality that grabs you.

I liked this book a lot. There were a lot of really tense moments, and I found most of the characters to be extremely likeable, especially Sibyl, Harper, and Donnelly. I liked Lucia a lot too, but she created a lot of trouble for everyone by trying to defend them. I think she really sold her father short when she tried to protect him; he was a lot stronger than she thought. Darby's death was clearly accidental and if they had involved the police right away they would have been protected from Nagle's blackmail scheme. I got really annoyed at Bee when she was questioning her mother's motives for some of her behavior-- at times I found myself wishing that Lucia would confront her about the letters. The ending made me sad.

As for the title, I think that maybe it is supposed to represent Lucia. She acts as a blank wall or screen for her family to project their expectations of the perfect mother/wife/daughter onto-- she feels trapped and frustrated because she is not allowed to "color outside the lines" of their perception of her.

Thanks Suki and Veronique for sharing your thoughts.
I read this one back in 2017 and enjoyed it.
Lucia is such a great character and will do anything to protect her family.

Karen wrote: "Thanks Suki and Veronique for sharing your thoughts.
I read this one back in 2017 and enjoyed it.
Lucia is such a great character and will do anything to protect her family."

She is a great character. Considering I read this quite a while ago, it is still very present in my mind. Actually, all the Persephones I’ve read have that quality

I enjoyed this. Lucia is such a strong, but human character, and it was fascinating to get a look at life on the home front in the U.S. It’s interesting how many of the Peresphone “mystery” novels are set in U.S. and by American authors—I’ve enjoyed all the ones I read (The Expendable Man, Still Missing, The Blank Wall).

I’d like to read those other titles too, unsurprisingly.

I wonder why these authors were ‘forgotten’. I mean the ones in the UK, such as Dorothy L Sayers, Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Josephine Tey and Ngaio Marsh (New Zealand), are still known and published. Is it because it was fashionable? I mean the Golden Age of crime fiction, that included all these authors, is a recognised and popular movement. Makes you wonder...

Veronique wrote: "I’d like to read those other titles too, unsurprisingly.

I wonder why these authors were ‘forgotten’. I mean the ones in the UK, such as Dorothy L Sayers, Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Josep..."

Yes, I’d definitely like to read more by those authors. I know there are some other books in print by Dorothy B Hughes (The Expendable Man) and have In a Lonely Place waiting. But I don’t know about Elisabeth Saxany Holding’s books. Beth Gutcheon (Still Missing) is still writing! I see she’s a Goodreads author ;). Nice to know some Peresphone authors are still out and about!

Veronique wrote: "I’d like to read those other titles too, unsurprisingly.

I wonder why these authors were ‘forgotten’. I mean the ones in the UK, such as Dorothy L Sayers, Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham, Josep..."

Good question! I wonder if they were neglected because they were writing suspense/noir from a woman’s/outsider’s perspective. Anyhow, thank you, Peresphone for re-discovering and reprinting them! More, please :)

It does feel more like ‘film noir’ kind of style, but yes I guess it is the whole women perspective thing again (major roll of the eyes).

Interesting about Gutcheon. I’ve found a couple of ebooks that feature writings from Holding, and I think there is a two-book collection too - - alas too expensive.

Thanks for the info, Veronique. I actually read The Blank Wall in the Women Crime Writers of the 1940s collection from the local library—a nice collection with Laura, In a Lonely Place (which I haven’t read) and a mystery by another author, The Horizontal Man, too. I’ll have to see if the library has any more.

Lucky you! ;0)

Now, I need to order They Were Sisters for next month.

Just for info - you could always try the British Library Crime Classics Series, Edited by Martin Edwards. The B. L. has been running a series of The Golden Age of British Crime Fiction which spans everything from Country House Crime, Continenal Crime, Crimes at Sea, Specific location Crime, Short Story Crime etc from 'master' and 'lost' Crime Writers from their archives. Maybe there's a 'Lady' Crime Writers Collection out or in the offing ???? Worth a check - might prompt them to do one. Some of these Lady Crime Writers are, as P.B. have shown, too good to be forgotten or left on a dusty shelf.
Toast

I’ve seen those! They have some very catching old style covers. Completely forgot about them :0)

I have finished this now. I was also a little dissatisfied with the ending, but felt it was rather inevitable. I did like Lucia, she fought for her family like a cornered animal, in the end. She surprised herself with what she was capable of.I did get a bit annoyed with her son. He seemed to think it was up to him to keep her on the straight and narrow and I got the feeling that he'd decided it was his job to become head of the family. Maybe I was reading too much into his actions.

Toast wrote: "Just for info - you could always try the British Library Crime Classics Series, Edited by Martin Edwards. The B. L. has been running a series of The Golden Age of British Crime Fiction which spans ..."

I love the British Library series. They have some excellent titles, and the covers are beautiful. I also like The Detective Story Club published by Collins Crime Club. The books are reprints of the original Detective Story Club that started in 1929. They are nice little hardcovers that are priced like paperbacks, and they feature a lot of titles and authors that would otherwise be forgotten today. I'm not sure if the cover art is reprints of the original covers or not, but the style is certainly true to the cover artwork of the time. The collection isn't exclusively female, but there are a number of titles by female authors.

Tania wrote: "I have finished this now. I was also a little dissatisfied with the ending, but felt it was rather inevitable. I did like Lucia, she fought for her family like a cornered animal, in the end. She su..."
Hi Tania, I have to agree , the ending seemed a bit disappointing to me too :/

Tania wrote: "I have finished this now. I was also a little dissatisfied with the ending, but felt it was rather inevitable. I did like Lucia, she fought for her family like a cornered animal, in the end. She su..."

I got annoyed with her son, too. I had the same feeling that he was trying to step into his father’s shoes. Of course, he had no idea what was really going on.

I just finished The Blank Wall. Like others, I found it in the volume Women Crime Writers: Four Suspense Novels of the 1940s: Laura / The Horizontal Man / In a Lonely Place / The Blank Wall. I found the characters and settings in The Blank Wall to be realistic but not developed as much as I would have liked. And at the beginning, the plot was so angsty that I almost put it down and then, suddenly, it became too predictable. This one will not go down as a favorite Persephone read.

I am still new amongst Persephone books (that was my third). Are all of them a gem?

I simply loved 'The Blank Wall' too, although I am not sure what genre it was ;-) Here my review.

My thoughts on finishing this novel..
Loved the period and the setting - didn't initially realise it was set in the US.
Thought Lucia was a bit well....ditzy to start with but she showed some fortitude..

It was Sybil who was the standout for me (deep waters) Donnelly was interesting in that his conscious caught up with him.

I'm another who didn't think the ending quite did the novel justice overall.

I loved the setting, I hadn't, (and still haven't) read much about what life was like back home in the US during WW2. If there are many stories with that setting, I certainly don't know them.

You're making me want to reread it, though it might be a while before I can fit it in.