Book Spotlight: 'The Diary of a Provincial Lady' by E.M. Delafield

Hello there :)

I'm finally sharing a long-overdue review of 'The Diary of a Provincial Lady' with you guys. Spoiler alert: I loved this book. Technically, this isn't really one book, but it's four books now all combined in one volume: The Diary of a Provincial Lady, The Provincial Lady Goes Further, The Provincial Lady in America and The Provincial Lady in Wartime. They were published a few years apart (as you can see below) between 1930 and 1940.

Published 1930 (The Diary of a Provincial Lady), 1932 (The Provincial Lady Goes Further), 1934 (The Provincial Lady in America) and 1940 (The Provincial Lady in Wartime) // 3.98 stars on Goodreads

Here are some covers for you...

       

They're all pretty cool, but I think the cover of my book (below) summarises it best :)

The Plot:

The whole book is written in diary style from the point of view of the Provincial Lady, who remains nameless. Obviously this is a crude description, but think of it as a Bridget Jones' Diary-type of novel set in the 1920s/30s.

I decided that the usual *stop reading here to avoid spoilers* section isn't really needed for this book, because there aren't really any big twists and turns. It's all about the small things in life, the little joys and miseries, very wittily depicted. Overall, it's very character-driven and the plot mostly changes between the four books, rather than within each one. The first book introduces us to the Provincial Lady's everyday life in rural Devonshire where she tries to navigate a taciturn husband, annoying neighbours, financial struggles, and, most importantly, needs to keep the staff from quitting. In the next book we learn that the Provincial Lady has now enjoyed some success as a published author (but like her name, it's never revealed what her novel is actually about!), which then takes her on a tour of the United States in book number three. Finally, the action jumps several years forward, and the Provincial Lady now finds herself in London at the start of WWII, trying her best to find some war work ... which is easier said than done.


What I liked:

The prose is really beautiful and makes me wish E.M. Delafield was around to document my life for me. Seriously, even if you're not interested in reading the book fully, just do a page or two if you happen to get your hands on a copy - it's such a pleasure to read. The book is also extremely funny, with a very dry sense of humour. In my opinion, Delafield writes so well that I found the Provincial Lady and her troubles quite relatable, despite the fact that a) this is 2016, and b) I'm not a married mother of two. Who hasn't suffered through mind-blowingly awful conversations, gotten annoyed at their significant other, or tried to navigate some *temporary'* financial difficulties?

Here's an excerpt for you:

"January 22nd - Robert startles me at breakfast by asking if my cold - which he has hitherto ignored - is better. I reply that it has gone. Then why, he asks, do I look like that? Feel that life is wholly unendurable, and decide madly to get a new hat."

I also liked that the Provincial Lady really isn't provincial at all. She may live in the country but she regularly travels to London, writes a book and articles, goes on a public speaking tour to America and is anything but provincial in her views.


What I disliked:

I didn't like the  The Provincial Lady in Wartime as much as its predecessors. It felt a bit repetitive in parts (Mrs. Winter-Gammon reminded a lot of Mrs. Blenkinsop from earlier) and it ended very abruptly. There are a also a few instances throughout the book (mostly during the first section) when French is spoken for a sentence or two, without any translation. Some of the meaning can usually be guessed, but I still found this quite annoying. Obviously this is an issue with the edition I own, not the book itself, but if you're looking to buy this book you might want to watch out for that.

I couldn't really think of any book club questions for this one, so I decided not to force it. If you have any ideas, leave them in the comments section :)


Should you read this book?

I think this book is very funny and beautifully written, but it's not necessarily a page turner with a strong plot. That being said, I think you should read it anyway, and I'm looking forward to re-reading this some day! :)

My rating:

★ ★ ★ ★ ½

4.5 out of 5.0

Thanks for reading,

Kat