Pubblicato in Italia con il titolo Donne eccellenti. Un romanzo ironico ambientato in una Londra postbellica in cui una donna si ritrova sempre ad aiutare gli altri.
What attracted me first to this author is that she was described as the Jane Austen of the twentieth century and, as a huge Jane Austen fan, you can see that I was intrigued right away and I wasn’t disappointed. Excellent Women is her second novel and considered her best.
First published in 1952, Excellent Women sees its protagonist, Milfred Lathbury always ready to help others, an excellent woman.
“I always think of you as being so very balanced and sensible, such an excellent woman.”
The daughter of a clergyman, Mildred leads a simple life, living alone in a small flat in London. She has a part-time job and volunteers to the local church and she considers the clergyman and his sisters very close friends in a society believing that the only role of the woman was that of wife. Her life becomes more chaotic when her new neighbours arrive. She soon finds herself not only attracted to the charming Rockingham Napier, but she also becomes entangled in their personal love triangle. Full of humour and intrigue, this was such a fun read and I am looking forward to reading more stories by this fantastic author!
