Dear walking book clubbers,
Thanks so much to the many of you who joined the Zoom last Sunday to discuss Penelope Mortimer’s dagger of a novel.
Thanks especially for persevering through the complication of the clock change, which in the end led to our having two sessions. Double trouble!
Many of us found The Pumpkin Eater to be very affecting, and this led us to wonder why it still felt so relevant today, almost sixty years after it was published. Perhaps, this simultaenous feeling of datedness and relevance is a sign of great literature - this is certainly what the terrific writer and critic Lucy Scholes seemed to think, in our conversation at the end of this month’s webcast.
I’m so glad that so many of you enjoyed the links to interviews and articles etc that I sent out last time round (you can find them again here). Aplogies for omitting to link to the absolutely brilliant film of the book, starring Anne Bancroft (and a young Maggie Smith), with a Harold Pinter screenplay. Do watch it! You can do so online via Google Play here.
Webcast
I was honoured to welcome Penelope Mortimer expert Lucy Scholes as a Special Guest on this month’s webcast about The Pumpkin Eater. I hope you enjoy it - and do leave a comment if you can, it’s always great to have your feedback.
A reminder that these emails will always be free to those who need them to be, but if you are able to support Emily’s Walking Book Club by paying £15/year to subscribe, or £50/year to include a reading consultation with me, then please do.
Next time
I can’t wait to see you back on Hampstead Heath on 25th April, 11.30-1pm when we can imagine ourselves into the idyll of Gavin Maxwell’s classic Ring of Bright Water.
For those of us who can’t make it to the Heath, look forward to seeing you and imagining a little harder on Zoom 8-8.30pm the next evening, Monday 26th April.
Buy the book from Daunt’s and get 10% off using the code WBC at checkout (or tell them you’re in the gang if you go to their doorstep - most of their shops are now open for click and collect).
In case you missed it, full details for all our next books and meetings are HERE.
Happy Easter! Happy reading!
Emily