Jane and Prudence
Ratings3
Average rating2.7
The setting of this very funny novel, one of Barbara Pym's earliest, is an English village, where Jane's husband is the newly appointed vicar, and where Prudence will pay Jane a visit and find herself courted by a fatuous young widower. Prudence, at twenty-nine, has achieved nothing in life but a dull research job in London and a string of dud affairs; Jane, now in her forties, was Prudence's tutor at Oxford. Jane cheerfully concedes that she is an incompetent housewife, but she hopes that the move to a rural parish may transform her into a Trollopean vicar's wife, as well as a crafty matchmaker. There are many comic complications as Jane learns that matchmaking has as many pitfalls as does housewifery.
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A weak four stars, but three seemed harsh. I did like this, but it just felt very fluffy. Jane seemed a little... stunted? Like always with the poetry quotes. I know it was to show her having regrets about post-Oxford life, but it just didn't work for me. I liked Prudence a lot though. She felt much more realistic. The transitions felt weird too, maybe just dated? Like, “Jane wondered what Prudence was doing. Prudence was doing X.” I'll still definitely read more Pym as I have a bunch on kindle and they are light and easy, which is needed sometimes, but I'm not sure if she'll ever be a favorite.
Apart from the Austenesque tone that was entertaining to an extent, there was nothing to justify my hours wasted on this story that went from nowhere to farther away.
