Rhododendron Pie
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Ann Laventie is the appealing heroine of this unusual love story. She has everyday dreams and modest ambitions; described at age twenty as ‘still much of the wistful little girl about her’. She was born into the unusually intellectual and cultured family of Laventies of Sussex, who have lived for many generations in a country house called Whitenights.
This story is set in the 1920's, when the debates about highbrow and middlebrow tastes in art, culture and everyday living were of great importance. The character of Ann Laventie is set within this framework, and while she loves her family exceedingly, she is beginning to realize she is not an 'aesthete' like her father and siblings. What Ann thinks about, chooses, and ultimately loves, makes for a charming story.
This is Margery Sharp's first full length novel, written with all the subtle wit and irony she became known for.
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Sharp's first novel was apparently written in one month, and it's a remarkable accomplishment if so! I found Ann quite endearing and her adventures in choosing the right man, and becoming herself against the weight of her overbearing but beloved family, an entertaining diversion. Like all Sharp books that I've read, light but not lacking in depth.
The title could be the determining factor as to whether or not you should read this book, so listen up...
Rhododendron pie is a tradition in the quirky Laventies family. Instead of the usual celebratory fruit pie for birthdays, the Laventieses choose to enjoy a pie made of flowers. Which you cannot eat. You just look at it. Youngest child Ann secretly does not want a pie made of flowers. She wants something she can eat.
Ann's family steps to the beat of a different drummer. Her brother is an artist. Her sister is a writer. Her dad is described as a dilettante.
But Ann? She feels like she's in the wrong family. And is it really so wrong to just want what everybody else wants? Especially if that's what you really want?
A complete delight. Oozing with charm.
