And now for a quotation to give you an impression of the style and setting:
"When I arrived at Canticle Street Mrs Llantrisant was already there swabbing the step. She did this every morning as well as tidying up in my office and doing a number of other things, all of which I had forbidden her to do. But she took no notice. Her mother had swabbed this step and so had her mother and her mother before that. There had probably been a Mrs Llantrisant covered in woad soaping the menhirs in the iron-age hill fort south of the town. You just had to accept the fact that she came with the premises like the electricity supply."
Very cosy - but perhaps appearances deceive?
More about Malcolm Pryce and Aberystwyth tomorrow.
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10 kommentarer:
I haven't come across Malcolm Pryce but I do know Wales - well parts of it. My mother was part Welsh (an English mother and Welsh grandfather). Wales is a beautiful country - we used to go there a lot, but now that we live in the far northeast of England it is only a memory.
Looking forward to reading more about the book.
You must go to Wales a lot of it is still very beautiful. At various times I have driven round most of the coast avoiding certain areas and also up the centre of the country from Newport to Conway. The north coast which was once lovely, wet but lovely, has now had a lot of building development.
My grandmother and aunt were evacuated to Llandudno during the blitz and stayed with a lady, who they claimed was a German agent.
When my mother and I arrived during the V1 attacks on London in 1944 she was much nicer to them as I bore a strong resemblance to Reichmarshall Goering. Chubby babies were in fashion. ;o)
Dorte - Oh, intriguing! I'll look forward to your review. I really do enjoy those little tastes you give when you do reviews : ).
Unexpected visitors - will be back.
I've been there briefly and my great grandfather came from Wales.
I visited Wales when I spent a summer studying at Oxford (an American program)...many years ago. I remember it being a lovely area.
There's a little Welsh blood in my ancestry, too.
Margaret: as I have never been there I don´t know, but I am not exactly sure the book describes a Wales you´d recognize ;D
Norman: you must write an auto-biography one day, your experiences are always funnier than mine - or perhaps you are just much better at seeing the funny side to it :D
Margot: I have learned that giving a short taste is an easy way of stretching a book over two days :D
Patti: really? It is so interesting to hear where Americans really come from - most Danes I know have lived in Denmark since the vikings or so.
Kelly: oh, you should read it then - but I think Malcolm Pryce´s Wales may be somewhat different from the Wales you saw.
Thanks Dorte, you have to see the funny side of things or life would be very dismal.
Very true, Norman, but some are better at remembering that and bringing them forth than others :D
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