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The Crowded Street
The Crowded Street | Winifred Holtby
10 posts | 8 read | 14 to read
This is the story of Muriel Hammond, at twenty living within the suffocating confines of Edwardian middle-class society in Marshington, a Yorkshire village. A career is forbidden to her. Pretty, but not pretty enough, she fails to achieve the one thing required of her - to find a suitable husband. Then comes the First World War, a watershed which tragically revolutionises the lives of her generation. But for Muriel it offers work, friendship, freedom, and one last chance to find a special kind of happiness...
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andrew61
The Crowded Street | Winifred Holtby
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#12booksofchristmas @Andrew65
April and A big shout out for one of my best reading experiences in 22 #persephoneclub which introduced me to some wonderful writing from the 1st half of the 20thc. Winifred Holtby is such a fascinating author with such an interesting life story. This was a story about a young woman who is frustrated by her upbringing, a dominating mother, and a small minded community. And the ending was perfect

LeahBergen I loved this one, too! 👏👏 1y
Andrew65 A good choice. 1y
Cathythoughts This was a good one 👍🏻❤️ 1y
35 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
CarolynM
The Crowded Street | Winifred Holtby
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Pickpick

I'd like to retitle this book "Muriel's Progress". While it is very much about the times in which it was set & the limitations on women's lives then, it is also about what happens when other people's values, expectations & approval are allowed to drive the way you live your life. I was cheering for Muriel as she shook off her upbringing & took control of her own destiny.
#PersephoneClub
I'm off to read everyone else's reviews now.

LeahBergen Perfect review! And she really did ‘progress‘ didn‘t she? I‘m adding more Holtby to my “buy list” now. 😆 2y
CarolynM @LeahBergen I got the impression from the Vera Brittain books that WH's novels would be rather turgid and dull. No idea why I thought that and obviously I was wrong. I definitely want to read South Riding now. 2y
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Cathythoughts Great review! Yes, so exciting to see her ‘ take control of her own destiny‘. I thought the writing was lovely too. (edited) 2y
andrew61 Great review Carolyn, I was really glad I joined the readalong. South Roding is very good and recently there was an interesting episode of Backlisted podcast about it. 2y
quietjenn Yes, to all the cheering when she took control! This is my third Holtby, although I really feel I should revisit South Riding. 2y
70 likes6 comments
review
quietjenn
The Crowded Street | Winifred Holtby
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Pickpick

An excellent novel that vividly portrays the limited and stifling options available to women of a certain class, in the years surrounding the Great War. I was sometimes rather frustrated by Muriel and her passivity, even though it rang very true. It was wonderful to see her come into her own and learn to choose herself, rather than presumed duty and obligation. A terrific #persephonepick to read with the #persephoneclub.

LeahBergen Oh, that passivity of Muriel‘s was infuriating at times! I‘m reminded of her in the main character of the book I‘m currently reading, Taken By the Hand. I think I remember that you‘ve read and liked O. Douglas, too? 2y
quietjenn @LeahBergen yes! I've read a few of them (although I don't think that one) and have enjoyed them all. Good your having a good time. 2y
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CarolynM I kind of got the passivity, she was a good girl and wanted to please her mother but she didn't know how to do that except by surrendering her will to her mother. And then she did that with everyone else in her life. It was only when she began to doubt her mother that she started to exert her own will. 2y
Cathythoughts I agree a terrific read ! I also got the passivity, I agree @CarolynM , she wanted to please her mother and everyone else.. the power of the mother was very strong. If mother called , Muriel felt she had no choice. Until she discovered , that she did have choices in life. (edited) 2y
andrew61 Great review jenn. A really enjoyable readalong. 2y
quietjenn @CarolynM @Cathythoughts I for sure got her passivity and saw where it was coming from! That desire to please and submitting to the stronger personalities in our life is very relatable. I think the fact that I both understood it, could relate to it, and was also frustrated by it speaks to how well Holtby portrayed things. 2y
rubyslippersreads The “power of the mother” was even more tragic for Connie. 2y
quietjenn @rubyslippersreads no doubt! I really wasn‘t expecting that. 2y
77 likes9 comments
review
Cathythoughts
The Crowded Street | Winifred Holtby
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Pickpick

#PersephoneClub Loved this. Muriel‘s story from when she was very young to her becoming a woman. Set in the early 1900s. I was completely engaged and fascinated by her relationships with her controlling mother, her sister Connie , and friends Clare , Godfrey…and the blossoming of her relationship with herself. Muriel is a character to remember. Set in the same time as Winifred Holtby‘s own life… I loved all the details of the lives they lived.

andrew61 Great review Cathy. What an interesting period of time and the life of women. 2y
Cathythoughts @andrew61 Thanks Andrew. I love this time too as it holds all the little details of my mother and fathers time ♥️ 2y
rubyslippersreads I‘m loving this so far. 2y
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LeahBergen Wonderful review, Cathy! I love this time period, too, when opportunities for women were just starting to change. So fascinating! 2y
LeahBergen And Muriel was my grandmother‘s name. 😊 2y
quietjenn Lovely! I hope to finish up today. 2y
Cathythoughts @LeahBergen Thanks Leah! Muriel will be one for you to remember too especially as it was your grandmother‘s name ♥️ 2y
Cathythoughts @rubyslippersreads Oh good 👍🏻♥️ 2y
Cathythoughts @quietjenn It‘s a good one ♥️Look forward to your thoughts! 2y
CarolynM Lovely review💕 It's a fascinating period but I'm so glad I didn't live in it. 2y
61 likes3 stack adds10 comments
review
andrew61
The Crowded Street | Winifred Holtby
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Pickpick

#PersephoneClub
I'm so glad I joined this group read as the story of muriel Hammond from 1900 + her childhood/ adolescence as the perpetual wallflower under the thumb of her self obsessed mother to the dramatic final pages in 1920. As much a social history of the lives of women in this period the introduction allows an insight into an equally fascinating author. There are many highs and lows in this book and I was absorbed in muriels life.⬇️

andrew61 As to the ending I was on tenterhooks but releived when muriel popped Godfrey arrogant bubble and would gave loved an extra chapter to see Mrs hammond's face that she was not joining the gentry. And poor Connie, what a dramatic few chapters in the bleak North Yorkshire moors. Finally hooray for Delia. I loved the intro and the insight into how the characters mirror Holtbys own life and relationships. 2y
LeahBergen Wonderful review! And as I said in the reply to your comment on my own post… YES! I was so worried that she would just blithely accept that Godfrey. I was fascinated to read how autobiographical this novel was as regarding the friendship of Holtby and Vera Brittain. I must pick up some of the latter‘s memoirs soon! (edited) 2y
andrew61 @LeahBergen yes testament of friendship is a great memoir of their relationship and I think I will reread it. Remarkable women . 2y
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Leftcoastzen Viragos! 2y
Cathythoughts Great review! 2y
Cathythoughts I was so glad of the ending too, that Muriel went her own way and the world was her oyster at last, and that she made the break from her mother ! 2y
rubyslippersreads I was very happy to see Muriel turn down Godfrey. (I think it was good for him too.) 2y
39 likes3 stack adds7 comments
review
LeahBergen
The Crowded Street | Winifred Holtby
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Pickpick

This is the lovely and heartbreaking Bildungsroman of Muriel, who we watch grow from an awkward child to a struggling adult in the confines of Edwardian era, middle class Yorkshire. There were two options available to a woman of her class and time: snapping up the first remotely acceptable husband or tending to your aging parents for the rest of your life as an unpaid and unappreciated spinster.

What do you think of her choice, #PersephoneClub?

CarolynM Still reading🙂 2y
Cathythoughts Great review👍🏻❤️ I‘ve finished too and loved it. 2y
Cathythoughts I was happy for Muriel and her choice. I think she loved Clare when she was young , and then she loved the idea of Godfrey. Connie‘s tragedy changed her. I was so glad to see her step away from her mother ! ‘ It‘s Muriel at last ‘ .. she says. The thing that matters is ‘ to take your life into your hands and live it ..‘ Id love to know how she got on in the rest of her life. 2y
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andrew61 Just into part 2 and muriel has taken tea at Delia's with deia's new fiancee. I really enjoyed the clare section and looking forward to reading some more this evening. 2y
batsy Lovely review! I've been meaning to read more Holtby after South Riding. 2y
quietjenn I've been reading this one slowly, so no opinion on that yet. But her world is feeling very small and I feel for her. 2y
elkeOriginal I am distracted by ALL of the books on your shelves! 🤯🥰 2y
LeahBergen @CarolynM @quietjenn Yes, sorry, I posted this a little early but I had to jot my thoughts down while they were still fresh. 😆 2y
LeahBergen @Cathythoughts I was happy, too, and dreaded the thought of her accepting a life back in that village under her mother‘s eye. And I somehow feel that her future turned out to be a happy one! And wasn‘t Godfrey a lame and ineffectual man in the end? 🙄 2y
LeahBergen @andrew61 I‘m glad you‘re enjoying it, too! 2y
LeahBergen @batsy I think you‘ll like this one as it definitely falls right into the #SpinsterLit wheelhouse! And I‘m happy to have South Riding waiting on my shelves for me. 👏 2y
quietjenn @LeahBergen no apologies necessary! It's a good motivator 😉 2y
BarbaraBB So I‘d probably like it too? 2y
LeahBergen @BarbaraBB I think you might! 🤞 2y
andrew61 @Cathythoughts @LeahBergen Just punched the air that muriel popped pompous Godfrey's arrogance albeit he immediately focuses on Phyllis's pink dress. I was on tenterhooks in final pages dreading her answer, and would have loved to see Mrs Hammond's reaction. Great introduction as well which I of course read afterwards. Thanks Leah for the suggestion of this fascinating book. 2y
LeahBergen @andrew61 I was so anxious that she would accept him in the end! And yes, Mrs Hammond is going to be livid. 🤣🤣 I‘m glad that I always save the introductions to read later, too, as that one certainly gave it all away. Yikes. 2y
CarolynM The romantic in me had a little hope that love might conquer all but the way Muriel described her feelings at the end made the whole thing a lot more satisfying than a romance happy ending would have been. 2y
LeahBergen @CarolynM I was hoping (a wee bit) for that happy ending, too, when it seemed as if Godfrey had changed. His bland reaction to her refusal of him, though! Let Phyllis have him. 😆 2y
rubyslippersreads I think Muriel, Godfrey, and Phyllis will all be happier. (Although not Mrs. Hammond. 🤣) 2y
75 likes2 stack adds22 comments
blurb
andrew61
The Crowded Street | Winifred Holtby
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#PersephoneClub
Started the prologue just now and what an uncomfortable opening, poor muriel, never has a sweet turned sour so quickly.
I'm looking forward to enjoying the book particularly after recently listening to the Backlisted episode on South Riding.

LeahBergen Yes, poor Muriel! 2y
Cathythoughts Yes , poor Muriel ❤️ 2y
29 likes2 comments
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Cathythoughts
The Crowded Street | Winifred Holtby
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#PersephoneClub

From the surprising bow upon her sleek brown hair to the shining buckles on her trim brown shoes from her odd short dress of pleated tartan to the frill of muslin. .she defied all Marshington and Hardrascliffe conventions of the proper attire for young girls of fifteen. Wholesome as an apple , tranquil as a September morning, and unmysterious as a glass of water , she yet held for Muriel all mystery and all enchantment

batsy I loved South Riding a lot; it made me want to read everything Holtby wrote! 2y
Cathythoughts @batsy I loved South Riding too 👍❤️ (edited) 2y
LeahBergen That Clare! I just started the book yesterday and I‘m absolutely loving it. 🥰 2y
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Cathythoughts @LeahBergen Loving it too. Clare ! 2y
andrew61 @LeahBergen I've obtained a library copy so hoping to start this weekend. 2y
LeahBergen @andrew61 I‘m glad you‘re joining us! 2y
Cathythoughts @andrew61 That‘s great Andrew ! 2y
Centique That sounds so good! 2y
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CarolynM
The Crowded Street | Winifred Holtby
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LeahBergen Me, too! Well… not in the sun. 😆😆 I started it today and was surprised how immediately I was sucked in. 2y
TrishB Lovely pic ♥️ 2y
CarolynM @LeahBergen Poor Muriel! I know how she feels. 2y
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CarolynM @TrishB Thanks 😘 2y
LeahBergen Her poor little self at that party in the prologue! 😩 2y
BarbaraBB Liking forward to what you all will think ! 2y
Cathythoughts Gorgeous pic! I‘m enjoying too and I also feel for Muriel … who will walk with her on the school walk 💔I know how she feels too. 2y
quietjenn Lovely! I've just started as well. 2y
68 likes8 comments
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LeahBergen
The Crowded Street | Winifred Holtby
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It‘s now April so that means it‘s time for one of our #PersephoneClub reads!

@Cathythoughts ‘s pick for us this month is The Crowded Street by Winifred Holtby. This is a casual buddy read; read and comment on each other‘s posts and reviews as you see them. We usually aim to finish by the middle of the month but that‘s not written in stone. 😉 And anyone is welcome to read along with us, of course!

CarolynM Can't wait to get stuck into this one 🙂 2y
LeahBergen @CarolynM Me, too! It will be my first Winifred Holtby. 2y
CarolynM I've never read her either. I've meant to ever since reading about her in Testament of Youth more years ago than I care to remember. I don't know why I've never gotten around to it. 2y
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rubyslippersreads Looking forward to it! 2y
Cathythoughts Looking forward to this one 👍❤️ 2y
Cathythoughts 🤞🤞🤞 2y
Tamra Thank you for tagging me - please keep me on board for the next selection! 😁 I miss fun reading. 😢 (edited) 2y
elkeOriginal This is the first post in Litsy for this book? We need to give it some attention stat! I have to admit this is one time I was torn between the Virago cover and the Persephone endpaper design… 2y
LeahBergen @CarolynM Oh, that‘s right! She and Vera Brittain were great friends, weren‘t they? I still need to read Testament of Youth. 2y
LeahBergen @Tamra Poor you! And, yes, join in whenever you can. 😘 2y
LeahBergen @elkeOriginal I know! I‘m loving that old Green Virago cover. 💚 2y
quietjenn Really looking forward to this one! I was contemplating another Holtby recently, but held off because I knew we'd be reading this. 2y
LeahBergen @quietjenn I was recently eyeing my copy of South Riding but held off as well. 😆 2y
CarolynM Make sure you have plenty of tissues handy 😭 2y
LeahBergen @CarolynM I‘ve heard that it‘s a sad one! 2y
catebutler I hope it‘s okay to join you! My copy just showed up in the post, so I‘m just starting on this month‘s choice! 2y
LeahBergen @catebutler Most definitely! I‘m looking forward to your comments and review. 😊 2y
Sparklemn @leahbergen I'd love to join you for the June - December reads. @carolynm Thanks for the recommendation! 2y
LeahBergen @Sparklemn Wonderful! Welcome aboard. 😊 2y
57 likes20 comments