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The Comforters
The Comforters | Muriel Spark
11 posts | 7 read | 10 to read
Sparks mind-bogglingly stunning 1957 debut With easy, sunny eeriness, Spark lights up the darkest things: blackmail, a drowning, nervous breakdowns, a ring of smugglers, a loathsome busybody, a diabolic bookseller, human evil.
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LeahBergen
The Comforters | Muriel Spark
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My latest find from a charity book sale. Isn‘t this cover fantastic?? 💙

BiblioLitten It‘s so cool 💙 11mo
AmyG Cover is great. 11mo
LeahBergen @BiblioLitten @AmyG It‘s so vibrant! 11mo
See All 24 Comments
squirrelbrain Love it! 💙 11mo
Leftcoastzen OMG!!amazing! 11mo
Cathythoughts This is fab 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻😁 11mo
quietjenn So good! 11mo
batsy Very cool! 11mo
britt_brooke Definite #coverlove! 11mo
youneverarrived Ohh 😍 11mo
MaureenMc 🤩 11mo
AlaMich Trippy! 🫠 11mo
jlhammar Wow, I love it! 11mo
LeahBergen @AlaMich Exactly 😆 11mo
vivastory I've never seen this cover before. This is one of my faves by Spark. 11mo
LeahBergen @vivastory Oh, good to hear! 👍 11mo
Aimeesue Wow! I love Spark. I am emerald green with envy, which means that I would match that book perfectly in an aesthetic sense, so obviously I shall now have to find my own copy. I wouldn‘t want to clash. Fantastic find! (edited) 11mo
Aimeesue Holy cow, that seems to be a first edition! 😍 11mo
LeahBergen @Aimeesue A first edition, second printing unfortunately! Although it‘s still pretty rare. Not bad for $4, though! 😆 (edited) 11mo
Aimeesue @LeahBergen See, I find that fortunate, because then I‘d never be tempted to sell it! I have a FE Canadian edition of The Grapes of Wrath, which is also virtually worthless, but is gorgeous and I want to HAVE it, so $$ worth never enters into the equation, lucky for me! 11mo
LeahBergen @Aimeesue That‘s a perfect way of looking at it. 😆 11mo
Aimeesue @LeahBergen I may have some practice in finding ways to hang on to my treasured old books. 😂 11mo
kspenmoll Love the cover- you have such a knack at finding older treasures! (edited) 11mo
73 likes24 comments
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TheBookStopsHere
The Comforters | Muriel Spark
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Mehso-so

004. Muriel Spark: The Comforters (1957)

A tale of two halves, with a woman hearing the novel being typewritten and the other following a crime caper. Mixed feelings on this one as enjoyed the metafictional elements but couldn‘t get on with the more whimsical side.

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Booksnchill
The Comforters | Muriel Spark
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Taking a cue from my best reads of 2021 I have decided my big challenge for 2022 is to complete Muriel Spark‘s Novels/novellas. I need to read 16 and I am trying to go chronologically by publication date. This is number 1- I recommend this as a challenge as she remains in print and her novels are relatively short but so much fun. As an ancillary also reading Barbara Pym and Nancy Mitford- hooray 2022!

LeslieO What a great challenge! I was doing Anita Brookner a couple years ago but stalled. 2y
Booksnchill @LeslieO Brookner is very much in line with what I am enjoying- read my first Brookner last year and loved it! (edited) 2y
LeahBergen I need to read some more Muriel Spark! I think I‘ve only read two? Memento Mori and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. 2y
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Booksnchill @LeahBergen strangely those are 2 of the most read but not in my top for her- try The Abbess of Crewe or The Driver‘s Seat- she can be very salty and just plain bizarre and I love that! 2y
LeslieO @Booksnchill in addition to Pym another one I enjoy is Mary Wesley, I love all her books and would love to do Reread. @LeahBergen those are also the only ones I‘ve read by Spark. 2y
Booksnchill @LeslieO was Chamomile Lawn a movie as well? I think I have seen that. 2y
LeslieO @Booksnchill it was a movie! 2y
LeahBergen @Booksnchill Thanks! I‘m putting those on my list! I pick them up when I see them at book sales. The others I have on my shelf are The Girls of Slender Means, Far Cry From Kensington, Aiding and Abetting, and The Only Problem. 2y
LeahBergen @LeslieO I buy Anita Brookner whenever I find her in my book scavenging outings. 😆 I‘ve yet to read Mary Wesley but I‘ve picked up three at book sales. This may be the year! 2y
batsy That sounds lovely! I've been meaning to read Pym chronologically but have been putting it off. And I'm pretty sure it was @shawnmooney who gave me that idea 🙂 2y
51 likes10 comments
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vivastory
The Comforters | Muriel Spark
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Pickpick

After finding a large uncut diamond inside a loaf of bread, Laurence suspects his grandmother of criminal activities. Meanwhile his girlfriend Caroline is regretting a religious retreat & upon returning home she soon hears chanting, followed by typewriter noises & dictation of her thoughts & upcoming actions. Suspected Satanists, blackmail, theological arguments, dramatic moments, characters who believe they are actually characters in a novel👇

vivastory This novel is wild! Wild! As Ali Smith wrote of Spark's debut, “That this light, clever, mirthful tour de force was a first novel is astounding. It still knocks the stuffing out of the realist tradition, and probably always will.“ (edited) 3y
quietjenn This sounds great! 3y
vivastory @quietjenn This was the second Spark that I read this year & both were one sitting reads. She's def a fave new author. I just added a bunch of her books to my TBR. 3y
See All 6 Comments
dylanisreading Great review. I will definitely be checking this out. 3y
Brimful Read momento mori a few months ago and really enjoyed it. And now will add this to my stack! 3y
vivastory @Brimful I read Memento Mori a couple of years ago & greatly enjoyed it. The one I read recently that I also really enjoyed is 3y
79 likes8 stack adds6 comments
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vivastory
The Comforters | Muriel Spark
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Swung by the library to pick up Spark's The Comforters. Noticed the other 2 on the shelf & thought “Why not?“ I have to say that I *love* these New Directions editions.

Leftcoastzen Really nice editions ! 3y
59 likes1 comment
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Clwojick
The Comforters | Muriel Spark
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Bailedbailed

Well, I gave it an hour and I have no interest in giving it any more than that. Bailing and moving onto my next #SeptemberDeadline book, since I‘m in a mood to do some unshelving. I have a stack of books that I‘m not sure I‘m still interested in, so I‘m giving myself until September‘s end to read or donate. I‘ll give the next book an hour and then reevaluate to see if I‘d like to continue reading, or bail, donate and move on to another book.

Leftcoastzen Life is to short not to bail if it‘s not speaking to you. 4y
Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Sorry it's a bust. At least it looks cute. 4y
74 likes2 comments
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Clwojick
The Comforters | Muriel Spark
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Now that I‘ve had my lunch, it‘s time to dig into this book for my #SeptemberDeadline while sipping on some delicious maple coffee.

I‘m not going to lie, I chose this mug specifically to match my book and manicure 😂

#MidyearRush #24B4Monday

jb72 Time for me to make lunch. I didn‘t realize it was that time. #alwaysmatchmugandbook 4y
Andrew65 Great colour coordination 👍🙌 i 4y
82 likes2 comments
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thebluestocking
The Comforters | Muriel Spark
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I love seeing all of the answers to this question!

My go to comfort reads are Edenbrooke, Fangirl, Anne of Green Gables, Harriet the Spy, and 84, Charing Cross Road.

What are your comfort reads?

#sundayfunday @sebrittain

Mollyanna The Narnia Chronicles! 5y
thebluestocking @Mollyanna Love it! ❤️ 5y
jillrhudy Miss Read! 5y
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thebluestocking @jillrhudy I had not heard of her! I looked it up, and the books look amazing. Thank you for sharing. ❤️ 5y
TheBogwitch Anything by Sarah Addison Allen. Also, Harry Potter 1-7. 5y
thebluestocking @TheBogwitch Ooh. Both of those are good. I love SAA and debated about putting HP on my own list. 5y
43 likes6 comments
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BethM
The Comforters | Muriel Spark
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Sitting here muttering- no more swaps right now Beth, your tbr is already the size of 2 lifetimes, but.... Check out @JoeStalksBeck and @Tiffy_Reads !

umbrellagirl I‘m in! Love this idea. 6y
hermyknee Oh, @BethM, I‘m right there with you. I need to wait a good long year before I participate in another swap (says my TBR shelf, but mostly, my wallet). This is an adorable idea though. 6y
Captivatedbybooks You should sign up! I have the softest cowboys blanket that has your name on it 😂😂😂 6y
Kshakal I said the same thing but couldn‘t resist this one because I am a blanket-a-holic! 6y
BethM @Captivatedbybooks you would lol. @Kshakal so am I... 6y
37 likes5 comments
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Lizpixie
The Comforters | Muriel Spark
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#Riotgrams #day27 #RetroCoverFun Can't get more retro than these two covers! The penguin copy of Muriel Sparks "The Comforters" was published in 1969 & the Dame Agatha in 1970.For books that are the same age as me, they're in pretty great condition. The Christie even has dyed green edges, and the inner condition of both is perfect.They look like they've never been read, the spines aren't even cracked. Thanks again to @Robothugs #christiescrimeclub

Robothugs You're so welcome! 😊 7y
merelybookish I love the Spark cover! 7y
45 likes1 stack add2 comments
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erzascarletbookgasm
The Comforters | Muriel Spark
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#marchintoreading #thistitleequalsgreatbandname #thistitlegreatbandname
The Comforters...something like the Swedish pop band ABBA?
The House of Mirth...a heavy metal/rock band?
🤔🤔

TheLondonBookworm 😂 The House of Mirth love it! 7y
RealLifeReading Oooh like The Cardigans! 7y
49 likes2 comments