Welcome to Litsy!

Someone else may have already posted this news, but Rupert Heath, founder of Dean Street Press, has passed away.

There‘s more about him, and the future of #FurrowedMiddlebrow books, on the FM blog:

http://furrowedmiddlebrow.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-ides-of-march.html

I emailed Rupert about a Susan Scarlett ARC, and he couldn‘t have been nicer and more patient in figuring out the right format for me.

#FurrowedMiddleBrowClub
#DeanStreetPress

Oh my, loving this understated writing! So lovely and disquieting at the same time. #furrowedmiddlebrowclub

1. I definitely do not have a green thumb, so I‘m much better off enjoying other people‘s gardens.
2. See #1.
3. The tagged book, along with The Secret Garden.

Thanks for the tag, @Ddzmini 😊🌸🌼💐

I really enjoyed my first Margery Sharp book. Like the rest of the #FurrowedMiddleBrowClub members, I find this to be a very pleasant read. Quiet and satisfying. Full of wit and shows a keen eye for human nature. Now which of her book should I read next?

I think the consensus among members of #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub is this was a sweet yet occasionally sharp page turner about the life of a woman from the late 19th century to the 1930s. Separated into four parts and featuring (sort of) each garden in her life as she falls in love, marries and raises children.

Fun Fact: Margery Sharp wrote the children‘s books on which the Disney film The Rescuers was based. I LOVED those films and Miss Bianca. ❤️

A quiet, unassuming book, centered on the modest and respectable Caroline and her quiet, unassuming life. Deceptively simple and straightforward, it's also smart and witty. Without pretension, but full of insight into class and the various roles and relationships Caroline navigated throughout her life.

#furrowedmiddlebrowclub
@CarolynM @LeahBergen @batsy @Ruthiella @Cathythoughts @rubyslippersreads @erzascarletbookgasm @tamra @catebutler

An utterly pleasant, soothing read—Sharp's wit is always gentle & incisive without being too biting. There are some notions of marriage that one must get around for a book set in the 1920s, but there are also subtle ways in which Sharp draws attention to gender roles & class. The epitaph Sharp chose for the book comes from Jane Austen: "Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery" & it is perfectly apt. I'm interested to read more of her work!

Carrie's adult life had 4 distinct stages and each had its own garden. She was such a kind and gentle soul it was lovely to spend time in her company. I was both amused by and sympathetic to her bemusement at the goings on of her grown up children and I adored Lady Tregarthan.
#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub
@LeahBergen @Cathythoughts @batsy @Ruthiella @erzascarletbookgasm @quietjenn @catebutler @rubyslippersreads @Tamra

Came across this on p. 190 of my copy and wondering if anyone else's edition is like this? Did a quick search on Twitter and apparently there's no text missing, just a weird layout error.

#furrowedmiddlebrowclub

@CarolynM @catebutler @Cathythoughts @erzascarletbookgasm @LeahBergen @quietjenn @rubyslippersreads @Ruthiella @Tamra

A novel that tells the story of one woman‘s life through the four gardens she calls her own doesn‘t seem likely to be the most scintillating of reads but this one had me turning the pages. We meet Caroline as a late-Victorian era teen and follow her up to the early 1930s. It sounds a bit like “damning with faint praise”, but this was a thoroughly pleasant read that left me with a smile on my face. How about you, #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub ? 😄

Sound familiar? 😆 #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

@Cathythoughts @rubyslippersreads @LeahBergen @quietjenn @CarolynM @batsy @Ruthiella @erzascarletbookgasm

I‘ve just started the March read for our #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub and I‘m really liking the feel of it so far!

I‘m not sure who‘s reading along with us this month so I‘ve only tagged the original group. 😬 Do let me know if you‘re joining us and would like to be tagged!

I couldn‘t stop reading once I got into the rhythm of this book. A calm , smooth , meditative read and a page turner for me. Good characters, especially Caroline! I loved the notion of the four gardens … I‘ll wait to say more till we‘ve all finished 👌 Loved it 🥰 #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

I decided to give up screen time in the evenings during Lent. I‘m looking forward to more reading, starting with this group selection for March. #furrowedmiddlebrowclub

Hey reading friends! It‘s March and that means it‘s time to pick up our copies of Margery Sharp‘s title “Four Gardens”. Comment and share your thoughts as you go, if you are so inclined.😃 Anyone not tagged but would like to be, let me know. We‘d love to have you! The group is informal and we only read a title every two months.

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

#BookMail
I was only going to order Four Gardens for the #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub but somehow I ended up with all these other books as well. Oops 🙊

@LeahBergen @Cathythoughts @Ruthiella @quietjenn @rubyslippersreads @erzascarletbookgasm @batsy @Tamra

In June I spent a week in very hot Berlin with my boyfriend. We spent a lovely day at the botanical gardens, keeping cool in the sprinklers. The gardens were stunning, I hope we get back some day #keepingLitsyPositive @Eggs

Three books with a #gardentitle. #aprilbookshowers

Today is Margery Sharp's birthday, so here is my #recommendsday.