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The Marriage Bureau
The Marriage Bureau: True Stories of 1940s London Match-Makers | Penrose Halson
13 posts | 14 read | 33 to read
In the spring of 1939, with the Second World War looming, two determined twenty-four-year-olds, Heather Jenner and Mary Oliver, decided to open a marriage bureau. They found a tiny office on Londons Bond Street and set about the delicate business of matchmaking. Drawing on the bureaus extensive archives, Penrose Halsonwho many years later found herself the proprietor of the bureautells their story, and those of their clients. We meet a remarkable cross-section of British society in the 1940s: gents with a merry twinkle, potential fifth-columnists, nervous spinsters, isolated farmers seeking a nice quiet affekshunate girl and girls looking exactly like Greta Garbo and Vivien Leigh, all desperately longing to find The One. And thanks to Heather and Mary, they almost always did just that. A riveting glimpse of life and love during and after the war, The Marriage Bureau is a heart-warming, touching and thoroughly absorbing account of a world gone by. The Marriage Bureau is in development for TV with Carnival Film and Television Ltd, who produced Downton Abbey.
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review
howjessicareads
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Pickpick

I picked this up because someone here on Litsy shared it... I forget who? And it was so fun! #howjessreadsin2019

ETA: It was @sammisho ! Thanks for the rec!

sammisho Glad you liked it!!! 6y
tpixie ha! @howjessreads I started this book this week because of @sammisho too! (edited) 6y
58 likes1 stack add3 comments
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sammisho
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Pickpick

This is the story of two young women, who unhappy with the limited options before them became entrepreneurs in wartime England by starting a matchmaking business. This a nonfiction book, that read as fiction and was completely charming. I can see this being made into a movie or a BBC series, "Call the Midwife" style.
#pop18 #abookthatshouldbeamovie #womenshistorymonth

61 likes6 stack adds
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thebluestocking
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Mehso-so

I found this book to be very readable, with an interesting premise. This is a nonfiction account of a matching-making company established in London in 1939. The stories are interesting, but the book as a whole left me wanting something more. The writing was repetitive and confusing at times, and there wasn‘t really a thread to pull the whole thing together. It‘ll hopefully make for interesting book club discussion, though.

BookishMarginalia I liked it but like you, I felt it was lacking something. 6y
thebluestocking @BookishMarginalia Yes. It‘s odd. That was the general consensus of my book club too. None of the stories stood out enough. 6y
51 likes2 comments
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melissajayne
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#bookmail. Ordered these over the weekend and I look forward to reading them. The Marriage Bureau I heard from a friend in the fall. My sister‘s really good friend‘s name was Kira (passed away in early January) and my sister, who wasn‘t a reader when she was young, really enjoyed this book. The third one I‘ve heard lots of good things about it.

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BookishMarginalia
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Pickpick

Charming book chronicling the matches, the mismatches, the near matches, the adventures, and the misadventures of a group of enterprising women in a newfangled matchmaking agency in London before, during, and after WWII. Reads like a juicy, episodic novel and would make a great BBC series in the style of “Call the Midwife.” Quite fun! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jaimelire Sounds awesome! 7y
148 likes11 stack adds1 comment
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BookishMarginalia
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tif The little book looks so happy there walking down the street! 😂 7y
136 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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BookishShelly
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Pickpick

Entertaining nonfiction that reads like fiction.

61 likes3 stack adds
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BookishShelly
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1. Chocolate 🍫 2. Deckled edges 3. Stand alone 4. Neverland 5. Publishing #bookishwouldyourather

Kalalalatja 👏👏 7y
37 likes1 comment
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Natashac79
Pickpick

Loved this

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Sharpeipup
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My family sent me ahead to hold seats at my niece's graduation. #beprepared #alwaysreading #readwhileyouwait

Megabooks Always have to have a book! 7y
14 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Born.A.Reader
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#maymostanticipated
#maybookflowers

This is what I hope to read this month -including the tagged book which just arrived today! My first #goodreads giveaway! So excited to start this one!
@RealLifeReading

RealLifeReading Nice selection ! 8y
Born.A.Reader @RealLifeReading Thank you! 😊😊 8y
33 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Born.A.Reader
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Woke to this delightful email this morning! My first #goodreads #giveaway!! Excited to read this one!🙌🙌😄😄

Bookladylinda Yay for you! They come few and far between for me. ☹️☹️☹️ 8y
Keliz Congrats! I hope I will win one some day!!! 8y
30 likes2 comments