Our Dawn Powell episode just posted! She was a brilliant author and one of the challenges she faced was that no one knew how to market her novels. On the left are two of her razor-sharp satires with lazy/ridiculous covers that do nothing to convey the tone of the books. On the right are some jaunty PG Wodehouse reprints. May I humbly suggest reprinting Powell in the Wodehouse mode?
https://open.spotify.com/show/6A6hXZ7eaOG7BtHOSJpCTI
pickThis week we're back with one of our favorite authors, Dawn Powell! Criminally, underrated and under-read, Powell's novel, “A Time to Be Born,“ is a fantastic novel full of satire, sharp criticism, and supreme prose. We hope more people pick up Powell's work. Always fun to discuss Powell, and we hope you enjoy the episode!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7whteZgt7s6x6YRFZtxbhp
pickI love Dawn Powell but every time I recommend her to someone they inevitably ask”Who?” making her the perfect choice for #underratedorlesserknownbook. In this book a NYC social climber tries to use the arrival of her old small town to her advantage. Sharp and funny this was the perfect book to complete #booked2021 with.
It's such a gorgeous day and I have a bunch of time to kill, so I'm reading by the river.
"...and no girl's charm is enhanced by a flock of elderly corpses around her hem."
Using a Metrocard as a bookmark is a bad idea if you're going to be taking the subway. Now I've lost my place in this book, but at least I could get to the place I was going.
I'm really enjoying this book so far though. I'm kind of surprised how funny it is- not laugh-out-loud funny, but more of a snicker-quietly-to-yourself funny.
A Time to Be Born | 
