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Christmas Pudding & Pigeon Pie
Christmas Pudding & Pigeon Pie | Nancy Mitford
10 posts | 7 read | 6 to read
Christmas Pudding and Pigeon Pie are two sparkling comedies from early in the career of Nancy Mitford, beloved author of The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate, here published in one volume with a new introduction by Jane Smiley. In Christmas Pudding, an array of colorful characters converge on the hunt-obsessed Lady Bobbin's country house, including her rebellious daughter Philadelphia, the girl's pompous suitor, a couple of children obsessed with newspaper death notices, and an aspiring writer whose serious first novel has been acclaimed as the funniest book of the year, to his utter dismay. In Pigeon Pie, set at the outbreak of World War II, Lady Sophia Garfield dreams of becoming a beautiful spy but manages not to notice a nest of German agents right under her nose, until the murder of her maid and kidnapping of her beloved bulldog force them on her attention, with heroic results. Delivered with a touch lighter than that of Mitford's later masterpieces but no less entertaining, these comedies combine glamour, wit, and fiendishly absurd plots into irresistible literary confections.
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quietjenn
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As I read Christmas Pudding over the holiday, figured I should also finally get to Pigeon Pie now, before putting this volume back on the shelf.

BkClubCare 🥧! 3y
Jess_Read_This I read Christmas Pudding as well over the holiday with the Middlebrow bookclub I‘m in on GR. Though, it was pointed out that Mitford isn‘t really middlebrow but it was allowed through lol. I thought it was a fun holiday read! Wasn‘t Amabelle just a hoot? 3y
quietjenn @Jess_Read_This she totally was! Is that the Undervalued Women group? I'm in that and have been reading along with the selections, although I don't tend to participate a ton in the discussions. 3y
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Jess_Read_This @quietjenn Yes! That‘s the Undervalued group. I read the January read last year so need to refresh my memory on a few things before discussing. 3y
quietjenn @Jess_Read_This I've read a fair amount of Gibbons, but not this one. Have started and am thus far quite enjoying it! Perhaps I'll try out the Zoom discussion of this one, especially as I now “know“ someone else in the group 😏 3y
Jess_Read_This @quietjenn Yes! Please join in. It‘s been neat to get to know members that way. Sometimes typing things out doesn‘t quite translate as well as a “face to face” communication. There‘s been six of us regularly that meet. And of course we sometimes get sidetracked talking about other books and authors 😂 (edited) 3y
68 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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LeslieO
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I read Christmas Pudding but not Pigeon Pie. Yet. #Pie #GratefulHarvest

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Awesome photo 💛🥧 3y
CarolynM 3y
Eggs Well done 👍🏼 🥧 🤩 3y
50 likes3 comments
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BookNAround
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Reading this will give me a #bookspinbingo. Plus I need a break from pre-reading gifts (although I‘m down to only one to go. I spent hours today rolling the peanut portion of Buckeyes and will spend tomorrow dipping them so I felt like I deserved some time with Nancy Mitford.

LeahBergen I‘ve read Christmas Pudding. 👍🏻 4y
LeslieO Oh! I almost forgot that I planned to read this before the holiday. Thanks for the reminder. It will be just the thing! 4y
Cathythoughts I got Christmas Pudding for myself this year .... I hope I get to it 4y
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batsy @Cathythoughts Me too, Cathy! I'm hoping to start early next week :) 4y
erzascarletbookgasm I received your lovely card today, Kristen! Thank you for thinking of me. ✨Merry Merry, Happy Happy ❄️ to you too! 💕 (edited) 4y
BookNAround @erzascarletbookgasm I‘m delighted it got there given all the mail issues we‘re having! 4y
Bklover I love that you‘re prereading! That‘s awesome (I‘ve done it too!). Gotta make sure it‘s a good one! 4y
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Butterfinger
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Mehso-so

Thank goodness I'm done. I started this in December. I flew through the first book, but the second was laborious.

CP was a delightful comedy, but PP made the beginning of WWII a farce. Mitford tried to make it funny. In her defense, she wrote it during the "Phony War" (time between declaring and fighting).

#PopSugar recommended by GR Afternoon Tea and Scones
#jennyis30 classic
#classicschallenge2020
#ReadingEurope2020 United Kingdom

Butterfinger @jenniferw88 @Reviewsbylola hope you both had a good day. @Reviewsbylola I know you must still be hurting. 5y
Reviewsbylola Thank you. ♥️♥️ That‘s a bummer this one wasn‘t better. I love Mitford but haven‘t read this one. 5y
40 likes2 comments
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Butterfinger

"At any moment she might be drained, and then nobody would ever know that she had been a beautiful female spy all along."

Priorities!!

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BookNAround
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Baked some breads for a friend today: pumpkin chocolate chip, banana, and lemon poppyseed. The trio inspired my day 20 #bookadventcalendar choice. @LeahBergen

Crazeedi They sound very yummy,! 5y
Cinfhen Lovely and sounds yummy 5y
LeahBergen I read Christmas Pudding last Christmas. How I love Nancy Mitford! ❤️ 5y
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rockpools Sounds great! 5y
CarolynM There's no-one else like Nancy Mitford😍❤️ @LeahBergen 5y
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JenlovesJT47
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Bailedbailed

I tried, I really did! There are two stories in this collection and I got to 32% before finally throwing in the towel. It lacks cohesiveness, is all over the place and seems to not have much of a point. If a random person asked me what this is about, I don‘t think I could give a satisfactory answer. Life is too short to read bad books!

#WinterGames
#TMSkellington
#HolidayRead

CarolynM I'm sorry you didn't like the book. Nancy Mitford is a favourite of mine. 5y
coffees 1pt!! 12-18 that's true! it always feels like i take too long reading a book i don't like, might as well invest that time into another 👌 5y
40 likes2 comments
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Aimeesue
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On sale today in US ebook stores. Not her best, but fun.

16 likes1 stack add
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KerriNTurner
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This quince gin is my drink of choice this Christmas. Pairs well with a festive book too!

LeahBergen You can‘t beat gin and Mitford! 😍😍 6y
larah17 Looks like an amazing pairing 😍 6y
CarolynM So good😍😍😍 6y
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KerriNTurner @LeahBergen agreed! 😄 6y
KerriNTurner @larah17 it really is 😄 6y
TheCuriousHousecat Just finished Love in a cold climate and loved it. Will definitely add this to my stack. 6y
KerriNTurner @TheCuriousHousecat I‘ve not read Love in a Cold Climate, so I‘ll have to add that one to my stack! 6y
20 likes1 stack add7 comments
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Wilkie
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My pick for #politicalfiction. Pigeon Pie is one of Nancy Mitford's lesser known novels. It is light but not trivial and populated with delightful, larger than life characters. I particularly loved Lady Sophia, who would like to do her bit for the war effort by becoming a beautiful lady spy 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻#photoadaynov16