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Family Ties
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
11 posts | 7 read | 5 to read
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kwmg40
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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Pickpick

I'm somewhat behind with the #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub schedule but finally finished this one. I did enjoy following the interactions of the villagers, even if most of the characters were thoroughly unpleasant!

#192025 #1952 @Librarybelle
#HauntedShelf #ScreamTeam
#OneSnacktoRuleThemAll #AllThingsApple
#BookSpinBingo
#ISpyBingo (cosy vibes )
#PumpkabooHunt (medium)

@ImperfectCJ @Bookwormjillk @TheAromaofBooks @PuddleJumper

Ruthiella I‘m glad you liked it. Everyone was pretty awful in the novel, I agree! 😂 2mo
LeahBergen What @Ruthiella said! An all around disagreeable bunch. 😆😆 2mo
Bookwormjillk 🍎🍎🍎 2mo
See All 6 Comments
PuddleJumper 🎉🎉 2mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2mo
Librarybelle Yay!! 2mo
37 likes6 comments
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Amiable
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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#Tagyoureit @rubyslippersreads ! You posted a book with an image of trees on it, which fits this week‘s theme for the scavenger hunt! If you spot another Litten posting a book with a tree on it anytime this week, tag them to keep the game going!

TheBookHippie 🌳🌳🌳🌳 5mo
Chrissyreadit 🎉🎉🎉🎉 5mo
44 likes2 comments
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rubyslippersreads
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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What an unpleasant family! Although living cheek by jowl with all of your in-laws would probably make most people cranky. 😏 And I did want to find out what happened, in spite of the unlikeable characters.

#FurrowedMiddleBrowClub

Tamra Yes! It would drive me batty to live with them if I didn‘t work outside the home to get away. The son who was the market grower had it best. 😜 5mo
Ruthiella Agree, everyone was pretty terrible and yet I did want to know what would happen. 😂 Their social sphere was way too small. No wonder Mrs. Rockaby was dying to move back to London. 5mo
Ruthiella P.S. Nice call back to Mr. George‘s hobby/book in your picture! 👍 5mo
LeahBergen I was thinking the exact thing about living all together like that!!! 😬 5mo
CarolynM It might not have been so bad if any of the other villagers had been people you could be friends with! 5mo
45 likes5 comments
review
CarolynM
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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Pickpick

What a charmless lot these characters were! I had trouble feeling sympathy for any of them, except maybe Lavinia who seemed to be doing her best. #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Ruthiella Lavinia and Mrs. Monsoon seemed OK. But the bar is very low! 😆 5mo
LeahBergen ‘Charmless lot‘ is exactly right! 😂 5mo
Tamra @LeahBergen 😂 great review & description! 5mo
Centique Lovely flowers! 5mo
rubyslippersreads I felt sympathy for the poor cat! 😾 5mo
67 likes1 stack add5 comments
review
Ruthiella
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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Pickpick

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

The middle and upper class of a small English village rub along together awkwardly in this novel. The eccentric Mr. Monsoon, the pretentious Mrs. Rockaby, the loony Lady Tyce, etc. There‘s no real plot nor any character to root for really, but I enjoyed it on the whole. It‘s often funny and has maybe a subtle feminist edge to it at times, but as @Tamra noted, much longer would have been too long.

LeahBergen That ditch! 😂 6mo
Tamra 😷😂 6mo
Tamra I really expected more about Mrs. Tyce and her poison pen! That could have been a really fun storyline. (edited) 6mo
See All 10 Comments
Ruthiella @LeahBergen The ditch is the only character that has a transformative arc! 😂 6mo
Ruthiella @Tamra For sure! 6mo
Tamra @Ruthiella 🤣 5mo
CarolynM Perfect picture! 🤣 @LeahBergen 5mo
Ruthiella @CarolynM You can almost smell it! 😷 5mo
rubyslippersreads I‘m surprised someone didn‘t get thrown into that ditch! 🤣 5mo
Ruthiella @rubyslippersreads Oh! That would have been quite something! I guess Mr. Monsoon winging his daughter-in-law was enough excitement. 😂 5mo
76 likes10 comments
review
Tamra
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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Pickpick

“Yes”, Mr. Swan says to himself, “the human family. Yes.”

This is an observational study about how family members can love & drive one another crazy in equal measure. 😜

I really enjoyed it, but I‘m also glad it wrapped up when it did because family bickering doesn‘t provide much in the way of narrative drive.

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Tamra In the end I sort of pitied Swan, despite being so rigid & insensitive to others. But, I suspect he‘s happier alone. (edited) 6mo
Tamra Also, Amy???? On the one hand yay for her getting out of an unhappy situation, on the other I can‘t applaud her abandoning her children. (Maybe she still sees them.) But that was bold for a 1950‘s plotpoint - women taking control of their destiny. 6mo
franciscopoppie Hi Tamra
I don‘t usually comment like this, but I must say, I‘m truly impressed by your profile and your personality. Your sense of humor really stands out too it's refreshing and inspiring 🌺❣. You can send me a message in my gmail: franciscopoppie@gmail.com
6mo
LeahBergen Swan is definitely cut out to be a “confirmed bachelor”. 😆 And I couldn‘t believe that Amy just up and left like that. I thought at first that her husband was just using fighting words when he accused her of not caring about the children. I guess he was right! 6mo
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review
LeahBergen
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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Pickpick

A novel about the “impoverished semi-gentry of a country village, consisting of cantankerous parents and frustrated adult children… Each family quarrels with itself in the same laconic and polite way”. That quote from an early review sums up the plot perfectly. It seems to have a more wry feel to it than many of our other #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub reads (and one of the best descriptions of an awkward tea party ever 😆).

I enjoyed it!

Ruthiella I‘ve not started yet, but based on your review and @Tamra ‘s comments, I‘m really going to like this one. 😊 6mo
Tamra Wry is the perfect adjective! I am loving how each family is perfectly imperfect in their own ways. 😊 (edited) 6mo
CarolynM It does seem to have a slightly different tone from many of the others - makes village life sound less appealing. 6mo
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Tamra @CarolynM village life always seems appealing until everyone can hear & comment on you sneezing. 🤧🤣 6mo
Cathythoughts I like the sound of this ‘Wry‘ one. Great review ❤️👍🏻 6mo
LeahBergen @Ruthiella I hope you like it! 🤞 6mo
LeahBergen @CarolynM @Tamra Yeah, I‘m not so sure that I‘d be the best fit for village life 😆 6mo
LeahBergen @Cathythoughts Thanks, Cathy! 😘 6mo
Ruthiella About 80% read now. That tea party! 😆 6mo
LeahBergen @Ruthiella Right? 😆 6mo
71 likes2 stack adds10 comments
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Tamra
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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😂 Celia has planted so many witty barbs & slights in this novel! Throughly enjoying it! #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Ruthiella Oh good! I was hoping for that kind of sharp edge. 6mo
LeahBergen Mr Swan is quite something, isn‘t he? 😆 6mo
Tamra @LeahBergen 😜 quite the catch huh???? 6mo
Tamra @Ruthiella definitely! Makes it fun. 6mo
47 likes4 comments
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Tamra
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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rubyslippersreads I can‘t get past using a match for a bookmark! 😳 6mo
Tamra @rubyslippersreads in a library book no less!😆 6mo
LeahBergen Novel reading?? Gasp! 😆 6mo
44 likes4 comments
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LitsyEvents
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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Repost for @Ruthiella

👋 Hello #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub members! This is a reminder that our bimonthly pick for July is the tagged title. I‘m looking forward to this novel about village life in the mid century… it‘s my catnip, one might say.

All are welcome to join this group read. Read at your own pace, but please do tag the group if you review or post on it so we all can like and comment.

Let @Ruthiella know if you want to be tagged/removed.

Ruthiella Thank you! 😊 6mo
28 likes1 comment
blurb
Ruthiella
Family Ties: A Novel | Celia Buckmaster
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👋 Hello #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub members! This is a reminder that our bimonthly pick for July is the tagged title. I‘m looking forward to this novel about village life in the mid century…it‘s my catnip, one might say.

All are welcome to join this group read. Read at your own pace, but please do tag the group if you review or post on it so we all can like and comment.

If anyone wants to be tagged or be removed from the list, say the word. 😊

Tamra I can do this one! 😊 6mo
Ruthiella @Tamra Yahoo! 😃 6mo
willaful Sounds like a fun one. 6mo
See All 18 Comments
CarolynM Really looking forward to this one! 6mo
Kimzey Thank you! 6mo
catebutler Looking forward to this! 6mo
Ruthiella @willaful I agree. I think it‘s going to be amusing! 6mo
Ruthiella @CarolynM Me too! 6mo
Ruthiella @Kimzey You‘re welcome! 6mo
Ruthiella @catebutler I think it sounds delightful! 6mo
Sace Looking forward to this! 6mo
Ruthiella @Sace I have a good feeling about it. 🤞 6mo
Tamra Chapter 1 has me hooked! 6mo
Ruthiella @Tamra Fantastic! I will start later. I still have two books I want to finish in June. 6mo
LeahBergen Yayyyy! 👏 6mo
julieclair Catnip! Perfect way to describe books like this. 👍 Looking forward to it. 6mo
Ruthiella @LeahBergen Yippee! 🙌 6mo
Ruthiella @julieclair Yup! We all have our sub-sub-sub-genre sweet spots! 😅 6mo
59 likes2 stack adds18 comments