Growing Up

This is a sweet book. Very like the typical Thirkell but addresses the question form two characters..."Are we grown up, yet?" Well done!

Like the reviewer who disliked the characters in this novel so much, I am midway through reading all Thirkell's Barsetshire novels chronologically. I too think some of her books are better than others. (So far, I think the best is August Folly and the worst Northbridge Rectory; Growing Up falls somewhere in between.)What I don't understand is how someone who hates Leslie and Lydia (the two main characters in Growing Up) could like any of Thirkell's other books. None of the Barsetshire novels are very different from any other; for those who like them that is part of their charm. They are predictable and slightly snobbish, but light and enjoyable reading for readers who appreciate this variety of English wit.

Showing the struggles and hardships during the war years on the homefront in Britain, Growing Up brings back old favorites and introduces new friends. It shows the anxiety of the unknown, always present for those with loved ones serving in the war and humor abounds in new characters; Selina, Doris and Lily-Anne the railway porters, Nannie and old Jasper. Old friends from previous books in the series; Tony Morland, Mrs. Morland, Tommy Needham, Lydia and Noel Merton, Octavia Crawley, and Philip Winter make for a delightful reunion.

I'm almost finished Summer Half, by the same author. She's fantastic, like a more lovable and often daring Jane Austen. Give one of her books a try, even though she was writing them in the 1930's.