i'm gonna get more people to read barbara pym if its the last thing i do !
i dont typically write reviews, because my own words seem so insufficient after a wonderful artistic experience. but i'm betraying my own tendencies because i simply must evangelize the tremendous barbara pym. if you have found yourself with an jane austen-sized hole in your heart since finishing her oeuvre, pym is for you.
pym inherits austen's ability to extract concise and powerful truths of the human condition from the minuscule. drawing from her experience as editor for an academic journal, pym's novels heavily feature anthropology departments, an inclusion which serves as the perfect vehicle for her own keen insights on human behavior. in excellent women, pym perfectly situates mildred as both observer and assistant in the tense situations of others, while mildred's status of "spinster" supposedly precludes her from her own interpersonal dramas.
pym creates a rich world of characters who exercise restraint and rationale in their outward lives, yet act on the primitive and base in their personal affairs. you feel the sting of loss when you find yourself on the last page and are forced to part with this ensemble, but i was delighted to see these characters referenced in another of her novels, , which is the perfect follow-up if you enjoyed