E. M Delafield

'January 22nd - Robert startles me at breakfast by asking if my cold - which he has hitherto ignored - is better. I reply that it has gone. Then why, he asks, do I look like that? Feel that life is wholly unendurable, and decide madly to get a new hat'
It's not easy being a Provincial Lady in Devonshire in the 1920s, juggling a grumpy husband, mischievous children and a host of domestic dilemmas - from rice mould to a petulant cook. But this

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Consequences by E. M. Delafield is a poignant and satirical novel that offers a penetrating exploration of the social mores and conventions of early 20th-century English society. The story revolves around the protagonist, Alex Clare, a young woman who finds herself constrained by the expectations of her family and society. Born into a privileged but stiflingly conventional upper-middle-class household, Alex struggles to reconcile her own desires and...

Mrs. Harter by E. M. Delafield is a compelling novel that delves into the complexities of marriage, family dynamics, and societal expectations in early 20th-century England. The story centers around the character of Mrs. Harter, a middle-aged woman who finds herself at a crossroads in her life. Married to a successful businessman and the mother of two grown children, Mrs. Harter outwardly appears to lead a comfortable and respectable existence. However,...

The Provincial Lady in Wartime, though the last of the Provincial Lady series, is one of the finest. No further 'Diaries' had appeared since The Provincial Lady in America (published in 1934) when, in 1939, Harold Macmillan, then chairman of Macmillan publishers and a fan, made a personal request to E. M. Delafield for a new book. The onset of the war with Germany was serious, but, he said, Britain, was in need of the entertaining but pertinent...

The ship swung slowly away from the side of the wharf. Several people on board then said, "Well, we're off at last!" to several other people who had only been thinking of saying it. Owen Quentillian remembered another, longer, sea voyage taken by himself at an early age. Far more clearly he remembered his arrival at St. Gwenllian. It was that which he wanted to recall, aware as he was of the necessity for resuming a connection that had almost insensibly...

The provincial lady finds an apartment in London, visits nightclubs and casinos, and meets the intellectuals and eccentrics of London society.