An Accommodating Spouse by Elizabeth Jolley

I am a very quick reader, usually powering through books at high speed. For this book, however, I had to slow down. To read in my head as if it was being read aloud, so lovely were the sentences. The story is told by an aging professor surrounded by women - his wife, her twin, their triplet daughters and two work colleagues. It is a comedy of manners and I enjoyed it very much.

You can find An Accommodating Spouse and other novels by Elizabeth Jolley in the fiction section of Wagga Wagga City Library.

The Mitford Girls: A Biography of an Extraordinary Family by Mary S. Lovell

Having thoroughly enjoyed The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate I was keen to learn about Nancy Mitford and her famous sisters. There were six daughters (and a comparatively unremarkable son) born between 1904 and 1920 into an aristocratic English family. It was a remarkable time to be young and the six girls all led such fascinating and different lives. Nancy became a famous novelist, Diana the most beautiful woman of her time, Unity knew and loved Hitler while Decca was a communist, Debo became the Duchess of Devonshire and lived at Chatsworth and even Pam, the most domestic sister, Pam had the Mitford wit.
Mary S Lovell has done a great job letting us into the lives and loves, trials and tribulations of a most fascinating family living through turbulant times. The book is available from the biography section of Wagga City Library with the call number B940 MIT. There are several other books about the Mitfords in the library as well, just put Mitford into the catalogue.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

The murders on which In Cold Blood was based were committed in 1959 but the book wasn't published until 1966 as Capote had to wait to find out what ultimately happened to the murderers. A film version of In Cold Blood was made in 1967 and in 1996 a mini-series was made. In more recent years two films were made about Capote's experiences researching and writing the book - Capote and Infamous. His childhood friend Harper Lee (author of To Kill a Mockingbird, pictured) came with him to Kansas. The case certainly consumed Capote for those years and he considered the book the first non-fiction novel.

The Clutters were a wealthy faming family in Kansas. They were murdered by two criminals who met in jail and the book looks at their lives up until the murders and their relationship than enabled them to commit such a crime. It is a fascinating look into a small town in 1950s America, the criminal mind and powerful relationships. This book is an RRL Book Club book and you can also find it in the non-fiction section of Wagga City Library with the call number 364.1523 CAPO. Truman Capote also wrote Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Love in a Cold Climate and other novels by Nancy Mitford

The Pursuit of Love, Love in a Cold Climate and The Blessing are brought together in one brilliant, hilarious volume. Nancy Mitford was born in 1904, a member of the British artistocracy and a family of famous sisters. She was a novelist and biographer who lived in England and France, dying in 1973 in Versailles.
She writes about upper-class life in Britain and France and how the two cultures compliment and clash with each other. She wrote at a time of great change and it is fascinating to see how her characters adapt. The first two books are companions, with the same narrator. Love in a Cold Climate tells the story of Polly, the beautiful, aloof aristocrat who falls in love with her lecherous, married uncle, who also happens to be her mother's lover. All three books show the deliciously absurd side of the life of the British upper classes.

Love in a Cold Climate and Other Novels is available in the fiction section of Wagga City Library. A biography of the Mitford sisters as well as others books by and about the Mitford family are available in the non-fiction section.