The detail of loneliness
Quartet in Autumn. By Barbara Pym. Macmillan. 218 pp. $9.10.
Barbara Pym “has a unique e\e and ear for the small poignancies and comedies of everyday life.” wrote Philip Larkin in “The Times Literary Supplement” last year, and his observation is born out in this, Miss Pvm’s first novel since 1961.
“Quartet in Autumn” is concerned with loneliness. The author has applied this concept to a “quartet” of characters — Edwin, Norman, Letty
and Marcia — as they move through late middleage into retirement. The reader is given a “fly on the wall" view into their lives, where apparent trivialities arc maior events and the fight for independence in a Welfare State is constant.
Miss Pym has an easy, natural style which results in a very readable novel While i‘ carries no hint of mystery or suspense, the depth of each characterstudy leaves the reader with a lasting impression of loneliness, an often forgotten aspect of life. — MARGARET BUTLER
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Bibliographic details
Press, 25 February 1978, Page 17
Word Count
161The detail of loneliness Press, 25 February 1978, Page 17
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