Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
London : Pan, 2004.
Description
Shortlisted for the 1977 Booker Prize This is the story of four people in late middle-age - Edwin, Norman, Letty and Marcia - whose chief point of contact is that they work in the same office and they suffer the same problem - loneliness. Lovingly, poignantly, satirically and with much humour, Pym conducts us through their small lives and the facade they erect to defend themselves against the outside world. There is nevertheless an obstinate optimism in her characters, allowing them in their different ways to win through to a kind of hope. Barbara Pym's sensitive wit and artistry are at their most sparkling in "Quartet in Autumn". "An exquisite, even magnificent work of art" - Observer "'Barbara Pym has a sharp eye for the exact nuances of social behaviour" - The Times "The wit and style of a twentieth century Jane Austen" - Harpers & Queen "Barbara Pym's unpretentious, subtle, accomplished novels are for me the finest examples of high comedy to have appeared in England during the past 75 years ...spectacular" - Sunday Times "Very funny and keenly observant of the ridiculous as well as the pathetic in humanity" - Financial Times… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member brenzi
This is my favorite of the six Pyms I’ve read and this one, dealing as it does with aging and retirement, really hit home. But even as dismal as that topic might seem, this was the funniest one I’ve read. Pym’s razor sharp dry wit is really at its best as she slashes and stabs at the
Four elderly single people work together in an office in London in the early 1970s, and although they haven’t been together all that long, they’ve become fairly comfortable with each other. When the two women, Letty and Marcia, reach the mandatory retirement age, the two men, Edwin and Norman, are left in the office on their own, knowing that they will shortly follow in the ladies’ footsteps. As time passes they realize that their relationship was more than it seemed and they genuinely care for each other. Being British, they certainly can’t let each other know how they feel. It’s in this uncertain vacuum between what they should do and what they are comfortable doing that Pym sets her sights and creates her striking narrative.
No less important than the narrative is the characterization of these four individuals. Pym has created four very complex characters who share one thing in common: they are alone in the world. Letty’s plan for retirement was to live in a country cottage with her close friend Marjorie but when those plans are scuttled by an unexpected romance, Letty has to scramble to find a suitable alternative. Edwin’s every waking hour is spent, in one way or another, involved with church services while bemoaning the fact that the times are not at all like they used to be when people were more devoted to their church and so were the vicars. Norman loves the museums and libraries in London and seems fairly content with his solitary life. Marcia has an abrasive personality and there is just something about her that puts off even these solitary friends.
Barbara Pym was miles ahead of her time. In this book she tackled anorexia nervosa, hoarding syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder in addition to the themes of loneliness and aging. But it’s her skill at exploring the vagaries of the human heart with compassion and dry humor that sets her on a plane with our very finest novelists. The prevalence of television viewing rated this passage from the observant Pym:
”In Mrs. Pope’s house the telephone rang just as she and Letty were settling down to watch television. They quite often did this now, and although it had started by Mrs. Pope suggesting that Letty might like to watch the news or some improving programme of cultural or scientific interest, there was now hardly an evening when Letty did not come down to watch whatever happened to be on the box, whether it was worthy of attention or not.
‘Oh bother, who can that be?’ said Mrs. Pope, going out into the hall. ‘It’s for you,’ she said accusingly to Letty. ‘People ought not to ring up at such a time.’
Letty went apologetically to the telephone. Of course there really was no suitable time to ring people in the evening now that television had been invented, for with the choice of three programmes one of them was certain to be the one somebody was watching. Even the worst had their adherents and who was to judge what was ‘worst’, the kind of thing that nobody could possibly want to see?” (Page 168-169)
Barbara Pym has been called “the most underrated writer of the twentieth century” and I am so glad that I finally discovered her, even though at such a late point in my life. I know I will reread her books on a regular basis in the years to come. Very highly recommended.
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characteristic customs and conventions of the time. She is clearly at the top of her game here and it is fitting that this is the book, of all her books, that was named to the Booker Prize shortlist in 1977.Four elderly single people work together in an office in London in the early 1970s, and although they haven’t been together all that long, they’ve become fairly comfortable with each other. When the two women, Letty and Marcia, reach the mandatory retirement age, the two men, Edwin and Norman, are left in the office on their own, knowing that they will shortly follow in the ladies’ footsteps. As time passes they realize that their relationship was more than it seemed and they genuinely care for each other. Being British, they certainly can’t let each other know how they feel. It’s in this uncertain vacuum between what they should do and what they are comfortable doing that Pym sets her sights and creates her striking narrative.
No less important than the narrative is the characterization of these four individuals. Pym has created four very complex characters who share one thing in common: they are alone in the world. Letty’s plan for retirement was to live in a country cottage with her close friend Marjorie but when those plans are scuttled by an unexpected romance, Letty has to scramble to find a suitable alternative. Edwin’s every waking hour is spent, in one way or another, involved with church services while bemoaning the fact that the times are not at all like they used to be when people were more devoted to their church and so were the vicars. Norman loves the museums and libraries in London and seems fairly content with his solitary life. Marcia has an abrasive personality and there is just something about her that puts off even these solitary friends.
Barbara Pym was miles ahead of her time. In this book she tackled anorexia nervosa, hoarding syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder in addition to the themes of loneliness and aging. But it’s her skill at exploring the vagaries of the human heart with compassion and dry humor that sets her on a plane with our very finest novelists. The prevalence of television viewing rated this passage from the observant Pym:
”In Mrs. Pope’s house the telephone rang just as she and Letty were settling down to watch television. They quite often did this now, and although it had started by Mrs. Pope suggesting that Letty might like to watch the news or some improving programme of cultural or scientific interest, there was now hardly an evening when Letty did not come down to watch whatever happened to be on the box, whether it was worthy of attention or not.
‘Oh bother, who can that be?’ said Mrs. Pope, going out into the hall. ‘It’s for you,’ she said accusingly to Letty. ‘People ought not to ring up at such a time.’
Letty went apologetically to the telephone. Of course there really was no suitable time to ring people in the evening now that television had been invented, for with the choice of three programmes one of them was certain to be the one somebody was watching. Even the worst had their adherents and who was to judge what was ‘worst’, the kind of thing that nobody could possibly want to see?” (Page 168-169)
Barbara Pym has been called “the most underrated writer of the twentieth century” and I am so glad that I finally discovered her, even though at such a late point in my life. I know I will reread her books on a regular basis in the years to come. Very highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member lauralkeet
Marcia, Letty, Norman, and Edwin are four 60-something London co-workers, a quartet in the autumn of their lives. Each lives alone; their contact with one another is their primary social interaction. Each character has developed odd habits, sometimes to combat loneliness, and sometimes as an
One day, both Letty and Marcia retire. This event affects each character in remarkable ways. Norman and Edwin are expected to take on Letty and Marcia's work, and it is clear that their department is being phased out. Letty chooses to move out of her current rooms when a new landlord arrives. She rents a room from an even older woman, recommended by Edwin. Marcia continues to live independently, despite some health issues. The four colleagues all live close enough to keep in touch, and yet all feel too uncomfortable to "force" the relationship. They meet once for lunch and yet, despite warning signs, do not adequately look out for each other
This is a quiet story of aging and friendship, accented by Pym's trademark gentle wit and satire. Her portraits of each character often had me snickering, even during the more poignant parts of the story. And yet I also found myself thinking about the characters as I went about my day ... almost as if they were real people. This is a departure from Pym's more light-hearted, humorous work, but the kind of satisfying read that takes over your thoughts for a while.
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unwanted side effect of solitude. Edwin spends his free time attending services at churches all over the city, obsessing about various holy days and the quality of clergy. Marcia hoards canned food and used milk bottles, and compulsively organizes the items on her shelves. Despite their need for each other, each person maintains a certain distance, reluctant to intrude or interfere.One day, both Letty and Marcia retire. This event affects each character in remarkable ways. Norman and Edwin are expected to take on Letty and Marcia's work, and it is clear that their department is being phased out. Letty chooses to move out of her current rooms when a new landlord arrives. She rents a room from an even older woman, recommended by Edwin. Marcia continues to live independently, despite some health issues. The four colleagues all live close enough to keep in touch, and yet all feel too uncomfortable to "force" the relationship. They meet once for lunch and yet, despite warning signs, do not adequately look out for each other
This is a quiet story of aging and friendship, accented by Pym's trademark gentle wit and satire. Her portraits of each character often had me snickering, even during the more poignant parts of the story. And yet I also found myself thinking about the characters as I went about my day ... almost as if they were real people. This is a departure from Pym's more light-hearted, humorous work, but the kind of satisfying read that takes over your thoughts for a while.
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LibraryThing member rainpebble
Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym
Pym’s novels depict ordinary life among middle class Englishmen and women with compassion, humor, and irony. The quartet denoted in this title consists of two men and two women in their sixties and the autumn of their lives. These characters hold menial jobs at the
Only Letty visits the library because she likes to read. The others take advantage of the shelter it offers. Edwin frequents the local churches when there are masses or holiday celebrations with sherry and perhaps free food. Pym describes their office routines, conversations, and uneventful lives. When Letty and Marcia retire, the deputy assistant director wonders what they have done during their working life: The activities of their department seemed to be shrouded in mystery. Something to do with records or filing, it was thought. Nobody knew for certain but it was evidently women’s work. The kind of thing that could easily be replaced by a computer.
Letty moves in with another woman and Marcia, alone in her house, wears her old clothes and forgets to eat. She resists the well meaning social worker knocking on her door. Letty begins thinking of her failures. She did not marry and she has no children. After some time Edwin arranges a reunion at a restaurant. Letty tries to be upbeat. She must never give the slightest hint of loneliness or boredom, the sense of time hanging heavy. Marcia complains about the social worker and brags about her operation, a mastectomy. She takes the bus to her surgeon’s house to spy on him and her encounters with him are her happiest moments. After Marcia’s decline into dementia and lonely death the three office mates meet at her house, which Marcia has willed to Norman. Here they divide up the contents of her cupboards. The tins of sardines, butter, beans and macaroni & cheese. They find an unopened bottle of sherry and toast each other as they remember their deceased friend.
I highly recommend this book. I liked it a lot. In fact I enjoy all of Pym's work.
Pym’s novels depict ordinary life among middle class Englishmen and women with compassion, humor, and irony. The quartet denoted in this title consists of two men and two women in their sixties and the autumn of their lives. These characters hold menial jobs at the
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same office in London. Two of them live in rented rooms and two own their own small homes. The opening chapter catches them going to the library because it is free. We are clued in to their personalities by describing their hair. Edwin’s hair is thin, graying and bald on top. Norman’s hair is as difficult as he is. Letty wears her faded brown hair too long and soft and wispy. Marcia’s hair is short, stiff, lifeless and home dyed. Only Letty visits the library because she likes to read. The others take advantage of the shelter it offers. Edwin frequents the local churches when there are masses or holiday celebrations with sherry and perhaps free food. Pym describes their office routines, conversations, and uneventful lives. When Letty and Marcia retire, the deputy assistant director wonders what they have done during their working life: The activities of their department seemed to be shrouded in mystery. Something to do with records or filing, it was thought. Nobody knew for certain but it was evidently women’s work. The kind of thing that could easily be replaced by a computer.
Letty moves in with another woman and Marcia, alone in her house, wears her old clothes and forgets to eat. She resists the well meaning social worker knocking on her door. Letty begins thinking of her failures. She did not marry and she has no children. After some time Edwin arranges a reunion at a restaurant. Letty tries to be upbeat. She must never give the slightest hint of loneliness or boredom, the sense of time hanging heavy. Marcia complains about the social worker and brags about her operation, a mastectomy. She takes the bus to her surgeon’s house to spy on him and her encounters with him are her happiest moments. After Marcia’s decline into dementia and lonely death the three office mates meet at her house, which Marcia has willed to Norman. Here they divide up the contents of her cupboards. The tins of sardines, butter, beans and macaroni & cheese. They find an unopened bottle of sherry and toast each other as they remember their deceased friend.
I highly recommend this book. I liked it a lot. In fact I enjoy all of Pym's work.
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LibraryThing member alexdaw
How delightful to wake up first thing and say to oneself - "Ah - now I can finish the Pym before I do anything else today." and then do so, over a morning cuppa.
Have I told you how much I love Barbara Pym? Quartet in Autumn was actually quite difficult for me to enjoy at first. I didn't
Norman comes across as a bit of a gumpy old man - and I quote: "Most of Norman's holiday was spent in this idle and profitless way. The truth was that he didn't really know what to do with himself when he wasn't working. In the last week he had to visit the dentist, to adjust his new plate and to practise eating with it. The dentist was a Yorkshireman and rather too jolly for Norman's liking, and although he was National Health Norman had to fork out quite a lot of money for a considerable amount of discomfort. Thank you for nothing! he thought bitterly."
Norman and Edwin work with Marcia and Letty who are about to retire, but don't worry, I won't spoil the rest of it for you. I can assure you however that the four initially unprepossessing characters actually make for a bit of fun and by the end I was rooting for at least one of them.
This is a marvellous study of what would now be called obsessive compulsive behaviour - which I probably exhibit and witness on a fairly regular basis - but was probably then called eccentricity. One might also say rather superciliously or condescendingly that it is a study of loneliness or more accurately "singles" and how they manage their lives - through the awkwardness of Christmas,ill-health and other challenges, such as finding lodgings.
Barbara Pym writes to make you gasp with horror at the never ending audacity of human beings and how they behave - we're not talking murder or rape here guys - it's an ordinary pordinary world with nothing much going on - and yet she can still make you gasp. I'll just finish with an account of Letty's landlady Mrs Pope inspecting (read snooping) her room after she's gone to work for the day because it is so delicious....."The first thing that struck Mrs Pope was tidiness and order. This was a slight disappointment for she had hoped to find interesting things lying about the room. Naturally she would expect somebody recommended by Mr Braithwaite - she did not think of him as 'Edwin" - to be respectable, even a churchwoman, but she was surprised to find that there was no devotional book on the bedside table, not even a Bible, just a novel from the Camden library......"
Go on, read it. You won't be disappointed.
Have I told you how much I love Barbara Pym? Quartet in Autumn was actually quite difficult for me to enjoy at first. I didn't
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particularly like any of the quartet as such. Edwin for one seemed more than usually obsessed with church services. Whilst I have found this quaint in the past, Edwin's obsession started to make me feel slightly mad...and I quote "Everybody knew about Lent, of course, even if they didn't do anything about it, with Palm Sunday ushering in the services of Holy Week - not what they used to be, certainly, but there was still something left of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday with the ceremonies, the prelude to Easter Day. Low Sunday always seemed a bit of an anticlimax after all that had gone before but it wasn't long before Ascension Day and then Whit Sunday or Pentecost as it was properly called. After that you had Corpus Christi, with a procession out of doors if fine, and then Trinity Sunday, followed by all those long hot summer Sundays, with the green vestments and the occasional saint's day....That was how it had always been and how it ouwld go on in spite of trendy clergy trying to introduce so-called up-to-date forms of worship, rock and roll and guitars and discussions about the Third World instead of evensong. " Right - Edwin really knows his religious calendar.Norman comes across as a bit of a gumpy old man - and I quote: "Most of Norman's holiday was spent in this idle and profitless way. The truth was that he didn't really know what to do with himself when he wasn't working. In the last week he had to visit the dentist, to adjust his new plate and to practise eating with it. The dentist was a Yorkshireman and rather too jolly for Norman's liking, and although he was National Health Norman had to fork out quite a lot of money for a considerable amount of discomfort. Thank you for nothing! he thought bitterly."
Norman and Edwin work with Marcia and Letty who are about to retire, but don't worry, I won't spoil the rest of it for you. I can assure you however that the four initially unprepossessing characters actually make for a bit of fun and by the end I was rooting for at least one of them.
This is a marvellous study of what would now be called obsessive compulsive behaviour - which I probably exhibit and witness on a fairly regular basis - but was probably then called eccentricity. One might also say rather superciliously or condescendingly that it is a study of loneliness or more accurately "singles" and how they manage their lives - through the awkwardness of Christmas,ill-health and other challenges, such as finding lodgings.
Barbara Pym writes to make you gasp with horror at the never ending audacity of human beings and how they behave - we're not talking murder or rape here guys - it's an ordinary pordinary world with nothing much going on - and yet she can still make you gasp. I'll just finish with an account of Letty's landlady Mrs Pope inspecting (read snooping) her room after she's gone to work for the day because it is so delicious....."The first thing that struck Mrs Pope was tidiness and order. This was a slight disappointment for she had hoped to find interesting things lying about the room. Naturally she would expect somebody recommended by Mr Braithwaite - she did not think of him as 'Edwin" - to be respectable, even a churchwoman, but she was surprised to find that there was no devotional book on the bedside table, not even a Bible, just a novel from the Camden library......"
Go on, read it. You won't be disappointed.
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LibraryThing member Carol420
A Quartet in August by Barbara Pym
4★'s
What's It About?
This is the story of four people in late middle-age - Edwin, Norman, Letty and Marcia - whose chief point of contact is that they work in the same office and they suffer the same problem - loneliness. Lovingly, poignantly, satirically and with
What Did I Think?
I think that sneaky Barbara Pym has been hiding behind the door and then wrote a book...that in many ways... is about a few of my friends:)
One of the things that I really liked about this book is that the author didn't waste one single word more than she needed to in order to tell these people's story. Each character has a private set of personal quirks, but remain unable to connect in a meaningful way with any of the others that they have worked beside for years. My friend who is from Scotland tells me that "it's due to British emotional reserve." I'll take her word for it. I started out early in the story feeling very sorry for them but in the end I found that they just followed personal... quiet and generally unheralded journeys. Barbara Pym summed it up very well when she said ...."There was something to be said for tea and a comfortable chat about crematoria."
4★'s
What's It About?
This is the story of four people in late middle-age - Edwin, Norman, Letty and Marcia - whose chief point of contact is that they work in the same office and they suffer the same problem - loneliness. Lovingly, poignantly, satirically and with
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much humor, Pym conducts us through their small lives and the facade they erect to defend themselves against the outside world. There is nevertheless an obstinate optimism in her characters, allowing them in their different ways to win through to a kind of hope. What Did I Think?
I think that sneaky Barbara Pym has been hiding behind the door and then wrote a book...that in many ways... is about a few of my friends:)
One of the things that I really liked about this book is that the author didn't waste one single word more than she needed to in order to tell these people's story. Each character has a private set of personal quirks, but remain unable to connect in a meaningful way with any of the others that they have worked beside for years. My friend who is from Scotland tells me that "it's due to British emotional reserve." I'll take her word for it. I started out early in the story feeling very sorry for them but in the end I found that they just followed personal... quiet and generally unheralded journeys. Barbara Pym summed it up very well when she said ...."There was something to be said for tea and a comfortable chat about crematoria."
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LibraryThing member skwoodiwis
Quartet in Autumn
By
Barbara Pym
I adore Barbara Pym. She is like a late life love – I read Less than Angles first, then a Few Green Leaves, three more after that – I’ve read Some Tame Gazelle and Quartet in Autumn back to back.
While reading, I thought to myself that perhaps this not the novel
Now, I get it. How do we really know each other – right? We are impersonal and insecure and frightened of rejection. And the characters were on a first name basis – knew each other’s address, there was a sort of camaraderie in the office but they took their lunches alone, they lived separately; no dinners out, no card games, no movies – nothing.
And they were all single – widowed or never married.
Farfetched – yes I know but Pym makes the whole scenario believable – which is even more depressing. If I could have read this novel with a sense of incredulity, and mark this one as Pym’s “laid egg,” well okay – and I may yet, I’m not through all of her works – but with her simply and complicated style, she makes the story line work. I was drawn in. I was bleeding down the side walk while Norman was on the very street Marcia lived on – in front of her house – even saw her and walked by allowing an ineffectual social worker to put on his humanity and fail.
With the usual Pym finesse the ending comes about with a sublime, even contented quartet. Not without heart ache, not even with a sort of moral to the story I’m afraid.
I’m too much of a fan of Ms Pym’s work not to see the beauty and the merit in her use of language and her ability to spin a quiet, “wood fire,” tale – something to relax by, contemplate – but I won’t read this novel again – alone. Traveling with a friend to the shores of one of the brilliant Great Lakes, in bed with a lover, quiet and cozy and reaching over and feeling his heart beat while the four characters in this book ignore each other – that’s the only way I’ll survive a second read, I’m sure.
By
Barbara Pym
I adore Barbara Pym. She is like a late life love – I read Less than Angles first, then a Few Green Leaves, three more after that – I’ve read Some Tame Gazelle and Quartet in Autumn back to back.
While reading, I thought to myself that perhaps this not the novel
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for me in my present state of mind. Suffice it to say, the last few months have been – well trying. So to read of four individuals who work in the same office for years, retire from the same office in about the same time frame and do not know each other until the end of the novel – well…it was a depressing read. Now, I get it. How do we really know each other – right? We are impersonal and insecure and frightened of rejection. And the characters were on a first name basis – knew each other’s address, there was a sort of camaraderie in the office but they took their lunches alone, they lived separately; no dinners out, no card games, no movies – nothing.
And they were all single – widowed or never married.
Farfetched – yes I know but Pym makes the whole scenario believable – which is even more depressing. If I could have read this novel with a sense of incredulity, and mark this one as Pym’s “laid egg,” well okay – and I may yet, I’m not through all of her works – but with her simply and complicated style, she makes the story line work. I was drawn in. I was bleeding down the side walk while Norman was on the very street Marcia lived on – in front of her house – even saw her and walked by allowing an ineffectual social worker to put on his humanity and fail.
With the usual Pym finesse the ending comes about with a sublime, even contented quartet. Not without heart ache, not even with a sort of moral to the story I’m afraid.
I’m too much of a fan of Ms Pym’s work not to see the beauty and the merit in her use of language and her ability to spin a quiet, “wood fire,” tale – something to relax by, contemplate – but I won’t read this novel again – alone. Traveling with a friend to the shores of one of the brilliant Great Lakes, in bed with a lover, quiet and cozy and reaching over and feeling his heart beat while the four characters in this book ignore each other – that’s the only way I’ll survive a second read, I’m sure.
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LibraryThing member starbox
"there was something to be said for tea and a comfortable chat about crematoria."
By sally tarbox on 14 December 2017
Format: Kindle Edition
I couldn't put this down - sad, moving, incredibly funny ... put me somehow in mind of Beryl Bainbridge's writing.
The narrative concerns four older people
Juxtaposing four conservative, old-for-their age people with the trendy 1970s (a Nigerian pastor, social workers..), Barbara Pym has written an absolutely fantastic novel. Loved it.
By sally tarbox on 14 December 2017
Format: Kindle Edition
I couldn't put this down - sad, moving, incredibly funny ... put me somehow in mind of Beryl Bainbridge's writing.
The narrative concerns four older people
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working in an office in 1970s London. They are all very different personalities - spinsterish Letty; rather odd Marcia; angry Norman and Edwin, whose life revolves around obsessively attending church . Although they work together and are cordial, there are barriers between them, preventing any real closeness. After the two women retire, their lives take very different directions...Juxtaposing four conservative, old-for-their age people with the trendy 1970s (a Nigerian pastor, social workers..), Barbara Pym has written an absolutely fantastic novel. Loved it.
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LibraryThing member arubabookwoman
This book is much darker than Pym's usual books, and it is the only Pym I have read that I would consider reading more than once, which in fact I have done. I read it once in my thirties when I thought it was a fantastic depiction of aging. I read it again several years ago, and now I've read it
The four characters are office mates, two women and two men, who have never involved themselves in each other's lives, somehow fearful of appearing intrusive. Even outside the office, the four lead solitary lives, with little understanding of what it means to have a relationship with another human. When one of the four retires, the other three, internally and without discussing it with each other, wonder whether and how they should keep in touch. The retiree, Marcia, is in fact mentally ill, not merely lonely, something the other three had failed to notice.
I still found this to be an inciteful and touching book, despite the fact that I now have a different perspective on it than when I first read it
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when I'm the same age or older than its four main characters, I would describe it as the depiction of four lonely people facing their lack of human relationships, rather than a depiction of four older people dealing with issues of aging.The four characters are office mates, two women and two men, who have never involved themselves in each other's lives, somehow fearful of appearing intrusive. Even outside the office, the four lead solitary lives, with little understanding of what it means to have a relationship with another human. When one of the four retires, the other three, internally and without discussing it with each other, wonder whether and how they should keep in touch. The retiree, Marcia, is in fact mentally ill, not merely lonely, something the other three had failed to notice.
I still found this to be an inciteful and touching book, despite the fact that I now have a different perspective on it than when I first read it
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LibraryThing member Eurydice
A fine and quiet novel on aging, independence, loneliness, and individuality.
LibraryThing member pgchuis
This was beautiful in a quirky quiet way. Letty, Marcia, Edwin and Norman work together in an office, doing a job that is of so little importance that when Letty and Marcia retire, they are not replaced, and when Edwin and Norma eventually retire, their work will be done by a computer.
Very little
It is hard to pin down what makes this book such a good read: there are humorous touches, but the overwhelming mood is one of sadness.
Very little
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happens: Edwin goes to church, Marcia becomes stranger and stranger, Norman wonders about Marcia, and Letty's retirement plans are thrown into confusion when the friend she had planned to love with announces she is getting engaged.It is hard to pin down what makes this book such a good read: there are humorous touches, but the overwhelming mood is one of sadness.
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LibraryThing member Olivermagnus
This was a fascinating look at four co-workers in the autumn of their lives. Edwin, Norman, Letty and Marcia are all in their 60's and approaching retirement. They work together as clerks in a nondescript office, but each of them seems very alone. None of them have much of a life outside their jobs
Pym slowly reels out the stories of each of the quartet. Edwin spends a lot of his time monitoring church activities; Norman plans tours with his brother-in-law, whom he despises, but never actually takes; Letty lives alone in a rented bedsit reminiscing about lost opportunities; and Marcia lives alone in her parent's old house, piling up tinned food even though she's emaciated and hoarding milk bottles in a garden shed.
The story may seem slow and boring at first, but Barbara Pym is a master at creating a complex story about the lives of these four seniors. The two women, in particular, seemed to be more filled out characters than either of the men, but each of their idiosyncrasies fascinated me. She writes about the world of ordinary people, and makes their flaws and human interactions important to the reader.
If you enjoy classic English literature, you will enjoy Quartet in Autumn. This was my first experience with Barbara Pym and I was surprised to discover how many awards she's won. She reveals so much about human nature in such a gentle way, I can't wait to discover more of her work.
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and they don't appear to be very close. In fact, they never even go to lunch together. Pym slowly reels out the stories of each of the quartet. Edwin spends a lot of his time monitoring church activities; Norman plans tours with his brother-in-law, whom he despises, but never actually takes; Letty lives alone in a rented bedsit reminiscing about lost opportunities; and Marcia lives alone in her parent's old house, piling up tinned food even though she's emaciated and hoarding milk bottles in a garden shed.
The story may seem slow and boring at first, but Barbara Pym is a master at creating a complex story about the lives of these four seniors. The two women, in particular, seemed to be more filled out characters than either of the men, but each of their idiosyncrasies fascinated me. She writes about the world of ordinary people, and makes their flaws and human interactions important to the reader.
If you enjoy classic English literature, you will enjoy Quartet in Autumn. This was my first experience with Barbara Pym and I was surprised to discover how many awards she's won. She reveals so much about human nature in such a gentle way, I can't wait to discover more of her work.
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LibraryThing member cissa
While this is not at all my normal sort of thing, it's pretty amazing.
Understated, though. Vastly understated. I cannot possibly describe how understated it is.
4 people who work in an office together, doing something, near retirement. They are not friends... but having spent so many hours together,
Pym does a good job of being very objective about them all: she shows (doesn't tell) what they do, with some insight as to why... and leaves much of the work to the reader. I can see this being a novel to re-read in a few years.
I'll add that i doubt if it would appeal to anyone much under 30, at a minimum. It's very slow- pretty much NO action- and what plot threads there are mostly remain unresolved, though at the end they look resolvable.
Recommended for anyone who likes intricate character studies.
Understated, though. Vastly understated. I cannot possibly describe how understated it is.
4 people who work in an office together, doing something, near retirement. They are not friends... but having spent so many hours together,
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they are as close to family as most of them get.Pym does a good job of being very objective about them all: she shows (doesn't tell) what they do, with some insight as to why... and leaves much of the work to the reader. I can see this being a novel to re-read in a few years.
I'll add that i doubt if it would appeal to anyone much under 30, at a minimum. It's very slow- pretty much NO action- and what plot threads there are mostly remain unresolved, though at the end they look resolvable.
Recommended for anyone who likes intricate character studies.
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LibraryThing member Kristelh
I usually like books about aging. This quick read, by Barabara Pym, is a story of four older office workers approaching retirement, two men and two women. The story is set in the seventies. The women are the first to retire. We know that one was born in 1914. She will turn 65. Since both women are
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retiring, both must be 65. It appears retirement is mandatory. They are retiring with just the government retirement plan. All the characters are alone; one man was previously married and now a widow. He actually is the most active of the four and obsessed with finding catholic services to attend for various saint holidays. The other man is shorter and angrier. One woman is more active, enjoys going to libraries, shopping and buying clothes. She has one lady friend. The other woman, is alone, has no friends, recently had a mastectomy and in description she is quite "odd". While I like stories about aging, this story is not fun or pleasant. I think reason for this might be that sixties really isn't old now. Another reason might be that I was a young adult in the seventies. Still, this was well done study of four single people approaching the autumn of their lives. I think it would be an excellent book to read for a discussion group. Show Less
LibraryThing member ParadisePorch
Quartet in Autumn is a departure from the usual Pym fare of light and sometimes silly situations. It was published in 1977 when England “rediscovered” her. For the previous 16 years she had been unable to find a publisher who would accept her work. The industry mantra was that ‘people don’t
This book revolves around four aging people who work together in an office that seems to have been forgotten by the company they work for. All four, two men and two women, live alone in varying circumstances. Although they are not close friends, the four have only each other in their lonely lives. When the two women retire (and are not replaced) the dynamics between the four changes.
Pym maintains her gentle satire. Of one of the characters, Letty, she says: “She had always been an unashamed reader of novels, but if she hoped to find one which reflected her own sort of life she had come to realise that the position of an unmarried, unattached, aging woman is of no interest whatever to the writers of modern fiction.” But despite this, the feel of this book is different, not shying away from the issues of loneliness or death. Although more serious than her previously published books, Quartet in Autumn will not disappoint fans of Pym.
Read this if: you want a poignant tale of fragile social and personal relationships. 4½ stars
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read stories like yours anymore.’This book revolves around four aging people who work together in an office that seems to have been forgotten by the company they work for. All four, two men and two women, live alone in varying circumstances. Although they are not close friends, the four have only each other in their lonely lives. When the two women retire (and are not replaced) the dynamics between the four changes.
Pym maintains her gentle satire. Of one of the characters, Letty, she says: “She had always been an unashamed reader of novels, but if she hoped to find one which reflected her own sort of life she had come to realise that the position of an unmarried, unattached, aging woman is of no interest whatever to the writers of modern fiction.” But despite this, the feel of this book is different, not shying away from the issues of loneliness or death. Although more serious than her previously published books, Quartet in Autumn will not disappoint fans of Pym.
Read this if: you want a poignant tale of fragile social and personal relationships. 4½ stars
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LibraryThing member rmckeown
One of the things I enjoy most is a novel which spends a great deal of time talking about literature. I have a few novels which listed dozens of books. I took a lot of ribbing from my book club at a meeting when I listed new 200 novels mentioned in the text. That is unusual, but it is common in
Barbara Pym worked as an editor for an African scholarly journal. She picked up the habit of observing the passage of humanity. Her first book was published, and a couple after, but publishers declined to continue to sign her, because they saw her work as old fashioned. In 1977, an influential article in The Times Literary Supplement listed her as one of the most underrated novelists of the 20th Century. She then published a novel, Quartet in Autumn, which was short-listed for the Booker Prize.
4321 is a complex novel, and almost everything points to clues about the novel and its characters. Quartet in Autumn is the story of four people – Norman, Edwin, Letty, and Marcia – all work together in a room, but no one knows what they are doing. Even the head of the company joked at a retirement party, “Exactly what is it you do?” This detail is never revealed. The “quartet” are friendly and helpful towards each other, but, oddly enough, they never socialize after work, and they never visit with each other. The novel reminds me of Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf. This story details an elderly and lonely man and woman who decide to spend some time together. A reader might characterize these two novels as “old-fashioned,” but I found Pym’s novel interesting and absorbing.
Letty was the first to retire. She had a friend, Marjorie, who lived in the country, and on a visit, she discovered that her friend was in love with a local Vicar and they were planning to wed. Marjorie half-heartedly offered to let her move in with the newly engaged couple. Pym writes, “Of course there was no question of her living at Holmhurst, a large red-brick mansion standing in wide lawns which she had often passed when she went to see Marjorie. She once noticed an old woman with a lost expression peering through one of the surrounding hedges and that impression had remained with her. When retirement day came, and it was not far off now, she would no doubt stay in her bed-sitting room for the time being. One could lead a very pleasant life in London—museums and art galleries, concerts and theatres—all those things that cultured people in the country were said to miss and crave for would be at Letty’s disposal. Of course, she would have to answer to Marjorie’s letter, to offer her congratulations (for surely that was the word) and to ease her conscience about the upsetting of the retirement plans, but not necessarily by return of post” (54-55).
Some might see Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym as “old fashioned,” but with my library firmly established in the 19th century, I feel quite at home, with a steaming cup of tea and some biscuits. 5 stars
--Chiron, 11/9/17
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literary fiction to have characters reading or discussing an actually published novel. I recently reviewed Paul Auster 4321, and while one character sent a list of 100 books Archie Ferguson “had to read.” Only a dozen or so were mentioned, and most of those I had read. However, one novel really caught my eye. I knew Barbara Pym as a recognized author, but I had never read anything by her. But when a character recommended Archie read, Quartet in Autumn, I sensed a need to read this story. Pym provided me with a clue, which helped untangle the web Auster had created.Barbara Pym worked as an editor for an African scholarly journal. She picked up the habit of observing the passage of humanity. Her first book was published, and a couple after, but publishers declined to continue to sign her, because they saw her work as old fashioned. In 1977, an influential article in The Times Literary Supplement listed her as one of the most underrated novelists of the 20th Century. She then published a novel, Quartet in Autumn, which was short-listed for the Booker Prize.
4321 is a complex novel, and almost everything points to clues about the novel and its characters. Quartet in Autumn is the story of four people – Norman, Edwin, Letty, and Marcia – all work together in a room, but no one knows what they are doing. Even the head of the company joked at a retirement party, “Exactly what is it you do?” This detail is never revealed. The “quartet” are friendly and helpful towards each other, but, oddly enough, they never socialize after work, and they never visit with each other. The novel reminds me of Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf. This story details an elderly and lonely man and woman who decide to spend some time together. A reader might characterize these two novels as “old-fashioned,” but I found Pym’s novel interesting and absorbing.
Letty was the first to retire. She had a friend, Marjorie, who lived in the country, and on a visit, she discovered that her friend was in love with a local Vicar and they were planning to wed. Marjorie half-heartedly offered to let her move in with the newly engaged couple. Pym writes, “Of course there was no question of her living at Holmhurst, a large red-brick mansion standing in wide lawns which she had often passed when she went to see Marjorie. She once noticed an old woman with a lost expression peering through one of the surrounding hedges and that impression had remained with her. When retirement day came, and it was not far off now, she would no doubt stay in her bed-sitting room for the time being. One could lead a very pleasant life in London—museums and art galleries, concerts and theatres—all those things that cultured people in the country were said to miss and crave for would be at Letty’s disposal. Of course, she would have to answer to Marjorie’s letter, to offer her congratulations (for surely that was the word) and to ease her conscience about the upsetting of the retirement plans, but not necessarily by return of post” (54-55).
Some might see Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym as “old fashioned,” but with my library firmly established in the 19th century, I feel quite at home, with a steaming cup of tea and some biscuits. 5 stars
--Chiron, 11/9/17
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LibraryThing member Cariola
This was the first Pym novel I've read, and it wasn't quite what I expected. I had heard that her books were quite funny; this one had its moments, but, overall, I found it rather sad. It focuses on the relationships among four 60-something co-workers: Marcia, who keeps her private life very much
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to herself (it consists mainly of storing and organizing milk bottles and plastic bags); Letty, whose plans to move in with a longtime friend after her retirement are sidetracked; Edwin, who spends his spare time going from church to church; and Norman, a lifelong bachelor with a habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Overall, I enjoyed this quiet little book and felt that the characters, while quirky, were very believable (we've all known one or more of them, I'm sure). I will likely be picking up more Pyms in the future. Show Less
LibraryThing member leslie.98
A look at 4 unmarried people of retirement age in the 1970s, 2 men and 2 women who work together (before the women retire). As I am approaching this age myself, I found some aspects of this a little daunting but I take heart in the fact that I am not like Marcia!!
LibraryThing member KayCliff
Quartet in autumn was written for, about, and vicariously by Letty in 1973-6. Here the author's current life is closely portrayed. Life had dealt her a succession of blows; the 16-year period of publishers' rejection of her novels; a mastectomy in 1971; a stroke in 1974, followed by
London itself was undergoing upheaval and change: Gamage's department store `and so much in Fetter Lane, including St Dunstan's Chambers where we worked for close on 20 years' was demolished in 1973, `a whole period of civilization gone!' as Pym put it in a letter to Bob Smith. Even the church where Pym and her sister regularly worshipped, St Lawrence the Martyr, was declared redundant and closed. All this is faithfully reflected in QA: the decor of Edwin's teashop has `changed distressingly ... so much trendy orange and olive green, and imitation stripped pine'; his church has been closed as redundant; Letty `walked past the building in Bloomsbury where she had worked in the thirties ... and found herself facing a concrete structure'; Marcia is shocked to find her Sainsbury's has been `almost razed to the ground'. In a classic scene of alienation and dispossession, Letty crouches in her room, wondering, `How had it come about that she, an English woman born in Malvern in 1949 of middle-class English parents, should find herself in this room in London surrounded by enthusiastic shouting, hymn-singing Nigerians?' Among her fellow evicted tenants is a Hungarian refugee. All these details stem from A Very Private Eye, Pym's diary, which describes Nigerians in London in 1963. Marcia, of course, has suffered a mastectomy, and in the course of the novel makes visits to the hospital outpatients department. Both women have to cope with retirement, the sense of bewilderment and emptiness that it may bring, and with solitude, the lack of a husband and of children.
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retirement.London itself was undergoing upheaval and change: Gamage's department store `and so much in Fetter Lane, including St Dunstan's Chambers where we worked for close on 20 years' was demolished in 1973, `a whole period of civilization gone!' as Pym put it in a letter to Bob Smith. Even the church where Pym and her sister regularly worshipped, St Lawrence the Martyr, was declared redundant and closed. All this is faithfully reflected in QA: the decor of Edwin's teashop has `changed distressingly ... so much trendy orange and olive green, and imitation stripped pine'; his church has been closed as redundant; Letty `walked past the building in Bloomsbury where she had worked in the thirties ... and found herself facing a concrete structure'; Marcia is shocked to find her Sainsbury's has been `almost razed to the ground'. In a classic scene of alienation and dispossession, Letty crouches in her room, wondering, `How had it come about that she, an English woman born in Malvern in 1949 of middle-class English parents, should find herself in this room in London surrounded by enthusiastic shouting, hymn-singing Nigerians?' Among her fellow evicted tenants is a Hungarian refugee. All these details stem from A Very Private Eye, Pym's diary, which describes Nigerians in London in 1963. Marcia, of course, has suffered a mastectomy, and in the course of the novel makes visits to the hospital outpatients department. Both women have to cope with retirement, the sense of bewilderment and emptiness that it may bring, and with solitude, the lack of a husband and of children.
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LibraryThing member oldblack
There's lots of other member reviews...I'm sure I can't add anything useful.
LibraryThing member Schmerguls
This is the 11th book by Barbara Pym I have read, and the first I have read recently. I did listen to this some years ago but since I have no list of "books listened to" I wanted to have this book in my list of "books read." It is a deliciously subtle and humorous book, involving four people who
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work in an office--each a character in his or her own right. Just a sample of the flavor: When Marcia dies, a distant relative did not attned her funeral because she was too broken up by the death. One of the men comments: especially since she had not seen Marcia for forty years. I ofen found myself smiling or laughing aloud in reading this gentlly humorous and at times bitter-sweet book. Show Less
LibraryThing member amerynth
Though it is an easy and quick read, I can't say I particularly enjoyed Barbara Pym's "Quartet in Autumn," which tells the stories of four senior citizens dealing with issues of aging and mortality.
I think the writing was very fine, but I had trouble really connecting with any of the characters...
I think the writing was very fine, but I had trouble really connecting with any of the characters...
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who had a sort of blase attitude and were difficult to like. Perhaps that was part of the point, but it made it difficult for me to truly enjoy the book. There was too much unspoken and unsaid to make this book particularly interesting. Show Less
LibraryThing member Glorybe1
This is quite a sad and poignant story of 4 elderly people who work in the same office, that are all on the point of retirement. None is remotely ready for it,and are frightened of their feelings of inadequacy that this stage of life is bringing. For one it is too late, but maybe the others can
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learn from the sadness of this. Show Less
LibraryThing member tzelman
Poignant novel about the emotional distance between aged office workers. These characters feel inhibited desires for closer contact, fears of unworthiness, and "infinite possibilities."
LibraryThing member AlisonY
This one started as a little bit of a slow burner, but once I gave it some proper concentration this poignant tale of loneliness in later life became really quite affecting.
It's a quiet book of life's every day minutiae, yet at the same time it shouts loudly of the desperate sadness of the
Plot seekers look elsewhere, for this is a lens on the sadness of every day lives in our midst. Barbara Pym books rarely leave you feeling joyful, but there's an unflinching honesty and truth to her writing about quintessentially English middle-aged women from a bygone era.
4 stars - quietly impacting in its ordinariness.
It's a quiet book of life's every day minutiae, yet at the same time it shouts loudly of the desperate sadness of the
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long-stretching days of those lonely in their autumn years with few family or friends and only a modest income. The story revolves around two men and two women, all in their 60s and living alone, who have worked together for years yet never manage to evolve their relationship beyond that of polite colleagues. When the two women retire, the loss of the routine of work leaves a gaping void of endless days to fill, shining a heartbreaking spotlight on the abject isolation of Marcia in particular, a prickly, private individual, who ironically ends up becoming the linchpin that draws the other three together.Plot seekers look elsewhere, for this is a lens on the sadness of every day lives in our midst. Barbara Pym books rarely leave you feeling joyful, but there's an unflinching honesty and truth to her writing about quintessentially English middle-aged women from a bygone era.
4 stars - quietly impacting in its ordinariness.
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LibraryThing member m.belljackson
Finely detailed writing about the lives of a quartet of office co-workers - I hope the author has inspired people to live less constricted lives,
free from depression, negative thinking, and fears about what others will think.
Otherwise, the book's message will be lost and is hard to grasp.
free from depression, negative thinking, and fears about what others will think.
Otherwise, the book's message will be lost and is hard to grasp.
Subjects
Awards
Booker Prize (Longlist — 1977)
Language
Original publication date
1977
Physical description
186 p.; 20 cm
ISBN
0330326481 / 9780330326483