| A Novel by Muriel Spark |
The May of Teck Club ‘exists for the Pecuniary Convenience and Social Protection of Ladies of Slender Means below the age of Thirty Years’. Nevertheless, and though there is a war on, they find the time between elocution lessons to jostle one another over suitors (some more suitable than others) and a single Schiaparelli gown. But can a love of literature, fine clothes and amorous young men save these young ladies from the horrors of the real world?
Many of the group were moved by the crisp descriptions and witty, sharp observations, by the representation of a society caught at a moment of transition, with all its fragilities and uncertainties. They appreciated the economy of the writing and the wonderful characterisations.
Others found that the work of the well-known Scottish writer left them cold. They couldn’t engage with the characters, whom some thought to be no more than caricatures, or the narrative. They would have welcomed a longer novel where the themes could be expanded on and developed. Everyone seemed to enjoy the plot twist at the end, though.
This novel drew the following scores from our members: one person gave it 10 out of 10, four gave it 9, five 8, one 7, one 6, two 5, one 4 and one 3.