tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post5801568165806582406..comments2024-02-10T19:58:20.327+00:00Comments on Stuck in a Book: Hovel in the Hills - Elizabeth WestStuckInABookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-40421237249944739422014-12-29T17:55:16.650+00:002014-12-29T17:55:16.650+00:00I first read "Hovel in the Hills" as a 9...I first read "Hovel in the Hills" as a 9 year old on holiday in N Wales and loved it. 35 years later I still love it. Elizabeth West is not smug, and she is self-deprecating (look again at the passage when she talks about her problems with the lights when her husband is away; anyone who admits to ending up preparing the veg in the bedroom because she's inadvertently set the radio to play there and now can't get it to play in the kitchen is not smug!), and whilst her husband is terribly good with a spanner, his faults are also presented (look again at his attempts to build a wind proof letter box and the effect this has on the gate!) As a 9 year old townie I wasn't that struck with her nature notes, but I was whisked away by the opening to a wild and rugged landscape quite different from the enclosed woodland landscape of Kent. Of course, the Wests were good at what they did: if they weren't they wouldn't have survived life in Hafod long enough for Elizabeth to write a book. Enjoy it for what it is: two people trying to live according to their lights and recording the things that go wrong for all of us (but more so in isolation) with humour and charm.<br /><br />Incidentally, whilst "The Egg and I" is funny, "Onions in the Stew" is even funnier. I read it as a 15 year old, and greatly annoyed the commuters travelling in my compartment on the train by laughing uproariously for the hour journey up to London. This book can still reduce me to uncontrollable hysterics.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-33231104383797308382014-12-14T15:02:27.955+00:002014-12-14T15:02:27.955+00:00I enjoyed her novel too. I live not far from Denbi...I enjoyed her novel too. I live not far from Denbigh in rural Denbighshire and have seen the place and was surprised to find it by a B road, no doubt the 'lane' in the mid 60's would have been a lot quieter, but in those days the village shop (Nebo) is less than a couple of miles away! (although Llanrwst and Pentrefoelas were in cycling distance) It must be more remote now as like so many rural areas such as were I live, the village post office has sadly gone. When I moved up to North Wales in 1964 (as a mid teen) there were village shops in plentiful supply!<br /><br />I was astonished about him falling out over a fence (I think at Mrs Horsefields the watermill Pentrefoelas it's the only place I can think of I use to love her whole wheat porridge meal, please correct if I'm wrong) as local jobs are so hard to find I would have gone well out of my way to hold on to it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-37646168087834316292014-10-27T22:36:36.066+00:002014-10-27T22:36:36.066+00:00I'm glad you liked it! I confess to being unde...I'm glad you liked it! I confess to being under 40 (28) but resent the 'town' bit - I am a proud country boy!<br /><br />I certainly couldn't cope without plumbing, but I loved Betty MacDonald's book without for a moment thinking I could live in that situation. It was the lack of humour in this book that I couldn't cope with. But - horses for courses! As I say, I'm v pleased that you did like it, especially with the site being so close. And you found it amusing, no less! StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-46007016822562273312014-10-27T08:25:43.150+00:002014-10-27T08:25:43.150+00:00Simon, I have just, last night, finished Hovel in...Simon, I have just, last night, finished Hovel in the Hills and enjoyed it immensely. I wonder if your dislike is partly because of your age, I'm guessing under 40, partly because grew up in a town and time when everyone had indoor plumbing and central heating, and cannot conceive of a life without such luxuries. You are one of the person that Elizabeth West is indeed mocking, and I found it very amusing. <br />I also love it because I live only 15 miles from where her hovel was so can generally relate to most of it.<br />She chose to reconnect with nature and was prepared to forgo your necessities to have the time with the birds and the land. I envy her greatly. Mrs.Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08853306570867209858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-12102047693185948852014-02-17T02:31:41.941+00:002014-02-17T02:31:41.941+00:00Betty MacDonald is beloved all over the world.
Be...Betty MacDonald is beloved all over the world. <br />Betty MacDonald fan club got fans from 5 continents.<br />It's too sad Betty MacDonald passed away at the age of only 50. <br />Wolfgang Hampel who interviewed Betty MacDonald's family and friends is working on a new Betty MacDonald biography and documentary.<br /><br />Linde<br />Betty MacDonald Fan Clubhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15388942569315864610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-61164233881068923402014-01-18T15:00:41.618+00:002014-01-18T15:00:41.618+00:00If you look at my review directory, you'll see...If you look at my review directory, you'll see that I LOVE those Shirley Jackson books! Indeed, they were among my top tens in the respective years I read them. So very, very funny. They're not at all well know here, which is a shame.StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-47806395163117870172014-01-18T14:59:46.205+00:002014-01-18T14:59:46.205+00:00Oo, depressing is a stop even further in the wrong...Oo, depressing is a stop even further in the wrong direction... I'll stick to Betty M, I think!StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-8635058892126651702014-01-18T14:59:13.852+00:002014-01-18T14:59:13.852+00:00Hi Lori - I hope people spot your comment, because...Hi Lori - I hope people spot your comment, because if they might like this book they should definitely give it a go! :)<br />The last house I lived in had wet walls... it was pretty miserable.StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-55432884862818080252014-01-18T14:58:18.121+00:002014-01-18T14:58:18.121+00:00Thanks Ruthiella, it is rather!
During my finals r...Thanks Ruthiella, it is rather!<br />During my finals revision, there were a pair of ducks which hung out around the quad (we named them Alfred and Isodora) and Isodora always shoved Alfred out of the way when food was on offer...StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-19949598806035213922014-01-18T14:55:29.707+00:002014-01-18T14:55:29.707+00:00There are definitely some uncomfortable moments in...There are definitely some uncomfortable moments in the Egg & I, but I'm a big believer in not rejecting books of the past for not adhering to standards of the present. And I think I have all four of her autobiographical books, so must binge sometime!StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-80270010399187346062014-01-18T14:54:22.764+00:002014-01-18T14:54:22.764+00:00I certainly found her irritating - but it might we...I certainly found her irritating - but it might well be my sense of inferiority!StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-87644919465098359242014-01-18T14:52:45.579+00:002014-01-18T14:52:45.579+00:00So far I've only read the one Macdonald book, ...So far I've only read the one Macdonald book, but I have plenty on my shelves, including that one - hurrah!StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-53883769680801139972014-01-14T15:01:40.102+00:002014-01-14T15:01:40.102+00:00The Egg and I remains the funniest book I've e...The Egg and I remains the funniest book I've ever read, and I have searched in vain for anything else to come close. (I think that's why I can't appreciate Cold Comfort Farm as I should; I wanted it to be hilarious.) In my quest, the books that have come closest may not appeal to everyone, but I thought I'd mention them just in case they aren't as well known in the UK as they are here in the US: Shirley Jackson (yes, of "The Lottery" fame) wrote two autobiographical books about parenthood, and they're both excellent: Life Among the Savages and its sequel, Raising Demons. Worth a peek.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09573992664151571469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-69679616879218754482014-01-14T04:06:23.677+00:002014-01-14T04:06:23.677+00:00If I'm going to read about farming, restoring,...If I'm going to read about farming, restoring, etc, I want it to be funny! Or inspiring, but inspiring with humor. <br />This reminds me a bit of The Guynd by Belinda Rathbone about an American woman who moves to her Scottish husband's decrepit ancestral home. It was interesting, but not funny enough to make it bearable - the tragedy and disappointments overwhelmed the triumphs. Depressing.Anbolynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10080054175904900094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-17261548180770018832014-01-14T01:40:09.936+00:002014-01-14T01:40:09.936+00:00Hello Simon, I read this one many years ago and I...Hello Simon, I read this one many years ago and I had quite a different impression of it! I really liked it and was amazed how they could cope living under such circumstances ( I remember being appalled at the wet walls). I read another one of hers called Garden In the Hills. Perhaps I didn't feel the same about their ability to cope as my father is one of those men who can figure out how to do most anything, although he's never smug about it! I admired their desire to break away from the rat race and work hard to make their new life work. There were a little bit ahead of the crowd in taking up the self-sufficient lifestyle, before it became an in-thing. I just had a different impression about it, so maybe some others might not find them as annoying! Lorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11834243825586087161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-11344123214234809392014-01-13T22:41:06.573+00:002014-01-13T22:41:06.573+00:00That passage you quoted about the birds makes me t...That passage you quoted about the birds makes me think about the feral cats I used to feed on my front porch. The boy cats would always let the female eat first and I too thought they were being gentlemanly. But maybe they were just terrified instead? <br /><br />Anyway, sorry the book didn’t turn out to be totally entertaining, but your review was very entertaining, if that is any consolation! <br />Ruthiellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03871834571645928819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-81443370815069815872014-01-13T17:04:43.242+00:002014-01-13T17:04:43.242+00:00Mm, Betty Macdonald. Add me to the list of her man...Mm, Betty Macdonald. Add me to the list of her many fans. (Though I recently did see somewhere that she has taken some flak from the political correctees for her occasional comments re: some of the Native American characters in The Egg & I).<br /><br />Anyone Can Do Anything is fabulous as well. Actually all four of her autobiographical books are grand. Onions in the Stew is possibly my least favourite of the lot, but it's still darned funny and very much worth reading.<br /><br />Re: Elizabeth West - though I haven't come across this book, my hopes would have been the same as yours. Smugness is no fun in these sorts of books. I completely agree with your requirements for gentle self-deprecation to make such autobiographies fully sympathetic to the reader.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-66915373737380105092014-01-13T16:12:50.465+00:002014-01-13T16:12:50.465+00:00Sounds like she's awfully irritating! You need...Sounds like she's awfully irritating! You need things to go wrong for a while until they go right! I shall avoid...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-22125321896418534552014-01-13T08:24:57.418+00:002014-01-13T08:24:57.418+00:00I don't know Elizabeth West, but just wanted t...I don't know Elizabeth West, but just wanted to add my love of Betty Macdonald. She's wonderful. Have you read 'The Plague and I'?Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05947813616174735692noreply@blogger.com