This book is right up my alley - a Bloomsbury reissue of a lost 1940's British gem. While on vacation in Ireland, friends Norman and Henry amuse themselves by going into a church and find themselves telling them sexton that they know someone who know's the old pastor. An 83 year old woman poet who was the niece of the Duke of Grosvenor with a cockatoo named Dr. Pepusch, a hip bath and a harp… It's all fun and games until she shows up on Norman's doorstep in Cornford England shortly after. Much confusion and silliness ensue. Miss Hargreaves and Norman (her primary creator) wind up in a power struggle of wills and a battle for survival. It's hard for me to say if Miss Hargreaves is supposed to be a likable character. Norman's mother says it best: "I think one could get quite fond of her, and yet never want to set eyes on her again." She is a British octogenarian version of Frankenstein's monster and Norman has a love/hate relationship with his creation. Even when Norman is loving her, I was felt like I wasn't quite seeing her with sympathetic eyes. But Miss H does drive the action in the book and Baker sends many other characters into the fray for the reader to enjoy. Norman's family is particularly funny, especially his father who is constantly talking in non-sequitors and telling strange stories that are wholly unrelated to the situation at hand. I particularly love this Bloomsbury reissue with the pen and ink drawing on the opening page and the samples of Miss H's poetry in the back. What I wouldn't give to be at Miss H's cottage in Cornford, Lessway's, for a night of readings from Wayside Bundle and Mr Huntley's air on G string. Truly one of the most unusual books I've ever read. A young man and his friend make up a story about a woman and, to their surprise, she appears on their doorstep! I didn't think I wanted to finish it, so about half way through I started reading it from the back. When I couldn't decide where to end, I gave up and started reading again, finishing it tonight. Sometimes I need to be stretched as a reader, and I don't regret reading it from beginning to end.
What do You think about Miss Hargreaves (1940)?
A lovely bit of fluff. I'm glad that Bloomsbury decided to rescue and reprint Miss Hargreaves.
—Vedaa
Unlikeable characters. Much of the old-fashioned prose didn't translate for a modern reader.
—Alexou
