tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post3040856448687373947..comments2024-03-26T17:48:56.627+00:00Comments on 'Do You Write Under Your Own Name?': Forgotten Book - The Hours Before DawnMartin Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-74813442329613324682014-07-20T21:55:16.785+01:002014-07-20T21:55:16.785+01:00Deb, Kacper, I haven't actually read the Freml...Deb, Kacper, I haven't actually read the Fremlins you mention, and I shall be glad to catch up on them. A very good writer.Martin Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-66565904011062376402014-07-20T21:54:28.748+01:002014-07-20T21:54:28.748+01:00Harriet, I've enjoyed reading your reviews, an...Harriet, I've enjoyed reading your reviews, and thanks for highlighting Shiny New Books, which looks very good.Martin Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-2300983786976927622014-07-20T21:53:52.403+01:002014-07-20T21:53:52.403+01:00Thanks, everyone, for these appreciative comments....Thanks, everyone, for these appreciative comments. Fremlin certainly struck a chord with this excellent book. Martin Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-51393860569974864342014-07-20T18:01:35.005+01:002014-07-20T18:01:35.005+01:00I read this when it first appeared thank to the lo...I read this when it first appeared thank to the long forgotten Book-Mobile. I've never forgotten. I reread it maybe ten years ago and found it had lost little of its power. Ed Gormanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06126267358266480356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-39480463502766490932014-07-18T18:32:08.386+01:002014-07-18T18:32:08.386+01:00Fremlin is one of my favorite authors - thank you ...Fremlin is one of my favorite authors - thank you for featuring her, Martin! I agree that some things about The Hours Before Dawn are a little clumsy, though I still do love the novel. I think my favorites from her oeuvre are The Jealous One, Possession, and The Long Shadow, but I do think most of her novels (with the exception of 2 or 3) are first rate. <br /><br />My impression of the husband's portrayal in Hours was always that it was a commentary on the gender roles of the time - Mark wasn't personally a monster to be so uninvolved, just a typical father and husband of the 1950s. Obviously Fremlin was critical of the model. Kacperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15219607289740142139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-68684933350479250692014-07-18T15:28:56.477+01:002014-07-18T15:28:56.477+01:00I wrote an FFB about Fremlin's Uncle Paul a fe...I wrote an FFB about Fremlin's Uncle Paul a few years ago. It was published in 1959 and did a marvelous job of capturing the tail end of "Austerity Britain." She also did a fine job of catching the growing fear and uncertainty of a woman who is not even sure what she's afraid of. And, yes, even the men who were supposed to be supportive and loving were portrayed as quite unsympathetic.Debnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-82039910369777894752014-07-18T12:17:03.538+01:002014-07-18T12:17:03.538+01:00I admired much in this book too.I admired much in this book too.pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-12697962020788906552014-07-18T10:33:27.497+01:002014-07-18T10:33:27.497+01:00Fremlin is amazing. Your readers might like to kno...Fremlin is amazing. Your readers might like to know that all her novels and short stories are now available on Faber Finds. I've reviewed this, and several others including The Spider Orchid, on my blog (http://harrietdevine.typepad.com/harriet_devines_blog/2014/07/the-spider-orchid.html) and on Shiny New Books (http://www.shinynewbooks.co.uk). harriethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04470091985662379182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-79027240344002710492014-07-18T10:29:47.954+01:002014-07-18T10:29:47.954+01:00Agreed, Moira. It's a book that certainly stan...Agreed, Moira. It's a book that certainly stands re-reading. And the 'period' feel adds a layer of interest to, I think.Martin Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16082485795280777670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7291823984059320518.post-73371552916179071962014-07-18T09:53:28.964+01:002014-07-18T09:53:28.964+01:00I remember reading this book long ago and liking i...I remember reading this book long ago and liking it very much - I'm a big Fremlin fan. I read it before I had my own children, and it would be interesting to re-read now, as even then I found her tropes on motherhood very interesting.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.com