3.5
Quartet in Autumn
ByPublisher 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
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
Download the free Fable app
Stay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
Rate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
Curate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesStay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building toolRate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tagsCurate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesQuartet in Autumn Reviews
3.5
“In full transparency, I was only able to finish this novel so quickly, despite its short page count, due to having the Arcola Theater's wonderful production of this novel running through my head while I read. That production gave life, mannerisms, and sympathy to Pym's unlikable cast of characters in one of the driest novels I've read in some time. There is no ornamentation of prose here and the humor is also incredibly dry and at times mean. It's a story of a group of lonely individuals though I can argue it doesn't really say much and that really only two of the four are truly lonely. There is a bit of subtext about religion vs social programs, but Pym doesn't seem to come out for either side. Also, I'm actually surprised that this was written by a women as sometimes it feels a bit misogynistic and the ending needed a lot more explanation! Overall, besides the social drama, I don't really see the point of reading this one, but at least it led to an incredibly poignant play about aging and what one does with oneself when one no longer has the structure of work to fall back on.”
“Such a sad little book...”
About Barbara Pym
A writer from the age of sixteen, BARBARA PYM has been acclaimed as "the most underrated writer of the century" (Philip Larkin). Pym’s substantial reputation evolved through the publication of six novels from 1950 to 1961, then resumed in 1977 with the publication of Quartet in Autumn and three other novels. She died in 1980.
Other books by Barbara Pym
Start a Book Club
Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!FAQ
Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?
Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?
How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?
Do you sell physical books too?
Are book clubs free to join on Fable?
How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?
