1949 Club, hosted by Stuck in a Book and Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings, starts on Monday and we will all be reading and writing about books published in that year. It seems to have been a particularly great year for publishing – I have previously reviewed eleven books on my blog and thought I would list them before the week begins. If you haven’t decided what to read yet, maybe you can find some inspiration here!
The Parasites by Daphne du Maurier – After a slow start, I loved this book about three siblings looking back on their childhood and wondering whether they really were ‘parasites’, as a family member once described them. Since reading this book several years ago, I have read some biographies of du Maurier and can see how some elements of the novel were inspired by her own childhood.
Alice by Elizabeth Eliot – This is one of several Elizabeth Eliot novels published by Dean Street Press. Although the title is Alice, the story of Alice’s life actually unfolds through the eyes of her best friend, Margaret, the narrator. I found it dark in places but also amusing and entertaining and I’m sure I’ll be reading more books by Eliot.
The Noh Mask Murder by Akimitsu Takagi – I loved this Japanese crime novel, which is now available from Pushkin Press in a new English translation by Jesse Kirkwood. It’s a very enjoyable locked room mystery and I found it interesting to learn about Japan in the post-war period, as well as the different types of masks used in Japanese theatre.
The Hatter’s Ghosts by Georges Simenon – This is one of Simenon’s short psychological thrillers, which he referred to as romans durs, or ‘hard novels’. It’s an atmospheric, unsettling novel set in a rainy La Rochelle. I read it in an English translation by Howard Curtis.
Crooked House by Agatha Christie – You can always count on Agatha Christie to have had a book published in the relevant year! This is one of her standalones (no Poirot, Miss Marple or Tommy and Tuppence) and concerns the murder of Greek businessman Aristide Leonides. It’s a clever mystery with lots of suspects – and of course, I didn’t manage to solve it.
Gentian Hill by Elizabeth Goudge – I love Elizabeth Goudge’s novels, although this isn’t one of my favourites. It’s set in Devon during the Napoleonic Wars and revolves around the love story between Stella, an adopted girl who lives on a farm, and Zachary, a young sailor who deserts his ship and comes to the farm looking for work. Although the romance didn’t really convince me, I loved the setting and the local legends and folklore woven into the plot.
Vittoria Cottage by DE Stevenson – This is the first in Stevenson’s trilogy about the Dering family who live in Ashbridge, a quiet English village. Like many of Stevenson’s books, this is a gentle, comforting novel with a heroine – Caroline Dering – I liked immediately. I still need to read the other two in the trilogy.
Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski – This is one of my favourite books published by Persephone. It follows the story of Hilary Wainwright who is trying to track down his little boy who disappeared in Paris during the war. It’s such a suspenseful story – you hope there will be a happy ending for Hilary and his son but there’s no guarantee that there will be.
In a Dark Wood Wandering by Hella S Haasse – First published in Dutch, I read this in an English translation by Lewis C Kaplan. It’s a beautifully written historical novel set in France and England during the Hundred Years’ War and it follows the story of Charles of Orléans throughout this turbulent period of history.
Deadly Duo by Margery Allingham – This is a pair of novellas – Wanted: Someone Innocent and Last Act. As far as I can tell, the former was originally published in 1946 but Last Act appeared for the first time in this collection, which was published in 1949. Both of them are crime stories and I preferred the first one to the second.
Head of a Traveller by Nicholas Blake – Nicholas Blake was a pseudonym of the poet Cecil Day-Lewis and under this name he wrote a series of mysteries featuring Nigel Strangeways, a private investigator. Head of a Traveller is the ninth book in the series and in this one Nigel is investigating a murder at a country estate owned by a poet.
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Have you read any of these? Will you be taking part in 1949 Club and if so, what will you be reading?
Yay, love the Little Boy Lost mention – such a moving book and excellent description of postwar Europe.
I loved that book! It’s so emotional and, as you say, it really brings postwar Europe to life.
The only book I own I haven’t read that fits the bill is one you’ve mentioned, Head of a Traveller. Not sure I’ll be able to fit in but we’ll see…
I hope you can fit it in. I think I remember it being a fairly quick read.
If I had unlimited time, I would be reading both Gentian Hill and the Helle S. Haas book in Dutch. I started the latter, thinking I could read 52 pages a day to finish on time, but after two days, I could see it was futile, so it’s back on the back burner.
I loved the Hella S. Haasse but it’s definitely not a book you can rush through. I hope you have a chance to read it later.
It’s very tempting to keep looking up everybody, as they’re real historical figures, whereas I should just trust the author to tell me what I need to know.
It’s such a good year and these are some fab options. I have only read the Christie from your list!!
It’s a great year – so much choice! I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone reads next week.
Only the Christie and Little Boy Lost, both excellent; I found LBL heartbreaking actually
Yes, it’s a very moving book, especially at the end!
A great list! I’ve only read one (The Parasites, which I loved) but several of the others are on my list. I’m seldom organized enough to participate in reading events but I always enjoy seeing what everyone else is reading.
The Parasites is a great book and really deserves more attention. I hope you’re able to read some of the others on this list at some point – I enjoyed all of them.
I might try and get to Crooked House before next week, but I have two others from 1949 on the go, so we’ll see how I get on!
There are so many options for 1949! It seems to have been a particularly great year.
You’ve read loads published during 1949. I think I’d potentially like the first three most, especially Alice based on how you’ve described it. Its a shame Gentian Hill has a weak romance as the fact that it includes local legends and folklore has so much potential.
For most of these club years, I’ve only read a few books and sometimes none, so I was really surprised to see how many I had read for 1949! I enjoyed all of these as well, which is more important.
I just added them all to my TBR. Except for the Agatha Christie, I have not read any and I love the summary of them all that you so wonderfully provided
I enjoyed all of these books and I’m glad you like the summaries – I tried to give an idea of what they’re about without spoiling anything. It’s nice to hear from you. I hope you’re feeling better.
I have read a few here, I’ll do a post on these on Monday.
Too bad, I have The Noh Mask Murder on my TBR, but I had it under 1950!
And another Daphne I have not read yet!
I wasn’t sure about The Noh Mask Murder as I’ve seen different dates for it, but the copyright page in the Pushkin Press edition says it was first published in Japanese in 1949. I’ll look out for your post!
Good post! I read and enjoyed Vittoria Cottage, but it was a rare book that I just never got reviewed. I enjoyed In a Dark Wood Wandering years ago. Good to hear that Alice is worth it!
I read Alice for Dean Street December last year and really enjoyed it. Maybe I’ll read another of Eliot’s books this year!
Looking forward to Dean Street December–I hope it is back?
Ooo, very interesting, I like the sound of The Hatter’s Ghosts, I have only ever read Simenon’s Maigret books, so that will be interesting. Thank you.
I haven’t actually read any of his Maigret books yet – just some of his standalones. I’m hoping to try a Maigret one soon!
I’m sure you will like them. They are gentle and thoughtful.