WWW Wednesday - 1952 Edition

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Love for Lydia by H.E. Bates caught my eye when I was looking for a book for the forthcoming 1952 Club, hosted by Stuck-in-a-Book and Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings. It’s a coming of age story about an impetuous young woman, newly orphaned, who comes to live with her aunts and uncle, and the young newspaper assistant who is mesmerized by her.  The book was dramatized on ITV and Masterpiece Theatre in the 70s but somehow I never saw it.

Reading Next

I’ve been thinking about reading Giant by Edna Ferber because there’s a new book that caught my eye: Giant Love: Edna Ferber, Her Best-selling Novel of Texas, and the Making of a Classic American Film. I shouldn’t read that without reading Giant first, right?

What I’ve Read

I’ve read quite a few books published in 1952, including but not limited to:

The Glitter and the Gold: The American Duchess in Her Own Words by Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan. My mother bought this at a library book sale when I was in high school and I was fascinated by Consuelo’s ambitious and abusive mother (who appeared in a book I read recently, The Colony Club) and a daughter who allowed herself to be bullied into marriage.

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. This is another book I read in high school and disliked. However, I was able to work it into several assignments because once you’ve read a few pages, you will certainly never forget it!

The Cardboard Crown by Martin Boyd. My friend Emily recommended this book (first in a quartet) set at the end of the 19th century about an Anglo-Australian family that doesn’t fully belong to either country. My review.

Sweet Adventure by Mary Burchell. Nicola sets out on a “motoring holiday” – what I would call a road trip and gets lost (no GPS), witnesses a death, becomes temporary guardian to a small girl and, yes, there is romance in store. Mary Burchell is my comfort read.

They Do It With Mirrors by Agatha Christie. When Miss Marple goes to visit an old school friend, she finds a disturbing setup. Carrie Louise is living with her third husband in the country at a rehabilitation center for teens, and when someone tries to kill the husband, the delinquent teens are suspected. My review.

The Circus of Adventure by Enid Blyton. Jack, Lucy-Ann, Philip, Dinah (and Kiki the parrot) are worried their holidays will be ruined by a spoiled guest, Gustavus Barmilevo. Gussy turns out to be prince, sought by revolutionaries who want to put him on the throne of some Ruritanian country. When the others are kidnapped, it is up to Jack to save them all.  I think this is the one with the daring tightrope scene!

The Birds by Daphne du Maurier. The Birds is a short story that appears in several collections of du Maurier’s fiction. It starts with quiet Nat Hocken noticing the birds are gathering and beginning to attack, but no one believes him – and then it is too late. The Hitchcock movie is actually based on another story altogether, not by du Maurier. My review.

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. We read this my sophomore year of high school and I disliked it. All I remember is the rape fantasy, which I found distasteful. Maybe a year makes a difference: my niece is reading it as a junior and appreciates it much more than I did.

With Love From Karen by Marie Killilea. This is a tearjerker and bestseller, beloved by many. When Killilea’s child Karen was born with cerebral palsy, doctors were not supportive and she had to become a fierce advocate for her daughter to help her survive and learn to walk. 

Don’t Cry Little Girl by Janet Lambert. When Tippy Parrish sends her beau off to fight in Korea, she has no idea he will die in combat. Everyone tells her to dry her tears and get over it – they weren’t engaged – but Tippy finds it very difficult. It takes a lot of Kleenex to read this book!

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis. In the third Narnia book, Edmund and Lucy, along with their annoying cousin Eustace, join Prince Caspian on a voyage to the Eastern Seas in search of seven missing noblemen. My review.

Betsy and the Great World by Maud Hart Lovelace. In one of the last books in the series, Betsy travels to Europe to gain experience as she tries to become a writer. She starts in Germany, then goes to Italy, France, and is staying at a lively boarding house near the British Museum when WWI breaks out, and she decides it is time to go home.

The Borrowers by Mary Norton. Norton’s famous fantasy is about the Clock family, tiny people who live secretly in the walls and floors of an English house and “borrow” from the big people in order to survive.

Mrs. Tim Flies Home by D.E. Stevenson. After 18 months in Kenya with her husband, Tim, a colonel on active duty, Hester Christie wants to spend time with her children, so flies home to England, with a layover in Rome and various adventures before she reaches her new home. My review.

The Singing Sands by Josephine Tey. After a breakdown of sorts, Inspector Alan Grant is heading to Scotland to visit his cousin Laura when he encounters a dead man on the train. He tries not to get involved but later realizes he has the man’s newspaper and sees a verse about the singing sands. Solving the mystery helps restore him to health.

Black Banner Players by Geoffrey Trease. Bill Melbury and his friend Tim go to a grammar school that is too old-fashioned to allow the nearby girls’ high school, attended by Bill’s sister Sue and her friend Penny Morchard, to participate in its drama productions, so they start their own group. This is a fun, contemporary series set in the Lake District. My review.

Marsha-on-Stage by Amelia Elizabeth Walden. Marsha is another ambitious high school student who wants to be an actress but her resentment of a newcomer causes her to spoil his production. When she realizes how much she hurt him, she is sorry and will have to win back his trust. My review.

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. My favorite of White’s novels for children, about Wilbur the Pig and Charlotte the spider who saves his life.

Have you read anything published in 1952? Some of these would be a good choice!