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The Charmers

By Stella Gibbons
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3.35 goodreads logo

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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Miss Christine Smith, after losing her long-held office job, becomes the housekeeper for a group of middle-aged artists. Set amid the social and political shifts of the 1960s, the novel captures their seemingly stagnant lives and Christine's deepening spirituality influenced by a past mystical experience and her new surroundings.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This novel will appeal to readers interested in sharp social observation, British class dynamics, and character-driven stories set against mid-20th-century societal change.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Thrown out of her long-established office job, Miss Christine Smith takes up a new role as housekeeper for a group of middle-aged artists. Written in the 1960s, surrounded by social and political transitions, the novel focuses on change, or the lack thereof.

'Gibbons was an acute and witty observer, and her dissection of the British class system is spot-on' - Mail on Sunday

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

'Gibbons was an acute and witty observer, and her dissection of the British class system is spot-on' - Mail on Sunday

Thrown out of her long-established office job, Miss Christine Smith takes up a new role as housekeeper for a group of middle-aged artists. Charmed by a previous mystical experience, her spirituality is nurtured further by the tenants, who seem stuck in their own personal lull.

Written in the 1960s, surrounded by social and political transitions, the novel focuses on change, or the lack thereof.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Mail on Sunday praises Stella Gibbons as an acute and witty observer with a precise dissection of the British class system. Lynn Truss compares Gibbons to the Jane Austen of the 20th century, highlighting her sharp social commentary.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780099560548

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 04 August 2011

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage Classics

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 15.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 171g

Pages: 240

Collections

Best Sellers at Book Hero Classic Fiction Classic General Fiction Fiction General Fiction In Stock Books In-Stock Fiction Books Literary Fiction New Release Fiction New Zealand and Australia Published Penguin Books Stella Gibbons

About the Author

Stella Gibbons was born in London in 1902. She went to the North London Collegiate School and studied journalism at University College, London. She then worked for ten years on various papers, including the Evening Standard. Stella Gibbons is the author of twenty-five novels, three volumes of short stories, and four volumes of poetry. Her first publication was a book of poems, The Mountain Beast (1930) and her first novel Cold Comfort Farm (1932) won the Femina Vie Heuruse Prize for 1933. Among her works are Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm (1940) Westwood (1946), Conference at Cold Comfort Farm (1959) and Starlight (1967). She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1950. In 1933 she married the actor and singer Allan Webb. They had one daughter. Stella Gibbons died in 1989.

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