Miss Hargreaves

Miss Hargreaves: A Novel by Frank Baker

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


"When, on the spur of a moment, Norman Huntley and his friend Henry invent an eighty-three-year-old woman called Miss Hargreaves, they are inspired to mail a letter to their new fictional friend. It is only meant to be a silly, harmless game -- until she arrives on their doorstep. She is, to Norman's utter disbelief, exactly as he had imagined her: eccentric and endlessly astounding. He hadn't imagined, however, how much havoc an imaginary octogenarian could wreak on his sleepy Buckinghamshire town. Norman has some explaining to do, but how will he begin to explain to his friends, family, and girlfriend where Miss Hargreaves came from when he hasn't the faintest clue himself? Will his once-ordinary, once-peaceful life ever be the same again? And what's more,does he want it to be?"
~~back cover

Here's a review from my friend Simon. Simon loves this book -- it's got to be one of his Desert Island books:

"...if you only read one book I recommend, let this one be it. It will change your life - honest. (Only very *slightly* over the top...) I can't think of a novel which compares; Miss Hargreaves is truly in a class of its own.

"Norman and his friend Henry are on holiday in Lusk - on a dull day they wander into a church, and have to make conversation with an even duller verger. On the spur of the moment, Norman says he has a shared acquaintance with the parish's old vicar - and that acquaintance is one Miss Hargreaves. She's nearly ninety, carries a hip flask, bath and cockatoo with her everywhere, not to mention Sarah the dog. Continuing the joke, they send a letter to her supposed hotel, asking if she'd like to come and stay. When Miss Constance Hargreaves arrives on a train, Norman has some explaining to do, and the strange occurences are just beginning...

It is a cliche of criticism, but Miss Hargreaves genuinely did make me both laugh and cry - and pretty much every emotion in between. I thought the theme would pall, but Baker keeps the momentum going for every page, and I never wanted it to end. And though this is without doubt Connie's book, the secondary characters are also wonderful - especially Norman's bookshop-owning father, Mr. Huntley. As my friend Curzon recently said "what a joyous book! I loved every moment" - in fact, don't just take our words for it. I have forced - apologies, suggested - this book to so many people, probably two dozen, and only one has not raved. If you've liked any of the other books I've mentioned, I guarantee you'll love this. And you're in hallowed company - Elaine at Random Jottings, Lisa at Blue Stalking, Ruth at Crafty People, and Lynne at dovegreyreader are all fanatics."
~~Simon Thomas, stuck-in-a-book.blogspot.com

From Amazon:
www.briansibleysblog.blogspot.com says: "A fantasy of the most hilarious description. Miss Hargreaves may be the utterest lunacy - a tissue of moonshine - but it is the kind of novel, I fancy, that is badly wanted at the moment, and its central idea is one which has rarely, if, indeed, ever, been used before."

The Sunday Times says: "A comedy about the creative imagination, loss of control and the pressures of conformity."

The Independent says: "This is a masterpiece of imaginative fiction ... mystical, humorous and poignant. Once this extraordinary woman has entered your life, you'll never want her to leave."

Sometimes I wonder if I've read the same book as everyone else did. It started out as great fun: Miss Hargreaves arrives in Cornfold in answer to Norman's letter and the fun begins. I expected her to be just a remarkable coincidence, but then the coincidences became too strained: Norman and Henry decided that Miss Hargreaves has a cockatoo named Dr Pepusch, and sure enough, the real Miss Hargreaves arrives complete with a cockatoo named Dr Pepusch. Etc.

I expected a sweet old lady, all tea cozies, WI and herbaceous borders. Which she definitely is not! I didn't find her a sympathetic character, although Norman did (alternating with anger and loathing.) Norman, by the way, started out as a Bertie Wooster sort of young man: weedy & a bit wet. As things progressed, he became more and more ineffective, as I suppose he must have done or the story would have been completely different.

This book is the "utterest lunacy", but it wasn't a lunacy I could join in. I'm much more a P.G. Wodehouse lunacy sort of person.



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