A Beryl Bibliography – part two

Following on from last week’s post highlighting Beryl’s earlier novels, here is a brief survey of her later novels and other works to help you choose which books, if any, you’d like to read if you join in with Beryl Bainbridge Reading Week in mid-June. Once more, clicking on a book title will take you to the most readily copies available on Amazon UK via my affiliate link, (they’ll return to the bottom of future posts).

We left the bibliography in Part One in the mid 1980s, after Beryl’s first historical novel proper, something she was to continue with great success in some of her later novels…

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Filthy Lucre(1946, pub 1986).  We start off part two though with a piece of Juvenalia written when she was a teenager.  Subtitled The tragedy of Ernest Ledwhistle and Richard Soleway: A story. I’ve not been able to find out anything about the plot, but have ordered a copy of this novella!

An Awfully Big Adventure(1989)  A third shortlisting for the Booker Prize.  Set in 1950 and following the rehearsals for a Christmas production of Peter Pan, this novel follows the coming of age of young Asst Stage Manager Stella, and her relationships with the director Meredith, and the actor playing Hook. A bittersweet tale of innocence and loss. It was made into a rather good movie with Alan Rickman and Hugh Grant (sadly only available on DVD at over-inflated prices).  I loved this book when I read it ages ago, and will re-read for BBRW.

The Birthday Boys(1991) Bainbridge tells the story of Scott’s final push to the South Pole. The five men each take a turn in telling the story, each putting their stamp on the narrative. Masterful – I loved it (review here).

Every Man For Himself(1996) Winner of the Whitbread Novel Prize, and Beryl’s fourth Booker shortlisting.  It tells the fateful story of the Titanic through the eyes of Morgan, a rich young man related to the ship’s owner.  In concentrating on the first class characters, it paints a portrait of an insular group with an impressive array of vices.

Master Georgie (1998) Gaining a final fifth Booker shortlisting, this novel won the posthumous Booker ‘Best of Beryl’. It follows the story of a Liverpudlian doctor who heads for the Crimea for some excitement. His story is narrated by three different voices of those associated with him: an orphan devoted to her Master Georgie; his scholarly brother-in-law; and a street urchin who becomes George’s lover.

According to Queeney(2001)  Beryl brings the last years of great wit Samuel Johnson to life as see through the eyes of Queeney, the first born daughter of his mistress. We meet many other famous names of the period and explore Johnson’s relationship with his friend and benefactor Mrs Thrale.

The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress(2011) Beryl’s last novel returns to the late 1960s after Martin Luther King’s assassination. It follows the story of Rose and a man called Washington Harold who travel across the USA in search of a man called Dr Wheeler – each having a need to find him – one benign, one less so.

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Two collections of short stories are available. Mum and Mr. Armitage: Selected Stories from 1985 – a collection of twelve tales that tend to be unsettling in their conclusions; and Collected Storiesfrom 1994. Later editions of this include Filthy Lucre amongst other additions.

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And finally, briefly – on to Beryl’s non-fiction:

Apart from the odd inclusion in other anthologies, that’s it!  I’ve invested in a copies of everything above that I didn’t already have and as soon as they’ve all arrived, I tempt you further with a photo of my stack!

 

11 thoughts on “A Beryl Bibliography – part two

  1. drharrietd says:

    Oh dear — so many books, so little time. I want to read every single one but obviously I can’t especially as living in France I don’t have access to a library or sources of cheap books. What on earth to do? Any suggestions as to what I really MUST read?

    • gaskella says:

      My advice to anyone who doesn’t know where to start would be to pick one of the 5 Booker shortlisted titles. If you like history – Every man… or Master Georgie, 1950s-70s one of the other three.

  2. LizF says:

    As I have recently acquired ‘According to Queenie’, ‘Master Georgie’ and ‘Every Man for Himself’ because they turned up in charity shops, I seem to be going for the historical side of Beryl’s output!
    Probably a good thing as I have finally recalled that the Bainbridge books I read years ago were ‘Harriet Said’ and ‘Sweet William’ which both have more modern settings!

      • LizF says:

        Not sure that I have the staying power to read the lot in one go but will try and read the three I have in that week although I am tempted to take one of them on holiday with me as airports and flights are usually good reading time.

  3. Col says:

    I’d hoped to pick up some Beryl while in Manchester for a wedding. Alas I was rather more under the affluence of incohol than I’d expected to be so spent Sunday looking for coffee and Nurofen rather than books! However I’m glad now because I’ll go armed with both parts of your Beryl summaries! It must take you hours to do this so thank you!

    • gaskella says:

      Thanks Col. Wedding headaches are always worse because they go on so long and there’s never a cuppa when you need one. Good luck searching.

  4. sshaver says:

    If An Awfully Big Adventure is the movie I’m thinking it is, then it’s one of the very worst films I’ve ever seen.

    I’m sure the book must be better.

  5. Seamus Duggan says:

    It looks like I’m always the nitpicker – sorry? However the book I was most interested in searching out appears to have slipped though a crack – Young Adolf (1978). It should be after Injury Time in Part One. It sounds intriguing to me.

    • gaskella says:

      Blimey – you’re right. I remember writing a bit about it too – but obviously managed to delete it not save it properly! Will rectify.

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