Gosh, I love Margery Sharp. The more I read by her, the more I think she is one of the great underrated novelists of the twentieth century.
I first read her fifteen or sixteen years ago, buying The Foolish Gentlewoman because P.G. Wodehouse mentioned it as a book he loved in a letter somewhere. It wasn’t for a good number of years that I read more by her, but I’ve yet to read a dud – with Cluny Brown and The Gipsy in the Parlour being my favourite. She does funny, she does serious, she sometimes combines them. And we can add The Nutmeg Tree (1937) to the funny shelf, though it’s not without its moments of poignancy.
I don’t really understand why she chose this title. There is a nutmeg tree but it’s not particularly dominant, and I think the title of the film is much better: Julia Misbehaves. I haven’t seen the film, but am told that it is a very loose adaptation.
Julia is misbehaving in the first scene we see her – a glorious opening, where she is in the bath, surrounded by her few possessions. How’s this for an opening line:
Julia, by marriage Mrs Packett, by courtesy Mrs Macdermot, lay in her bath singing the Marseillaise.
We can already guess a little about her character from that ‘by courtesy’. But it takes a few more lines before we realise why her bathroom is filled with a table, a clock, and other potentially valuable items: it’s because the bailiffs are in, and she’s pretty sure they won’t intrude on a lady in the bath.
Julia is a chancer, and has had to be. As we see throughout the novel, she has had to spend much of her life seeking the next source of income – and that has involved a bit of deceit, a bit of flirtation, and a crowd of friends who wouldn’t be received in polite society and, though loyal, are sometimes necessarily fleeting. As she describes herself, she is ‘the sort of woman any one talks to about anything’. Which has its ups and downs.
And, yes, the reader loves her. This one did, anyway.
She is Mrs Packett by name, but the marriage lasted rather less than a year – a war bride, her husband was killed not long after their hasty wedding. Hasty because of war, but also because of Susan: the daughter they had. Her parents-in-law are affluent and kind, if not accustomed to women like Julia, and housed both daughter-in-law and granddaughter. But ultimately Julia decided she would be better off away from them, and that Susan would be better off – financially and otherwise – being raised by her paternal grandparents.
As The Nutmeg Tree opens, she has received an unexpected letter from Susan, now on the cusp of adulthood. She wants to get married, and her grandparents don’t approve of the speed with which she and Bryan wish to wed. Can Julia come and persuade them otherwise? And, with one eye on the bailiffs, Julia decides to go. She hasn’t seen her daughter for sixteen years.
It may be that ‘someone goes on a journey’ and ‘a stranger comes to town’ are the only plots in the world, but I think Sharp is very good at putting a cuckoo in the nest – with either comic or unsettling results. In The Nutmeg Tree, there is a lot of comedy to be got from Julia trying to behave, while not being completely able to keep her true nature hidden. She is the sort of person, for instance, who accidentally joins a circus on the way. But there is always an undercurrent of poignancy here too. Julia is trying to improve herself. She is not an unkind or dishonest person. She has simply had to do what she has to do. And she’s tired.
Once she arrives, she gets tangled in all the relationships there, and a handful of others yet to emerge. It’s just wonderful. Julia is drawn so consistently and with impressive nuance for a character that could have been simply bombast and delight. If the glorious initial scene isn’t matched by a series of equally delicious set pieces, the novel becomes more thoughtful than that opening might leave one to infer – without losing the humour.
Basically, Sharp is brilliant. She should be a household name, in my opinion, and it’s rare to find an author who is so varied and so good at different things. Julia, I’ll miss you, and it was a joy.
She sounds like a fun author.
I have heard of this book and the author, and I really should try one of her books, but I haven’t. I will make an effort to do that.
I’ve been working my way through her books over the last couple of years and haven’t picked up a copy of this one yet. I’ve got one unread on the shelves, Rosa. Apart from one I thought was dire, the rest have been exceptional.
I don’t think I’ve read any Margery Sharp. I need to get going!
I completely agree that Sharp should be a household name! I only discovered her after I started blogging and, despite not immediately adoring her after my first few experiences, kept on reading because I trusted so many of her champions. And they were, of course, right. This is in my top three of her novels as it walks the line perfectly between comedy (which she is always good at) and tenderness (which she can take or leave depending on the novel). The Flowering Thorn is my absolute favourite and Something Light rounds out my trio of favourites.
I love that there were ‘services editions’ of books during the war.
While the Germans were burning books, the Brits knew what they were fighting for…
Looks like another author to check out. I’ve never read any of her books, but I guess I should! Any suggestions regarding where to start?
I’ve only just read my first Margery Sharp – a short story called Night Engagement, from Wave Me Goodbye, a Virago anthology of short stories on WW2, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s an amusing piece, very much in line with your comments on Sharp’s eye for humour. Based on your recommendations, I’ll add The Nutmeg Tree and Cluny Brown to my ever-expanding list for the future. Many thanks!
I loved this too, and thought there was a lot more going on below the surface than appears at first. I wonderful author, and also very funny! :D
I adore Margery Sharp but I’ve not read this, it sounds a joy! I completely agree she is underrated, there’s so much to enjoy in her writing it’s a shame more people don’t know about her.
This sounds wonderful and another new author!
I’ve read the odd Margery Sharp but so long ago that I can’t remember which ones. Pretty sure it didn’t include this one and it sounds really, really appealing!
I loved this one too and also The Flowering Thorn, which I loved. The main character starts out as rather unlikeable but by the end I loved her and everyone else. Pretty sure you’d love it!
I also have The Foolish Gentlewoman, Martha in Paris and The Sun in Scorpio, all as yet unread. Maybe we should have a Margery Sharp reading week someday?
I loved this one, I need to read more of her. Esp that one about the little girl which is a trilogy but what have I done with the other two???
Lovely review! You capture Julia’s character so well. She is a delight. Her escapades are, just like you said, both funny and poignant and though she doesn’t live up to Susan’s starched correctness, she has a good heart and a desire to do the right thing. I am with you and can’t wait to enjoy more Margery Sharp.
I think this is my favourite Margery Sharp (though I keep changing my mind) and Julia is one of the great characters of fiction, I absolutely loved her. It is a wonderful book, and I totally agree that Sharp is woefully under-rated.
What a wonderful review Simon
[Love you on Tea and Books btw but that Rachel needs a digital virtual kick up the pants sometimes barely has enough energy to get out of her own way and leaving dometic tools on to bip at us incessantly is so
‘miss modern very important person who is just too busy to care’ attitude is putting me off the podcast. ]
compare Rachel to Miranda Mills always caring and always mindful of her listeners and followers.
But lets get back to the Margery Sharp revolution happening in my head and my heart …. your glorious fault ! the joining a circus n her way to see her daughter she hasnt seen for 16 years is a true hoot!
I love the genre so wll adire naviating my way through these books
Thankyou as a Diary of a Nobody rereader [10 times at least] and a Barbara Pym devotee let alone the Diary of a Provincial Lady never leaving my side I suspect this lovely author being one of my gang for sure
new from Oz
sorry for typos getting over Covid cant see very well yet….
sorry for typos getting over Covid cant see very well yet….