Recommend a not-sad novel for a Silent generation/millennial book club?
February 12, 2023 1:35 PM Subscribe
My best friend is in a book club with her grandmother in her 90s, and they have struggled to find books they all enjoy.
The only successes so far:
- Pride and Prejudice
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Some preferences from grandma:
- She is too old to read sad books - when they chose 'Homegoing', she stopped after 2 chapters for that reason
- She likes James Michener and Russian history
- They tried Persuasion by Jane Austen but she found it too confusing
- Friend thinks she likes romantic novels
The only successes so far:
- Pride and Prejudice
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Some preferences from grandma:
- She is too old to read sad books - when they chose 'Homegoing', she stopped after 2 chapters for that reason
- She likes James Michener and Russian history
- They tried Persuasion by Jane Austen but she found it too confusing
- Friend thinks she likes romantic novels
I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith’s 1949 romantic novel
posted by SomethinsWrong at 2:49 PM on February 12, 2023 [17 favorites]
posted by SomethinsWrong at 2:49 PM on February 12, 2023 [17 favorites]
Circe by Madeline Miller
Sorry and Bliss by Meg Mason
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
The No-Show by Beth O'Leary (romance with a very interesting structure)
All of these books are non-sad -- though there may be sad parts, they have optimistic endings.
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:50 PM on February 12, 2023
Sorry and Bliss by Meg Mason
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
The No-Show by Beth O'Leary (romance with a very interesting structure)
All of these books are non-sad -- though there may be sad parts, they have optimistic endings.
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:50 PM on February 12, 2023
A Gentleman in Moscow
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 2:54 PM on February 12, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 2:54 PM on February 12, 2023 [10 favorites]
Ooh, also Alice Munro stories, maybe a “best of” like this: A Wilderness Station
posted by SomethinsWrong at 2:55 PM on February 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by SomethinsWrong at 2:55 PM on February 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
Jessamyn West (the writer!) wrote a couple Civil War era novels about a Quaker family in Indiana, Friendly Persuasion and Except fo Me and Thee. (Friendly Persuasion was made into a wonderful movie with Gary Cooper)
posted by TWinbrook8 at 3:02 PM on February 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by TWinbrook8 at 3:02 PM on February 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Cold Comfort Farm
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 3:06 PM on February 12, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 3:06 PM on February 12, 2023 [7 favorites]
If they both liked Pride and Prejudice, I'd suggest Sense and Sensibility.
posted by FencingGal at 4:23 PM on February 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by FencingGal at 4:23 PM on February 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
I wonder if Maeve Binchy (Circle of Friends) or Rosamunde Pilcher (Coming Home—The She’ll Seekers might be too sad) might work? They are comforting and readable but still much to potentially discuss, from the mores of the time, to character choices and motivations etc, life during WWII (the Pilcher) and so on.
posted by HonoriaGlossop at 4:26 PM on February 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by HonoriaGlossop at 4:26 PM on February 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
A Gentleman in Moscow is a tale of intergenerational friendship set across decades of Russian history, so I think it's perfect.
posted by acidic at 4:44 PM on February 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by acidic at 4:44 PM on February 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
The Thursday Murder Club is very popular among book clubs. And if they like it, there are 2 more in the series.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 4:55 PM on February 12, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 4:55 PM on February 12, 2023 [8 favorites]
If she likes Russian history and is willing to read fantasy, what about Monday Begins On Saturday? It is one of the the Strugatsky brothers' only funny books - a sunny parody of a Russian research institute....if they were researching magic. Anyone who likes books about scientists and bureaucracy will like this one, but nothing awful happens.
Also, what about Georgette Heyer's Arabella? I would not unequivocally recommend Heyer in general, but that one IIRC I liked, and it is a romance.
For an aura of romance generally, why not Nancy Mitford? Don't Tell Alfred is the lightest - it's about a woman whose husband is appointed ambassador to France and various hijinks ensue. You have to have some patience for books about upper middle class British people, but it's very charming as long as you do.
Miss Buncle's Book is extremely silly and a romance.
Maybe Gaudy Night?
Dodie Smith wrote a number of books that I think are better and more complex than I Capture The Castle (so if you like ICTC I highly highly recommend her other books - I was delighted to discover them myself). I think The New Moon With The Old is the happiest.
I read a bunch of memoirs earlier in the pandemic - Dodie Smith has some memoirs, so does Noel Streatfield (the Shoes books).
posted by Frowner at 5:05 PM on February 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
Also, what about Georgette Heyer's Arabella? I would not unequivocally recommend Heyer in general, but that one IIRC I liked, and it is a romance.
For an aura of romance generally, why not Nancy Mitford? Don't Tell Alfred is the lightest - it's about a woman whose husband is appointed ambassador to France and various hijinks ensue. You have to have some patience for books about upper middle class British people, but it's very charming as long as you do.
Miss Buncle's Book is extremely silly and a romance.
Maybe Gaudy Night?
Dodie Smith wrote a number of books that I think are better and more complex than I Capture The Castle (so if you like ICTC I highly highly recommend her other books - I was delighted to discover them myself). I think The New Moon With The Old is the happiest.
I read a bunch of memoirs earlier in the pandemic - Dodie Smith has some memoirs, so does Noel Streatfield (the Shoes books).
posted by Frowner at 5:05 PM on February 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
I’m still reading it now so I don’t know if it ends sadly, but maybe The Essex Serpent?
posted by jeoc at 5:15 PM on February 12, 2023
posted by jeoc at 5:15 PM on February 12, 2023
This one is arguably a stretch, but Georg Saunders’ ”A Swim in a Pond in the Rain” is wonderful, even if you are not a writer. It’s four classic Russian short stories, with Saunders’ comments on why they work well as short stories, infused with immense compassion for writer, and characters, and anyone who finds themselves here, on this planet.
One story is sad, tho. But Saunders talks about why that sadness is important, and you feel ok at the end — still sad, but the sadness no longer diminishes you.
posted by Silvery Fish at 5:17 PM on February 12, 2023
One story is sad, tho. But Saunders talks about why that sadness is important, and you feel ok at the end — still sad, but the sadness no longer diminishes you.
posted by Silvery Fish at 5:17 PM on February 12, 2023
omg, of course, Rumer Godden. Kingfishers Catch Fire or An Episode of Sparrows, The Greengage Summer, China Court…really anything by her.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:18 PM on February 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:18 PM on February 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
If I Capture the Castle is a success, then I recommend A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper or The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice. They all have a similar feel.
posted by Constance Mirabella at 6:08 PM on February 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Constance Mirabella at 6:08 PM on February 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
Maeve Binchy's "Evening Class" is a fast-moving many-characters feel-good soap opera.
posted by brainwane at 6:19 PM on February 12, 2023
posted by brainwane at 6:19 PM on February 12, 2023
Miss Pettigrew lives for a day
posted by brujita at 6:55 PM on February 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by brujita at 6:55 PM on February 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
Grown Ups by Marian Keyes is a lovely, uplifting story about a big Irish family.
posted by rpfields at 7:33 PM on February 12, 2023
posted by rpfields at 7:33 PM on February 12, 2023
Oh, A Brief History of Montmaray and its sequels are simply wonderful. Love those books a lot, and yeah, they have a very similar feeling to Cold Comfort Farm, especially the first one.
posted by suelac at 7:35 PM on February 12, 2023
posted by suelac at 7:35 PM on February 12, 2023
If fantasy-of-manners is in-bounds, perhaps Sorcery and Cecilia, or, The Enchanted Chocolate Pot.
posted by humbug at 8:00 PM on February 12, 2023
posted by humbug at 8:00 PM on February 12, 2023
I mean, this is a softball, but Agatha Christie is engaging stuff that I assume would go over well with the elderly.
posted by arxeef at 2:54 AM on February 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by arxeef at 2:54 AM on February 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
The beginning of spring, by Penelope Fitzgerald.
Russian history, some emotional upheaval, a bit of a mystery, but it does end on a conciliatory, life-affirming note.
posted by sohalt at 5:15 AM on February 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
Russian history, some emotional upheaval, a bit of a mystery, but it does end on a conciliatory, life-affirming note.
posted by sohalt at 5:15 AM on February 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
Travels With Charlie by John Steinbeck is not a novel, but a travelogue. Steinbeck was trying to capture what America was like in 1960. It might be of interest if it covers parts of the US that your Grandmother was familiar with.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:51 AM on February 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by SemiSalt at 5:51 AM on February 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
Maybe something by Barbara Kingsolver? Prodigal Summer?
posted by gaspode at 6:00 AM on February 13, 2023
posted by gaspode at 6:00 AM on February 13, 2023
+1 to Cold Comfort Farm
Adding Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
posted by Mchelly at 7:13 AM on February 13, 2023
Adding Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
posted by Mchelly at 7:13 AM on February 13, 2023
Also this one's more recent, but I think straightforward and lovely and fun enough that it should fit with the others you listed... assuming that her relative won't have an issue with (SFW) LGBTQ content - Less is a delight.
posted by Mchelly at 7:29 AM on February 13, 2023
posted by Mchelly at 7:29 AM on February 13, 2023
It's my go-to suggestion, but especially for your question because this book was recommended to me by my grandmother (RIP): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It's a sweet story with a touch of romance.
The Lost Vintage is another that might be good for them both. It takes place mostly in France with flashes back to WWII. There's lots of wine and food and some romance.
posted by hydra77 at 9:37 AM on February 13, 2023
The Lost Vintage is another that might be good for them both. It takes place mostly in France with flashes back to WWII. There's lots of wine and food and some romance.
posted by hydra77 at 9:37 AM on February 13, 2023
Best answer: I came in to recommend DE Stevenson too (Frowner's suggestion of Miss Buncle's Book).
Nthing Cold Comfort Farm, though if confusion is an issue the cast of characters, changes in style and the random futuristic references might be a problem.
Some of the Dean Street reprints? Maybe Susan Scarlett's novels (light adult novels by Noel Streatfeild)?
China Court (Rumer Godden, recommended above) is lovely.
Elizabeth Goudge's Damerosehay series, starting with The Bird in the Tree. There are some sad events but they are mostly not tragedies, just part of living and getting older, though there is a reference to child death in The Herb of Grace and to deaths in the war in The Heart of the Family.
Edith Pargeter's The City Lies Four-Square. (Review has spoilers.)
And I know you specify novels, but I'm wondering about engaging and shorter non-fiction. Woolf's A Room of One's Own and Three Guineas?
- I'm not entirely sure I'm answering the question in a helpful way; basically I'm recommending older books which might appeal to the participant in her 90s, and expecting the millennial to give them a go, which may not be the compromise your friend is after. It's possible biography or social history might be a better fit, as the older and younger readers would have different perspectives which might make for interesting discussion.
posted by paduasoy at 12:04 PM on February 13, 2023
Nthing Cold Comfort Farm, though if confusion is an issue the cast of characters, changes in style and the random futuristic references might be a problem.
Some of the Dean Street reprints? Maybe Susan Scarlett's novels (light adult novels by Noel Streatfeild)?
China Court (Rumer Godden, recommended above) is lovely.
Elizabeth Goudge's Damerosehay series, starting with The Bird in the Tree. There are some sad events but they are mostly not tragedies, just part of living and getting older, though there is a reference to child death in The Herb of Grace and to deaths in the war in The Heart of the Family.
Edith Pargeter's The City Lies Four-Square. (Review has spoilers.)
And I know you specify novels, but I'm wondering about engaging and shorter non-fiction. Woolf's A Room of One's Own and Three Guineas?
- I'm not entirely sure I'm answering the question in a helpful way; basically I'm recommending older books which might appeal to the participant in her 90s, and expecting the millennial to give them a go, which may not be the compromise your friend is after. It's possible biography or social history might be a better fit, as the older and younger readers would have different perspectives which might make for interesting discussion.
posted by paduasoy at 12:04 PM on February 13, 2023
I will nth Cold Comfort Farm and also second The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (although there is some sad content in that one).
The multigenerational aspect immediately made me think of Charms for the Easy Life, by Kaye Gibbons.
posted by dlugoczaj at 12:28 PM on February 13, 2023
The multigenerational aspect immediately made me think of Charms for the Easy Life, by Kaye Gibbons.
posted by dlugoczaj at 12:28 PM on February 13, 2023
Not a novel, but my 80 some yo mother who doesn't like sad books liked Population: 485, by Michael Perry.
The Good Lord Bird, by James McBride.
True History of the Kelly Gang, by Peter Carey.
The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin, by Vladimir Voinovich
Tales of the City, by Armistead Maupin
The Road to Wellville, by TC Boyle
Sophie's World, by Jostein Gaarder
Any of Maya Angelou's memoirs.
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, by Sherman Alexie
The River Why, by David James Duncan
posted by RedEmma at 1:47 PM on February 14, 2023
The Good Lord Bird, by James McBride.
True History of the Kelly Gang, by Peter Carey.
The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin, by Vladimir Voinovich
Tales of the City, by Armistead Maupin
The Road to Wellville, by TC Boyle
Sophie's World, by Jostein Gaarder
Any of Maya Angelou's memoirs.
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, by Sherman Alexie
The River Why, by David James Duncan
posted by RedEmma at 1:47 PM on February 14, 2023
This thread is closed to new comments.
The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery is a lot of fun.
posted by lizard music at 1:47 PM on February 12, 2023 [2 favorites]