Today,I went to Bon Ton Department Store to spend a gift card a dear friend gave me. Bon Ton is always filled with little old ladies, and today was no exception. Two adorable women were trying to figure out the mysterious price checker and I helped them. We began to chat while they were in and out of the dressing rooms, trying on "bargains" and having a ball. One was 88, the other 92. The 88 year old made sure I knew SHE was younger. We talked about weight, clothes, makeup, hair... the things women of all ages discuss. I loved their spunk and interest in life. I was sure that one of the reasons they seemed so young was because they had each other. I left the store with a smile on my face, and a longing to have a friend at my side.
I feel that same kind of smile take over when I read any of Barbara Pym's unique novels. I also find, in her novels, the kind of women I would love to have as friends. Pym's heroines would love Bon Ton.
Barbara Pym was born in 1913 in England. She completed her first novel when she was only 22. In addition to writing, Pym had to work at other jobs to support herself. Her first book was not published until 1950, and then they were regularly published. However, in 1963, her publisher, and all others, refused her latest offering. It wasn't until 1977 that her next book was published. By this time, Pym had had a double mastectomy and a stroke. She died in 1980. For 27 years, from the age of 37 to the age of 64, Pym did not have one book published although she continued to write, always hoping that the next one would be the book that would be accepted again. It is difficult to imagine a person today keeping his or her dreams alive for 27 years! It seems that many of us give up our dreams far too quickly in this age of cell phones, match.com, and instant messages.
I am reading a brand new "chick-lit" book now. The name and author are unimportant. The story is very dramatic; the characters scream, lovers meet, a death is faked. Two well-known chick-litters sing its praises on the dust jacket. As soon as I finish it, I will forget it. But from the first moment I read a Barbara Pym book, I knew that I had discovered something wonderful. No one shrieks in Pym's world. When hearts break, they do it quietly, usually over a solo cup of tea. If the next day happens to be Sunday, the broken-hearted person gets up, fortifies herself with another strong cup of tea, and attends church services.
When Pym is mentioned, two of her books are usually praised, "Excellent Women", published in 1952 and "Quartet In Autumn", published in 1977, the book that finally earned Pym the praise of literary critics. The heroine of "Excellent Women", Mildred, is a quiet churchgoer. She is alone, she has very little money, is not beautiful, and her days consist of helping others and hoping she has a "bit of cake" should someone drop by at tea time. Sounds dull, doesn't it? Let me assure you otherwise. Every time I read it, and I have done so at least twenty times, I laugh out loud at Mildred's observations of those around her. She is a wonderful person; someone I would love to have as a friend.
"Quartet In Autumn" is the story of four lonely people; two men, two women, all at retirement age. They have worked together forever, yet, they have not forged any bonds. None of the four is physically attractive, wealthy, or even educated. However, as they navigate through loneliness and illness, and even face death, they discover that they have, after all, become friends.
While the reader can laugh while reading "Excellent Women", she might cry at "Quartet in Autumn". Barbara Pym gives us real women, who fall in love with the wrong men, who take the bus to save money, who find themselves alone as twilight comes on summer evenings.
I thought of the two women I met today at the Bon-Ton. Both are widows. I pictured them having their suppers...I felt sure they would cook a real meal, not simply nuke a Lean Cuisine like one woman I know. And after dinner, perhaps, a cup of nice, strong tea. And maybe a bit of cake.
So poignant.
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