I have lots of personal catnip-genres but somewhere at the top of the list, if not at the top, is early/mid century coming of age, whether contemporaneous or contemporary historical. Before I was two paged in I knew that I was going to find A Calamity of Mannerings an utter delight. But fear not if you don't share my own very specific tastes, if you enjoy a well-researched, well-written, very funny Young Adult book with a fabulous cast then this for you.

Sixteen year old Pan has recently lost her father, and with him possibly her home unless the child her mother is about to have is a boy and can inherit the title and estate. Either way she and her sisters live in rural genteel poverty where Pan dreams of joining her friend Margot in London to join the Bright Young Things, and of Romance, rereading The Sheikh over and over. Her older sister, Aster, is permanantly miserable, especially since her best friend got engaged, her younger, Marigold, is busy adding to her menangerie which includes a barely-domesticated ram, while her formidable grandmother disapproves of them all from The Dower House.

Told in diary form this very entertaining book doesn't shy away from difficult topics told through Pan's sometimes naive, artless prose, including the difficulties of life in a world where homosexuality is illegal, a woman's destiny is marriage, abortion is not just illegal but life threatening and sex before marriage potentially catastrophic, mixed up in a world sharply divided between the haves and have nots. Fabulously written and peopled with unforgettable characters I adored every word. Highly recommended.

A charming coming of age story that feels as though it was written years ago - and I mean that in a positive way. Told in the first person by a 16 year old girl living in genteel poverty in the 1920s. A cast of eccentric family members living a chaotic but mainly happy life.

Panth is 16 and raring to experience life to the fullest but it's not an easy thing to do.
To start with, since her papa passe away her family is quite poor - she, her mother and three sisters (one very newly arrived in their lives) have to leave their beloved home and move in with Grandma. Then, romance needs a romantic, and apart from Freddie Spencer who hardly counts, candidates for the role are thin on the ground. And yet, it's 1924 and anything feels possible, if only Panth can catch the eye of the exciting young American Buck Buchanan.

'A Calamity of Mannerings' is a deliciously witty, thought-provoking and enchanting read. It describes with heart-breaking accuracy and great tenderness the torments of growing up, navigating relationships and making one's place in the world when this world is entirely designed for men. Although the story is set in 1924, the difficulties Joanna Nadin's characters encounter feel terrifyingly relevant for today's young people. But Panth and her sisters don't only show us that the world is often unfair, they also show us that we can all make waves and have our part in making things move forward.

I regret to say that A Calamity of Mannerings was not a book for me. I found the tone and style of the narrator's voice irritating in the extreme. As it's a first person narrative I found it too difficult to put my annoyance aside and warm to the said main character. I am sure, though, that some people will love her and so enjoy the book greatly.