Small Pleasures

A wonderful novel that took me on an emotional journey and broke my heart at the end. I had not heard of Clare Chambers before but I will remember her name after reading this. Bravo!

I have very rarely felt so emotional about a book but this novel hit me hard. I noticed a recommendation from Sarra Manning on twitter about it and although I hadn't heard of the author, I decided to give it a try and I'm so delighted I did. Clare Chambers is a marvel and I can't wait to read her other books.
This story sounds rather unassuming - a journalist named Jean investigating an alleged case of a virgin birth but it is so much more than that. The characters live and breathe with pulsing life and the narrative is heartbreakingly beautiful.
I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Already a huge fan of the work of Clare Chambers I was eager to read 'Small Pleasures', her first novel for nine years. By coincidence I had recently read a Barbara Pym novel and found that Clare creates an authentic post war period feel in this departure from her previous works of humorous contemporary fiction. This novel has a perfect balance of character and plot, with both developing in unexpected ways throughout the course of the book. Protagonist Jean works as a reporter on a local newspaper in Kent, and in the course of an investigation into a claim of virgin birth she finds much more than the answer to her quest. The small pleasures of the title are consolations for the disappointments of life and the deprivations of war. As a single working woman in the postwar era, Jean is offered a glimpse of much greater pleasure but this comes at a price as she struggles with the conflict of duty and social convention versus personal happiness.

I absolutely adored this book. It drew me in from the first page and had me fascinated until the very end. In fact, I think I gasped aloud when I made the connection between the opening newspaper report and the sad ending I was powerless to stop!

I was a fan of Clare Chambers' earlier books and was delighted to see she had a new one out. If you're after a comforting yet gripping read where you disappear into a different time, into a world so finely drawn and filled with characters you come to care deeply about, then Small Pleasures is the book for you. Highly recommended.

With thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

Jean Swinney is a 1950s journalist for a small local newspaper. She also takes care of her aging and unappreciative mother with begrudging yet quiet efficiency. Her dull and predictable life is brightened up one day with a chance scoop of an interesting story of a possible 'virgin birth' from a reliable source; sensible Gretchen Tilbury.
These two women become good friends as Jean investigates Gretchen's allegations. Jean starts to spend more and more time with Gretchen and her family with unforeseen results.
The writing is gentle and sensitive showing the characters' finer qualities and manners as well as Jean's selfless devotion to her mother. She uses words beautifully to bring out the the slightest nuances of suppressed emotions and the vivid descriptions convey deep feelings and fine observations.
It is a great story but the reasons why I loved this book so much were because of the beautiful writing style and the poignant, tragic ending - it was this that tipped it over to a 5.

Thanks to netgalley and Orion (W&N)

Oh my goodness, Small Pleasures – what a book! I’ve been reading a lot in lockdown, and this one really pops out. That’s how I know it’s good. It’s been a while since characters and a wonderfully crafted story like this have captured my heart. I was fully emotionally involved, which made it all the more wrenching when it was over.

Set in 1957, we meet the lovely Jean Swinney. She is 39 years old, a reporter on the North Kent Echo newspaper and lives with her mother out of duty, really. She is not married, her father has died and her sister has moved the Switzerland, so it falls to Jean to look after her mother. This leads to a rather mundane and restrictive life for her, until she takes on a job at work that changes everything.

Gretchen Tilbury writes to the newspaper with an extraordinary claim: she believes that her 10-year old daughter, Margaret, was a virgin birth. In that, Gretchen was a virgin when she had her, no man had been involved.

Eyebrows are raised at this claim in the newspaper office, but when one of Jean’s fellow reporters asks: ‘Does anyone want to go and interview Our Lady of Sidcup?’ Jean agrees (or rather, being the only woman on the newspaper, this job falls to Jean). She is a great little investigative reporter. It is due to her research, diligence and sharp eye for detail that the mystery of the virgin birth unfolds.

While researching her story, Jean becomes close to the whole Tilbury family – Gretchen, her daughter Margaret and her husband Harold. It is this blurring of Jean’s professional and personal boundaries that gives the story its engrossing, heart-piercing hook.

Small Pleasures opens with a newspaper account of a real railway crash in 1957 that tragically killed 90 people and injured 173. This happened on a train line very near my own, yet I didn’t know about it, so this element was fascinating and perhaps made the story a bit more visceral for me.

As the book begins with this account, you can only assume it will weave its way into the story somewhere. Once I realised this was the case and was invested in the characters, I started to panic about who it would involve. I will say no more as to leave this a spoiler free zone, but its this added level of subtle tension that adds to the brilliance of Small Pleasures.

You know when some books just punch you so hard, emotionally? That’s what Small Pleasures did to me. It worked so well as it is, in essence, quite a gentle read, so it almost blindsides you – in a brilliant way – in the last quarter with its conclusion. And, oh, that ending!

It’s a nuanced look at the little things in life, at how the littlest decision can have a huge impact. A wonderful story to let yourself get wrapped up – add to your summer reading list now!