Eleven Twentieth Century Novels That I Love

From the 1920s to the 1940s - pure joy and cheer in book form

Hello there.

Actually, really it’s nine novels and two collections of short stories/columns, but you get my drift and that would have made for a very long title. (I’m trying to be pithy, which I should say I’m rubbish at when let loose without editorial control.)

I know eleven is a strange number, but as I write this, I’m just starting out on Substack, and the Home page is looking very empty and sad. So I thought I’d do a post with content about some books from the 1920s-40s that I both love and also recommended in my old newsletter when it was Sent From Elsewhere. (Of course this highlights that I’m only just joining Substack. Poor old duckie, trying to keep up! Let’s move on.)

If you’re new to me or Notes of Cheer, this should give an idea of the kind of novels I love to read and am bound to talk about in my newsletters. They’re roughly in order of when they were first published, but if I’ve made a terrible howler the handy comment button below means you can give me short shrift!

And please tell me about your favourite novels and authors from this era. I’d love to hear about them as discovering books and authors that are new to me is one of my joys. Let’s crack on with it together!

Here are some of mine:

The Enchanted April - Elizabeth Von Arnim

When I mentioned this on Insta, I had loads of comments from people saying just how much they adore this classic. I am totally in this camp, even if I am a hundred years late! If you haven't read it yet, Elizabeth von Armin's 1922 novel about four women who escape to Italy for a month is a joy. It's funny, beautifully written and thought-provoking re women's lives in the 1920s. Simply a gorgeous escape.

High Wages by Dorothy Whipple

This is poor on my part as I’ve only just read High Wages. I'm late to the game here as well and really have been missing a trick. Published in 1930 and set in the WW1 era, it's the story of a young shopworker who starts with nothing and fights her way to success despite the innumerable barriers women faced at that time. It's smart and witty, with great characters, and it's a cracker of a read. I'm now a DW fan and looking forward to tackling a big list of her work.

Mrs Tim of the Regiment by DE Stevenson

As regular newsletter readers know, D.E Stevenson is one of my favourite authors, and this is a lovely novel. Published in 1932. Mrs Tim of the Regiment is the first of four books following Hester Christie, as she gets to grips with the world of being a young officer's wife.

Witty and warm, this and the others in the series are a cheery escape. The 1941 novel Mrs Tim Carries On is also excellent if you like books set in WW2, which obviously I very much hope that you do!

Miss Buncle’s Book by DE Stevenson

Let’s be honest, I could fill this entire list with love for DES.

Miss Buncle's Book is one of my favourite of her novels, and DES is one of my Go To authors for cheer. It’s funny and clever and calm without showing off. Such a comfort, but never sentimental.

Also it's an excuse to talk about Persephone Books who published this version. Are you a fan of PB? I’ve found so many out-of-print and 'lost' books, mostly from the mid-twentieth century through them, and their range of books is guaranteed to bring huge amounts of joy once discovered. It's like joining the most brilliant club.

The Wheel Spins by Ethel Lina White

Written in 1936 and probably even better known as Alfred Hitchcock's film The Lady Vanishes, privileged toff Iris Carr has never worried about anything much until she meets good egg Miss Froy on a train. Miss Froy promptly disappears and it's up to Iris to find out what has gone on. But everyone else on the train swears blind that Miss Froy doesn't exist.

You can see why AH snapped it up. The tension builds and builds (and there's tons of great period detail too). A corker.

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

When you were young did you read this classic about Pauline, Petrova and Posy Fossil as they find their way through stage school? I've just re-read it and now, as a grown up, I love how the adults living with the girls come together to help them. In a wonky world who doesn't love a novel where things are alright in the end?

And has there been a novel about the grown up characters in Ballet Shoes? I'd love to read it if so. If not, can someone write a spin-off, please? Thank you.

Good Evening, Mrs Craven: The Wartime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes

Good Evening, Mrs Craven is a wonderful collection of short stories by writer Mollie Panter-Downes that she wrote for The New Yorker between 1939 and 1945. It gave (and still gives) a very eloquent insight into life during the war and still packs a subtle punch now. MPD really was a beautiful writer.

Of course this is another book from the legendary Persephone Books. A few years ago they held a lunch event at the house in Surrey where MPD lived. We all went to visit the little hut in the garden where she wrote. It was like a pilgrimage, and a definite privilege.

Mrs Miniver by Jan Struther

This is a choice that is very close to my heart. I'm a big fan of novels that are quite short and often with minimal plot. Perfect. And if it wasn't for the fact I fell into reading books written in the 1930s and '40s I don't think I'd ever have written Dear Mrs Bird.

This one is a fave - not a novel, but a collection of the columns Jan Struther wrote for The Times - it's witty and vibrant and so very much of its time. The film is wonderful too. I watched it with my parents a few years ago and by the end, my mum and I were in tears and my dad declared he'd better join up. It won Best Picture at the Oscars and still packs a punch. But do read the book first. It's great.

The House in Cornwall by Noel Streatfeild

Woosh - you wait ages and ages for a classic Noel Streatfeild children’s novel to be mentioned and then two come along almost at once. And quite right too. They’re cheerful and a tonic, which is what my Substack is all about.

This 1939 children's novel has recently been re-issued by Manderley Press who always send orders wrapped up like a present and with a matching bookmark which is lovely. Set during the summer holidays in Cornwall, the Chandler siblings take on the mysterious Uncle Murdoch. It's a thriller for children aged 8+ but I think a cracking read for any age. A wonderful escapist treat.

The Foolish Gentlewoman by Margery Sharp

From Dean Street Press who do such a great job of tracking down and bringing back books that may have been a bit forgotten, Margery Sharp's The Foolish Gentlewoman is set just after the end of WW2 and follows a group of people living together in London and beginning to figure out their post-war lives. I read it in two sittings and it's a great read esp if you like this era.

It also features one of the best baddies I've read in a while. People say the Hon Cressida Porter (in my novel Mrs Porter Calling) is a monster, but Tilly Cuff is an absolute moo bag. Really quite unsettling in what starts off as a cheery sort of read. Highly recommended.

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

And last but OBVIOUSLY screamingly not least, a much loved classic. Set in the 1930s and written in 1948, if you haven't read it, it is the most wonderful coming of age story narrated by the young Cassandra Mortmain.

Around the time I first found an old magazine from 1939 and began collecting them, I also realised that most of the novels I was reading had been written in the mid-twentieth century. Thank goodness for publishers such as Persephone, Dean Street Press and Manderley for bringing so many back to prominence as in my view, it is still a seriously under-heralded era for female writers. And if you’re going to start anywhere, or even re-visit pure delight in book form, I Capture the Castle is one of the best.

Right then, I’d better let you get on. I hope I’ve included books that you’ve loved too, or maybe some that you haven’t yet read. Do add your thoughts and suggestions of other books in the comments below. My TBR pile is never too tall to add something new!