The Girls of Slender Means Audiobook

" This was a really interesting book that I found myself thinking about for days after finishing it. There's a lot of quotes in here (poetry, bible, etc) that I think would have added to the story if I'd known context and such, although they didn't detract from the story at all. The flips between present (60s) and past ('45) weren't as clear as in Miss Brodie, but overall, it was really well done, the characters were engaging and layered and I enjoyed it. "

" Strange case of recognizing a good story but not enjoying it properly - the fragmentation of the novella did not go well with the fact that I mostly read it in 10-minutes sessions. Have not read much of Muriel Spark before this one, but I've remembered the mixture of cruelty and lightness. Liked the lightheaded way in which insight and pain make their way into what begins as a cutesy story about young women living by themselves and exchanging pretty dresses, disliked the superficiality with which Spark uses her characters' poverty. "

" I sincerely don't understand why I love British television so damned much but not so much their authors. Some kind of cognitive defect on my part, I guess. This book is supposed to be tragicomic genius. I only found it all right. Guess I need therapy, medication, surgery, or something. "

" I must be missing something crucial (perhaps back at the beginning?) because this book completely confused me. It was an interesting read, but I could never figure out where it was going, and the end made a left turn seemingly out of nowhere and fell off a cliff. I would love to have someone explain it to me. "

" Entertaining post-WWII novel about young women living in a club in London in genteel poverty. Spark's deft characterizations and the many humorous moments are enjoyable, but given the brevity of the book and the many characters, I didn't feel emotionally invested in the story or its inhabitants. "

" reading for a new book club...i feel like the junior literary illiterate member...hope i don't disappoint. spark starts the story as if it's a fairytale. you know immediately you're in good hands... "

" This is a brilliant book! Love love love Muriel Spark. Also read Prime of Miss Jean Brody. Want to read more Spark. Suggestions anyone? "

" This is the first Muriel Spark novel I have read. Rather liked her British bluntness as well as what felt like the true portrayal of difficult times and dislocation in London just after the war. "

" A friend who had read most of them said this is the best Muriel Spark. It certainly is brilliant. The sharply drawn characters are so real, even sixty years on, that you feel you can touch them. The wit is clever and quirky. A great read. "

" A wonderful short novel by a master. Highly recommended. "

" This is one of those books I really want to forget I spent time reading.... "

" I learned that "Poise is perfect balance, an equanimity of body and mind, complete composure whatever the social scene. Elegant dress, immaculate grooming, and perfect deportment all contribute to the attainment of self-confidence." "

" Loved this particular penguin editon. Great dated cover. The contents, of course, were where it was at. Completely economical and beautiful as a result. Plenty of excitement, too, in 1945 London when all the nice people were poor. "

" Boy I love this book. It starts out as one of those charming British tales about life during the war and ends with the most astonishing murder I've ever read in fiction. The murder left me horrified and speechless. Spark was such a taut, elegant writer. "

" I like Spark, but not really this one. I'm not all that into historical fiction, and didn't care for any of the characters, nor the revolving way in which they were presented. For hardcore Sparks fans only. "

" quick read about a group of young women, right at the end of the war, live in a boarding house for girls of 'slender means'. rations, love interests, poetry, a beautiful dress shared amongst them, and a calamity. tightly written, witty, but also full characters. "

" 3 1/2 would be a better grading. Not entirely bad. "

" A touching, brilliantly written little novella of the girls living at the May of Teck club (for women under thirty, of slender means) in the summer of 1945 and the lovers, clothing coupons - and one very lovely Schiaparelli dress - and experiences they share. "

" Twenty years ago I was working in downtown Atlanta and spent a lot of my lunch hours across the street in the public library. Muriel Spark was one of the authors I discovered there, and I read a dozen or so of her books. This is one that made an impression on me. "