Virago Modern Classics discussion

In a poll for February 2025 won In Diamond Square by Mercè Rodoreda.

Who is going to read it? How do you like it?

If you have read it already, or you are reading it at another (later) time - write here what you think about the book too.

[Please keep in mind to hide spoilers in spoiler brackets.]

I want to read it this month.

I will be reading this. Planning on starting next weekend.

I will be reading it sometime this month.

Hi - I have this also - bought specifically - and will start in a few days. I'm just stuck in a ghastly Elizabeth Strout novel. Can't decide if it's best to abandon - or complete - so that I can honestly report on all its horribleness.

Finished the book only recently.

I am starting today.

Just started. Love the writing, Pidgey has a very youthful, naive voice. Only on page 8, but Joe is sending so many red flags.

I really liked it, though the stream of consciousness was a bit tiring to me a few times.

Who picked this and why? It would be nice to have some background?

The book was nominated by Marilyn. Don't know why, sometimes nominations can be solely because that is what we have on our shelves and it is nice to read with friends. But maybe us adding a couple of sentences to our nominations would be a good idea in future.

I voted for the book. I was attracted by it being set during the Spanish Civil War, about which I know little. I find war stories told from the homefront/about the impact on civilians interesting. Mercè Rodoreda has written a number of books and if I enjoy this one I will look out for more.

Laura did you finish the Strout?

Hi Sonia - thanks. Yes I restarted it and it improved radically - I have a couple more chapters.

I was interested in the Rodoreda book because I'm generally trying to read more European fiction - I live in Portugal so it's quite important to get some of the history - and culture of this area - the Iberian peninsula. Also - last year? I read Nada by Carmen Laforet - it's sent in Barcelona - immediately after the civil war years. I thought it was unusually good at conveying the destruction of a family - and how this family represented the destructive and division of a whole country. So yes - I'm hoping "In Diamond Square" will expand on that reading experience.

It seems to me that when books are nominated - it might be a good idea to explain why that book is of interest to someone - in this group. Maybe they have read several books already by that author and can brief us on what to expect ect.

Laura wrote: "Hi Sonia - thanks. Yes I restarted it and it improved radically - I have a couple more chapters.

I was interested in the Rodoreda book because I'm generally trying to read more European fiction - ..."

Nada sounds really interesting, added it to my wishlist, thanks.

Laura wrote: "...It seems to me that when books are nominated - it might be a good idea to explain why that book is of interest to someone - in this group. ..."

I will add such a suggestion in the thread about nominations.

Halfway through - don't like Joe or the pigeons. The blurb describes it as a love story, so hoping for that will come along soon.
Don't mind the writing, I think it reflects the image I have of Pidgey.

Sonia wrote: "Halfway through - don't like Joe or the pigeons. The blurb describes it as a love story, so hoping for that will come along soon.
Don't mind the writing, I think it reflects the image I have of Pid..."

I wasn't a fan of the pigeons thread too, although one of my cousins had for years the same "hobby" (not for money, like in the book), so I know some people find it fascinating.

I read a different translation with the original book title "The Time of Doves." The husband's name is Quimet. He raises doves and calls his wife Colometa, which means "little dove." Doves are a symbol of peace, freedom or love. It seems to me that changing the birds to pidgeons completely loses the symbolism in the story.

Yes doves are so much better, they evoke the author's vision of a love story. Urban pigeons give quite another image.
I have finished. I like the writing/translation. I think the almost diary type style brings out Natalia's uneducated, naive voice. I felt the story was realistic and the ending hopeful. Personally I would have been interested in more about the civil war homefront.

I picked up Death's Other Kingdom in a charity shop last week, which looks interesting.

Sonia wrote: "I would have been interested in more about the civil war homefront...."

The homefront is the reason that I nominated this book. It's also the reason I liked the second half of the book more than the first.

Marilyn wrote: "Sonia wrote: "I would have been interested in more about the civil war homefront...."

The homefront is the reason that I nominated this book. It's also the reason I liked the second half of the bo..."

I also liked the second half. I think that the book was a good nomination.

Found the introduction of the pigeons a tad upsetting with the thought of the children and the hygiene aspect of it all.

In the past the group has read books in a series/by an author. EH Young and Edith Wharton spring to mind. I don't think the group has read books around a theme.

Firstly, like all reading groups we come to it having already read some of the potential nominations. Not everyone will want to do a reread (although we may remember enough to comment). Secondly our nominations can be random because they are what we have on our shelves, often scoured from secondhand bookshops. For me part of the joy of this group is being able to read those books I have found with friends.

I like the idea of reading in a theme, but it is a commitment. I would not want members to feel weighed down by group reads. Perhaps a compromise could be a buddy read. If a couple of members like a theme Mela could add a buddy read. Personally I would like this to be a book on the Virago list, as that is what this group is based on. But I wouldn't see an issue if members wanted to reference articles or other books on the theme.

Oh yes - definitely within the Virago list - but the list is huge? I could research Virago's list of Translated authors - was there a particular decision by Virago to include translated works - and if so what was the reasoning or basis for this decision?

I do read authors in sequence - but then I nearly always need a break - I do like the idea of literary connections - authors in real life reading and appreciating each other.

Finding a book on a second hand shelf is what I've always done but it doesn't necessarily mean that any reading friends will have that book. Any group read depends on the commitment of members (who want to participate) finding the book - buying or borrowing it etc.

So - I'm not quite sure what you mean by - you found a book? Death's Other Kingdom - is that Virago - or did you just mention it as an interest area for you?

Yes - I see what you mean by a theme causing a considerable weighting in terms of book choice. But a theme could be as I suggested above Virago's Translated Fiction. Or British writers in the post second world war era - that would cover a lot of choices?

Buddy reads are fine also.

Yes - on the Virago Site - there is a "Women in Translation" section - quite small, just 15 books. It would be nice to know when this started and what influenced Virago to expand their traditional focus on British and then American women writers - probably money - as translators need to be paid before the book is re-published.

A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City: A Diary is on the list - and it's a book that was brought to my attention by another Virago publication - The Virago Book of Wanderlust & Dreams edited by Lisa St. Aubin de Terán. I particularly wanted to read "A Woman in Berlin" because the writer never reveals her identity - she is afraid to because she details the Russians entering Berlin - a story of carnage, rape and horror. She keeps a diary and is afraid she will be caught.

I've written this up because it shows a pattern of reading - how one book links to another.

I think a theme here could be - those 15 translated books and why exactly did Virago choose them? Were they simply available - as in publishing rights available - do they match clearly the publishing aims that Virago have always upheld?

I think because this is a Virago group - it might be interesting for us to know a little more about this unique and dynamic publishing house - and the amazing work they have done in promoting Women's Literature - of all kinds.

If someone would like to do a theme read or an author read, like Sonia pointed out, we have a buddy-read. One just needs to suggest books and find someone to participate. Or - you can always do a new, separate thread/challenge - perhaps someone would like to join you (I suggest opening a thread in Various - about the VMC books, if it clicks, we can think of putting it somewhere else later).

As Sonia wrote, I did want to read the series, but there was not much interest, so I gave it up after some time.

Laura, if you want to help us you can organize the titles. We have the thread with the series. You can open a thread with themes countries or cultures in the same folder.

Yes - I'm not quite sure why a SERIES by the same writer has come up in Mela and Sonia's comments. A series by the same author is not the same as a theme - and I have not actually suggested anywhere that we do a series by the same author. But ok - very easy to get crossed-wires. No problem.

Ok I'll have a look through the Buddy-reads and in general. And I noted your point about putting Virago publishing history, their directives, decisions perhaps into a separate thread - somewhere on the main page.

And yes - I started looking at the SERIES lists - that's very useful to have, but not really what I was interested in. But yes, I will read through and see if we have a group from say 1930s UK, or a comparative group 1930s U.S. Or the other distinct theme that Virago has on their online page is WICKED WOMEN - I like the sound of that - they also have a QUEER list - which also interests me because its very often lesbian/gay writers who promote new ideas and theories in gender equality etc.

Laura wrote: "Yes - I'm not quite sure why a SERIES by the same writer has come up in Mela and Sonia's comments. A series by the same author is not the same as a theme - and I have not actually suggested anywher..."

I think an idea of themes to be great. The problem is how to match books to the themes. You have 600 titles, how to find which ones have e.g. a queer/lgbtq topic (without checking each one)?

PS I wrote about the series just to show you that we are open to suggestions.

I mentioned series of books as an indication of group members willingness to commit to read more than one book.

I picked up a Virago Women Travellers edition of Death's Other Kingdom in a secondhand bookshop. Its purchase whilst reading In Diamond Square was just a happy coincidence.

If you want to find out more about Virago then googling Carmen Callil is a good place to start.

Well yes - I already know quite a bit about Dame Carmen Callil - she wrote the introductions to the The Frost in May series of books based on interviews conducted with Antonia White - but yes I would like to know more - she was the first editor and visionary behind Virago - 1973.

Ok - yes I understand - reading a series indicates the level of commitment in the group members.

Good - always good to clarify.

Reference Mela's comment - Virago has listed the books on their site under various categories they have chosen - Translated - Queer - Wicked Women.

There are only 15 translated works - so a newish direction for them.

I suppose another way to think about THEMES - is to address the random nominations. Anyone can nominate any Virago book over any month - as long as it hasn't been read recently - so it is very random. Here, there and everywhere. Maybe we could organise by date of publication - the original date of publication. So for example we would group 1910 novels together 1920, 1930 - or more broadly pre and post 2nd WW. Or do a sequence of American writers. Were Australian writers brought in - I love Elizabeth Jolley - but she's not very well known?

I'm open to suggestions, but I think more importantly - is there a desire or need to organise the reading choices into a more cohesive shape? Does anyone else feel the need - ha ha - to structure how they read - obviously focussing on the Virago selection.

Science fiction- Ursula K Le Guin - she's on the list.
Woman on the Edge of Time - Marge Piercy - sci-fi
Celia Fremlin - horror - is she on the list?

So by genre?

You could - read Virago books of a certain decade as a theme. i.e the "swinging 60's"

Cphe wrote: "You could - read Virago books of a certain decade as a theme. i.e the "swinging 60's""

Swinging 60s would fun.

I am going to make a suggestion that we take this theme conversation to the how the group works thread, rather than continuing to discuss it in this month's read.

Sonia wrote: "I am going to make a suggestion that we take this theme conversation to the how the group works thread, rather than continuing to discuss it in this month's read."

You are right, Sonia. I have made a new thread - please comment in the topic (the theme read, etc.) from now on here

How marvellous to step into such a different world with Natalia and Joe - and how clever is that innocent but not so innocent analysis from Natalia. I'm really enjoying this. Page 32.

In Diamond Square - originally published 1962 (Virago 2013) predates the Women's Movement of the 1960s - Official date is 1963 with American writer Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique.

(A small aside, Doris Lessing's - The Golden Notebook was published in the same year - 1962.)

So, I'm wondering what was Rodoreda reading - late 1950s, early 1960s - there is so little in the 1940s and 50s. A notable one would be The Second Sex French writer Simone de Beauvoir, 1949.

Women as a Minority Group 1951 Helen Mayer Hacker.

The interesting one is Evely Reed The myth of women's inferiority 1954.

Reed developed a close connection with the Marxist movement in Mexico - was her work translated into Spanish and available to Rodoredo?

When you see the minimal list of female focussed writing available to Rodoredo in the 1950s - the ideas expressed in In Diamond Square are quite extraordinary.

And I can understand why Rodoreda's book was chosen to be part of Virago Modern Classics.

my link text

After much effort - the above is a link to my review.