Reading the 20th Century discussion

For our April 2025 group read we invite you to nominate a twentieth century classic (a classic book written in the twentieth century)


Please supply the title, author, a brief synopsis, and anything else you'd like to mention about the book, and why you think it might make a good book to discuss.

Happy nominating

I think this just about counts as a classic. It's certainly by a classic author. I nominate...



The Abbess of Crewe (1974)

by

Muriel Spark



It appeals to me because it takes the events of the Watergate scandal but transplants them to priory so an Abbey of nuns stands in for the Oval Office

It's also, in common with a lot of Muriel Spark's work, very short

A mere 106 pages


Amazon's AI summary states...

Customers find the book well-written and amusing. They appreciate the humour, playfulness, and realism. The book is described as a good read with an interesting fictional take on Nixon era politics. Readers praise Spark's creativity and language skills. Overall, they find the book clever, incisive, and timeless.

I'd like to nominate a book I've had for years and never been able to get into - hoping a group read will help me over that bump:

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

An acknowledged masterpiece, this is the story of seven generations of the Buendia family and of Macondo, the town they have built. Though little more than a settlement surrounded by mountains, Macondo has its wars and disasters, even its wonders and miracles. A microcosm of Columbian life, its secrets lie hidden, encoded in a book and only Aureliano Buendia can fathom its mysteries and reveal its shrouded destiny. Blending political reality with magic realism, fantasy with comic invention, "One Hundred Years of Solitude" is one of the most daringly original works of the twentieth century.

I’ve had one Hundred Years of Solitude on my TBR for at least 20 years. A group read might just get me over the hump!

I'm not going to offer competition with a book by Muriel Spark! This would do me for my at-least-one-Spark-per-year pledge.

I enjoyed One Hundred Years of Solitude when I read it years ago.

I found One Hundred Years of Solitude quite hard work when I read it in the 1990s but could see what the fuss was about. I concluded Magic Realism was not my thang though. Subsequent forays into that world have generally confirmed that perception.

Nigeyb wrote: "I found One Hundred Years of Solitude quite hard work when I read it in the 1990s but could see what the fuss was about."

That's good to know - I think! I have read a couple of other GGMs and really loved his Love in the Time of Cholera.

Is anyone else nominating?


If not we might as well just read the two books

Ben and I are up for reading Spark

And RC and G both want to read GGM

Really, do we have no further nominations for a twentieth century classic?

I’d be happy to join you with Spark. I wouldn’t want to reread Marquez.

It is difficult to find a book that you guys haven’t read. I will nominate A Pin To See The Peepshow. I have a Virago edition, but it has been reissued as part of the British Library Women's series.
This book has been on my shelves for sometime. I remember watching the TV series with Francesca Annis as a teenager and crying buckets. I may need emotional support to read, so why not a group read.

Thanks Sonia


It’s game on now we have three nominations

Any more nominations?

Sonia wrote: "I will nominate A Pin To See The Peepshow."

Is that the same case as in The Peepshow, one of our buddies this month?

Roman Clodia wrote: "Sonia wrote: "I will nominate A Pin To See The Peepshow."

Is that the same case as in The Peepshow, one of our buddies this month?"

No, it's the Thompson-Bywaters case from the 1920s, I reviewed it a while ago, did find it quite a harrowing read - but for very different reasons:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Sarah Waters also reworked aspects of it in The Paying Guests

https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...

Ah thanks - I get so mixed up with those 'big' murder cases from the first half of the C20th! It looks good, anyway.

I was thinking of Harriet Vane and then saw Sarah Waters mentions her - of course. Also The Franchise Affair where a young woman is condemned for being working-class.

I am definitely in for the Spark. However, assume we are doing a vote with 3 nominations?

We will indeed do a poll Susan. We can always do a buddy of the Spark if it doesn’t win. It’s so short it will take no time at all to read


There may be more nominations to come

Anyone else nominating?

Re the Thompson-Bywaters case I read another account A Tale of Two Murders: Guilt, Innocence, and the Execution of Edith Thompson which was interesting

Roman Clodia wrote: "Ah thanks - I get so mixed up with those 'big' murder cases from the first half of the C20th! It looks good, anyway.

I was thinking of Harriet Vane and then saw Sarah Waters mentions her - of cour..."

There is a connection though, Nigey's intro to The Peepshow references the author Fryn Tennyson Jesse who was a renowned criminologist/true crime writer.

Yes, Fryn Tennyson Jesse has already appeared in The Peepshow

I'm away from my computer, so no hyperlinks , but I'd like to nominate

Thea Astley

A Kindness Cup

Written in 1974 its a short , powerful novel on the savagery that underlies white settlement in Queensland .


Astley is known for her sharp , brave writing and her ability to create complex characters and layered novels . The title is ironic , taken from Auld Lang Syne .

I recently read her last novel , Drylands , a fierce portrait of a small town in Queensland dying on its feet .

it's available on kindle .

Here are the links for Hester's nomination:

A Kindness Cup by Thea Astley

I've just started reading A Pin to See the Peepshow, so am excited to see it nominated. I thought it was already a read here but must have got mixed up with The Peepshow!

If you need more nominations, here's an unusual one but there may be an interest. All my GR friends who read it rave about it and I'd love to read it too.

The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa

I'd love to read the Pessoa - I have a copy already but not got to it yet.

Roman Clodia wrote: "I'd love to read the Pessoa - I have a copy already but not got to it yet."

Which edition did you go for? I got bogged down in debates around which translated version was the most accurate/representative and gave up!

Roman Clodia wrote: "I'd love to read the Pessoa - I have a copy already but not got to it yet."

Great to hear it, RC. If it doesn't win the poll, perhaps we may want to do a buddy read. What translation do you have? I was told that Richard Zenith (Penguin edition) supersedes the previous efforts. He also recently published a highly acclaimed Pessoa's biography.

Alwynne wrote: "Roman Clodia wrote: "I'd love to read the Pessoa - I have a copy already but not got to it yet."

Which edition did you go for? I got bogged down in debates around which translated version was the ..."

We posted at the same time, Alwynne. I have Richard Zenith in Penguin Modern Classics. It's the one that was recommended to me. RC, do you have the same?

Yes, I also got bogged down in the translation issues and textual matters but went for the Penguin as well.

Morning . just to add to my choice I should have said Thea Astley won the Miles Franklin Prize four times and numerous other awards .

Astley has a significant place in Australian letters as she was "the only woman novelist of her generation to have won early success and published consistently throughout the 1960s and 1970s, when the literary world was heavily male-dominated".

Vesna wrote: "Alwynne wrote: "Roman Clodia wrote: "I'd love to read the Pessoa - I have a copy already but not got to it yet."

Which edition did you go for? I got bogged down in debates around which translated ..."

Great, since you went for this one, and R. C. too, then I'll be in good company if I do the same!

I can see why the Pessoa would sit on shelves without being read, as it is perfect for dipping in and out of in small doses, but I found it very hard to read from end to end.

I lent my copy to a friend (who I am no longer in touch with) years ago, so I can't remember which edition it was, but I suspect that could make a big difference to the reading experience.

The Book of Disquiet - this is the Penguin/Zenith edition we have if that helps, Nigeyb, when setting up the poll.



And yes, a buddy read sounds a good way to tackle this - in good company! I've been waiting for some free time/headspace for this.

Here's a summary of the nominations....


The Abbess of Crewe (1974) by Muriel Spark (Nigeyb)
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez (Roman Clodia)
A Pin To See The Peepshow by F. Tennyson Jesse (Sonia)
A Kindness Cup by Thea Astley (Hester)
The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa (Vesna)


I'll get the poll up in about 24 hours so feel free to nominate between now and then

Vote here.....



https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...




Nominations....

The Abbess of Crewe (1974) by Muriel Spark (Nigeyb)
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez (Roman Clodia)
A Pin To See The Peepshow by F. Tennyson Jesse (Sonia)
A Kindness Cup by Thea Astley (Hester)
The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa (Vesna)

The Abbess of Crewe currently out in front.....



https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...




Nominations....

The Abbess of Crewe (1974) by Muriel Spark (Nigeyb)
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez (Roman Clodia)
A Pin To See The Peepshow by F. Tennyson Jesse (Sonia)
A Kindness Cup by Thea Astley (Hester)
The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa (Vesna)

The results are in....



The Abbess of Crewe (1974) by Muriel Spark - 5 votes, 41.7%
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez - 2 votes, 16.7%
A Pin To See The Peepshow by F. Tennyson Jesse - 2 votes, 16.7%
The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa - 2 votes, 16.7%
A Kindness Cup by Thea Astley - 1 vote, 8.3%


Thanks to everyone who got involved

I don't know where to post this and hope this is the right place:

RC and Alwynne, are you still interested to read Pessoa as our buddy read?

Vesna wrote: "I don't know where to post this and hope this is the right place:

RC and Alwynne, are you still interested to read Pessoa as our buddy read?"

Yes, I'm interested, Vesna, but probably not till June as I'm committed to quite a few upcoming buddies. If that's too late for you, I'd understand.

I'm going to post this in our Buddy Reads thread as well to see if anyone else is interested.