For Jessie’s Persephone Readathon I wanted to share my favourite Persephones. I’m not going to be quite as ambitious as Simon (who ranked all the Persephone books he has read) so here’s a list of my top ten favourites (so far):
10. House-Bound by Winifred Peck – It was a Persephone readathon back in 2011 that introduced me to this story of a Scottish housewife whose staid and settled life is shaken up during WWII as the rapidly changing world forces her to re-examine her life and her relationships with her family members.
9. Cheerful Weather for the Wedding by Julia Strachey – a deeply unsentimental black comedy that I read not once but twice – and loved both times.
8. It’s Hard to Be Hip Over Thirty by Judith Viorst – I am not a poetry lover but I adore this collection of deeply domestic poems.
7. Greenery Street by Denis Mackail – Who doesn’t love this charming comic novel about a young couple’s first year of married life? I love it so much that I put together an entire list of reading recommendations based on it.
6. Good Evening, Mrs Craven by Mollie Panter-Downes – I have never been a lover of short stories but Panter-Downes’ collection of World War Two stories is exceptional. She covers the full range of experiences – from earnest enthusiasm to petty but sympathetically-portrayed selfishness – with brevity, humour, and intelligence.
5. The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield – I’m not really certain why Persephone chose to reissue this (it certainly wasn’t in danger of being out of print) but it’s as close to a flawless comic novel as the English language has created so I’m not going to complain!
4. The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher – A perennial favourite among Persephone fans – and with good reason! I was incredibly impressed when I read this stunning novel about gender roles, personal fulfillment, and the concept of face.
3. Hostages to Fortune by Elizabeth Cambridge – I love this thoughtful, well-written account of one family’s progression over two decades. It is particularly strong in portraying a mature marriage and the challenges of being a parent and realising the limits of your control. It makes an interesting contrast with the much inferior Princes in the Land.
2. Earth and High Heaven by Gwethalyn Graham – In 2011 when I first read this wonderful novel about a love affair between an Anglo journalist and a Jewish lawyer in 1940s Montreal, I described it as being Persephone-like in it’s tone, quality and themes. I’m so glad they agreed and published it!
1. London War Notes by Mollie Panter-Downes – if you want to know when my love for Persephone peaked, it was the day I heard they were reprinting this collection of Panter-Downes’ wartime journalism for the New Yorker. For me, it is “one of the finest, most perfectly observed portraits of wartime England I have ever read.”
Honourable mentions: The Shuttle, Family Roundabout, On the Other Side, Manja
Dishonourable mentions: Someone at a Distance, The Winds of Heaven, Miss Buncle’s Book, Midsummer Night in the Workhouse, The Making of a Marchioness, Guard Your Daughters
What are your favourite Persephones?
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The Captive Reader 
I have read seven of your top ten and love them all, especially the two by Mollie Panter-Downes. I also found your “Dishonourable Mentions” interesting. I have heard nothing but good of Guard Your Daughters but I clicked through to your review and saw that you strongly disagree. It is on my shelf and now I am eager to read it just to see what side I come down on. I read and mildly enjoyed Miss Buncle but I think there are many other books by D.E. Stevenson that are much better. The Mrs. Tim books spring to mind. I love them and have read them several times.
I am a big D.E. Stevenson fan but was rather disappointed when Persephone chose the Miss Buncle books. As you say, the Mrs Tim books are much better (and I would have thought better suited to Persephone) but we can’t have everything!
I’ll be interested to hear what you think of Guard Your Daughters when you read it.
I too was surprised by your “Dishonorable Mentions.” I really liked Someone at a Distance, Miss Buncle’s Book, and Guard Your Daughters. Well, we can’t all like the same books, can we? I agree with you on Cheerful Weather for a Wedding, great read.
I can sort of let Miss Buncle’s Book slide but I violently loathe Guard Your Daughters and Someone at a Distance. But as you say we can’t all like the same things, even though we may have significant overlap in other areas of reading!
My sister gave me The Home-Maker and it sat on the shelf forever because it looked so uninteresting to me. When I finally read it I was mad at myself for waiting so long — it’s fantastic! Clearly I need to look into some of these others…
The Home-Maker is the perfect gateway book for new lovers of Persephone, isn’t it? Or just lovers for good stories!
I guess so, since I didn’t even realize it was one and now am exploring others on your list! (Also, bless you for changing my broken html tag!)
[…] -At the Captive Reader, Claire has ranked her Favourite Persephones (So far) […]
I’m so glad to see the Viorst getting some love because I really enjoyed it but others seem not so positive…. 🙂
Agreed! I really, really love it.
Your number one is still on my tbr – looking forward to it. Your number two was one of my reading highlights of last year. Loving all the Persephone love around at the moment.
Yes, the group Persephone love-in has been delightful. And I’m sure you’re going to enjoy London War Notes!
I’m so glad you decided to rank your favorite Persephones, Claire! I whole-heartedly agree with Diary of a Provincial Lady, London War Notes, and Cheerful Weather for the Wedding. I’m also really looking forward to reading Greenery Street and Earth and High Heaven.
But I have to admit that I’m currently head-over-heels in love with Guard Your Daughters and also a huge fan of Miss Buncle’s Book. All these differing opinions keep things interesting though!
Ranking is always fun! Thanks so much for hosting a great readathon!
Good Evening, Mrs Craven was my gateway to Persephone and I’ve never looked back. In fact, a package of new Persephone arrived at my house just last week, including London War Notes and The Home-Maker. Quite pleased to see them in my mailbox and so highly rated on your list.
What an excellent book to have started with! And what good ones to continue with. Happy reading!