I opened up E.M. Delafield's book Diary of a Provincial Lady with a bit of hesitance. I'm not a fan of the diary format for a fictional book, but Delafield has converted me. I will admit that for the first few entries I thought to myself, "Why am I reading this again?" But I am so happy I stuck with it because the book is amazing. The dry humor in this book takes a bit to get used to, but as you get accustomed to it and as the narrator opens up more, it becomes an engrossing read. (LIFE photo: E.M. Delafield in 1925.)
Diary of a Provincial Lady follows the life of a wife living outside of London during the 30s. This set-up sounds familiar, but is a refreshing take, as she is not rich and is constantly trying to balance her checkbook while staying stylish. I especially enjoyed her honesty about certain situations or people, which is rare to see in books from this time period and genre. The struggle between being maternal and being a "modern mother" is also interesting to read about. The illustrations by Arthur Watts add to the humor and insight to certain characters. (Click to view larger.)
As soon as I finished the book, I quickly moved to the sequel, The Provincial Lady in London (also published as The Provincial Lady Goes Further). I was concerned that the second book wouldn't be as good as the first, but it contends well with the original. There are two more titles in this series, but I am working on other books in my reading list before going to those. If you are a little low on funds and your local library doesn't carry these title, the first and second book in the series is available on Project Gutenberg, complete with illustrations. I highly suggest you read both titles in the print format though, as the flow of the narrative is at an advantage in print.
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