The Awakening of Miss Prim: A Novel

This wonderful book is the best thing I’ve read all year. It’s a romantic story with a surprising Christian worldview. Also, if you’re a homeschooler you will appreciate all the talk about modern education.

When I read the preview section of the book, I was already hooked. So I ordered. Why do I call it an 'almost masterpiece'? Because I wanted the heroine (when she finally became one) to fly into the man's arms, knowing she was 'home.' Predictable? Yes. Expected? When a book has extended discussions of Pride and Prejudice and Little Women between the lead characters (One of whom, like the heroine of duMaurier's "Rebecca," Is never named, but is alluded to be a sort of "Mr. Darcy") it not only is expected- a reader DEMANDS that of an author! Even so....How to describe such a marvelous book? The only thing I can reference it to, (now that I am post-children parenting, post-60, post-Vatican Eww, pre-grandparent, pre-retirement, pre-End of the world via 2020 Elections) is the feeling I had, when first I opened the pages of CS Lewis' Narnia Chronicles, or the Lucy Boston "Green Knowe" world; but with an adult's longing for a world that is aligned with itself, rather than a child's. Fenollera's world is part England, part France, part Eden- and only the best parts; which makes it, therefore, perfect- at least as perfect as a town could be, this side of Heaven. And that's what shines through in her writing, her prose- that 'glimpse' that entices, over and over again.And that's the point. This is a novel of love, redemption, wholistic sanity, the equality of inequality; and, above all, communion- with one's fractured soul, one's mind, (and body- oh, all those cakes, cookies, and constant small meals that dot her days!) and how to live among/with/for others. And all the while, the author gives us glimpses of 'light inaccessible' and our corporate need for God's redeeming grace. Without being either 'preachy' or sanctimonious, (does anyone even use that word, anymore?) Fenollera allows the reader to see the utter folly of the modern godless and LYING 'anti-world' of: BLM/Antifa/Dems/EU/COVID/corrupt Media, while never once acknowledging their existence. She uses the sheer NORMALCY of St. Ireneo as a slap in the face to the godlessness of today; and in doing so, shows us what Life SHOULD be. In short, heaven.My allusion to Narnia or Green Knowe was the palpable desire (when I was a child - [I Cor. 13:11]) to be 'there,' instead of 'here': because this world lacks so very, very much- and I knew this a half-century ago. In an age of Plandemics, and ever more draconian attempts to control us, this world (the environs of St. Ireneo) is more than a breath of fresh air - it is a reminder that our battle is not a common one [Eph. 6:12] but that all of life IS a war in our own hearts and minds: to NOT hear the lies of the world, but to act DIFFERENTLY, think differently [Rom. 12:2] and then, to BE different. One person at a time. And then, to join together, to form a bulwark against the onslaughts of the Lies of Modernity, and to find our own 'Awakenings' - in whatever 'green and pleasant land' that God places us in- but only if we are His. As the Man in the Wing Chair points out about his mother, carrying the burden of just ONE of your wrong choices for a lifetime, is impossible. How much more, ALL of them? Miss Prim learned to 'lay them all' down, and admit her pride, just as Austen's heroine did. And, in doing so, she achieves wholeness. And becomes another of God's masterpieces.

“This is a strange place, full of very odd people,” Miss Prudencia Prim says about San Ireneo and its inhabitants. Miss Prim arrives in San Ireneo in response to a help wanted ad for a librarian, “Preferably without work experience. Graduates and Postgraduates need not apply.”  Though she is sorely overqualified, she persuades The Man in the Wing Chair to give her the job. Miss Prim seems well-rounded, smart and educated, but when she encounters The Man in the Wing Chair and the characters of the village, her world view is shaken by theirs, but can’t seem to write them off as unreasonable or win an argument. She is an intellectually stiff woman, dedicated to a secular life, thinking the role of librarian might be a nice change of pace from the busy life she had in the city.  But she isn’t prepared for the uncommon household, or uncommon employer, known only to the reader as The Man in the Wing Chair.As with most every book I read, it takes me a few pages or chapters to acclimate to the writing style, until I don’t notice it anymore and the story starts to pop.Strangely enough, though I regularly translate first-person experiences into third person objective accounts of travel adventures, in this book, the third-person, subjective POV seemed a little off-putting and stilted at first, but maybe that’s because it was translated from Spanish?The arguments between the characters seem a little forced, the conversations about certain subjects too deliberate and informational to seem natural.Of course, like many books painting a picture of a world view and its opponents, this book could have been over in 20 pages if the Miss Prim would have had the guts to stay in a conversation without walking out in a huff every time she felt insulted. But then, we would miss the opportunity to walk through the delightful village of San Ireneo and meet all the key characters.The story and writing were adequate, the quotes and propositions the book propounded were of the most superb, enjoyable breath of fresh air I’ve read in a long time. For example, the member of the Feminist’s League had this quote from G. K. Chesterton above her fireplace: Ten thousand women marched through the streets of London saying: “We will not be dictated to,” and then went off to become stenographers. The village is full of feminists who weren’t angry or stifled, men whose faith, principles and commitments didn’t disintegrate at the sign of a beautiful woman’s affections but with backgrounds entrenched with reality of love, loss, pasts and misunderstandings.  What the author presents are what looks on the face of things, like old, outdated, antiquated ideas, presented in a refreshing light, albeit, an unsubtle light. When Miss Prim eventually stays for a conversation or explanation, the conversation usually involves, “I’m surprised at you …” or “You are young and wouldn’t understand …” somewhat elementary techniques for exposition. The book is full of characters that go against the grain of the rush of the world, slow down and mean what they say, live what they believe in a way that is so counter-cultural, that it probably will leave a bad taste in many people mouths. In the end, the book knocks down the proposition that romantic love conquers all, that romantic love, when kindled, should be indulged despite all else, despite faith, despite other commitments, despite reason itself. Within The Man in the Wing Chair's char action the book presents faith as something to run to when all else fails, something better, stronger and more valuable than even romantic love. And that is a breath of fresh air that I laud over and above all the tiny flaws of this book. It gives the story depth, something to stick in my mind, to think about, to reflect on. It does not feed that shallow sugary addiction to easy and uncomplicated pictures of love portrayed in so many contemporary novels. It broke the rules of popular fiction, but is a international best seller and for this, Miss Fenollera deserves kudos.

Despite finding the book pretentious with the author believing she has written a book on philosophy, I found it quirky and funny in part with its quaint village life of dreams. Prudentia Prim is naive and irritating at times with all the other characters quite unreal. If you enjoy living in a dreamworld with everything you read never approaching reality, then this is the book for you. I was curious to see what happened so I continued reading to the bitter end - particularly as it was a book club choice. Would I recommend it - NO.

I didn't think much of this book when I bought it; I thought it was going to be in the realms of chick lit but I was soon amazed and absorbed. I was amazed by the author's knowledge of Eastern Orthodoxy and the stories included; I loved the information about old papyri and the content of books I hadn't read before. This book had me do internet searches on weather camelia's bloom in winter and what type of tea grows in Russian stepps. If you're familiar with Alexander McCall Smith's series of Isabel Dalhousie novels you're bound to love and appreciate this one: both authors like to give bits of info here and there but this author does it 1000 times better. Maybe it's my background in religious studies and my interest in philosophy that made this book a page turner for me but honestly this has been the best book I've read recently and I can't wait to read it again. The English translation is beautiful and makes you think this is the original language. My only quibble is an abrupt end (the book should be 600 pages for my liking) and too much tea and pastries in the second part of the book (to the point that I was wondering how much weight the main character put on!). The story is centered around Christmas time which is perfect as a Christmas gift idea. Overall, this was beautiful and totally worth it.

This book is well written and the characters interesting and it had the potential to be excellent - sadly unrealised. My impression was the Author lost their way in the last third of the book and failed to tie the story together with plausibility and cohesion. The comparison to the character of Isabel Dalhousie by Alexander McCall, is erroneous, if only!! For that reasons I would say, don't waste your time or money.

I persevered and finished the book but confess that I found it a strange and ultimately unsatisfying tale. It had the potential to be memorable but the characters were trite and the theme clumsy, the central character of Miss Prim came across as small-minded and opinionated, and the awakening was nothing more than a realisation of that fact. I would not recommend this to others.

Very nice copy sent from ‘Be Inspired’ !! Will look for them again! Super writing about a private librarian. A good small town story with literary input.