Summary of A Far Cry from Kensington
Mrs Hawkins reflects on her life thirty years earlier, in the 1950s, when she was a young war widow living in a boarding house in Kensington, London, and working in the publishing industry. The novel centres on her aversion to a talentless writer named Hector Bartlett, who is bent on revenge after Mrs Hawkins insults him, and on Wanda, a Polish woman who lives downstairs and becomes the target of blackmail and manipulation.
Reasons to read A Far Cry from Kensington
“A Far Cry from Kensington” captures the lives of people sharing a boarding house in 1950s London and offers an insider’s glimpse into the intrigues of the publishing world. At its heart, it is the story of a woman struggling with her weight and self-esteem while searching for purpose in her life. Mrs Hawkins is trusted with other people’s confidences but remains uncertain about her own future, longing for love and a meaningful career. Her refusal to compromise the truth, even when it has painful consequences, makes her an engaging and memorable narrator. Muriel Spark drew inspiration from her own experiences of working in publishing and living in South Kensington (Sussex Mansions, Old Brompton Road). She was a distinguished Scottish novelist, best known for “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie”, “The Mandelbaum Gate”, “The Driver’s Seat”, “Memento Mori”, “A Far Cry from Kensington”, and “The Finishing School” . In 1988, she received the Golden PEN Award in recognition of her contribution to literature.
Setting: London (England, UK)
Original title: A Far Cry from Kensington
Year of publication: 1988
Nr of pages: 189
