Best Book for a Convalescent


Convalescent 2


So here’s a question: suppose you have a friend recovering from an annoying, and not trivial, but not-too-serious operation. You want to send him or her a book that will make good convalescent reading - what would you choose?

Something relatively light, and entertaining, but not rubbish-y. It needs to be enthralling, but not too depressing.

As it happens I know the answer to this question: in a moment I will tell you the ideal book to send or bring. But I’m also interested to hear other people’s ideas – it would be great to have a list of ‘recovery books’, perhaps in different genres. Please add your suggested titles in the comments below.

My friend was recovering from her operation, and says she was reading X – it is unfair to name him, he’s a very good writer, a prize-winner, and writes terrific books. But he is not an easy read, and perhaps too satirical. So when my parcel arrived, she put him down immediately, and picked up and started reading

Saffy’s Angel by Hilary McKay


- and that is the book title you need, and you should make a note of it now, just in case: but actually also if you haven’t read it yet you should get hold of it yourself. Don’t wait till you are ill.

My friend paused in her reading only to send me wildly enthusiastic texts and emails, and comments such as ‘I am in love with Sarah’s father’ and ‘Rose is right about soup’. She said they were the perfect read for her in her delicate state.

Saffy’s Angel is theoretically a children’s book, though frankly far too good for them. It is the first in a series of books about the Casson family (and yes, I had to then send my friend the whole of the rest of the series). The Casson books are just now being republished – so you are in luck.


Convalescent Saffy 1


Saffy’s Angel (which was on the blog a few years ago, as was the second book, Indigo’s Star) is about Saffron, the third child, and her attempts to find out more about her past. But it is also a book about friendships and families and parents, and it is absolutely full of wonderful characters, and jokes.

I have become friendly with Hilary McKay online (as with Lissa Evans, we just have to face up to the embarrassment of my being a stalker fangirl) – she visits the blog and suggests books for me. If I didn’t love her anyway, the fact that it was she who introduced me to GB Stern would win my heart.

I recently told her that I want to be reincarnated as a Casson child. All of them have colour names, so I have chosen mine already. I had a hover over Magenta, before finally settling on Alabama Crimson, which is quite an obscure choice. (I think it is the colour of the sports uniforms for Alabama University). Alabama – I would suggest - is something of a minx and tosses her hair a lot. Quite a few other fans have chosen their colour names now, so if you want to pin one down for yourself it might be as well to do so soon…

To find out more about the books, read the blogpost. You will see that there is mention of a friend’s family who might be considered Casson-like. I carefully did not name the family, but can tell you that several of my friends were asking ’Is it me? Is it us? Please say it was us…’

And Hilary McKay has written many other great books as well as the Cassons, and is about to publish The Skylark War, which (due warning) may surpass them all… she is a great great writer as well as a lovely person.

And I promise you, you can’t do better than Saffy’s Angel for a convalescent.

But a convalescent needs many books, so do please pass on your ideas for others… I hope to do another post listing everyone’s suggestions. And do choose and tell us your colour name if you would like to.

The top  illo is a health poster, part of a WPA Art Project from the late 1930s, and is from the Library of Congress.

I LOVE the second picture above: it shows some children from a performing arts school, dressed for a show in the 1930s. I used it six years ago to illustrate a description of the Casson children ready to go to their grandfather’s funeral. It is from the State Library of Queensland's collection, via Flickr, and to me has a real look of the Cassons. I hope Hilary likes it.























Comments

  1. Saffy's Angel sounds great, Moira! I can see why that would be your choice of book. As for what I would suggest? That's going to take some thinking, as I have several in mind. It's a matter of winnowing down the list, I think...

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    1. You should do your own blogpost on it, Margot, when you think of the right book. And I do recommend Saffy to everyone.

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  2. Goodness, goodness, I am overwhelmed, what a lovely lovely article, I've only just followed the twitter link. I trust it's okay with you if I print it out and put it in all my Christmas cards instead of those letters that go like knives to the heart about how well the children are doing, how many inheritances have come in this year and the adorableness of the cat/dog/grandchildren. (I once retaliated with the truth but never again). (Eve Casson does good Christmas round robins. Bill less so. Quite bitter. But I digress.)

    I am so pleased that Saffy was useful to your friend, I really am. Especially as she saw the charms of Sarah's father, so like my own dear dad. (Who only ever ate one Italian cooked meal in his life- it was double fried eggs and chips and very very good, he said. They kindly made it specially for him, there being nothing on the menu he could bear. )

    I wonder if I'm going to be able to publish this. I don't usually have the luck.

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    1. Yes! You finally overcame Blogger and managed to get a comment in, I am so glad it is on this one.
      I like to think of the Cassons adding medical help to their other roles in life. ('getbetter getbetter getbetter'). and the thought of the Casson Xmas letter has very much amused me....
      And as you may have gathered, I cannot tell you how much I am loving Skylarks...

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    2. I am happy to report that WorldCat informs me Ms Mckay's books are available at the Normal Public Library, 25 miles from my house. Inter-library loans ride again.

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  3. All right, you have convinced me. I try to resist, but I am powerless. I may wait and check the book sale, I may just go ahead and find a copy.

    I did just finish reading Starting Out in the Evening 10 days ago, also. Loved it.

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    1. Oh so glad you liked Starting out.... - I don't think I've ever convinced anyone else to read it! There is also a film, which is very good too. Hope you find some Hilary McKay.

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    2. Actually my motivation to read the book was based on the movie and the presence of Frank Langella in it. I thought it was easily available (free) on Amazon Prime but now it isn't, but I will probably get an inexpensive DVD and watch it.

      As far as the McKay books, I will probably buy Saffy's Angel soon, then look for others at the book sale. I need to have it in the house as a reminder or it won't get read. and the book sale is not so dependable in some cases.

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    3. You may have mentioned that before, I know you like Frank Langella. I am always wary of watching a film made from a book I love, but in this case the film was marvellous too.

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  4. Over a generation ago I loved the English sagas of R.F. Delderfield. I think A Horseman Riding By would take the convalescent far from the sick bed into a wonderful world. His books made me long as a young man to visit the areas of England where they are set. It has not happened but I have great images in my mind of Delderfield's England.

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    1. Oh gosh I read some of those, they were real proper family sagas weren't they? There was a revered Brit TV series of some of his works too - To Serve Them all His Days. I think I read Horseman, and God was an Englishman (what a title!). Yes, perfect sickbed reading.

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  5. I believe Eva Ibbotson herself described her books as being good for someone recovering from flu.
    My family had a similar category of "books to read if you wake up in the small hours having had a nightmare" and I think Jeeves &Wooster and Jennings & Darbishire both featured in that.

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    1. Oh yes all perfect. I love Eva Ibbotson. And Jennings and Derbyshire will forever be the absolute favourite for reading to my children. (In our house, a 'Jennings chair' is a comfortable place for three people to sit and enjoy the goings on at Linbury Court... ) They are so so funny, and perfectly plotted - the exact traits of Wodehouse in fact!

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  6. "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" by Winifred Watson is the first thing that comes into my mind for cheering up a convalescent. And the two self help books "Live Alone and Like it" and "Orchids on Your Budget" by Marjorie Hillis never fail to cheer me up.

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    1. Oh lovely Miss Pettigrew, I absolutely use her for when I can't face something serious, but need my mind taking off real life. I've read Live Alone, and now must seek out Orchids! Ican just visualize it from the title, even if I didn't already know how great Marjorie Hillis is.

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  7. I recently was very taken with A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amor Towles. It's going to be a movie soon or a TV mini series with Kenneth Branagh in the lead (not at all how I picture the character). If I were homebound and recuperating post-surgery and I needed something to read I think it would be the perfect book.

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    1. I think you already mentioned that one to me - I really must read it, and it sounds as though it fits the case perfectly.

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  8. Children's or YA books are perfect not just for convalescents but for anyone who's going through a tough time - an acquaintance of mine couldn't put the 'Hunger Games' trilogy down while going through a rough divorce (and they're not even normally much of a reader).
    Adult books I'd recommend would be anything by Anne Tyler or Laurie Graham - and since you introduced me to her on this blog - Lissa Evans.

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    1. I surprised myself by actually loving the Hunger Games trilogy, I was seriously impressed by them - though so much not the kind of thing I normally read.
      And, of course, totally agree with your other choices: all perfect authors for providing a proper read and taking you out of your surroundings.

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  9. I just wanted to drop back by and tell you how much I liked this book. A great read. I will be looking for more of them at the book sale.

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    1. SO glad you liked it! And her other books are great - within this series and others. I will soon be blogging on her newest book...

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