This one is a stumper. I’m not sure how to review it. Sixpence House is not a page turner. There are no unexpected plot twists, no epic struggles or heartbreaking romance. The whole story is really pretty ordinary. But I found it oddly soothing. It was a pleasant read and I enjoyed the company of it’s characters.
The book explores every wander-writer’s dream: to run off to the used book capital of the world, get a job in a book store and prepare for the publication of your first book. Sixpence House is set in Hay-on-Wye in Wales. What Under the Tuscan Sun is to cooking and decorating, Sixpence House is to reading and writing.
Paul Collins discusses how the British perception of an American is a caracature of an American. He compares it to a drag queen’s version of a woman. Yes, women do often wear make-up, high heals, complicated coifs and cocktail dresses, but that is an exaggerated and isolated version of femininity. It may be difficult to find an actual woman on an ordinary day that looks anything like a drag queen’s version of a woman. In the same way, citizens of the UK tend to think of Americans as loud, immodest, and self-important (OK, kind of like drag queens.) While we may see such a description is not completely incorrect, it is a rather broad brush and not in context. Americans are just as likely to have an exaggerated “drag queen” view of the British.
Many of us imagine the British are all something like John Cleese, Mr Darcy, or any character ever portrayed by Hugh Grant. What Sixpense House does is take the wig and make up off our drag queen image of the British so you can meet the actual person underneath. Paul Collins shows us the variety and reality of British people and culture. It’s a delightful perspective and at once familiar and unexpected. (“Drag Queen” is a metaphor. No actual drag queens appear in Sixpence House, though that would be awesome!)
Do I recommend Sixpence House? Not for everyone. But you? You are reading a blog called “WanderLit” about literary travel and writing. You are a wander reader and a wander writer. So yeah, I’m pretty sure you would like it too.
Read ~ Write ~ Wander
~Angie
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(Cover art from the publisher under fair use.)