SMALL
PLEASURES
by Clare Chambers

Cover Summary
1957, the subarbs of south east London,
Jean Swinney is a journalist on a local paper, trapped in a life of duty and disappointment from which there is no likelyhood of escape.
When a young woman, Grethen Tilbury, contacts the paper to claim that her daughter is the result of a virgin birth, it is down to Jean to discover whether she is a miracle or a fraud.
As the investigation turns her quiet life inside out, Jean is suddenly given an unexpected chance at friendship, love and – possibly – happiness.
But there will be, inevitably, a price to pay.
Reading Small Pleasures
Small Pleasures was an easy, breezy kind of read that doesn’t take a lot of mental exercise to follow along. You could just pick off right where you left off and not need to remember any plot twists or clues that could come in handy later. It also goes extremely well with a cup of warm tea in hand, and a fresh flower scented candle burning by the side.
Having said that, I finished the book in around three days. I’d seen the cover floating around on Pinterest and online book stores recommendations and I was always struck by the bright illustration and quirky palette on the cover. Eventually, I picked it out at a local bookstore in one of those three-for-two offers knowing that I likely wouldn’t regret using my “oh, free book!” thrill on this litte number.
I also liked the fact that it’s set in a previous sort of era in London, and the virgin birth excrept intrigued me. Wasn’t so keen on the love story part, and it did develop into a bit of a drear at times (cause older people falling in love tends to be… a drear).


What I loved
Storytelling
My primarly love for this book was the language used. Clare Chambers’ storytelling is light, fluid and has a quintessential feel of Britishness that you would likely use whilst having tea and cakes with your grandmother. She balances introspection and storytelling quite well in the first half of the book especially, before all the romance comes in.
The Plot and Outcome
An investigate journalist confronted with the claim of a virgin birth and following her interviews with witnesses, relations with the family and institute where the event took place was super interesting to me. I also loved the eventual solving of the mystery, which was dark and altogether unholy.
The Era
Post-war, loss of father figures, women at the workplace, the residue of war on living places, poor versus not. Gimme.
“There was something almost cruel in their self-absorption and Jean had to remind herself that it was nothing personal, just a universal symptom of the disease of love. Those afflicted could not be blamed, only pitied.”
What I wasn’t too keen about
A little too much mush
I could really identify with the book when it was primarly about the invesigation and Jean’s tiring relationship with her mother, as well as when she started getting feelings for Howard. However, when the love train really took off, I think too much was wasted on the walks, dinners, talks, evenings at home from one house to another, more talks… and the dynamic of the relationship also struck me as unrealistic, especially towards the end. A little too much melodrama for me.
The hurried end to the investigation
What should have really been the focus of the second part of the book, discovering how Gretchen actually got pregnant, felt super rushed towards the end, kind of like a quick attempt to get the actual interesting plot out of the way and focus on the romance.

All in all…

I’d give this one a solid four stars, beacuse of the langauge used and super creative plot in an equally interesting and surprising era. I think the author has a beautiful way of exploring emotions less talked about – disappointment with ageing parents, grief at growing older and ageing in general, feeling loss of self-sufficiency when faced with the scary prospect of love. Feeling that you’re losing joy in all the small pleasures you previously revelled in, because an underlying sadness or worry has seeped in and tainted that.
I definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a quiet winter read and an intriguing but not complicated story.