THE LITTLE DIFFERENCE

by P. B. Abercrombie ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 7, 1959

Far more cheerfully malicious than The Victor and the Vanquished (1957-Vanguard) this is a skittish satire which commutes between London publishing circles and a ""sexual desert"", the Bardley Freedom School, where Vivian Mudge, a former model and an unsuitable young woman, comes to teach. The many rules (no smoking, no drinking, no meat, and of course no men) are imposed by the Misses Gallion and invite infraction- certainly by Vivian who not only is involved in an intermittent affair with Garnett Hatfull, a married publisher, but also with a young farmer- Dennis Butterworth. Vivian tries, and fails, to promote his romance with another teacher- Laura Lafleur (Games, Latin and Greek), but she does succeed in taking Laura's novel to Garnett, a book written in all seriousness but to be published as a hugely successful joke. All of this, along with the running interference of the Misses Gallion, their abortive ""stemming of the Life Force,"" the speculation which runs wild among their charges, etc., etc. occasions a comic entertainment which derives more of its humor perhaps from its bons mots (Miss Abercrombie is a clever young woman) than its extended boarding school joke.

Pub Date: Sept. 7, 1959

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1959

Categories: FICTION