From The Persephone Quarterly Autumn 2003 No. 19

'Along with others, I too am bemused as to why Dorothy Whipple has not been re-discovered and then greatly valued as an author. In The Priory she seems to have made an in-depth life study of human nature and, in a most low-profile way, can cause us to turn round and understand and empathise with others.’ MJ, Clevedon

‘I was so gripped by Little Boy Lost that I had to read it in one sitting; I adored The Blank Wall – very Highsmith in its quality of suspense and such a credible heroine; Hostages to Fortune so well conveyed the joys, frustrations and sheer hard graft of parenthood; and I did indeed love Someone at a Distance, a beautifully crafted novel, really superb characterisation, and the plot was as inexorable as a Greek tragedy. Really breath-taking.’ HC, London SE25

‘Once again, with Hostages to Fortune Persephone has rediscovered a delightful book that should never have gone out of print... As with The Far Cry I was not expecting such a literary work. I admired immensely the spare style and the simple truthfulness of the story. It is difficult to do justice to the richness of the book. There is so much in it – an assessment of someone’s life, the picture of a marriage as it changes over the years, the way a mother’s relationship with her children changes, the effect of the First World War on individual lives and on society... I found it compulsively readable.’ RSH, Coventry

‘I absolutely adored this book [The Home-Maker] from start to finish. I am fascinated by the way Dorothy Canfield Fisher exposed this family so very well and of course the scenes between the father and youngest boy were so beautiful they nearly made me cry. It is a perfect book. CM, Florida

‘I have just finished Farewell Leicester Square. It was very satisfying: she is so whole-hearted and delicate at the same time.’ JS, London W11

‘A friend recently introduced me to your books. So far I have read Every Eye, Little Boy Lost and A House in the Country, all excellent and each better than the one before! The ambivalence and childish reactions of the father in Little Boy Lost show Laski’s awareness of the same truth articulated so profoundly by Jocelyn Playfair in A House in the Country, namely that grown-ups still exhibit the same behaviour as children, though by and large they learn to make it socially acceptable. Playfair’s Cressida reflects on how this behaviour, on an international scale, is the major cause of war. I can’t overstate how impressed and moved I was by Playfair’s exploration of reasons for going to war and its inherent futility.’ HW, via e-mail

‘I have just finished The Priory and must tell you it is one of the most comfortable and satisfying books I have read for years.’ NC, Attleborough

‘The Priory was in my opinion a brilliant novel... for me the characterisation was the key to its success.’ TW, Mansfield

‘ Agnes Jekyll’s Kitchen Essays is a real delight and each just the length for a quick read whilst the kettle boils – her witty prose rings like polished cut-glass! I shall keep buying it for my friends.’ REW, Carlton, Notts

‘I have just spent seven nights totally beguiled and shocked by your clever juxtaposition of The Priory and Manja.’ MG, Malaga

‘Manja was totally absorbing. I felt I was living it all with them and experiencing the insidious, relentless, inevitable build-up of horror. And yet it was written so early – what perspicacity! I think it should be prescribed reading for everyone.’ LRW, Ripon

‘I thoroughly enjoyed Little Boy Lost – it is one of the most beautiful and moving stories I have ever read.’ MC, Kempston