Listen To The Magnolias by Stella Gibbons
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ก.ย. 2024
- Listen to the Magnolias by Stella Gibbons was published in 1954. This poignant short story transports us to a small English town during World War II, where the arrival of American troops shatters the stifling routine of suburban life.
Through the eyes of a woman trapped in her own fears and societal expectations, we witness a powerful transformation. In this nuanced narrative, Gibbons explores how unexpected encounters can challenge long-held perspectives and spark personal transformation.
The story invites us to consider how brief interactions can leave lasting impacts, and how opening ourselves to unfamiliar experiences might lead to profound change. Through subtle symbolism and carefully crafted characters, "Listen to Magnolias" offers a thought-provoking examination of cultural differences and the potential for growth in even the most constrained circumstances.
Each week, I will narrate a story written by one of the masters of the literary short story. I will then give my response to the stories and discuss any themes and topics that arise from them.
#booktube
I loved this story. It has the themes of anyone fearful of change. And what a delight when she experiences the positive of the new. Whilst it happens at a time of huge upheaval, social and cultural change, there are elements of this that can still be found in modern culture. I think it has a message for today, particularly if you live in a city or large town. Open you heart, we are all different and yet basically have wants that are the same.
I am an American who absolutely adored this story. I thought it was very complimentary to our boys and it really touched my heart so much. Thank you 🙂❤🙏🏼⭐🌺
So enjoyed the narration of the meaning of this story....
The things we fear in life so often are not worth the time.
Thank you Mr Walker for your beautifully narrated story. So good to hear it in proper human language. 😊
It's actually becoming rarer to have a human read.
@@classic-literaturesstories You are what AI wants to be, Tony :)
thank you .your voice is a pleasure
I absolutely loved this!
Chicagoan here. What a lovely story. It is told with grace and empathy as well. Thank you!
I loved this story , beautiful prose , joyous ending
I really enjoyed this story thank you for sharing
Beautifully observed & written-thank-you 🙌
I like to imagine that Mrs Bestwick, in true Gibbons style goes on to travel to America too see Georgia and Maryland and the whole Mississippe Delta, and smell Magnolias.
Thank you! And I love your comparison to T.S. Eliot's poem. The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock is my favorite poem. I was introduced to it when I went to university in 1976. Well done, Sir.
Lovely!
Thank you so much for another classic tale! Have a great day, Mr Walker!
Beautiful and poignant “she heard magnolias”. ❤ Thank you.
Thank you, Tony. Agree with you on _Cold Comfort Farm_ ; a great read. Very much enjoyed _Listen to the Magnolias_ . Wonderful narration.
Good Morning Tony!
I love Stella Gibbons' writing.
Cold Comfort farm is one of my favourite books.
Thank you for choosing this. It's new to me.
Absolutely charming!
💖💖💖
Beautifully read. Thank you. Great analysis.
This is Tonys grab bag.
I never know what I'll get!
I actually love that idea
Thanks Tony for a beautiful story, delightful ending. This poor women's life properly became a joyful existence. I'm Irish, born in Southampton in 1954 when my dad helped with the rebuilding of that beautiful city. I'm married to an American SSgt USMC and have experienced military life in the US. My father -in-law SSgt in US army, could easily have been one of those soldiers, I never got to met him, he died in a VA hospital aged 4w when my husband was aged 10 years. We have lived in Ireland since since '81. I do hope our lady in this story got to travel outside her own small world and perhaps visited the US.
Enjoyed this and also imagining how her life with her guests might pleasantly unfold.
Good story. I didn't know Gibbons wrote short stories, just CCF.
Tony, you are the best. You shouldn't be surprised that Yanks have an urge to decolonize, we have form, you might say.
Cold Comfort Farm is wonderful. Where else would you find cows named Aimless, Feckless, Pointless and Graceless!
😄.
I love that it had video phones in the story and everyone who was anyone flew a small plane.
It's so funny.
Who can forget the grief and anguish Claud Hart-Harris endured from the 1946 Anglo-Nicaraguan wars, though he usually hid it behind a mask of cheerful idiocy?
Absolutely brilliant, thank you so much..a joy to listen to.
So you were a psychiatric nurse? I’m a nurse too (American). Thank you for sharing this wonderful short story and the commentary thereafter. Both were heartwarming. ❤
This is a gem in every sense of the word and the reading is superb . Thank you for the bottom of my heart ❤❤❤
Thank you so much for this. I found a subtle sweetness within this story. I love that she found warmth and beauty brought to her home by men of a culture that is used to unacceptance. Her preparation of her home for her expected visitors had a hopefulness to it, as well, shown through her attention to the small details. There's some bravery in this mouse.
I've taken your recommendation and ordered a copy of "Cold Comfort Farm." It's traveling from Britain to me in Ohio. I look forward to reading it.
You won't regret reading it. There was a 1968 BBC miniseries of the novel that was shown on American public television in the early 1970s. I was mesmerized by the miniseries and spent years trying to track down the novel. My cousin, who had experience with new and second-hand books told me that it was out of print. I finally found it years later in a rather unusual bookstore, the kind that are all but extinct today. I loved the novel even more than the miniseries, and spent the ensuing years reading and rereading it. Lucky you, to have your first read before you!!
'Fluff fringed posterior' What a great line 😂 but then I am a cat person 🐈
I have just found this pod cast.Nice change tony.
I like to mix it up ⬆️
My apologies to Mr. Thomas Markle, and my deepest sympathy, but, slnce I first became aware of her in connection with her current husband, his youngest daughter's behaviour has been grotesque.