Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Mar 2014
272 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Information
Under the heady influence of a springtime picnic and vague notions of obligation, young undertaker Wilfred Price blurts out a marriage proposal to a woman he barely knows. Much to his consternation, she says yes. As Wilfred attempts to extricate himself from the situation, his betrothed's overbearing father presents further complications. And when Wilfred meets another woman he does wish to marry, a comedy of manners ensues.
Set in rural Wales during the 1920s, Wendy Jones's charming first novel is a deceptive, subtly humorous entrance to the mores and social conventions of a world gone by.
"Wilfred Price is a cute story but I feel like I've read it too many times before. Sadly, it is derivative, even bordering on trite." - BookBrowse
"Starred Review. Though the novel's first, pre-marriage half dawdles, and the Wilfred/Flora relationship is too gauzy, the second half is exceptionally strong." - Kirkus
"Jones narrates [her characters'] journeys with tenderness and insight, capturing the era's quaint speech and mores without trivializing the characters. The novel's place and time are beautifully evoked as well, through small authentic details." - Publishers Weekly
"Wilfred's sentimental education is wrought so delightfully and affectionately." - Sunday Times (UK)
"Light, compassionate drama about a small, very tightly bound, ancient corner of the world." - Guardian (UK)
"This is a spryly told tale whose heart is an ample match for its more knowing qualities." - Daily Mail (UK)
This information about The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Wendy Jones was the first person to do an MA in Life Writing at UEA and is currently completing a PhD in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths, where she teaches. She wrote Portrait of the Artist as a Young Girl, a biography of Grayson Perry and hosts Interesting Conversations, a literary program on Resonance FM.
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