Pur Spoons Came From Woolworths by Barbara Comyns

  

Our Spoons Came From Woolworths

by Barbara Comyns

First published in Britain by Eyre & Spottiswode 1950

Published in Paperback by Virago Press Ltd. 1983

The edition I read, Virago Press 2013

Introduction by Maggie O’Farrell 2013

Maggie O’Farrell picked up a copy of the book, probably the 1983 edition, in a second hand book shop in Lyme Regis and thought it the best 50p she had ever spent.

Barbara Comyns, born in 1909 was so like the main character Sophia, that her daughter complained that she had been killed off in the book. It shows life in 1930’s bohemian London, which may have been jolly fun for those with plenty of money, but wasn’t so good for those who were living from one art sale to the next.

Sophia tells the story in the first person, as it is, as it happens, the struggles with not enough money coming in, she does her best to get modelling jobs whilst her husband tries to establish himself as a painter. When she becomes pregnant his relatives complain that she is dragging him down and she should put the child up for adoption so that she can earn more and keep her husband whilst he establishes himself as an artist.

The description of pre-NHS maternity care are horrendous as is the warning that if she turns up at the hospital without her pink card she will not be admitted, even if she is in labour.

I agree with Maggie O’Farrell, when you start reading this book it is hard to put down and finding out that so much of the story is based on the experiences of the author makes you wonder how they managed to survive that lifestyle. I suppose the answer is that a lot of them didn’t, but they don’t tend to write the history of that time.