2 Jane Gardan books

One of my book groups read Old Filth by Jane Gardam for our April selection.  It was kind of a hard book to find, but well worth the search. Edward Feathers, known as Old Filth (Failed In London, Try Hong Kong),is telling the story of his life through flashbacks.  Old Filth is a well-respected retired judge who is viewed as a nice, but boring man.  As he tells the stories of his life, one becomes aware of all that he had been through and all that shaped him.  Not a boring life at all! He reminisces about his childhood and his marriage to Betty, and their life together.  It was a fascinating, very well-written story.

When we discussed the book in our book group, we realized that there were many unanswered questions about Old Filth's life.  Guess what!  Ms. Gardam has written a sequel, The Man in the Wooden Hat, which tells the story from Betty's perspective! Betty and Old Filth had met in Hong Kong, where they lived their married life.  It wasn't until retirement that they returned to England.  Betty's story answers those questions that had remained after reading Old Filth.

Both Betty and Old Filth are wonderfully fully-captured characters and their stories are captivating.  I loved both books!