Old Lovegood Girls

By: Gail Godwin

Narrated by: Rosemary Benson

Bloomsbury presents Old Lovegood Girls by Gail Godwin, read by Rosemary Benson.

"As always, wry, beady­eyed, acute." —Margaret Atwood, via Twitter

From the bestselling, award-winning author of Flora and Evensong comes the story of two remarkable women and the complex friendship between them that spans decades.

When the dean of Lovegood Junior College for Girls decides to pair Feron Hood with Merry Jellicoe as roommates in 1958, she has no way of knowing the far-reaching consequences of the match. Feron, who has narrowly escaped from a dark past, instantly takes to Merry and her composed personality. Surrounded by the traditions and four-story Doric columns of Lovegood, the girls—and their friendship—begin to thrive. But underneath their fierce friendship is a stronger, stranger bond, one comprised of secrets, rivalry, and influence—with neither of them able to predict that Merry is about to lose everything she grew up taking for granted, and that their time together will be cut short.

Ten years later, Feron and Merry haven’t spoken since college. Life has led them into vastly different worlds. But, as Feron says, once someone is inside your “reference aura,” she stays there forever. And when each woman finds herself in need of the other’s essence, that spark—that remarkable affinity, unbroken by time—between them is reignited, and their lives begin to shift as a result.

Luminous and masterfully crafted, Old Lovegood Girls is the story of a powerful friendship between talented writers, two college friends who have formed a bond that takes them through decades of a fast-changing world, finding and losing and finding again the one friendship that defines them.©2020 Gail Godwin (P)2020 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Unique

Interesting novel about a friendship that survives for generations and miles apart. I related because I have a friend such as this. It’s a good book with a good narrator but you have to get into the 3-4 chapter before you understand it and you have to pay attention or you won’t be able to keep up.

Contrast in women’s behavior then and now.

I liked how different the two women were— how lovable Merry was and how not forthcoming Feron was. I admired Merry for her abiding faith in Feron.

Things may have been repeated and passages were long, but this book mirrors life, especially the writing life. There is plenty of building at the beginning and loss after loss at the end. But when I finished this and considered that Gail Godwin was well over 80 years old when she finished this book, I was deeply impressed.

Fascinating lifelong friendship

Two women writers who meet at boarding school develop in life, work & relationships in touching & profound ways.

The ensuring bond of friendship

Admittedly I struggled through many of the initial chapters until I realized the intricate web of details that were being wound. As the main characters were both writers, there was a good deal of verbiage used to describe how Merry and Feron's lives (and loves) entwined, developed, and bonded during their 51-year friendship.
This is a "rich" novel. It is eloquently written, allowing the reader to distinguish each of the main characters' strengths, emotions, and individual perspectives on their lives.
I was shocked at how much time elapsed between their correspondence, yet each revered the other as her "best friend". They were together even when miles apart--always bonded by their Lovegood School experience.

Merry and Feron's relationship reminds me of my long-distance relationship with my best friend although I cannot go more than 2 weeks without talking to her, much less 9 or 10 years. But their relationship was unique and almost celestial. A beautiful story.
NOTE: I suspect experiencing this book in print may be easier to follow, seeing the structure of each chapter, than an audio version. Nonetheless, it's powerful.