Jane Gardam

I read this when I was a teenager in Mexico. Libreria Cristal had a small section of British books. They didn't carry American books because this was way before NAFTA. They used to cost like $15 or $16 pesos.

A Long Way from Verona is a sort of British wartime female version of the Catcher in the Rye. Most Jane Gardam novels are out of print in the U.S. now for some reason. I found this copy in a used bookstore. I remembered quite a bit of it from over 30 years ago so either I have a great memeory or it really resonated with me. It's about a young girl who wants to be a writer. Simple enough but clever and well written.

I can't imagine a teenager nowadays having much in common with the narrator. I suppose the present day version would be a young woman who wants to be a blogger, or is a blogger. Adolescence seemed to be more about longing and desire then, now is seems to be all fulfillment and purpose. No more 'Long Way from Verona' simply 'Verona'!