Upon Several Occasions

'Bad luck's been on her ever since she was born' and the pitfalls that surround Mady Barnard form the backdrop to this moving story of community. Birth, marriage, death and a trip to Bristow link the industrious characters of Elizabeth Berridge's subtle and insightful third novel, first published in 1953. Mrs. Barnard's aspirations for her daughter Mady, the grief felt by Mrs. Peters, the rector's wife, over her son's death in Burma and Doris Weldon's frustration with her children tell of day-to-day life in the village. In the background remains the Women's League, a subterfuge where knitting patterns and scone recipes are swapped and where gossip is circulated with passion.