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Loading... Flowers for Mrs Harris (original 1958; edition 1958)by Paul Gallico
Work InformationMrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico (1958)
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A charming short novel. Mrs Harris is a London char, a woman who takes care of people's houses and flats. She falls in love with the idea of having for herself a Christian Dior dress, and everything becomes about achieving that aim. She is a perfectly innocent person - uneducated and misinformed but with a good heart and generous portions of what we would now call Emotional Intelligence. In a very basic sense, this is a children's book written for adults - but that does not stop one's enjoyment, and when Mrs Harris triumphs, and when the secondary characters achieve their own happiness, you will feel as glad as I did. ( ) This was sweet and light for the most part, an enjoyable short book. Mrs. Harris is a London cleaning lady who leads a fairly unexceptional life. Until one day, when she sees a Dior dress in a client's closet, and she is gobsmacked. She. Must. Have. A. Dior. Dress. Even if she never wears it, merely to possess such a piece of perfection will, she feels sure, enhance her life immeasurably. When she finds out how much it will cost, she sets about scrimping, saving, and gambling a little, trying to gather the funds. Her eventual trip to Paris, her acquaintance with the staff at the House of Dior, and the significant ways in which they all touch each others lives, make for an amusing and sweet novel. "Luck, she felt, was something tangible that floated around in the air and sometimes settled on people in large chunks. Luck was something that could be felt, grabbed at, bitten off; luck could be all around one at one moment and vanish in the next." "Her jaw dropped, her chins folded into one another like the sections of a collapsible drinking cup." While I haven't seen the film yet, I have seen the preview, and it seemed very different to the storyline in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris [the book]. This short, but endearing story, told in (primarily) the third person, was a really enjoyable and uplifting read. I loved how Mrs. Harris yearned for something even though she new she would never use it and then I suppose this resourceful charwoman who makes (almost) everyone she interacts with better and helps them all, paean to a 50s myth of femininity is supposed to be charmingly uplifting instead of cynically manipulative. As one who loves a gorgeous gown I could only wish Mrs 'Arris got to keep hers. Picked this up because Angela Lansbury sold it to me when I was 14 and picked up the VHS. To be sure, I didn't really buy Lansbury as a charwoman. The book was just as charming as the film-- But, be warned, the ending is different. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to SeriesMrs. 'Arris (1) Is contained inIs abridged inDistinctionsNotable Lists
Fiction.
Literature.
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris: Mrs. Harris is a salt-of-the-earth London charlady who cheerfully cleans the houses of the rich. One day, when tidying Lady Dant's wardrobe, she comes across the most beautiful thing she has ever seen in her life-a Dior dress. In all the years of her drab and humble existence, she's never seen anything as magical as the dress before her and she's never wanted anything as much before. Determined to make her dream come true, Mrs. Harris scrimps, saves, and slaves away until one day, after three long, uncomplaining years, she finally has enough money to go to Paris. When she arrives at the House of Dior, Mrs. Harris has little idea of how her life is about to be turned upside down and how many other lives she will transform forever. Always kind, always cheery, and always winsome, the indomitable Mrs. Harris takes Paris by storm and learns one of life's greatest lessons along the way. Mrs. Harris Goes to New York: Mrs. Harris is back! A little boy, whose father was a GI, is being ill-treated. So when she is asked to go to New York with one of her clients to keep house for her, she smuggles the lad with her to try to find his father. No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.52Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1900-1944LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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