Angela Thirkell Books In Order

Publication Order of Barsetshire Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Angela Thirkell was a renowned English & Australian writer, who was famous for writing literature & fiction, historical fiction, British Literature novels, and biographies & memoirs. She was particularly famous for writing her long running Barsetshire series. Author Thirkell had also written a single novel called Trooper to Southern Cross under the pen name of Leslie Parker. She was born as Angela Margaret Mackail on January 30, 1890 in Kensington Square, London. After her marriage, she took the surname of Thirkell. Author Thirkell was John William Mackail’s eldest daughter, who was a Scottish civil servant and scholar from Isle of Bute. Between 1906 and 1911, John had served as a poetry professor at the Oxford University. Thirkell’s mother, Margaret Burne Joes, was the daughter of Edward Burne Jones, a Pre-Raphelite painter. Through her mother, Thirkell was related as a distant first cousin to Stanley Baldwin and Rudyard Kipling. Author Thirkell had 2 siblings, brother Denis Mackail and sister Clare. Denis was a novelist like and was very enthusiastic about his work. During their youth, Thirkell and her siblings received first hand treatment to Mary de Morgan’s fairy tales.

The author obtained her initial education from the Claude Monteflore Froebel Institute in London. Then, she joined the St. Paul’s Girls School in Hammersmith, and later went to Paris to complete a one year education in a finishing school. After returning from Paris, author Thirkell came across James Campbell McInnes, who was working as a singer. The two married in 1911 and had their first child, Graham, a year later. Thirkell had two more children with James McInnes, Colin and Mary, before divorcing him publicly for adultery. In 1918, Thirkell met and married George L.A. Thirkell, who hailed from Tasmania and was employed as an engineer. George took Thirkell and her sons to Australia along with him. There, the family lived a middle-class life, which was not appreciated by Thirkell. She gave birth to another son named Lancelot and then returned to England without let her husband know about her intention of not going to Australia again.

As Thirkell didn’t have any money for the ticket fare, she begged her godfather J M Barrie to help her. Thirkell claimed that she wanted to look after parents as they had grown too old, but in reality, she wanted to live in the more comfortable lifestyle in London. Thereafter, Thirkell was quoted as saying that her life is pretty much peaceful without any husband. The first attempt of author Thirkell was during her stay in Australia. It was a desperate attempt due to her seemingly poor living standard and money needs. Among her first of many short stories and articles was a small article that featured in Cornhill Magazine in 1921. Thirkell also worked for the Australian radio. When she came back to England, she converted this profession into journalism, but continued to write stories. All her initial attempts at writing stories were aimed at the small-aged readers. Thirkell moved on to writing novels and achieved her first success as an author with the book called High Rising. This 1933 book was set in Barsetshire of Anthony Trollope, the fictional county of England that he depicted in his novels. And with this success, a motivated Thirkell went on to develop a long series of 29 novels.

Thirkell was equally passionate about reading contemporary fiction stories and used to borrow from some arkane titles. The 1930s books of author Thirkell had satiric exuberance that comprised of aristocratic folly, middle class aspirations, and village ways. In Three Houses, she has described a memoir that displays that lifelong melancholy, finished style, and idolization of Thirkell’s grandfather by her. During most of the 1940s, Thirkell’s work was influenced by the ongoing war and its effects. An important part of her writing of that time was the depiction of the state of women whose loved ones were engaged in the war efforts. She also showed how those women coped with the wartime life’s annoyances. As Thirkell proceeded towards the 1950s, her writing took the form of romance. She took to writing simple romances with exciting characters. Thirkell’s books show that she had a keen sense of the society that enabled her to focus on the minute details about the everyday life. She breathed her last on January 29, 1961.

The Barsetshire series written by author Angela Thirkell is comprised of a total of 29 books, which were released between the years 1933 and 1961. Its debut book is entitled ‘High Rising’ and was released by the Moyer Bell publication in the year 2007, after being first released in 1933. This book features the main characters in the roles of Laura Morland, Tony Morland, and many others. At the start of the story of the book, author Thirkell has introduced Laura Morland as a middle aged woman, who get centrally involved in all the activities and events of this story. She is depicted as widow, who lives her life happily and peacefully. Laura spends her time writing novels, which brings her satisfaction and livelihood. Other important character is mentioned in the form of Tom Morland, who is shown as a disappointed suitor. The story revolves around two romances, one with a young couple and the other with older ones. As the story reaches its end, the affairs get resolved by closing of the ranks between the women and everyone becomes satisfied. This book is filled with delightful characters, excellent story-line, and mind blowing elements to keep the readers interested till the end.

The next exciting installment of this series is called ‘Wild Strawberries’. It was initially published in 1934, but Moyer Bell released it in 2008. This book consists of the central characters as Lady Emily, Mr. Leslie, Agnes, Mr. Holt, Nannie, James, Clarissa, Emmy, etc. At the beginning of the book’s story, it is described that the Leslies are an extend family living in Rushwater House. It is headed by Lady Emily and her husband Mr Leslie. Lady Emily has the habit of turning every situation in turmoil and confusion. At every settled event, she tends to do something that brings chaos. Mr. Leslie thinks he has tolerated too much and decides to go on a cruise trip to norther Europe. Agnes is the daughter of Leslies, who has become the mother of 3 children despite the fact that her husband stays abroad for work most of the time. Every housekeeper, tenant, servant, and members of the Leslie family tries to bring the situation under control, but none succeed. Once again, author Thirkell has depicted a humorous description with interesting characters and an amazing story-line.

One Response to “Angela Thirkell”

1. Donna Weaver: 2 years ago

   Thank you for this excellent list and your reviews!
   I look forward to reading to the end and savoring the characters.

   Reply