''Cluny Brown'' is a humorous coming of age novel by

Margery Sharp Clara Margery Melita Sharp (25 January 1905 – 14 March 1991) was an English writer of 25 novels for adults, 14 children's novels, four plays, two mysteries, and numerous short stories. Her best-known work is ''The Rescuers'' series about a h ...

, published in August 1944 by

Collins Collins may refer to: People Surname Given name * Collins O. Bright (1917–?), Sierra Leonean diplomat * Collins Chabane (1960–2015), South African Minister of Public Service and Administration * Collins Cheboi (born 1987), Kenyan middle- ...

in the UK and

Little Brown Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emily D ...

in the US.

Plot summary

The story follows the escapades of a plumber's niece, Cluny Brown, who is twenty years old in England in 1938. Cluny has high spirits and a constant desire for expansion of experience that leads the more staid members of her community to question whether she knows her place. As a consequence of one final London based excursion of discovery outside the bounds of what Cluny's mentors consider proper, she is sent off into good service with a charming country residence known as Friars Carmel to be a Tall Parlour Maid. The coincidental simultaneous arrivals of the young son and heir of the house, a mysterious Polish professor, and a beautiful socialite add complexity to this adventurous tale of a young woman following her dreams and finding her personal freedom in the tumultuous early 20th century.

Characters

*Clover 'Cluny' Brown, fearless adventurer & Tall Parlour Maid *Andrew Frewen, heir to Friars Carmel *Lady Alice Carmel, mistress of Friars Carmel *Sir Henry Carmel, baronet of Friars Carmel *Mr. Wilson, the neighborhood chemist *Adam Belinski, distinguished Pole of letters *Elizabeth 'Betty' Cream, London socialite *Hilda Brewer, house maid *Mr. Porritt, Cluny's plumber uncle *Syrette, valet

Adaptations

Films

The story was adapted into a 1946 film made by

Twentieth Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

, directed and produced by

Ernst Lubitsch Ernst Lubitsch (; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as ...

Comic strip

In 1945

Wallace Morgan Wallace Morgan (1875 – April 24, 1948) was a war artist for the United States Army during World War I. Biography Morgan was born in 1875, and he grew up in Albany, New York, where his family had moved shortly after his birth. Upon graduation fr ...

created a newspaper comic adaptation of ''Cluny Brown''.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite web, title=Margery Sharp.com, url=http://www.margerysharp.com/ {{cite web, title=Library of Congress Catalog Info, url=http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&Search_Arg=cluny+brown&Search_Code=GKEY^*&CNT=100&hist=1&type=quick {{cite web, title=Cluny Brown Film Review, website=

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

, date=20 December 2010, url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/cluny-brown/5212

Book reviews

A Work In Progress

Another look book
1944 British novels British novels adapted into films British comedy novels Novels adapted into comics British bildungsromans Novels set in the 1930s Novels set in London William Collins, Sons books Novels by Margery Sharp