''Our Spoons Came from Woolworths'' is a novel by the English writer

Barbara Comyns Barbara Irene Veronica Comyns Carr (born Barbara Irene Veronica Bayley; 27 December 1907Celia Brayfield (2004)Carr, Barbara Irene Veronica Comyns (1907–1992) ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. – 14 ...

, first published in 1950.Barbara Comyns (1950). ''Our Spoons came from Woolworths''. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode.

The story

The book is based on Comyns's marriage to John Pemberton, which ended in 1935. In the

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

London of the 1930s, Sophia Fairclough and her husband Charles are painters, twenty-one and newly married, and poor. Sophia has two babies and a pet newt, becomes a

life model An art model poses, often Nudity, nude, for visual artists as part of the creative process, providing a reference for the human body in a work of art. As an occupation, modeling requires the often strenuous 'Work (human activity), physical work' ...

to support her family and starts an affair with an elderly

art critic An art critic is a person who is specialized in analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art. Their written critiques or reviews contribute to art criticism and they are published in newspapers, magazines, books, exhibition brochures, and catalogue ...

called Peregrine.Lucy Scholes (28 July 2013)
Sisters By a River; Our Spoons Came from Woolworths; The Vet's Daughter by Barbara Comyns – review
''The Guardian''. Accessed March 2015. The book is substantially autobiographical, with only a small number of purely imaginary scenes.Celia Brayfield (2004)
Carr, Barbara Irene Veronica Comyns (1907–1992)
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Publication

''Our Spoons Came from Woolworths'' was published by Eyre & Spottiswoode in 1950. It was reissued by

Virago A virago is a woman who demonstrates abundant masculine virtues. The word comes from the Latin word ''virāgō'' ( genitive virāginis) meaning vigorous' from ''vir'' meaning "man" or "man-like" (cf. virile and virtue) to which the suffix ''-ā ...

in 1983, and has been reprinted several times since then.

References

1950 British novels English novels Novels set in London Eyre & Spottiswoode books {{1950s-novel-stub