The Optimist
Delivery estimate
Please enter a valid 4-digit Australian postcode.
to ·
Delivery estimate
Please enter a valid 4-digit Australian postcode.
to ·
The Optimist
Description
When Owen Quentillian returns to visit Canon Morchard in the idyllic village where he spent his childhood before the First World War, he finds the Canon a self-declared optimist, clinging to the Victorian beliefs about religion, family life and moral values which the war has shattered. Is the Canon a domestic tyrant? Are his children struggling to break free? Or does this family have anything to teach Quentillian about life and how to live it? (Helen)
About the author:
Edmée Elizabeth Monica Dashwood, née de la Pasture (9 June 1890 - 2 December 1943), commonly known as E. M. Delafield, was a prolific English author. She is best known for her largely autobiographical Diary of a Provincial Lady, which took the form of a journal of the life of an upper-middle class Englishwoman living mostly in a Devon village of the 1930s. In sequels, the Provincial Lady buys a flat in London, travels to America and attempts to find war-work during the Phoney War. Delafield's other works include an account of a visit to the Soviet Union, but this is not part of the Provincial Lady series, despite being reprinted with the title The Provincial Lady in Russia.
Delafield was born in Steyning, Sussex. She was the elder daughter of Count Henry Philip Ducarel de la Pasture, of Llandogo Priory, Monmouthshire, and Elizabeth Lydia Rosabelle, daughter of Edward William Bonham, who as Mrs Henry de la Pasture was also a well-known novelist. The pen name Delafield was a thin disguise suggested by her sister Yoe. After Count Henry died, her mother married Sir Hugh Clifford GCMG, who governed the colonies of the Gold Coast (1912-19), Nigeria (1919-25), Ceylon (1925-27) and the Malay States.
Delafield was a respected and highly prolific author in her day, but only the Provincial Lady series achieved wide commercial success. Her first novel Zella Sees Herself quickly went into a second impression and a first royalty cheque of £50.
Rachel Ferguson complained that she wrote too much and her work was uneven whilst considering The Way Things Are a "completely perfect novel" and suggesting (in 1939) that "her humour and super-sensitive observation should make of her one of the best and most significant writers we possess, a comforting and timeless writer whose comments will delight a hundred years hence." (wikipedia.org)
Shipping & Processing
This item is in stock with our supplier and usually ships within 3–5 business days.
Processing times
- In stock: Items marked “In Stock” are on our shelves. We pick, pack and ship them within 1–2 business days.
- In stock with our supplier: Items not marked “In Stock” are held by one of our Australian or overseas suppliers. We order them in for you and they usually dispatch within 2–5 business days (3–5 for some suppliers). The estimate next to the price is for this item.
- Special orders: Some supplier items, such as specialist and imported items, titles awaiting reprint and print-on-demand titles, take longer to arrive. If your order includes one, we’ll update you as soon as we hear from our supplier.
- Supplier delays: Occasionally a supplier is delayed, or their stock information turns out to be inaccurate. We’ll keep your order open for up to 60 days. If an item hasn’t shipped or isn’t on its way to us by then, we’ll cancel that item and refund it.
How accurate is availability?
Availability is based on the stock levels our suppliers tell us they hold, and we update it regularly. If a supplier issue affects your order, we’ll let you know with an updated estimate.
Delivery
- As soon as your order ships you’ll get an email with tracking.
- Australia Post usually delivers within 2–10 business days of shipping (around 4 in metro areas and around 6 in regional areas).
- If your order has more than one item, we hold the in-stock items until everything is ready, so we can ship your whole order together in one parcel.
- Shipping cost: Free on orders over $100 within Australia, otherwise $9.95 flat rate per order however many items you buy. Free shipping applies to Australian addresses only; delivery to New Zealand is $14.95 per order.
- Check your address: If an order goes to an incorrect address you gave us, or isn’t collected and Australia Post returns it to us, you’ll need to pay the postage to send it again.
Cancellations
Need to change or cancel an order? Contact us as soon as possible at contact@bookloop.com.au or through our contact page.
- Within 30 minutes: You can change or cancel your order for a full refund within 30 minutes of placing it.
- After 30 minutes: Your order is already being processed, so it can no longer be changed or cancelled. If we can accept a late cancellation, we may offer store credit instead of a refund.
- Items in transit: Once an item is on its way, either from our supplier to us or from us to you, it can’t be cancelled. If you no longer want it once it arrives, you can return it as a change of mind, with return postage at your cost. See Returns.
- Separate orders can’t be combined once they’ve been placed, and adding or swapping items can change the delivery estimate.
- Supplier delays: Occasionally a supplier is delayed, or their stock information turns out to be inaccurate. We’ll keep your order open for up to 60 days. If an item hasn’t shipped or isn’t on its way to us by then, we’ll cancel that item and refund it.
Faulty or damaged items are always covered. See Returns.
Returns
Damaged or incorrect items (within 30 days)
If an item arrives damaged or isn’t what you ordered, contact us within 30 days of delivery. We may ask for a photo, and if we need the item back we’ll send a prepaid return label, so it costs you nothing. You’ll receive a replacement or refund, as guaranteed under the Australian Consumer Law.
Change of mind (within 30 days)
We offer a refund or store credit for change of mind within 30 days of purchase when:
- you have your proof of purchase;
- the item is unused and in its original condition and packaging;
- it isn’t a sale item, special order, custom item or gift voucher.
You pay the postage to return change-of-mind items. Change-of-mind returns aren’t available for print-on-demand titles or bulk orders with special pricing.
Returned to sender
If an order is sent to an incorrect address you gave us, or isn’t collected and Australia Post returns it to us, you’ll need to pay the postage to send it again.