Deborah Moggach, author of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Heartbreak Hotel, has chosen Just William by Richmal Crompton as her Book of the Month. She writes of the book:
I read this, and the other William books, when I was around his age – 11 – and they made me realize that being funny is one of the greatest gifts a book can give us. In times of stress I still turn to William books and suddenly feel that everything will be all right. I think we can be slightly apologetic about so-called funny books – but as Wodehouse, Crompton and the great humourists show us, there’s a profound truth in laughter. I also loved the way they didn’t patronize the reader. Richmal Crompton used words like ‘testily’ and ‘unctuously’ and treated us as an equal. I loved those words, even if I had to learn what they meant, and it instilled a relish for words in me.
The sequel to the film based on Deborah’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was recently released. A film based on her book Tulip Fever will be released later this year.