Margery Sharp

Margery Sharp (1905–1991) was an English novelist, playwright and children’s author known for witty social comedies examining class, romance and unconventional women. Born in Wiltshire and partly raised in Malta, she published her first novel, Rhododendron Pie, in 1930. Her adult novels include The Nutmeg Tree, Cluny Brown, Britannia Mews, The Foolish Gentlewoman and The Eye of Love, many of which combine light comedy with perceptive observations about social expectations and personal independence.

Sharp is also remembered for the children’s series beginning with The Rescuers, featuring Miss Bianca and Bernard, two mice involved in daring missions to aid prisoners and other people in danger. The series inspired Disney’s animated films The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under. During a prolific career, Sharp wrote more than twenty-five adult novels, fourteen children’s books, several plays, mysteries and numerous short stories, earning a lasting reputation for elegant prose, understated humour and sharply drawn characters.

Periods and events

Cold War and Post-war Era World War II Post-war Britain Great Depression Interwar Period Victorian Era Pre-War Europe

Series

Series by Margery Sharp (1 series)

The Martha Trilogy in Order

by Margery Sharp 3 books 4.4

The Martha Trilogy follows Martha, a child artist first observed during the Great Depression, from her unconventional upbringing in London to artistic independence in post-war Paris. The Eye of Love introduces nine-year-old Martha while her aunt Dolores Diver and the furrier Harry Gibson attempt to preserve their relationship…