There is a real twist at the end – as in many uplifting books, the end isn’t always happy.Jane (Dee Wells). It’s about an American woman living in London who has three lovers, a languid aristocrat, a black American civil rights lawyer and a beautiful burglar. She discovers she’s pregnant but doesn’t know who the father is, and there is another bittersweet ending.The Dud Avocado (Elaine Dundy). It was a huge hit when it was published, and everyone I’ve passed it on to has found it a hit – it works every time, for absolutely everybody, though I don’t know why.”Blood, gore, sex and violence are out when it comes to reading for therapy. Instead childhood favourites, classics and the like offer a friendly, comforting voice.
“It’s the story of two sisters who go to live in a ruined castle with their eccentric, difficult father and their stepmother, who used to be an artists’ model. “Good art, even if it’s about things that are depressing, is incredibly uplifting. When you are feeling low, what is difficult is being trapped in your own feelings and anxieties; in a book there is some escape.” Comfort-reading, says literary agent Felicity Rubinstein, needs to be “an incredibly familiar book, one that has been reread over a period of time at least once a year”.She swears by Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle (a movie version by Mike Newell, screenplay by Amy Jenkins, is now in production). Apart from the obvious cheerer-uppers like Wodehouse and Molesworth, some extremely sad books can also raise the spirits: who can read Jean Rhys without feeling better about their own situation, however dire it may be?”I often like depressing books,” says Nigella Lawson. Prozac, paracetamol, a shoulder to cry on, a box of tissues, a friendly ear, a bowl of chicken soup, a glass of wine Or a book. Which is the more therapeutic? Whether the problem is a broken heart or a broken leg, a dose of flu or sprained self-confidence, books can help make it better. Meanwhile, Radio Four has spotted the popularity of reading groups and is bringing its own version to the airwaves.
Once a month, James Naughtie will host Book Club; after a short interview with the author of that month’s book, listeners will be invited to join in the discussion. “We are very excited about it,” says Radio Four’s Marion Greenwood. “There is a definite commitment to increasing our books coverage. It is absolutely our territory.”
There is, of course, more to much-loved titles than mere entertainment. But even that may not be enough to satisfy those who, on the whole, would like to live for ever.As Woody Allen famously said, “I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work, I want to achieve it through not dying.”‘The Longevity Strategy: How to Live to 100 Using the Brain-Body Connection’ by Richard Restak and David Mahoney; 2 April, Wiley, pounds 17.99.
