Leaven of Malice

By Robertson Davies

Winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, Leaven of Malice is the second novel in Robertson Davies’ much-loved Salterton Trilogy. Available as an eBook for the first time.

The following announcement appeared in the Salterton Evening Bellman: “Professor and Mrs. Walter Vambrace are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Pearl Veronica, to Solomon Bridgetower, Esq., son of . . .”
 
Although the malice that prompted this false engagement notice was aimed at three people only–Solly Bridgetower, Pearl Vambrace, and Gloster Ridley, the anxiety-ridden local newspaper editor–before the leaven of malice had ceased to work it had changed permanently, for good or ill, the lives of many citizens of Salterton.
 
This is the second novel in The Salterton Trilogy (which also includes Tempest-Tost and A Mixture of Frailties).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Aug 25, 2015
• ISBN: 9780771027901

Reviews for Leaven of Malice

[autumnc_12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

People that will enjoy this read:1. Anyone living in a small University community.2. Any involved on a small publishing staff.3. Those who love to laugh at small town gossips.This book was funny and a delight. I came into it by accident after reading two "heavies": Ten Thousand Lovers and Two Solitudes, both distressing (although beautiful). This is light-hearted, but not too much so as to be untrue. It is a great reflection on the community that builds into a University town, or any smallish town for that matter.Witty characters that are entirely full of themselves yet lacking maliciousness to the extent that all readers can laugh at the trouble they get themselves into over pride and self-centredness. Thank you Mr. Davies, I needed a good-natured laugh!

[cmbohn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Just finished listening to this one on tape. I had heard about this author before, but I wasn't familiar with any of his books until I got this one from the library. It didn't disappoint!Someone decides to insert a false engagement notice in the newspaper, announcing the upcoming wedding between Pearl Vambrace and Professor Solomon Bridgetower on November 31. The newspaper runs the announcement and then finds itself in the middle of an uproar. The plot contains elements of Romeo and Juliet, with more than a bit of The Tempest thrown in. Much funnier than the plot sounds. Worth looking for!

[thorold_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A few years after the events of Tempest-Tost, Salterton is thrown into chaos by an unexpected announcement in the Engagements column of the local paper. The novel is essentially a farcical campus comedy, and it's not hard to guess where the plot will end up, but of course there is rather more than that going on. Both the central characters in the romantic comedy are trapped in destructive but loving relationships with their parents, and Davies has fun exploring how parents can abuse the loyalty of their grown-up children. Meanwhile, through the character of the editor, Gloster Ridley, Davies, drawing on his own second career, invites us to think about what local newspapers actually do, and why (and incidentally makes it clear that "news" is among the least important things in a paper).

[vivienner_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice. Who can separate the leaven from the lump once it has been mixed.When a fictitious announcement is made in the Salterton Evening Bellman that Solly Bridgetower and Pearl Vambrace are to be married on November 31st, everyone is impacted by the deceit. Professor Vambrace, Pearl's father sees it as a personal attack because, like the Montagues and Capulets, his family and the Bridgetowers have always been at loggerheads. He threatens to sue the Bellman for libel, even though the newspaper is a victim too. Solly and Pearl are not so interested in legal action, their discomfiture is personal. Finally lawyers on both sides seek to discover the identity of "X", the person responsible for the humiliation and outrage.In the 1940s and 1950s, Davies was editor and publisher of the Peterborough Examiner. In reading this book, it is very apparent that he had a lot of fun writing it, especially creating Gloster Ridley, his fictional counterpart. The other characters are equally rich in eccentricity. His writing is intelligent, polished, sprinkled with many clever allusions. Written in 1954 this is as fresh as ever. Highly recommended.

[busterrll · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Typical Robertson Davies In other word a "gem" Well written with not a single superfluous line.Once picked up, you will not want to put it down.

[jennyo_587543 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I finished an Evelyn Waugh book (The Loved One) and was trying to figure out what I should read next. Then I remembered that I picked up a Robertson Davies book at the 2005 BC Convention in Fort Worth. So, that's what I grabbed. And I thought it was great.In this book, a prank newspaper announcement leads to some rather dramatic events, mainly involving Solly Bridgewater (a university professor), Pearl Vambrace (a research librarian), and Gloster Ridley (the editor of the paper). The story is hilarious, and the characters are wonderful. While I enjoyed reading about Solly, Pearl, and Ridley, my favorite character was Humphrey Cobbler, music teacher and church organist. He was the funniest character in the book, and at the same time, the most sensible.And Davies' prose just sparkles. Here are a couple of examples: 'Perhaps the Cathedral is too serious,' said Cobbler. 'It is the House of God, isn't it? How do we know that God likes his house to be damned dull? Nobody seems to think that God might like a good time, now and then.' This was, perhaps, the voice of the people, and the voice of the people, no editor is ever permitted to forget, is the voice of God. It was a pity, he reflected, that God's utterances needed such a lot of editorial revisionAll in all, a real treat to read.

[ragwaine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Just as good as Tempest Tost. How does he make ordinary events so interesting.

[ajbraithwaite_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it. Richly drawn characters, good and bad. Reminds me of Trollope and Dickens: definitely in the same vein of writing.

[charlie68_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A funny, whimsical tale that increased my word power. I always feel smarter after I have read Davies, whether I am or not is another matter.

[dinadansfriend · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An entertaining novel. A false announcement of an engagement leading to a possible libel suit is worked quite well for its comic potential. Part two of the Author's "Salterton Trilogy". Originally published in 1954.

[ben_a_11 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another re-read. For some reason or other, despite enjoying Leaven of Malice years ago, I never proceeded to the other two Salterton books. I read Tempest-Tost last week, and it's a classic Davies: spinning gold from straw. Leaven of Malice may even be better.re-read 1.2.2008Finished 1.2.08

[joycepa_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Second in the Salterton trilogy.Robertson Davies was one of Canada’s most distinguished writers; he is probably better known for his Deptford and Cornish trilogies than for the Salterton trilogy, but if so, that’s a shame, because he brings to the second book of the Salterton trilogy qualities that aren’t as immediately evident in the others.Davies was at one time the publisher of a newspaper in a small Canadian university town, just like one of the protagonists in Leaven of Malice, Gloster Ridley. Through Ridley, we see the main characters as only an newspaperman with long experience in such a community can see them, with all their foibles. Davies throughout the book, either through Ridley’s eyes or those of other characters or through the narrative brings an absolutely impish sense of humor to bear on these people whom he knows well. However, it is also very clear that while the humor is devastating in depicting the characters, Davies had great affection for all except perhaps one of them. Yes, their behavior is hilarious, but they are human and all are Davies’ friends. One of the great joys of reading Davies is his elegant prose. The man clearly loved the English language and used it brilliantly. I’m always tempted to describe his writing as “old-fashioned” but am afraid that somehow that would give the impression of out-dated or stiff. it is anything but. It’s formal, yes, but flows beautifully and wastes not a single word. He wrote in something more complex than the simple declarative sentence that is much the current style, and he was able to use multiple points of view--without having to resort to the first person, as so many authors do today. The result is refreshing, the English language at its best and most accessible.It’s not necessary to read the first book to enjoy this, the second.Highly recommended.