A Pin to See the Peepshow
 First edition (US)
| |
| Author | F. Tennyson Jesse |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | Clare Francis |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Set in | London, 1913–1927 |
| Publisher |
Heinemann (UK) Doubleday Doran (US) |
Publication date |
September 1934 |
| Media type | Print: hardback |
| 823.912 | |
| LC Class | PZ3 .J492 .E57 |
| Preceded by | The Lacquer Lady |
| Followed by | Act of God |
A Pin to See the Peepshow is a 1934 novel by F. Tennyson Jesse, based on the 1922 Thompson–Bywaters murder case.
Plot
Julia Almond grows up in suburban poverty in Edwardian London. She longs for a better life, but makes an ill-advised marriage during the First World War.
Reception
Sarah Waters has praised A Pin to See the Peepshow, writing "rarely, it seemed to me, had I been plunged by a piece of fiction into an emotional world so vivid, so complete, so convincingly untidy."
Adaptations
A Pin to See the Peepshow was adapted into a play by Jesse and H. M. Harwood in 1951. It was refused a licence by the Lord Chamberlain and so premiered at a drama club. In 1953 it showed at the Playhouse Theatre, Broadway.
In 1973 it was adapted into a four-part TV series by the BBC, written by Elaine Morgan and starring Francesca Annis.
In 2007 it was made into a short radio drama on BBC Radio 4 by Scott Cherry.