Six Degrees of Separation is a meme hosted by Kate over at Books Are My Favourite and Best. It works like this: each month a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six others to form a chain. A book doesn’t need to be connected to all the titles on the list, only to the one next to it in the chain.
This month we’re starting with Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle narrated by Merricat who lives with what’s left of her family in a large house on the edge of a village where she’s treated with hostility.
As are the inhabitants of the children’s home on the rare occasions they’re allowed out in Catherine Chidgey’s The Book of Guilt.
Chidgey’s novel has been compared to Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go although I prefer The Remains of the Day.
The adaptation of which was filmed in a village not far from where I live as were scenes from Joanne Harris’s Chocolat.
The next link has to be Jonathan Coe’s Bournville, set in the village built by the Cadbury family to house their workers.
Coe began his career as a film critic leading me to a short story collection by a film star, Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks.
In Ann Patchett’s These Precious Days she mentions her friendship with Hanks.
This month’s Six Degrees has taken me from a scary modern classic to a collection of essays written in the pandemic. Part of the fun of this meme is comparing the very different routes other bloggers take from each month’s starting point. If you’re interested, you can follow it on Twitter with the hashtag #6Degrees, check out the links over at Kate’s blog or perhaps even join in.
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Oh yes. A cleverly constructed chain. As ever.
Thank you!
I preferred The Remains of the Day to Never Let Me Go too, although I enjoyed both. I love the way you linked from that one to Chocolat!
Thank you! I much prefer Ishiguro’s earlier writing
I preferred The Remains of the Day, too.
I’ve read and enjoyed four of the books in your chain and want to read the other two – the Catherine Chidgey and Bourneville – the chocolate link is genius!
Couldn’t resist it! A little insight into how my mind works around chocolate.
A Very creative chain here, with interesting links… Brava!
Thank you! *Takes a bow*
Great chain which has reminded me I must watch The Remains of the Day again soon, one of my favourite films
Thank you. Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson were so good in it, weren’t they
Very clever links, Susan. I loved how you got from Remains of the Day to Bournville! I’ve read both ROTD and NLMG–I liked both in their own way.
Thanks, Mallika. They’re both very different, aren’t they.
So creative links, well done!
I go lazy with key words: https://wordsandpeace.com/2025/11/01/six-degrees-of-separation-always-the-castle/
Thank you!
I love your links particularly the Ishiguro stop I have read a couple of your authors but not the books you named besides the Ishiguro. I love The idea of the Anne Patchett essays. I think I’ve heard about this collection before. I must notice it down. I also should read Jonathan Coe.
Apologies for the typos. I even corrected the “stop” after Ishiguro but it didn’t save. Weird.
Thank you. I love Anne Patchett’s fiction which is what led me to her essays. The central theme of the collection is friendship which makes it very appealing.
Good work. How fun that Chocolat was filmed near you. We’ve had two films do a tiny bit near me. Carol–in Cincinnati and and some film with Robert Redford that used an old gas station near by as a set. I can’t remember if he even came or if it was all his stand-in. My chain, very rushed, is not very original but did give me fun memories of the books!
Great linking. Jackson’s is a classic of its genre I believe. Only book I have read is Remains of the Day. Beautiful book.
Thanks, Lucy. Castle is only the second Jackson I’ve read but I’d like to explore more of her writing.
I love that Chocolat was filmed near you!
Enjoyed your chain this month!
Thank you. Johnny Depp had a room in the best hotel in town not that I ever bumped into him!
Great chain Susan. Am very keen to read the Chidgey.
Thank, Cathy. One of this year’s favourites for me.