This novel beautifully (and tragically) captured the life of a woman artist who suffered throughout her life from bipolar disease. The novel moves bacThis novel beautifully (and tragically) captured the life of a woman artist who suffered throughout her life from bipolar disease. The novel moves back and forth through time, and we see Rachel as a young woman, a mother, a wife, a known artist, and (near the end of the novel) as a child. The reader also watches as Rachel’s children try to unravel hidden aspects of her life after her death. Woven through all the phases of Rachel’s life is the thread of her mental illness and its effect on her life and the lives of her family. Each of Rachel’s family members is well and fully portrayed: Rachel’s husband is a passive, “hold it all together� person; each of her sons has his own personality; and her daughter inherits both Rachel’s artistic ability and her mental health issues. I felt deeply for each character in this novel. The writing is beautiful, and the pace, although not fast, moved forward (and backward) in a wonderful manner that kept me involved. This was my first Patrick Gale novel, and I am looking forward to the next one....more
Put an almost famous band made up of 20 year old musicians in a haunted English house in the 1970’s, and the story has got to be good. It was! The wriPut an almost famous band made up of 20 year old musicians in a haunted English house in the 1970’s, and the story has got to be good. It was! The writing was well done � from all different POV’s. Quite entertaining and very “of the 70’s�! I enjoyed this one much more than Ashton Hall (my other seasonal Gothic read). ...more
The fifth volume of the Cazalet Chronicles brings the family into the 1950’s. The matriarch dies and the many great grandchildren become characters (aThe fifth volume of the Cazalet Chronicles brings the family into the 1950’s. The matriarch dies and the many great grandchildren become characters (as with prior generations, the viewpoint of children is very well done). The many marriages thrive and struggle, and the familial relationships continue with stress and love. But the family business (which provided an extremely comfortable life for the huge family) has been mismanaged by the three brothers and is in bankruptcy. In order to resolve this situation, Home Place, the home of the heart of the family must be sold. The family members face life without the support of the family business � true change and evolution into the “real� modern world. I will miss the Cazalet family, and they will always hold a sweet place in my mind! ...more
Over a number of months in 2023, I listened to the five novels constituting the Cazalet Chronicles, which follow a large English family from before WWOver a number of months in 2023, I listened to the five novels constituting the Cazalet Chronicles, which follow a large English family from before WWII through the 1950’s. Of course, these novels deal with war (as experienced by those living in England), but they also deal with families and life � all the ups and downs, ins and outs, loves and rejections � from the mundane to the life altering. I thoroughly enjoyed this series. (It was a great series to listen to because, when listening, I am not as fully attentive to detail as when reading, and it was easy to pick up the missing parts in this long series!)
The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard � This is the first of five novels centered around the large Cazalet family. This novel is set in 1937 and 1938 � just before WWII and major changes to upper class life in England. The numerous family members are introduced, and each is portrayed by personal vignettes in which the character in question relates to or about a specific moment in life. Among the adults (who range from the patriarch to servants), all personality types are found and described. The best depictions for me, however, were those of the children (12 of them). Their innermost thoughts and desires as well as their outward actions were wonderfully explored and portrayed. (Kids worried about war, kids worried about pets, kids spatting with siblings, kids not wanting to go back to school, teenagers lusting after inappropriate people and kids loving their family members). I imagine the reader will watch as they become adults in subsequent novels. The majority of the action takes place at the family’s country home at which the entire family gathers for the summer. The novel consists of detailed daily scenarios in the family’s life (from picnics, to meals, to adultery to childbirth) � but all at a time of peace and plenty just before (as the reader knows) their world will utterly explode. ...more
The fourth novel in the Cazalet series takes place after WWII (1946 and 1947). This novel follows the Cazalet family (each member of which we have groThe fourth novel in the Cazalet series takes place after WWII (1946 and 1947). This novel follows the Cazalet family (each member of which we have grown to know well) through post war years and the emergence of a new society. The reader experiences the complications of the return of a long gone soldier to his wife as well as the slow return to some normalcy (but still dealing with food and clothing coupons). The young women are living in apartments by themselves and working in meaningful jobs (interior designer and literary agent, for example). Only the matriarch now lives in the big house in the country (where the entire family spent the war years), and the other family members have established themselves in smaller homes and have (somewhat!) learned to cook and keep house. But as before, the true story is about the individual lives of the many family members. A middle aged man takes advantage of a young woman, while his brother divorces his wife to marry his long time lover. The new wife faces antipathy from the rest of the family, while the ex wife lives a bitter, hostile life. One young woman is badly treated by an older man in her first love affair, and then finds love where she least expected it. Her cousin marries a man with the proverbial English “huge house but no money to maintain it�. A reclusive young man becomes a monk. A man who lost his wife to cancer years before (and mourned her deeply) finally finds new love. Meanwhile, all the long-standing parent-child and sibling relationships go on (with their strife, complexity and love). It’s really all about family…�! ...more
This is the second novel in the series. The war has begun, and the entire family has moved to their country home (Home Place). We see the characters aThis is the second novel in the series. The war has begun, and the entire family has moved to their country home (Home Place). We see the characters as they deal with war � from rationing to a main character missing in France. But this is not a traditional war novel. Rather, this novel continues the excellent view of the day to day life, feelings, fears and desires of all the characters from the grandparents to the children. We see all aspects of life from things like cancer, adultery, war, and the blitz to things like a child worrying about her missing father, disagreements among siblings and cousins, being bullied at boarding school, and a teenager falling in love with an older man. These novels describe the lives of one large family, but, put in a different setting, the issues are universal. Yes, I am now “involved� with this family....more
This third novel in the Cazalet Family series also takes place during WWII. The entire family is living at Home Place, and the reader continues to feeThis third novel in the Cazalet Family series also takes place during WWII. The entire family is living at Home Place, and the reader continues to feel the daily cost of war � from food and gas rationing to a family member being missing in action and likely dead. But once again, the heart of the novel consists of the details of the daily lives and emotions of the many (and very different) family members. So many issues are contemplated - from how to feed a family with the food that is available with food coupons, to the loneliness of a young wife whose husband is still subject to his mother’s feelings and whims, to having an affair when your husband is presumed dead, and to the hopelessness of unrequited love. The reader also watches slow but sure social changes � some of the young women in the family are getting jobs and creating their own households. The members of the family who left large homes in London to live in the country during the war are selling their large homes and buying smaller ones � and (OMG!!) learning to live without live-in household staff. This family continues to intrigue me!...more
Why did I let this treasure sit on my shelf for so long? On its face this is the story of an aging mother of three, her past life and her current inteWhy did I let this treasure sit on my shelf for so long? On its face this is the story of an aging mother of three, her past life and her current interactions with her grown children � but at its heart, this novel is a beautiful portrayal of family, including all of a family’s love and conflict. The main character is fully drawn and developed. We see her life with her father (a famous artist) � particularly after the loss of her mother during the Blitz. We see her loves � one unsatisfactory and one unfulfilled. We see how she interacts with each of her adult children as they express and act out their own, different agendas with respect to her and their siblings. We watch as she plans the disposal of her assets � a concept with which each of us “older readers� is quite familiar! We are pleased as she recognizes that family includes more than blood relatives. The writing is good and all the characters were alive to me. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. ...more
What a wonderful surprise this novel was! As is the case with many of my GR friends, I feel as if I have “maxed out� on WWII, but this novel has been What a wonderful surprise this novel was! As is the case with many of my GR friends, I feel as if I have “maxed out� on WWII, but this novel has been sitting on my shelf for years, and I’m so glad I finally read it. It tells the story of five women who, as a result of various life events, wind up as brides in a small English village, where they spend most of WWII. The women come from varied backgrounds: one is from Louisiana and marries a British officer to escape a difficult personal situation; one is a Jewish refugee from Austria, who marries a fellow Austrian with a British residency permit; one is a London debutante, who after “naughty behavior� is forced by her family to live with her aunt in the countryside; one is local pastor’s daughter; and one is from a poverty stricken family in a poverty stricken part of London. The author does a wonderful job of developing completely the unique character of each of these women. Each scene is fully drawn as the reader watches the different women react in their own ways to the challenges, pressures and emotions of war. But we see the women in much more than just a reflection of war. There are illnesses, births, deaths, loves, jealousies, many secrets and all of the emotions, large and small, that make up daily life. This novel does not necessarily make the reader ponder complex issues, but it is a wonderful story told extremely well. I recommend audio on this one, because the different voices of the different women really add to the experience....more
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