The way things are (Delafield)

Having been a big fan of The provincial lady books, which I wrote about earlier this year, and committed a huge indiscretion over, I have long been keen to read some more of her work, so when I spotted The way things are on a friend's bookshelves recently, I couldn't leave her flat until she had let me borrow it!

One of the things I love about the VMC series is that they encompass such a wide range of material - we have dark stories, we have period romance, we have gritty working class books, and we have humorous books such as the Provincial Lady books. In some ways, this book is entertaining, due to the tongue in cheek humour used to describe domestic life, but it is overlaid by a strong message.

The book starts out by describing the life of the main character Laura and her domestic circumstances; like the Provincial Lady she deals with an endless procession of servants, children who are ill, a husband who she loves but isn't hugely in love with anymore (if she ever was), and trying to pursue her writing. The big question is "surely there is more to life than this".

Into Laura's life comes Duke Ayland, and she falls properly in love for the first time. It's a bit like Brief Encounter - the housewife who is taken out of her humdrum existence and comes to realise how trapped she has been. Sadly Laura, like Laura in Brief Encounter, has to make a choice and it is not easy.

"The children, her marriage vows, the house, the ordering of the meals, the servants, the making of a laundry list every Monday - in a word, the things of respectability, kept one respectable. In a flash of unavoidable clear-sightedness, that Laura would never repeat if she could avoid it, she admitted to herself that the average attributes, only, of the average women were hers...But how difficult, Laura reflected, to see oneself as an average woman and not,as one entirely unique, in unique circumstances...It dawned upon her dimly that only by envisaging her accepting her own limitations, could she endure the limitations of her surroundings."

I really enjoyed reading this and am very keen both to get my own copy of this and to read the other EMD published: Thank Heaven Fasting which sounds intriguing. It's only been published once by Virago with an original green cover. 4*

Winged horse (Frankau) 311

The winged horse was a kind gift from Heather who reads this blog and I wasted no time in getting around to reading it. I'd read Frankau's The willow cabin earlier in the year, without many expectations and had greatly enjoyed it, and was hoping for more of the same. Unfortunately, although it was quite a good read, it was not in my opinion as enjoyable as The willow cabin. In some ways this may reflect where Frankau was in her career; The willow cabin was written aged 19 and was her first published book; The winged horse was written in her late 40s, and was quite a different read - a more intricate plot line and more complex prose.

The story involves a number of characters, but it revolves around the newspaper tycoon JG Baron and his children and those that work for him. He is successful and those around him seem to lead a charmed life, but under the surface things are not quite so; Celia his eldest daughter is trapped in an unhappy marriage and then filing for divorce, another son is killed, another daughter struggles to live up to the perfection that her father believes she has.

Has anyone else read both The winged horse and The willow cabin? If so, how did you feel that they compare? Must read A wreath for the enemy which is her final VMC and see what I think of that.

Vera (Von Arnim)

A colleague was kind enough to lend me Vera, having read about my discovery of Von Arnim this year - she is also a fan, and purchased this book in part because the title character shares a name with another of our colleagues.

I was hugely excited given other reading themes at the moment to discover that the book opens in Cornwall; the setting of Cornwall is not especially well evoked but it got the book off to a good start. We meet Lucy, whose father has just died at the beginning of their holiday. A young lady, she is bereft and doesn't know what to do with herself. Walking in the countryside, she encounters Wemyss, a man who turns out also to have been recently bereaved, his wife having died a mere fortnight ago. They establish a friendship, supporting each other and quickly fall in love despite the age difference (he is forty five) and despite the disapproval of Lucy's Aunt who turns up to take care of Lucy.

At the risk of introducing a huge spoiler - and please look away - the pair get engaged and then married, and the book takes on elements of "former wife" intrigue - there are many similarities with Jane Eyre (And the first Mrs Rochester) and Rebecca (the first Mrs De Winter) in it. Vera, Wemyss's former wife who died under mysterious circumstances (which turns out to have been a suicide) haunts the rest of the book and the relationship between the two. It's very difficult watching the young Lucy be engulfed by the atmosphere in his house where Vera once lived. I'd like to tell you more but I really don't want to give anymore of it away, it is an intensely gripping story and although creepy, certainly one of the best Von Arnims and VMCs that I have read thus far. It is worth reading the introduction after the book (it is full of spoilers) because the book strongly parallels aspects of Von Arnim's own life, and it's possible that the novel evolves out of what Von Arnim thought might have happened to her if she had not acted differently.

It's been published four times. and unusually (I haven't come across this before) has two difference cover designs for the original green version. I have the first. 5*

William (Young) 292

I have been reading a lot of EH Young this year, and was especially keen to read William after the introduction to Miss Mole suggested that it was the most popular of her work.

Unusually for a Virago Modern Classic, the title character* and principle character of the story is a man, William. The book tells the story of William, and his wife Kate, and their children, and Grandchildren. William and Kate live in the village of Upper Radstowe, a location for other EH Young books, and deals with their lives and relationships with their children, none of whom Kate really feels are hugely successful in their lives. William takes a more prosaic view of life and is actually the one who the children turn to when real problems occur; the blurb on Amazon says "William can love without judgement and Kate cannot", and it is this that drives the novel. It's difficult to say more about the book because it is more a book about family relationships than story, in some ways very similar to Nina Bawden. But I can see why it was popular and do most definitely recommend it.

I have to confess that I borrowed a copy of this book as I was so keen to read it, and it was a Jonathan Cape edition rather than a Virago. I'm very keen to get my own copy now. Unusually the two editions of the Virago edition both feature the same cover image, which I rather like as a depiction of a family home which is reminiscent of the themes in the book. 3.5*

*Can anyone think of any other VMCs with males as the title character?

Losing battles (Welty) 208

I'd not read any Eudora Welty before, so was excited when Fleur Fisher included Losing Battles in the wonderful stash of VMCs. Welty is from the South and it seems that her books draw on this experience to depict family life.

Losing Battles is the story of a 1930s family reunion; generations of the Vaugn/Renfro family gather together to celebrate Granny Vaugn's 90th birthday. During the two-days they are together, Welty builds up a picture of the family and their past. The book is essentially built around conversations between members of the family and the story is predominantly told through dialogue - for some reason I found this quite difficult to follow and in the event I wasn't completely wowed by this book; I think maybe it was just the wrong time for me to read the book as I have read many great reviews of it.

It doesn't put me off wanting to read more of Welty; I love the sound of the title "The optimist's daughter" and also "The robber bridegroom". Has anyone else read any Welty? What are your thoughts... 2.5*

It's actually been published twice by Virago, although I was only able to find a scan of the later green cover.

Painted clay (Boake) 231

A very little known VMC, The painted clay, by a fairly unknown author, Capel Boake (in fact a pen name) came to my attention merely by being on ebay for £2.75 and having an intriguing title. Such risks sometimes pay off, and sometimes don't, but I'm happy to report that this was a good read, albeit slightly depressing.

Set in Melbourne at the beginning of the 20th century, Painted Clay is the story of Helen and her isolated existence. We meet her living with her father, not hugely happy, and uncertain as to the whereabouts of her mother. After he commits suicide, her life changes; she moves in with a neighbour and takes up employment in a shop. This she finds unfulfilling, but starts to study shorthand in her spare time. Eventually she is given work in an office, run by her uncle, her only living relative, before moving to an artist's community. Throughout the story, the theme of Helen's isolation seems to recur, along with the issue of where she belongs and what she wants to be doing; the absence of her mother hangs heavily over her, until she re-appears halfway into the book. I enjoyed following Helen's life and wondering what might happen to her but at the same time wished that she could find a more fulfilling existence.

Boake wrote three other novels, but achieved little literary success so it is good that this found its way into the VMC list. Just published the once with this rather striking cover image.

Lost booker!

A quick update to point out that a VMC, The birds on the trees, by Nina Bawden has made it onto the Lost Booker shortlist! I wrote about the prize here.

Do go and vote - wouldn't it be wonderful for a VMC to win!!