Books
by Elizabeth Jane Howard
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Falling |
After two unsuccessful marriages, Daisy, in her sixties, has no illusions about men. But she has not reckoned with con man Henry Kent and his determination to inveigle his way into her life. From the beginning, there is no secret about Henry's calculated intentions as he plans how he will play on her susceptibilities and weaknesses but I was kept guessing right until the end as to whether or not he will get his comeuppance.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 5 October 2000) |
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The Cazalet Chronicle |
A series of four novels, can better be read in its entirety, but each in its own right is worth the read. The quartet chronicles the lives of an extended English family before, during and after WW II. Howard not only concentrates on the drama of the individual lives, she is worth reading for the authenticity of the changing world in which her characters live, and the constantly shifting values with which they have to struggle, as well as the slide from privileged living to utility. Entertaining and enriching, if sometimes repetitious and perhaps too much introspection.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 22 January 2004) |
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The Cazalet Chronicle - The Light Years, Marking Time, Confusion, Casting Off and All Change |
Three generations of the Cazalet family grow up, immersing the reader totally in their lives and doings. The saga starts during the war when the whole family, parents, four adult children and their young offspring, two elderly aunts, and a resident governess move to the family home in Sussex. By the end of the saga the grandchildren have children of their own. These books were originally published in the 1990s but read as if they were written today. By the end, you can't believe you have had to say goodbye to people who feel like your own family. Totally involving, wonderful stuff!
(Annabel Bedini - bwl 112 Spring 2024) |
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The Cazelet Chronicles |
My summer addiction but just the thing for those long, dark evenings ahead. Based loosely on Howard's own history, the five books follow the fortunes of the Cazelet family from their comfortable existence in the thirties, through the upheavals of WW II and into the uncertainties of the fifties. What happens is shown through the differing viewpoints of both the male and female protagonists allowing us, as in life, to make our own judgements. A truly wonderful read.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 94 Autumn 2019) |
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