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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
I read someone else's review that said something like, "It is a total waste of paper, unless you want to read about a family constantly taking baths." It was that moment that I expected I would love this book, and I did. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series and the continued day to day lives of the Cazalets. Baths and all.
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Livre léger mais intrigue et personnages monotones, très descriptif
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've been wanting to read this all year and for some reason only got round to it in November. I loved Grown Ups by Marian Keyes earlier this year and while that is a very different book in terms of characters and setting, I enjoyed this for the same reasons - family drama, secrets and a large cast of characters. Some of the plots were darker than I was expecting but also there were plenty of light funny moments. Very little actually happens and lots of the storylines didn't really resolve because the book is really just a glimpse into the family's lives but I liked that about it. There were a lot of characters to keep up with but once I understood who they all were I was gripped. I thought the children in particular were written very well. I'm excited to continue with the series and see how everyone grows up.
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hilary Mantel is a fan of Elizabeth Jane Howard apparently -- and rightly so. I was not too impressed with [b:Love All|5645183|Love All|Elizabeth Jane Howard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1358753451s/5645183.jpg|5816630], a slight later work that I picked up by chance on holiday, but the Cazalets promise to be a different kettle of fish altogether. It's one of those deep, rich family sagas that you can wallow in for hours or even days. The large cast of characters are all such distinct individuals that you soon don't need to refer to the helpful family tree, and their differences help Howard to explore all kinds of different angles on class, gender relations, the raising of children, and family life in general.
It's evidently based on her own family and, born in 1923 herself, she excels at depicting the children, especially those just coming into adolescence (one of my favourites is young Neville though, sparky and sarcastic at eight; I look forward to seeing what he becomes). There's a strong thread of frustration among the wives of the three sons, who must devote themselves completely to the family. Being a beauty herself, she is also sharply perceptive about beautiful women. Zoe, the spoilt and discontented wife of Rupert, is the spitting image of Rosamond Vincy in [b:Middlemarch|271276|Middlemarch|George Eliot|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1368564098s/271276.jpg|1461747]. A seemingly unsympathetic character, but Howard reveals her underlying insecurity and her belief that all she has to recommend her is her beauty, because that's all that people have ever valued.
I also enjoyed the insight into 1930s middle-class life: the sheer amount of labour and planning involved in providing for a large, well-off family in a country house. Despite having hordes of servants, Villy in particular is constantly harassed trying to organise vast quantities of shopping, cooking, meal organisation, and laundry, not to mention managing an outbreak of chicken pox with eight children in the house. I loved the descriptions of food and domestic work.
Anyway, having finished it in record time, I've ordered the next three volumes :)
It's evidently based on her own family and, born in 1923 herself, she excels at depicting the children, especially those just coming into adolescence (one of my favourites is young Neville though, sparky and sarcastic at eight; I look forward to seeing what he becomes). There's a strong thread of frustration among the wives of the three sons, who must devote themselves completely to the family. Being a beauty herself, she is also sharply perceptive about beautiful women. Zoe, the spoilt and discontented wife of Rupert, is the spitting image of Rosamond Vincy in [b:Middlemarch|271276|Middlemarch|George Eliot|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1368564098s/271276.jpg|1461747]. A seemingly unsympathetic character, but Howard reveals her underlying insecurity and her belief that all she has to recommend her is her beauty, because that's all that people have ever valued.
I also enjoyed the insight into 1930s middle-class life: the sheer amount of labour and planning involved in providing for a large, well-off family in a country house. Despite having hordes of servants, Villy in particular is constantly harassed trying to organise vast quantities of shopping, cooking, meal organisation, and laundry, not to mention managing an outbreak of chicken pox with eight children in the house. I loved the descriptions of food and domestic work.
Anyway, having finished it in record time, I've ordered the next three volumes :)
If you like watching Downton Abbey, you might also enjoy reading this book. Lots of fun characters and the little daily dramas that they all go through.
Ne avevo sentito parlare e ne ho letto meraviglie, l'ho trovato un po' deludente. Sicuramente è ben scritto, i personaggi sono delineati con precisione, ma trovo il tutto già visto e già letto. Buona la descrizione del momento storico.
Leggerò i successivi perché comunque voglio sapere come si evolve la storia.
Leggerò i successivi perché comunque voglio sapere come si evolve la storia.
The first installment in Elizabeth Jane Howard's Cazalet Chronicles, The Light Years introduces us to an upper-middle-class English family in the late 1930s. The Cazalets—parents, three sons and their wives, a bevy of grandchildren—and their servants gather in their country house in Sussex. Over the course of two long, hot summers—by turns idyllic and stifling—the Cazalets face both familial issues and the looming shadow of war.
Howard's clear-eyed view of the opportunities for women in this time and place provides some bite to what in other hands might have been a fairly conventional family saga, and stops it from being too soap-y BBC period drama. It's a very large cast of characters, and I did find the frequent POV changes a bit irritating—I would have preferred to spend longer in one POV rather than constantly headhopping. I also found myself having to turn to the family tree quite a bit to keep track of the numerous grandchildren, although I will grant that Howard managed the rare feat of writing children who sound like children. Will definitely be continuing on with the series.
Howard's clear-eyed view of the opportunities for women in this time and place provides some bite to what in other hands might have been a fairly conventional family saga, and stops it from being too soap-y BBC period drama. It's a very large cast of characters, and I did find the frequent POV changes a bit irritating—I would have preferred to spend longer in one POV rather than constantly headhopping. I also found myself having to turn to the family tree quite a bit to keep track of the numerous grandchildren, although I will grant that Howard managed the rare feat of writing children who sound like children. Will definitely be continuing on with the series.
I don't think this is the type of story for me. I persevered for 300 pages but nothing really happens. I'm used to reading adventurous books so perhaps it's me, rather than the writing but I didn't connect with any of the characters. Seems to just describe the mundane everyday of this type of family. Perhaps interesting if this is a totally new world for you.