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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Originally published on my blog here in May 2004.
Lucy Gault is the daughter of a family of Irish landed gentry, a small girl at the time of the civil war which followed the First World War and led to the partition and independence for the south. When attacks are made on their home, her parents (reluctantly) decide that they need to leave the country, but when they set off, Lucy runs away. Becoming convinced (through a series of coincidences) that Lucy is dead, they go away and deliberately lose all contact with those they knew in the area, so that when Lucy is found some days later, they cannot be traced, and so she remains in Ireland, brought up by the Gault's former servants.
This whole episode, which is the basis for the rest of the novel, strikes me as extremely unlikely, no matter how neglected and overgrown the Gault estate had become. The event has so many purposes in The Story of Lucy Gault that it is only possible to touch on a few. One of the most interesting, but not one I am absolutely sure is intended, it that it is possible to identify Lucy, cut off from her parents, with the new Irish state, and her parents with the British; if this is so, then Trevor is painting one of the most pro-British pictures of Ireland (from the point of view of a writer from Eire) ever produced. (It is precisely thinking about what he would be saying that makes me doubtful about the accuracy of the identification.) On a more mundane level, it makes the story of Lucy Gault's otherwise rather uneventful life more interesting, because it has such a strange event near its beginning, and it introduces an element of suspense, the reader being left to wonder when (and whether) she will see her parents again. Lucy's abandonment by her parents is the one thing that raises her story above the commonplace, but I found it so unbelievable that it became the novel's fatal flaw.
Ignoring this, The Story of Lucy Gault is quite well written, though in itself it surely wouldn't justify the quotation on the front cover describing Trevor as "one of the great contemporary novelists". One of the better than average contemporary novelists would be nearer the mark, judging by this novel alone. There are better portrayals of rural Ireland, there are more affecting and believable portrayals of abandoned children (Lucy is an exceptionally self-effacing central character). Presumably, William Trevor has written better novels, but on this evidence I really can't be bothered to find out.
Lucy Gault is the daughter of a family of Irish landed gentry, a small girl at the time of the civil war which followed the First World War and led to the partition and independence for the south. When attacks are made on their home, her parents (reluctantly) decide that they need to leave the country, but when they set off, Lucy runs away. Becoming convinced (through a series of coincidences) that Lucy is dead, they go away and deliberately lose all contact with those they knew in the area, so that when Lucy is found some days later, they cannot be traced, and so she remains in Ireland, brought up by the Gault's former servants.
This whole episode, which is the basis for the rest of the novel, strikes me as extremely unlikely, no matter how neglected and overgrown the Gault estate had become. The event has so many purposes in The Story of Lucy Gault that it is only possible to touch on a few. One of the most interesting, but not one I am absolutely sure is intended, it that it is possible to identify Lucy, cut off from her parents, with the new Irish state, and her parents with the British; if this is so, then Trevor is painting one of the most pro-British pictures of Ireland (from the point of view of a writer from Eire) ever produced. (It is precisely thinking about what he would be saying that makes me doubtful about the accuracy of the identification.) On a more mundane level, it makes the story of Lucy Gault's otherwise rather uneventful life more interesting, because it has such a strange event near its beginning, and it introduces an element of suspense, the reader being left to wonder when (and whether) she will see her parents again. Lucy's abandonment by her parents is the one thing that raises her story above the commonplace, but I found it so unbelievable that it became the novel's fatal flaw.
Ignoring this, The Story of Lucy Gault is quite well written, though in itself it surely wouldn't justify the quotation on the front cover describing Trevor as "one of the great contemporary novelists". One of the better than average contemporary novelists would be nearer the mark, judging by this novel alone. There are better portrayals of rural Ireland, there are more affecting and believable portrayals of abandoned children (Lucy is an exceptionally self-effacing central character). Presumably, William Trevor has written better novels, but on this evidence I really can't be bothered to find out.
Nope, this didn't do it for me. I wanted to smack them all! First, I think the premise is a little out there and the author really had to stretch it to make it unfold. I can't imagine the parents walking away and never looking back -- the property, financial and tax complications alone seem like it would require it at least a letter.
I also had trouble imagining the town ascribing an almost adult maliciousness to a child's simply being upset and running away from home. That many would think she got what she deserved seemed bizarre...even given it was a different time and place. The emotions all seemed flat.
As for the author's writing, I know his prose is given high praise, but I found myself tripping over certain sentences where instead of saying something straightforward, he weaves an almost a double negative, like "if this had not been done, then this would not have been undone"...where I paused and had to work my way backwards and figure out what did occur. It felt like contrived denseness instead of great prose.
Oh, and did I mention, it is depressing? Think Russian novel.
I also had trouble imagining the town ascribing an almost adult maliciousness to a child's simply being upset and running away from home. That many would think she got what she deserved seemed bizarre...even given it was a different time and place. The emotions all seemed flat.
As for the author's writing, I know his prose is given high praise, but I found myself tripping over certain sentences where instead of saying something straightforward, he weaves an almost a double negative, like "if this had not been done, then this would not have been undone"...where I paused and had to work my way backwards and figure out what did occur. It felt like contrived denseness instead of great prose.
Oh, and did I mention, it is depressing? Think Russian novel.
This is a novel about senseless tragedy, about how a precocious child’s impulsive behavior rends a family apart. Lucy Gault loves her family’s Irish estate—there is a beach, a hydrangea lawn, woods and endless ground for her play and imagination. But when an arson attempt is made on the estate and Colonel Gault shoots a young man in the arm, civil war against the wealthy class (it’s the 1920’s) can no longer be ignored. The Gaults decide to live in England, and young Lucy is striken by the thought. She runs away the night before they are to leave and hopes to dissuade her parents from their horrid plan. But Lucy’s plan goes awry when she twists her ankle in the woods. Her family find some of her clothes near the sea and believe she has died or possibly taken her own life. The Gaults, defeated, leave their estate, travel to Europe, providing no contact information, for years. Lucy is found months later and lives a life of shame and solitude with the housekeepers. She gives up on a chance at love, waiting for her parents to return and absolve her. But when her father finally returns, her mother is dead and her lonely fate is sealed.
I did not like this as much as Two Lives— there is a sadness and a hopelessness that is near suffocating at times, and I got so frustrated with some of the characters—but again, was impressed by how he writes from a woman’s perspective and how he portrays ill-fated love.
I did not like this as much as Two Lives— there is a sadness and a hopelessness that is near suffocating at times, and I got so frustrated with some of the characters—but again, was impressed by how he writes from a woman’s perspective and how he portrays ill-fated love.
I was let down by this book, the first I've read by William Trevor.
From BBC Radio 4:
Protestant land owners are abandoning their properties and heading for England. Captain Gault, fearing for his family, believes he has no choice but to follow them.
William Trevor's haunting masterpiece about a young girl caught up in the Irish War of Independence in the 1920s.
Episode 1 of 10
Three men come to fire the Big House in County Cork, sparking a chain of tragic events.
Episode 2 of 10
Forced out of their beloved home in County Cork, the Gaults are devastated. But where is their daughter?
Episode 3 of 10
Lucy's parents try to fill their days in Italy - unaware that their daughter is alive.
Episode 4 of 10
Tonight while Lucy grows up, a railway porter begins to be tormented by dreams.
Episode 5 of 10
A stranger called Ralph meets Lahardane's beautiful occupant.
Episode 6 of 10
A visitor to Lahardane offers Lucy love - but will she accept?
Episode 7 of 10
Lucy and Ralph write to each other during the Second World War.
Episode 8 of 10
There is nothing to prevent widower Captain Gault from returning to Ireland.
Episode 9 of 10
Lucy now lives with her father at Lahardane but longs for Ralph. She then hears of another visitor.
Episode 10 of 10
An aging Lucy remains at Lahardane - laden with memories.
Read by Dermot Crowley.
Abridged by Sally Marmion in ten parts.
Producer: Di Spiers
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00054wz
Protestant land owners are abandoning their properties and heading for England. Captain Gault, fearing for his family, believes he has no choice but to follow them.
William Trevor's haunting masterpiece about a young girl caught up in the Irish War of Independence in the 1920s.
Episode 1 of 10
Three men come to fire the Big House in County Cork, sparking a chain of tragic events.
Episode 2 of 10
Forced out of their beloved home in County Cork, the Gaults are devastated. But where is their daughter?
Episode 3 of 10
Lucy's parents try to fill their days in Italy - unaware that their daughter is alive.
Episode 4 of 10
Tonight while Lucy grows up, a railway porter begins to be tormented by dreams.
Episode 5 of 10
A stranger called Ralph meets Lahardane's beautiful occupant.
Episode 6 of 10
A visitor to Lahardane offers Lucy love - but will she accept?
Episode 7 of 10
Lucy and Ralph write to each other during the Second World War.
Episode 8 of 10
There is nothing to prevent widower Captain Gault from returning to Ireland.
Episode 9 of 10
Lucy now lives with her father at Lahardane but longs for Ralph. She then hears of another visitor.
Episode 10 of 10
An aging Lucy remains at Lahardane - laden with memories.
Read by Dermot Crowley.
Abridged by Sally Marmion in ten parts.
Producer: Di Spiers
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00054wz