A review by sarahmatthews
The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard

Book 1 of 5 of the Cazalet Chronicle series

Read in Braille

Pub. 1990, 448pp

___

I’ve seen this beloved series mentioned online many times over the past few years by bloggers who enjoy similar books to me, and so when the first two books came up on a hardcopy Braille book swap list I snapped them up. It wasn’t till they arrived that I realised just how long they are. I’m slower when reading Braille so was a little intimidated by 16 booklets to get through! Thankfully I needn’t have worried as I raced through it in about a month which is a similar length of time a 300 page Braille book typically takes me.

What I found so engaging was the brilliant characterisation and masterful handling of so many characters and stories. I thought I’d get lost so made a note of the main characters on my phone to refer back to but found I didn’t really need it. it’s perhaps because I read it over Christmas so had more time than usual for reading and was able to curl up with it for long stretches of time. this meant I didn’t lose track of the story by setting it down for days on end.

the story is set over the summers of 1937 and 1938 as the threat of war is building and that sense of unease, rumour and disbelief came across very powerfully. this is a story of an upper middle class family who’re in the timber trade. the head of the family, William (nicknamed The Brig) rules the family alongside his wife, Kitty (nicknamed The Duchy). But their stories are the less interesting of the many perspectives in this book. the lives of their four children; Hugh, Edward, Rachel and Rupert take centre stage. I loved getting to know them all, including their own children who’re depicted particularly well throughout. 

my favourite characters are probably Villy (who gave up her glamorous career as a ballet dancer to marry Edward), Rupert and Zoe ( who have a very interesting story that will hopefully continue to develop as strongly in the next books) and all of the children whose inner lives are written so beautifully and realistically which is rare. Their games, squabbles and inner thoughts and anxieties were excellently written and often so funny. Neville wanting to keep a jellyfish as a pet was so sweet! 

the depiction of women’s lives at this point in history is so interesting and we also get to see the stories of some of the servants’ lives too, adding another dimension. The governess, Miss Milliment, is another notably well written character; she understands the children she teaches and recognises something special in Clary which I very much enjoyed reading about. None of it felt corny or stereotypical. the writing sweeps you along and doesn’t shy away from the realities of life as a woman back in the mid 20th century. Access to contraception,  the dangers of childbirth, appalling behaviour from men, control over women’s careers and education and the covert nature of lesbian relationships are all included. The men are also very well drawn, with the shadow of the First World War affecting them in very different ways. I’m going straight on to the next book now, Marking Time, which begins in 1939 and I just know this series will be heartbreaking!