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A review by carosbookcase
Marking Time by Elizabeth Jane Howard
5.0
“Someone had turned off the wireless and, in spite of the room being full of people, there was a complete silence — in which Polly could feel, and almost hear, her own heart thudding. As long as nobody spoke, and no one moved, it was still the very end of peace . . .” — Marking Time by [a:Elizabeth Jane Howard|113328|Elizabeth Jane Howard|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1264002881p2/113328.jpg]
This is the second book in Elizabeth Jane Howard's incredibly well-written historical fiction series, the Cazalet Chronicles, which is set during the second world war and follows the lives of the wealthy Cazalet family.
This volume opens on 3 September 1939. Prime Minister Chamberlain has just announced the country is at war with Germany. The book covers that time up until Winter 1941, focusing on the experiences of wartime through the eyes of Louise (16), Polly (14), and Clary (14), the daughters of the three Cazalet brothers.
As the title of the book indicates, the story captures the combined feeling of marking time in both childhood and wartime. In the case of the Louise, Polly, and Clary, there is a distinct feeling of waiting for childhood to be over, for them to be old enough, and for their lives to ‘really’ start. This feeling extends to the rest of the family too, as their lives are put on hold with the start of WWII. All the characters in this book to some extend are waiting in expectation for something to happen, even if it is just for time to pass.
One of the things I especially appreciate about Howard’s books is how well she writes from the prospective of children and young adults. This to me shows how skilled a writer she is, because I think most of us forget what it was like to be children and how we thought and spoke. But Howard’s children always seem entirely authentic.
If you enjoy family sagas and books set during the Second World War, I highly recommend giving this series a go.
This is the second book in Elizabeth Jane Howard's incredibly well-written historical fiction series, the Cazalet Chronicles, which is set during the second world war and follows the lives of the wealthy Cazalet family.
This volume opens on 3 September 1939. Prime Minister Chamberlain has just announced the country is at war with Germany. The book covers that time up until Winter 1941, focusing on the experiences of wartime through the eyes of Louise (16), Polly (14), and Clary (14), the daughters of the three Cazalet brothers.
As the title of the book indicates, the story captures the combined feeling of marking time in both childhood and wartime. In the case of the Louise, Polly, and Clary, there is a distinct feeling of waiting for childhood to be over, for them to be old enough, and for their lives to ‘really’ start. This feeling extends to the rest of the family too, as their lives are put on hold with the start of WWII. All the characters in this book to some extend are waiting in expectation for something to happen, even if it is just for time to pass.
One of the things I especially appreciate about Howard’s books is how well she writes from the prospective of children and young adults. This to me shows how skilled a writer she is, because I think most of us forget what it was like to be children and how we thought and spoke. But Howard’s children always seem entirely authentic.
If you enjoy family sagas and books set during the Second World War, I highly recommend giving this series a go.