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A review by christinecc
Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I think I get the cottagecore vibe now.
So for those of you blissfully ignorant, our Age of Quarantine birthed a new trend of pastoralism last year under the banner of "cottagecore." The idea was to seek out a simple life in nature, presumably in a cottage, surrounded by fields, flowers, adorable livestock and hens and so on. Look, I read "Caroline" when I was growing up, I get the appeal (although no one seemed to fit red overalls into the aesthetic, ah well).
"Lolly Willowes" is a predecessor of, among many things, cottagecore--a return to nature, or a simpler life.
In a nutshell, Lolly Willowes is about Laura Willowes, a young woman educated at home in a well-to-do English family. Being home-schooled and rather sheltered by a life spent at her father's side in the country, she is a tad eccentric, but mostly good fun. By age 28, her father has passed away, and she is a spinster made to move in with her brother. No more country, no more intimate life of companionship with her father. Now, Laura is put to bed, and out comes "dear Aunt Lolly," the children's companion, the loyal helper in the house, the slightly dotty spinster who occasionally spends too much on extravagant flowers, bless her.
Until one day, Lolly answers the call that she has heard in her mind for years: a call to nature. She leaves her family, bewildered as they are by her decision, and moves to a village in the Chilterns (which is an area northwest of London, honestly it's not that big a move, but her relatives are rather controlling). Once there, Lolly fades away, and Laura is reborn... into, of all things, a witch. Yes, the kind that deals with Satan.
Did I expect this twist? Absolutely not. And in a way, it's a bi of a metaphorical Satan, one closer to, say, Kenneth Grahame's "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" than Lucifer the fallen angel. This is a being who lets his witches roam in peace, where they are free to have a calm existence, one belonging only to them. The introduction describes Townsend Warner's work as a precursor to Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own," and I can see how that makes sense. A witch, in this book, is a person free of other people's clutches--a woman with self-determination and independence. There is a peace in their mind that no one can disturb. A bit like a cat. You can never quite own a cat. The cat merely graces you with its company, if it loves you. Or so people say. I don't really know.
All in all, it's a really relaxing read, full of that 1930 sparkle I love to find in this period, pastoral walks described at length (and a tad idealized, yes, I know), cozy teas taken by the fire, all wrapped around a truly moving idea of finding oneself after forgetting who we used to be. It's easier to lose your identity than it seems. Regaining it takes work.
Recommended if you like bluestocking literature of the spinster variety (but not necessarily), 1930s fiction, the English countryside, or simply relaxing books to keep by your bedside.
So for those of you blissfully ignorant, our Age of Quarantine birthed a new trend of pastoralism last year under the banner of "cottagecore." The idea was to seek out a simple life in nature, presumably in a cottage, surrounded by fields, flowers, adorable livestock and hens and so on. Look, I read "Caroline" when I was growing up, I get the appeal (although no one seemed to fit red overalls into the aesthetic, ah well).
"Lolly Willowes" is a predecessor of, among many things, cottagecore--a return to nature, or a simpler life.
In a nutshell, Lolly Willowes is about Laura Willowes, a young woman educated at home in a well-to-do English family. Being home-schooled and rather sheltered by a life spent at her father's side in the country, she is a tad eccentric, but mostly good fun. By age 28, her father has passed away, and she is a spinster made to move in with her brother. No more country, no more intimate life of companionship with her father. Now, Laura is put to bed, and out comes "dear Aunt Lolly," the children's companion, the loyal helper in the house, the slightly dotty spinster who occasionally spends too much on extravagant flowers, bless her.
Until one day, Lolly answers the call that she has heard in her mind for years: a call to nature. She leaves her family, bewildered as they are by her decision, and moves to a village in the Chilterns (which is an area northwest of London, honestly it's not that big a move, but her relatives are rather controlling). Once there, Lolly fades away, and Laura is reborn... into, of all things, a witch. Yes, the kind that deals with Satan.
Did I expect this twist? Absolutely not. And in a way, it's a bi of a metaphorical Satan, one closer to, say, Kenneth Grahame's "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" than Lucifer the fallen angel. This is a being who lets his witches roam in peace, where they are free to have a calm existence, one belonging only to them. The introduction describes Townsend Warner's work as a precursor to Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own," and I can see how that makes sense. A witch, in this book, is a person free of other people's clutches--a woman with self-determination and independence. There is a peace in their mind that no one can disturb. A bit like a cat. You can never quite own a cat. The cat merely graces you with its company, if it loves you. Or so people say. I don't really know.
All in all, it's a really relaxing read, full of that 1930 sparkle I love to find in this period, pastoral walks described at length (and a tad idealized, yes, I know), cozy teas taken by the fire, all wrapped around a truly moving idea of finding oneself after forgetting who we used to be. It's easier to lose your identity than it seems. Regaining it takes work.
Recommended if you like bluestocking literature of the spinster variety (but not necessarily), 1930s fiction, the English countryside, or simply relaxing books to keep by your bedside.