The Second-Last Woman In England - Maggie Joel

The Second-Last Woman In England was a book that caught my eye when I was browsing last weekend. I certainly didn't need to purchase another book - but when has 'need' ever really been a factor in my purchasing of books??!

I loved the cover, dark and intriguing - tempting me to delve inside. I then followed my pre-book purchasing ritual and read the description of the book on the back cover:

London, 1953. Mrs Harriet Wallis is found guilty of the murder of her husband, Cecil. It is the year of the Coronation and, as a new Queen ascends the throne, Mrs Wallis will become the second-last woman in England to be hanged.

I was definitely on the way to the counter to make a purchase after noticing the book included a few of my favourite things - London, the period after World War 2 and a strong leading female character. I read the first paragraph of the book just to be sure:

Towards the end of May 1953, Mr Cecil Condor Wallis made the decision to watch the Coronation on a newly purchased television set rather than give in to his children's wishes to join the hundreds of thousands lining the streets less than a mile from his South Kensington home. It was an odd decision for a man who had, on a number of occasions, expressed his loathing for the new medium - and one that probably cost him his life. There were, of course, other factors, aside from the decision to purchase the television set, that contributed to Mr Wallis's death.

I was hooked well and truly by this stage - I had to buy the book and discover for myself what those "other factors" were.

The novel focuses on the upper class Wallis family and their private and business lives in the years following World War 2. There are numerous other associated and related characters introduced throughout the story - one of the most important being their newly employed nanny, Jean Corbett. I have always found books that start with the punchline interesting. We know right from the beginning that Harriet Wallace kills her husband, we know when she does it, where she does it and we know how - the vital part missing in the story is the why. I felt that the author did a great job of teasing out the why and showing us the 'behind the scenes' lives of the Wallis family. At times I felt there were probably a few too many side stories and characters - they were all important or significant in a way but they occasionally made you feel as though you were losing touch with the real , or main, story. Overall though I found this book compelling and addictive - I kept reading until I had it finished and time away from it was torture. Joel has created an authentic world in many respects - so much so that I kept wondering throughout my reading if the book was based on a true story (it isn't but it is interesting to hear Joel speak about her inspiration for the novel).

Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates

Wow! This is pretty much the reaction I had after finishing Revolutionary Road – I am still thinking about it and the impact it has had – because if this book has anything it is definitely impact!
Is the book depressing – kind of – but in a hopeful way if that can make any sense? Reading about the lives of the characters April and Frank Wheeler I actually feel pretty hopeful for my own life – things certainly aren’t as bad as they got for them!
This book is extremely powerful – the language, the scenes, the relationships and the choices the characters make, even the moments of silence and contemplation all hold you – you aren’t going anywhere once you have started this book.
Frank and April Wheeler have been married for 6 years after meeting at a party in New York shortly after the end of WW2. They are now living in the suburbs with 2 young children – Frank commuting into the city everyday to attend an office job he couldn’t really care less about (and only took in the first place because April fell pregnant) and April stays at the home and cares for the children, having dinner on the table and a martini in hand when Frank returns home at the end of the day.
The Wheeler’s despise the conformity that they see surrounding them in 1950’s America and they dream of a life in Europe where they can be free to explore “who it is they really are”. Or, at least April is dreaming of this for Frank – she feels that they have become trapped in an existence that neither one of them has asked for but she seems overly concerned with the impact this life is having on Frank – her extraordinary husband. It is only towards the end of the book that April begins to realise the impact their way of life is having on her – and it is then that choices have to be made.
Themes of identity, choices, conformity and isolation are all explored in Revolutionary Road – how do we know we are living our lives the way they were meant to be lived? Is this all there is? Should all of our expectations and dreams be met?
For me the book highlighted some of the dangers of indulging in too much introspection – I felt some of the challenges faced by the characters in this book were because they over thought things! Now I am normally quite a thinking and reflective person but I think at some stage you just have to go with the flow! Does that mean blind acceptance and taking what life hands out – maybe a little?
As you can tell – this book (despite what I have said just above) has me thinking – one thing I am definitely sure of is that Yates is an amazing and incredible writer and I can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of his work.

The Easter Parade - Richard Yates

Inspired by Claire's post about the Vintage Classics editions of Richard Yates' books I went out searching for one. I fully confess to seeking out the books based only on their glorious vintage/retro covers - truly shallow I know but at least I am being honest! I have been tempted to see the movie of Yates' Revolutionary Road (mainly for the gorgeous and talented Kate Winslet) but I have heard so many scary stories about the movie being quite "dark and depressing" that I have stayed away from the movie version and the book.

The book store I visited yesterday only had a couple of the Vintage Classic editions so I ended up buying The Easter Parade - first published in 1976.

From the opening lines of the book I was hooked;

"Neither of the Grimes sisters would have a happy life, and looking back it always seemed that the trouble began with their parents' divorce. That happened in 1930, when Sarah was nine years old and Emily five"

From the very outset you certainly have a clear picture that this book is not going to be a happily ever after kind of book - and yet I loved it. It felt honest and raw and sharp - you were in this story for better or for worse.

The book covers the lives of the Grimes sisters from the time of their parents' divorce until they are middle aged women - each with very different life experiences and outlooks. The book is told from the perspective of the younger sister, Emily, and it is told with brutal honesty for the most part even though you sense, at times, that Emily really doesn't have a lot of insight into her life.

I absolutely devoured this book and I will be looking out for all of Yates' other work - starting with Revolutionary Road.

Brooklyn - Colm Toibin

Brooklyn is the latest book from Irish author Colm Toibin - and the first book of his that I have read.

Brooklyn is the story of a young Irish woman, Eilis Lacey, who migrates from her small Irish town to Brooklyn in the 1950's in search of employment and opportunity. This decision is in some ways forced upon Eilis by her older sister, Rose and her mother who clearly want her to achieve but are desperate for her to stay at home with them at the same time. There are hints and glimpses into the life of Eilis's family - her 3 older brothers have all moved to England for work and her father died in the not too distant past - but despite these glimpses we don't really learn all that much about the extended family.

When Eilis arrives in Brooklyn she is struck by culture shock and homesickness and the narrative of this section of the book is all about her attempts to fit in and make a life for herself in America.

This book is so simple in many ways - the story of a girl who moves away, she goes to work, goes home to the boarding house she resides in with other young women, she goes to night classes and she goes to the parish dance on a Friday night. All things that I imagine would have been quite common place for young, single women living in Brooklyn in the 1950's. When I write this description here I think how boring it all sounds - but I did not find this book boring at all. Eilis has to make many choices over the course of the novel and it is these decisions and the ultimate choices that connect the reader to Eilis and her story - I wanted to know what she was going to do - and I also thought about the roads not taken - how the story could have been so different. The writing flowed beautifully - I really felt as though I was sitting down with a good friend listening to the story of their life. I will definitely be looking out for more of Toibin's work.

Lucia, Lucia - Adriana Trigiani

I am on a bit of a roll with this author! After reading and loving her latest book, Very Valentine, I went out searching for her earlier books. Don't you just love it when you discover a new great author and they have plenty of books waiting for you to pick up??

I went straight for a book from her collection that is again set in Italy and New York (how could I resist?), is again set in an area of the fashion world (a New York department store) and is set in the time of the 1950's - a favourite era of mine for fiction and movies.

Lucia, Lucia is the story of Italian American girl Lucia Sartori - the youngest child and only girl in a big family. Lucia is rare for her day and age in that she has a career as a seamstress in a New York department store and she is keen to hold on to this no matter what - marriage is not such a high priority for her, until she meets the charming John Talbot. Things start to go a little topsy turvy from here.

Trigiani's writing is not perfect - there are some forced metaphors in places and the plot devices can feel a little controlled at times - but I really didn't care. I was hooked into Lucia's story and I wanted to see where things went in her life. I have also loved the endings in both of her books that I have read so far - a little bit of romance and completion but the endings have felt "real" and possible in a non -Hollywood, happily ever after way.

I will try and move on from Trigiani books now but have loved reading these two!

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets - Eva Rice

The title alone would have drawn me to The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets even if I hadn't read good things about it over at Danielle's Blog.

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets is set in 1954/1955 London and England (with a lot of references to America and the rising pop music scene of the times as well). Penelope Wallace is an 18 year old on the cusp of "finding out who she really is" when she meets Charlotte while waiting for a bus. Penelope is introduced to another world and way of living through Charlotte (a character I have to say I liked a little more than Penelope) and Charlotte, her Aunt Clare and her cousin Harry become a part of Penelope's family life in the majestic country home, Magna. In some ways it is actually Magna that is the main character of the story - as the family home of Penelope's father who was killed in WW2 it maintains a significant hold on Penelope and her mother and brother and draws on their ever dwindling financial situation.

This book definitely made me feel as though I had been transported to 1950's England - it felt true to the period (even though I have never actually been in that time of course!) and I felt connected to the characters and what would eventually happen to them. Music plays a large role in the setting and the plot of the story and I felt that the developing pop music world was somehow echoed in the changing of the times following the end of WW2 and in the establishment of the "teenager" - seen through the eyes of Penelope and Charlotte and their devotion to a pop music icon.

A beautiful, sweet book - perfect for reading in front of the fire with a cup of tea!