Casting Off

Volume four of the Cazalet Chronicles finds the family, and those in its orbit, dealing with the aftermath of the war and trying to find a way back to normality. Relationships are as complicated as ever. Louise is unhappy and seeking a way out; Edward must choose between his wife and his mistress; Hugh might finally have found happiness again; Polly and Clary, all grown up and living in London, each experience unrequited love. Rupert and Zoe must find a way past their wartime experiences.

Once again Howard handles this vast cast of characters with consummate ease. The focus is definitely on the younger generation of Cazalets, and I finally twigged that Clary is a fictionalised version of the author (I think!). It's a fantastic read, never feeling like the 600 plus pages that it is. The prose carries you along and you really feel for the characters as they grope towards resolutions and some kind of happiness, or at least new starts.

The evocation of time and place is as good as ever and she still manages to imbue each character with their own distinct voice. It's a monumental achievement.

Howard would not revisit this story for almost 20 years, with the final volume, All Change, published just before her death at the age of 90. That's on the “to be read” pile.....