Elizabeth Jane Howard (1923–2014)

In 1942, the Cazalet family mourns one of their own, an emotional event in no way lessened by foreshadowing in the previous book. And of course the war continues to shape their lives as well. The story unfolds over the next three years mostly through the eyes of Louise, Polly, and Clary, the eldest child of each family, as they become young adults and hope to find their purpose. Their parents have their own issues, from marital infidelities at home to uncertainty about those at the front. As England celebrates VE Day, Elizabeth Jane Howard continues spinning a long story arc. While some threads are neatly tied up in this novel, some remain unresolved and new plot developments have whet my appetite for the next book.… (mere)

So this volume we have 'the brothers' ie the fathers of the girls, and the outsiders: the in-laws and friends. The Cazalets are generally good at friendship, are welcoming and inclusive, but ultimately probably couldn't function completely without their support. And a few sections on 'the wives'. I'm deliberately not saying much about individuals as I don't want to spoil anyone's first reading.

I'm still loving the tone.

A thing that sticks out is the smoking of pipes. That has totally fallen by the wayside here, that and cigars. I haven't smelt pipe or cigar smoke since my 20s. Smoking generally here has dropped to 15%, although there are a lot of vaper's, which isn't as healthier an alternative as promoted!… (mere)

This final volume of the Cazalets was written 18 years after the preceding volume, nearing the end of EJH's life. It is a what happened later rather than a summing up I would say. Written generally in smaller bites, a little repetitive in places. She sustains the tone, but although big things happen, I'm not 100% sure the volume was necessary.

Overall the series has been very satisfying. The breadth of perspectives (the initial outline coming from the the teenage girls looking up and down, and how they mature across the series), the social/domestic history, the things that were still in my memory from childhood (be it from the working class) that no longer exist now all interesting.

These were an upper middle-class/lower upper-class family heading towards a time when the expectations of their lives were heading towards dramatic change. Howard shows this progression while maintaining sympathy for her characters.… (mere)