Wednesday, October 14, 2020

The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen

 genre: fiction

An Anglo-Irish family lives in a large country house, Danielstown in County Cork.  In 1920, Lois sees her long life stretching before her with nothing much pleasing to look forward to, her malaise is palpable, as those on the cusp of womanhood can sometimes feel.  While she longs for freedom, the British way of living in Ireland around Lois is under attack and while the military in the area enlivens the social scene, a deeper fear still underlines even the details of daily life.  Danielstown, towering over all, is a character itself, as visitors come and stay and go again, bringing new drama to the scene.  The Last September is a portrait of a time and place and group of people whose heyday was slowly coming to a close, despite the backyard tennis parties and dances with the militia making it seem as though such a thing was impossible.

So, this isn't a fast moving book.  It took me way longer to read than it's 300 pages should have.  Part of that is that it is SO BEAUTIFULLY written, Bowen's language is precise and so intentional, descriptive with a lovely turn of phrase.  It begs to be read slowly.  But also, the plot, such as it is, is just plodding because in these large country houses, there just isn't much happening.  People eat meals and discuss the weather.  They talk about neighbors and visitors, they gossip about sweater patterns, who is engaged to whom and the languages one might learn in one's spare time.  In between, though, there is real loss and pain, acknowledgement about how little is in one's control as well as so much disgruntlement with a life that is pretty dang swell, all things considered.  Lois is a frustrating character, she's so melancholy and unsure of what will make her happy, it's hard to feel compassionate towards her.  I'm really glad I stuck to this one, though, because it gave me a sense of Anglo-Irish life during this time period and because there really is a lot to appreciate in the writing.

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