Has anyone read Elizabeth Jane Howard?

3 years ago

Forgive the stepping outside of the WAWR thread, but I hoped this wouldn't get lost in the shuffle. I recently read a book by a British author singing the praises of the 5-volume series about an English family named Cazalet that spans the period between the late 30s and 50s, and taking a chance, I ordered the set. The books are long (most are over 500 pages each) and at first seemed slightly daunting, but once I began the first I couldn't put it down. It's possibly one of the most endearing things I've ever read, in spite of it dealing with war and adult subjects that might "shock" some. The characters are beautifully developed, and just today I learned that the books were adapted into a miniseries in which the fabulous Hugh Bonneville starred.
Just read this in The Guardian about the author, Elizabeth Jane Howard:
"In recent years Elizabeth Jane Howard, who was always known as Jane, has become famous for a quartet of novels known as the “Cazalet Chronicles”, which draw on her own family story and were adapted for radio and television. Tracing the fortunes of an upper-middle-class family, the quartet begins in 1937 and covers a decade; a fifth novel, All Change, skips ahead to 1956. The novels are panoramic, expansive, intriguing as social history and generous in their storytelling. They are the product of a lifetime’s experience, and come from a writer who knew her aim and had the stamina and technical skill to achieve it. It would be rewarding if the readers who enjoyed the series were drawn to the author’s earlier work, when her talent seemed so effervescent, so unstoppable, that there was no predicting where it might take her. From the beginning she attracted superlatives, more for the gorgeousness of her prose than for the emotional extravagance of her characters. Their laughter was outrageous, their weeping contagious, their love affairs reckless. But there was nothing uncalculated about the author’s effects. From the first, she was a craftswoman."
So ... has anyone here read her work? I'm off to plunge into the second book. It's impossible to put down at this point.

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Zalco/bring back Sophie!

3 years ago

Ordering right now. Thank you.

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IdaClaire
Original Author
3 years ago
"The Cazalets" is available to watch on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/JzR3aqdxfzI
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IdaClaire
Original Author
3 years ago
Oh, Zalco, I do hope you'll share how you like the books! I find myself reading them with the appropriate English accents, which really brings it all to life in my head!
bbstx
3 years ago
Interesting: As Kindle books, my library has books 2, 3, 4, and 5 available, but not Book 1.
IdaClaire thanked bbstx
OutsidePlaying
3 years ago
Thanks, Ocotillo. When you said you were reading them with appropriate English accents, it brought back memories of me reading the first two Harry Potter books years ago. I bought them in England when they were yet unheard of here in the US, and that is how I read the whole series. As soon as I finish my current book, I’ll go for it. I haven’t found anything else that seems worthy recently.
IdaClaire thanked OutsidePlaying
Zalco/bring back Sophie!
3 years ago
Books arriving on Tuesday. I can't wait to tuck into the series. Your description had me at endearing. I love deep dives into family life, made all the better with sweeping looks into society and culture, plus brilliant prose. I can't wait.
IdaClaire thanked Zalco/bring back Sophie!
roxanna7
3 years ago
I adored this series when I read it some years ago. Back then, the person who chose the books our public library would buy was an Anglophile (like me!) and my enjoyment of many a British author was fed very well.

I think I must revisit the Cazalet family again -- don't believe I ever read the fifth book. Thanks for the reminder of pleasant hours spent with this series!
IdaClaire thanked roxanna7
teeda
3 years ago
Thanks for the suggestion--I'm ordering the series too! Another anglophile here, I pretty much only read British authors. I also recently watched the television series on Amazon and really enjoyed it. Can't wait to get started on the books!
IdaClaire thanked teeda
4kids4us
3 years ago
Oooohhh, this sounds right up my alley! Bummer that my library, which has a pretty extensive collection, does not have this collection. Normally I would request from another library system within our state, but I think that has been suspended due to COVID. I don’t normally buy books but might have to in this case.
IdaClaire thanked 4kids4us
Tina Marie
3 years ago
Sounds like something Oakley might like/read, but haven't seen her in a while.
IdaClaire thanked Tina Marie
texanjana
3 years ago
Thanks for this suggestion, Ocotillo. I added them to my reading list. They sound great.
IdaClaire thanked texanjana
User
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Read them years ago, tbh I got tired of them by the last book. I think the first one is best although they are all beautifully written. Enjoy the next few months of reading!
IdaClaire thanked User
Jilly
3 years ago
I missed this thread before! I read the first one years ago and loved it. For whatever reason didn’t continue. Thank you for this thread — I’d love to read the others. These are my favorite types of books.

Another I think you’d like is Tall Chimneys by Allie Cresswell. It was wonderful, I didn’t want to finish.
IdaClaire thanked Jilly

Has anyone read Elizabeth Jane Howard?

Zalco/bring back Sophie!

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Has anyone read Elizabeth Jane Howard?

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