Successful lady novelist Laura Morland and her boisterous young son Tony set off to spend Christmas at her country home in the sleepy surrounds of High Rising. But Laura's wealthy friend and neighbour George Knox has taken on a scheming secretary whose designs on marriage to her employer threaten the delicate social fabric of the village. Can clever, practical Laura rescue George from Miss Grey's clutches and, what's more, help his daughter Miss Sibyl Knox to secure her longed-for engagement?
My Thoughts
The novel opens with Laura Morland, a widow, collecting her youngest son, Tony, from boarding school to spend the Christmas break at her cottage in High Rising. Laura has three other sons no longer dependent on her. They believe she spoils Tony. In her own defence, Laura points out that after 25 years of rearing boys she is only older and exhausted, which nicely explains why she can appear very curt and on the other hand very patient with Tony. Boarding school failed to break Tony's spirit; it had the opposite effect. Since the death of her husband when Tony was a few months old, Laura has supported her family by writing novels set in the fashion industry. She doesn't think much of her writing, but it pays the bills and allows her to have a comfortable life.
Apart from Laura and Tony, there are a number of other colourful characters that make up Laura's set. This includes George Knox, a writer of non-fiction, who at times seems like an adult version of Tony in that he likes to be the centre of attention.
When I first started reading High Rising, I was unsure if this book was for me. After a few chapters, however, I was hooked. I loved all the characters that formed Laura's circle of family, friends, and employees. Laura's interaction with Tony, who I liked despite him being irritating at times, was delightful. I laughed when Laura suddenly changed her mind about getting rid of Una Grey. Fortunately, her friends step in to see the plan through and save George from Una's scheming.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this series, but I did enjoy my first ever Thirkell novel and will continue with it. Next one up is Wild Strawberries.
A Barsetshire series reminds me of Anthony Trollope's Chronicles of Barsetshire. Lovely review. I will put it on my reading list.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Laura. Thirkell set her novels in Trollope's fictional county. I haven't read any of his Barsetshire novels so I can't comment if this is recognisable or not.
DeleteHi Yvonne! I just found your blog via Marg's (Intrepid Reader and Baker). I love hist-fic, so I know I'm going to enjoy exploring your blog and reviews.
ReplyDeleteI adore a good historical mystery, but I've never heard of Thirkell. I might just have to check her out!
Hello Susan and welcome! Always great to meet another historical fiction fan. I hope you find something of interest.
DeleteI lucked into a batch of 26 Angela Thirkell novels being sold as a set in a Nyack, NY thrift shop yesterday for a cool $35. They had belonged to one of the ladies who worked in the shop as a volunteer, and she kindly included a map she'd drawn of Barsetshire, a list of the titles in order of publication, and a compendium guide to Thirkell that lists all her characters and gives a brief summation of their histories. So last night I plunged into "High Rising" and am enjoying it tremendously. It's my first time reading Thirkell, although a number of writers whose works I enjoy have mentioned her favorably in their own works. How nice to know that we will both be reading away at Angela Thirkell on opposite sides of the world! I shall probably take some breaks - I binged on Dickens one winter break while I was in college and was so surfeited by the time school resumed that it was years before I could look at a Dickens novel again. Happy reading to you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a windfall that was! I'm pleased your enjoying the first of the series. I'm not really binge reading, just slotting books in between my other reads, but I understand what you mean. Binge reading can put you off favourite authors for a while :-)
DeleteMy library doesn't have all of the Barsetshire series, so I'll have to go on a hunt for some good second-hand copies. I doubt if I'll be as lucky as you!