Warwick Deeping (1877–1950)

I agree with my fellow readers Dorcas and Tweety about this book. Incidentally, it was fun to read it together; it prevented me from lollygagging my way through it, which could easily have happened, because there wasn't much suspense!!

A very easily summarized plot: Alex St. George is on the brink of being sent to fight in World War I, and comes home for his last leave. His mother is a possessive sort of woman, but it's not even an affectionate clinging. She has a very narrow concept of what life should be, and Alex is just a game piece, but one she can't imagine letting go of. When he looks for sympathy, he finds it elsewhere, in a shopgirl named Kitty. Kitty is a strong and motherly little woman. Their relationship flourishes immediately, but that's just the beginning. There's going to be a tug of war between Kitty and her mother-in-law, and it's a bit heavy going!

The story was thick with unfinished sentences and people who deliberate over their every word and deed. It lacked a certain spontaneity that I like to see.

My favorite part was when Kitty buys a house and business, and sets about refurbishing it. The whole "new lease on life" thing is always refreshing, especially when it involves a cute tea house. I may question her happiness as the eternal mother-figure in her husband's life, but I definitely approve of her cream and rose colored room. :)… (más)

Warwick Deeping seems to have a style all his own. His prose is very deliberate; in other words, allow yourself time to linger on passages. He builds up a rich inner life for his characters. This book took me a while to finish, but in no way was it dull.
Benjamin Heriot is released after a couple years in prison. Full of self-loathing, he wonders if his life is even worthwhile. Eventually he buys an isolated, wooded piece of land and begins to build himself a cabin. He's seeking satisfaction in life the only way he can think of: hard work, and keeping a judicious distance from society. The hard work part is a success. The antisocial bit, not so much. It's impossible to avoid comradeship with a few of his neighbors. It proves equally impossible to avoid strife, with one neighbor in particular. Throw in a bit of British-Roman amateur archaeology and you have the story. Everything in this story lives and breathes; it's enjoyable reading.… (más)

I enjoyed this very much.
Rosamund is a reclusive writer with a heavy birthmark on her face. She is in her thirties and drawing ever farther away from society because of feeling so morbidly ashamed over her appearance. One day a plane crashes on her property and the pilot, Clive, is taken up unconscious and assumed to be dying. Rosamund has him brought to her house. He surprises everyone by getting better, except for his eyes, which are a total loss. Rosamund falls in love with him, as he does with her. They will each have something to learn from the other: he needs to be rehabilitated as a blind but capable person, and she needs to conquer her isolation and fears.
I kept waiting for the terrible misunderstandings, the lack of communication, the dooming pride that often keeps characters apart in romantic novels, but I'm pleased to say they didn't come. If there are times when the two are skirting some danger ground, it doesn't last long, and they make the right choice to go ahead and talk about whatever it is.
This book is a very good portrait of a relationship, and a happy story, but for all that it has a bit of a fateful tone. I think it's because Rosamund started out with a morbid fear of life, and even though she gradually loses it, she does maintain a sort of anxiety about whether her happiness can last. However, there are indications that by the end of the book she may be able to finally move past that.… (más)