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How I discovered this book: I read many novels by EJH years ago, but none since Getting It Right in the 1980s; my sister recommended this one to me.
In A Nutshell: A successful writer in her twilight years becomes romantically involved with a con-man ~ based on events that really happened, which are detailed HERE.
Daisy Langrish is a sixty-year-old, successful playwright who has known much pain and loneliness in her life; the loss of the beloved aunt who brought her up, betrayal by two husbands. When she buys a country cottage as a retreat, she meets Henry Kent, a gardener who lives on a boat. Slowly, slowly, he inveigles his way into her life. They become close, and she is happy to be granted another chance for love and companionship. On the surface he seems like the perfect man, in so many ways... but he has been less than honest about his history, and his motivations.
The story is written in alternate viewpoints—Henry in the first person and Daisy in the third, and some of the story is conveyed by way of letters and diary entries. All of this worked beautifully; I was completely engrossed in this novel all the way through. That Elizabeth Jane Howard is a master of the human drama goes without saying, but what I liked most about it was the unravelling of Henry's hidden self, which is done so subtly. There is enough information for us to realise that he has an alcohol problem, and that he has a short temper and reacts violently when events do not go the way he wants, but this is never lain out in black and white; it is suggested, as the picture of him slowly builds...
When I started to read the book I already knew about the true story, but knowing what sort of outcome it must have didn't spoil it; indeed, it opens with Henry saying that Daisy has told him their affair is over, and gives a fair indication of the sort of man he is, so this review is no 'spoiler'; the beauty of the book is in the gradual seduction of Daisy, the uncovering of Henry's past life, and the question it left me with: did Henry actually love her, as much as he was capable of loving anyone? Of course, we do not realise the full truth about his personality until his actions are revealed by others, because he lies to himself and, thus, in his narration to the reader. Are his feelings part of the fantasy he must create, in order to make his behaviour acceptable in his own mind?
By today's standards this is a 'slow' book, and, although set in the mid 1980s, seems a little dated, more as if it is set in the 1960s or early 1970s; also, there were some elements I questioned. For instance, Henry's most recent wife, Hazel, is supposed to be a fair bit older than him. He is sixty-five. Yet she is working as a physiotherapist; if she is nearing or possibly over seventy, wouldn't she have retired? When the truth about Henry's past life is revealed, it seems a little muddled and rushed, with Daisy's friends having conversations with complete strangers which are then reported back to Daisy; I was disappointed by this, as I was so looking forward to it; although the way it was wrapped up was realistic, it felt a little anti-climactic. I wondered if it was just me, but I looked at other reviews and some of them said the same.
However! I still give this book five stars because I loved it, generally, and looked forward to getting back to it at every moment I could.
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