The Book Depository The Sea Change by Elizabeth Jane Howard
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Price: £9.99
Brand: The Book Depository
Description: The Sea Change : Paperback : Pan Macmillan : 9781447272250 : : 02 Jul 2015 : From the lauded, bestselling author of The Cazalet Chronicles comes a story of one marriage and four people discovering how to change. The Book Depository The Sea Change by Elizabeth Jane Howard - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: The Book Depository
Product ID: 9781447272250
MPN: 9781447272250
GTIN: 9781447272250
Author: SusannahB
Rating: 5
Review: First published in 1959, Elizabeth Jane Howard's beautifully written third novel 'The Sea Change' focuses on four protagonists: Emmanuel, a half-Jewish half-Irish playwright in his early sixties; his beautiful, but ailing wife, Lillian, still suffering from the tragic death of their daughter fourteen years previously; Emmanuel's devoted assistant, Jimmy; and Alberta, a nineteen-year-old clergyman's daughter who becomes Emmanuel's secretary and later plays a much more significant role in his life. The story begins with Emmanuel searching for a young woman to play the lead part in his latest production which is about to transfer to New York - however, before he can focus his energies on the search, he has to deal with a suicide attempt made by his middle-aged secretary, with whom he has been having a casual affair and who is devastated when she learns he will not be taking her to New York. Emmanuel's wife, aware that her husband has a roving eye, chooses the young, inexperienced and seemingly ordinary Alberta as a new secretary for her husband, thinking that Alberta's lack of sophistication and her vicarage background will keep her safe from Emmanuel's attentions. Alberta, however, is a rather special person and as the story moves from London to New York and then to a Greek island, we see not just Alberta's transformation, but also how she acts as a catalyst in the the lives of Emmanuel, Lillian and Jimmy - but to reveal more would spoil the story for those who have yet to read it. As always with Elizabeth Jane Howard, this is an exquisitely written story with some very good characterisations and some wonderful descriptions of situation and setting. Alberta is a marvellous creation, shining with truth and goodness and one of EJH's most engaging heroines. The story is told through a combination of first and third person narratives and the author allows the reader to access the thoughts and motivations of each of her characters in a way that pulls the reader into the story and keeps them involved in the protagonists' lives from the beginning of the story to the end. Perceptive, insightful and very beguiling, this novel is one I find very easy to recommend. 5 Stars.
Author: Zandra
Rating: 2
Review: I have read and loved most of EJH's books, but not this one, which centres on a small number of self-obsessed and self-pitying individuals holding forth about Life and Loss in a similar style, so that telling the story from different viewpoints doesn't add to the interest of reading it. I'd recommend Falling instead, or the Cazelet books.
