Elizabeth Jane Howard CBE FRSL (26 March 1923 – 2 January 2014), was an English novelist. She wrote 12 novels including the best-selling series The Cazalet Chronicles. [1] Early life [ edit ] Aunque en un principio el número de personajes y la descripción detallada de lugares y acciones puede asustar y hacernos pensar que nos confundiremos o agobiaremos, la verdad es que Elizabeth Jane Howard dirige con maestría la trama y no nos perdemos nunca. De hecho, se siguen a la perfección las tramas cruzadas y se siente empatía por esos familiares que acabas conociendo, con sus virtudes y sus fallos. Howard published five additional novels before she embarked on her best known work, the five-volume Cazalet Chronicles. As Artemis Cooper describes it: “Jane had two ideas, and could not decide which to embark on; so she invited her stepson Martin [Amis] round for a drink to ask his advice. One idea was an updated version of Sense and Sensibility … the other was a three-volume family saga … Martin said immediately, “Do that one.” [6] Y es precisamente esa la base de "Los años ligeros": todos los sentimientos, ideas y sueños de los miembros de una familia que jamás se dicen, que jamás se expresan a los demás. Y la autora lo hace con una delicadeza y un detallismo rayano en lo enfermizo que te transporta allí.

La Duchessa apparteneva a un sesso e a una generazione la cui opinione non era richiesta se non per malattie infantili e faccende casalinghe, ma questo non voleva dire che non avesse preoccupazioni più serie: semplicemente, queste facevano parte del vasto repertorio di argomenti di cui non si parlava e men che meno si discuteva tra donne, e non perché, come nel caso delle funzioni corporee, fosse sconveniente, ma perché era del tutto inutile che le donne s’interrogassero sulla politica e sulle vicende del genere umano. Le donne sapevano che il mondo era governato dagli uomini, che il potere lo avevano loro e che, dal potere corrotti, alla minima provocazione mettevano mano alle armi per averne di più, mentre le donne erano costrette a patire le peggiori ingiustizie." Este libro me recordó en muchas cosas a la saga de los Forsyte o al estilo literario de maravillosas autoras como Sybille Bedford o Virginia Woolf por cómo saltaba la trama de un personaje a otro y la capacidad que tiene Howard para adentrarte en los sentimientos de seres tan diversos, y conseguir que empatices con todos ellos, desde los ancianos a los niños. Bueno, menos con Edward. Con Edward es imposible empatizar JAMÁS. Ms Howard’s writing is smooth and elegant, ensuring that I found myself completely immersed in the lives of this family, their staff, and even their neighbours. As in real life, there are many revelations for these people, many shifts and changes in friendships and relationships, attitudes and opinions. I found the children’s voices to be authentic and brilliantly observed. How children perceive certain things can be very funny at times; very poignant and even sad at other times. Ms Howard opens up their minds and hearts to us – a skill that also extends to the insights she offers in the development of all of the adult characters, too. There are a great number of characters introduced herein, and I expect they will also be present through the subsequent novels. In the family alone (including one daughter-in-law’s sister, husband, and children) we meet 11 adults and 12 teens and children. There are also many servants and others who interact regularly with the family.Many decades ago I read this for the first time. And had forgotten many of the characters. Not Edward's wife, Villy. When it got to the dental part, I remembered almost all of it. But I must say that it was even better the second time. Now in age, I even understand most of it.

She helps us to do the necessary thing – open our eyes and our hearts' – Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall In retrospect, I was astonished by these numbers. Each character is presented, usually alone, in a little vignette – one that is intimate and immediate as we are privy to their thoughts about a particular topic or series of topics. These pieces are all so well written they immediately begin to add their own thread colour to the larger design of the tapestry. I found it difficult to put the book down because I wanted to know them all right away: who they are, their likes and dislikes, the things they enjoy and don’t. I don’t recall ever before getting to know such a large cast of characters, let alone doing so with such ease. The Beautiful Visit. Jonathan Cape. 1950. ISBN 978-0-224-60977-7. Winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys PrizeThis all occurred on the eve (1937 & 1938) before World War II came to England’s doorstep. At least a couple of the characters had war wounds from the first world war.

Some readers experience it as 'dull', 'devoid of satire, 'melodrama', or 'angry indictments'. Relationships between husbands and wives are nuanced and sympathetic. IMHO its a memoir in fictional form based on a real family. Although the book’s description centers around the three brothers – and I have to say that put me off at first – the narrative actually focuses through very different characters, including their wives and children. And, by focusing through them, Howard explores “the nameless” problems that Victorian morals and manners still sanctioned. One of my favourite examples is the construction of female sexuality only in a heterosexual frame as something useful to bear children, but that brought no pleasure to women. The same happens with the curse which came unannounced and scared one of the children.

This “dazzling” novel follows a family of English aristocrats as their country teeters on the brink of World War II (Penelope Fitzgerald). This period was still innocent, and wholesome, despite the clouds of war forming on the horizon. Two of the brothers, Edward and Hugh are scarred survivors of WWI, and together with the family and everyone else did not want a second war. Even the children realized that it will be a much bigger, and more devastating war, as a result of all the advanced technological developments following the Great War. Ciertamente es una novela-río, ambiciosa en su afán de retratar todos los aspectos de la vida de una familia inglesa en los años anteriores a la segunda guerra mundial, que no se limita a contarnos en detalle todo lo que hacen, sino que también describe a manera de inventario muebles, comidas, telas, ropa, tiendas, transporte, juegos, costumbres (poco) higiénicas y todo lo que se puede describir. She wrote a book of short stories, Mr. Wrong (1975), and edited two anthologies, including The Lover's Companion (1978). [1] Autobiography and biographies [ edit ]

The family is wealthy due to their lumber business. They supply wood for building things, veneers for finishing things, and they supply not only common woods but also the more exotic. Although the Cazalets are well-placed financially and in society, they tend for the most part to take all their holidays together at the country estate, returning to their London homes once school resumes. They have friends, yet their family life is the most important organism around which their lives revolve. The Chronicles were a family saga "about the ways in which English life changed during the war years, particularly for women." They follow three generations of a middle-class English family and draw strongly from Howard's own life and memories. [7] The first four volumes, The Light Years, Marking Time, Confusion, and Casting Off, were published from 1990 to 1995. Howard wrote the fifth, All Change (2013), in one year; it was her final novel. Millions of copies of the Cazalet Chronicles were sold worldwide. [1] Naming the series The Gazalet Chronicles indicates the intimacy of the fictionalized tale of an ordinary-enough, undistinguished, tangled, yet prosperous family, and how their lives were affected by the events between 1930 and 1950. The Chronicles were published between 1990 and 2013, shortly before the author's death in January 2014, at the age of 90. The ageing father and his three sons with their families are mostly based in London but spend most of their summers and weekends at the Home Place, their country estate in Sussex. Home Place is simultaneously shabby, botched, rambling 17th-century, bachelor's home which have expanded to accommodate the entire extended family. Es una novela que narra la vida cotidiana de esta gran familia, sin que pase apenas nada, una familia ociosa que aunque trabajan no están en el trabajo, con largas estancias vacacionales, algún esporádico lío amoroso que se incluye para dar salseo a la novela, un hecho desafortunado y poco más.a b Brown, Andrew (9 November 2002). "Profile: Elizabeth Jane Howard". The Guardian . Retrieved 17 February 2018. The author's autobiography, titled Slipstream confirms that the character Louise in these chronicles are based on herself. En general no me han interesado los personajes, que considero están simplemente esbozados La cantidad es inabarcable y aunque muchos de ellos son prometedores, como la profesora de los niños o el chófer, la acción va saltando de uno a otro y en cuanto te interesas por alguno, desaparece. Parece como si estuvieras viendo la televisión con alguien que cambia de canal de manera desaforada y además la mayor parte del tiempo va a parar al Disney Channel. Porque más de la mitad de la novela está dedicada a los niños Cazalet – lo sabemos todo sobre sus juegos y mascotas, sus opiniones y sus conflictos – y lo peor es que son bastante repelentes y tienen un airecillo victoriano pesadísimo. La manera de expresarse es prácticamente la misma para todas las edades, ya que la niña de 6 años le dice a su prima: La risposta più sincera sarebbe: nulla. Questo clan di dimensioni elefantiache, tenacemente attaccato ai valori e ai privilegi della borghesia vittoriana (mai uscire dai ranghi, mai menzionare argomenti sconvenienti, mai dire ad alta voce ciò che si pensa) sembra rientrare in tutto e per tutto nell'archetipo della noiosa famiglia felice tanto disprezzata da Tolstoj.