Virago Monthly Reads: Mar 2018: E.H. Young

Who's planning to read E.H. Young this month? And what will you be reading?

I though I'd read all of my E.H. Young VMCs, and feared I would have to sit this one out. But no! Lucky me! I found Celia on my shelves, and it looks like it will be right up my street. I don't usually read the introductions since there are often spoilers, and I only peeked at this book's intro, but it drew me right in:

Celia is not a comfortable novel. To admirers of E.H. Young this will be no surprise; newcomers to this writer should pause if they are anticipating a novel that will entertain but not trouble them, for Celia has a sting in its tail. En route there is wit, compassion, and E.H. Young's incomparable skill in laying bare the nuances of relationships.

William was the first Virago I read after being intrigued by all the green spines in my university library. Although it was promising at first I have to say it turned me off Virago for another year (when I read The Soul of Kindness by Elizabeth Taylor). But I think I'll give The Misses Mallett a try.

I'll definitely be reading Jenny Wren, which I've had around for ages. I also just bought The Curate's Wife, which I'll probably get to if I like Jenny Wren.

I've also got Miss Mole around somewhere, if I can find it. I've likewise had it for ages and knew exactly where it was, then I put it "somewhere" {grrr} so I'd have it all ready for February! I've really {sigh} got to get more of my books boxed and sorted. (As of now, my "Boxed" collection – which means I can put my hands right on it – is "only" 1673.)

ETA: This will be a first for me on Young.

This is exciting --- this month I have a choice on my shelves: William and The Misses Mallett! The latter was just 'discovered' yesterday as I unpacked lingering boxes from my move and the former was from the wonderful Virago Elf Service.

I have been absent from this group so far this year. I had purchased the Emily Eden well in advance, but once January arrived, other things took over. Then I didn't have anything by February's author on the shelves, so maybe in March I will get both of these books read.

>4 CurrerBell: "Somewhere" is such a dangerous place. The only place worse is "Somewhere safe"!

Isn't it wonderful to have a choice on the shelves... William, Jenny Wren, Chatterton Square, Miss Mole... What shall I read... By the way, is anyone posting some notes about EH Young? If not, would it be OK if I have a go?

>6 TheBookTrunk: we're a little more casual this year, with no one "in charge" per se, so go for it! And thank you!

I have five VMCs by her. The one on the top of the pile is The Misses Mallet so I'll probably start with that.

I've done us a few notes and a list of her books - I would have included a photo, but cannot work out how to do it! Can anyone help please?

Like many of the old 'green' VMC authors Emily Hilda Young (1880-1949), has had the misfortune to be forgotten not once, but twice. In her heyday, during the 1920s and 30s, she was enormously popular, but fell into obscurity after the war, when the public's reading tastes changed. There was a brief renaissance when Virago published some of her novels in the 1980s, but it didn't endure. More recently the tide seems to be turning, and once again there is an upsurge of interest in her work, so I hope someone will republish the books.

Between 1910 and 1947 Young wrote 11 novels, which are primarily domestic, and are very much of their time and place, mostly portraying middle-class life in Radstowe, a fictionalised version of Bristol, where she lived for many years. The plots are slight, the story-lines slow, and her writing very quiet, with subtle depictions of the delicate nuances of class and social structure, and the tension caused by the need for public proprietry balanced against private desires. Her observations of relationships are equally acute as she exposes the feelings between man and woman, parent and child, sister and sister. She's quite subversive because she's not afraid to question the moral values of her day, but in a gentle sort of way.

In some ways Young's writing reflects her private life, which was unconventional, but hidden beneath a veneer of respectability. She was born in Whitley (now known as Whitley Bay), in Northumberland and was the daughter of a shipbroker. She attended Gateshead High School and Penrhos College in Colwyn Bay, Wales, and moved to Bristol in 1902, following her marriage to solicitor John Daniell. Over the next few years she became interested in philosophy, supported the suffragette movement, and published her first two novels. She also began a long-term affair with Ralph Henderson, a friend of her husband.

During the First World War she worked as a groom in a stables, and in a munitions factory, but in 1918, following the death of her husband (he was killed at Ypres the previous year), she moved to London to be with Henderson, who was headmaster of Alleyn's public school. He was married, and Young lived in a separate flat, but the couple maintained their liaison. After his retirement and his wife's death, he and Young set up home together in Bradford on Avon, but never married. During WW2 she was actively involved in air raid precautions work, and she died in 1949, from lung cancer.

Here is the list of her novels:
Corn of Wheat (1910);
Yonder(912)
Moor Fires (1916)
A Bridge Dividing (1922) (republished as The Misses Mallett)
William (1925)
The Vicar's Daughter (1927)
Miss Mole (1930)
Jenny Wren (1932)
Celia (1937)
The Curate's Wife (1934)
Chatterton Square(1947)

She also wrote two books for children, Caravan Island and River Holiday. (Information from Wikipedia and Virago books)

I have all of the books published by Virago but only Jenny Wren and The Vicar's Daughter unread. Miss Mole was one of the first Viragos I bought and read back in the 80s and that is still my favourite of her novels.

>9 TheBookTrunk: thank you for the bio! I added Young's photo up in >1 lauralkeet:.

lauralkeet Thank you! I'm not very good at technical stuff.

Having failed with Dorothy Canfield Fisher I'm hoping to read Celia this month. I love E H Young . I'm tempted to re-read Miss Mole but probably won't get a chance.

I don't think I'll get a chance to re-read any of mine but hope everyone enjoys!

I'm hoping to read Jenny Wren this month (and hoping I enjoy it more than my DCF for Feb!)

I have Jenny Wren, The curate's wife and William which I will try and get through this month. I loved Miss Mole and The bridge dividing but disliked The vicar's daughter.

Jenny Wren 3***. It was good at the end, but it took a while getting there. I'll definitely be reading The Curate's Wife, which I understand is a better read, but I think I'll take in Miss Mole first. (>4 CurrerBell: >5 SassyLassy: I just last night discovered that the "somewhere" I thought I'd put Miss Mole was where it had been all along — if that makes any sense!)

I finished Celia and gave it 3.5 stars. Here's my review:

In Celia, one of E.H. Young’s later novels, the author shifts her focus from young, optimistic marriageable women to the middle-aged, married, and mostly disenchanted. Celia’s marriage to Gerald has little emotional or intellectual connection and she flat out avoids the physical aspects. She also must endure a truly horrible mother-in-law. But Celia finds genuine satisfaction in running her household, and raising her children. Celia believes her sister May and brother John are in healthier relationships, but as the novel unfolds it’s clear no one’s situation is perfect.

Celia’s disillusionment is fueled by memories of an affair from several years earlier; she can’t help feeling that life with Richard would have been more satisfying, even though deep down she knows that is not the case. These feelings resurface when Richard falls seriously ill and is being cared for by another friend. Celia knows surprisingly little about her sister May and her marriage to Stephen and likewise, her brother John and his wife Julia. Both of these couples put on a bold public face to mask their conflicts, and even in times of strife find it difficult to confide in anyone, even a close family member.

Most of this novel is spent inside Celia’s head, as she processes all of these relationships and explores her own feelings about Gerald, Richard, and life in general. While this made for sober reading, E.H. Young is so skilled at character development I found myself completely immersed in the story, and even relating to parts of it on a more personal level.

I've just finished Jenny Wren and thought it was very good. Jenny and Dahlia are pleasingly characterised with the different ways they have adapted and reacted to their uncertain place in the social hierarchy. Dahlia is inclined to laugh at people's judgement and seems to take life lightly, not letting herself aspire to the higher station that her education fitted her for. Jenny however is rather ashamed of her working class mother and longs for the arts and social graces that her father valued despite his hasty marriage. When she falls in love with a young man of a higher class she finds herself disguising her identity. The minor characters are very well-drawn too, such as the mother Louisa, the various lodgers and neighbours, and the girls' suitors. I've continued with The curate's wife which follows directly on from the events of Jenny Wren.

I finished The Misses Mallett a few days ago and I've been wondering what to say about it. I liked it, especially the characters of Rose and Henrietta and the descriptions of the locality in "Radstowe" where they lived. The only disappointment, if it could be called that, is that there wasn't more from the older spinster aunts, Caroline and Sophia, and that they both disappeared from the story quite suddenly, one very shortly after the other. Of course this just means that I was invested in both the story and the characters. Of the male characters Francis Sales did not appeal at all but Charles Batty had a very disarming personality. The ending was just a bit too neat though.

I'm not sure if I will read another E. H. Young this month but, if I do, it will be a toss-up between William and The Vicar's Daughter, as I haven't yet found a copy of the one I most want to read given the comments above, Miss Mole.

I've been a bad Viragoite participant in 2018 and have only just read my first Virago of the year. I opted for The Misses Mallet, my first E H Young and finished it tonight. I would agree with >20 europhile: about the ending. I had been hoping it wouldn't be too pat, and it looked toward the end that it wouldn't be, but then convention stepped in. I did like the writing though.

>17 CurrerBell: That makes perfect sense, along the lines of "where I thought it was all this time"

I finished The curate's wife and enjoyed it a lot. I really want Dahlia and Cecil to work out their differences and learn to be happy together. The Doubledays' marriage was a great foil and the book worked very well overall.

>20 europhile:, >21 SassyLassy: I too was disappointed with the ending of The Misses Mallett. I really didn't want Rose to marry Frances as he was so controlling and unpleasant. Other than that I agree that it was an excellent book.

I'm now reading William and really enjoying it so far.

I've read William (posted today because it's EH Young's birthday), and loved it - a wonderful exploration of relationships within a family and what happens when one of the daughters leaves her husband, and how her actions affect everyone else. Unusually for a Virago (and for a female author), the central protagonist is male (the William of the title), but I thought it worked really well.

I read and reviewed Celia

https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2018/03/21/celia-e-h-young-1937/

She's such a great writer.

>24 Heaven-Ali: lovely review, Ali. I loved the emotional depth of this novel.

The Curate's Wife (3***), which I'm really glad to have read as the follow-up to Jenny Wren. I'm hoping to get to The Vicar's Daughter and (especially) Miss Mole before month's end, but I've been a bit delayed on this month's reading by hospitalization, starting overnight March 13/14 when I had a bad reaction to a drug used in a cardiac stress test – then from last Sunday evening until yesterday Thursday afternoon, when I was back in with COPD exacerbated by pneumonia, which I suspect was a lingering effect of the earlier lung and gastric side effects of that drug.

To give you an idea how I felt, I had a Kindle with me in the hospital and I managed to get through about half of a fairly short book during that entire period. I mainly slept with oxygen in my nose.

>26 CurrerBell: Sorry to hear of your medical woes; I hope you are on the mend now and will be able to meet your reading goals. I disliked The vicar's daughter so will be interested to see what you think of it.

I finished William this weekend and really enjoyed it. William, his wife Kate, their four daughters and son and various spouses are so interesting (although the prime mover of the plot, Lydia, remains shadowy) and their different reactions to the events of the story were fascinating to follow. I did find Janet's action towards the end of the novel very unconvincing but other than that this was an excellent read.

I was surprised to see that there was no review of The Vicar's Daughter on LT. In addition the VMC edition I have does not contain an introduction and I sometimes find these helpful (as long as I don't read them first!). All I can say is I was very impressed with the writing and the depiction of the four main characters and their personalities and interactions. Their hidden motivations and misunderstandings were all portrayed so well I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen to them all. And this time the ending was very uncertain till it actually arrived, and fairly satisfying when it did.

I will now start on William but I don't expect to finish it by the end of the month. I will be looking out for copies of Miss Mole and Celia too.

The Vicar's Daughter. I definitely prefer this over the "Jenny Wren" dyad. Maurice reminds me a bit of Roger Chillingworth in his desire for revenge – but this is a comedy, so the Chillingworth factor is blended with Maurice's comic stupidity. The twists and turns of the plot made this one definitely worth reading.

It's very convenient that the month is ending over Easter and I didn't have any other plans yesterday so I was able to finish William quite quickly. I have nothing to add to the positive comments above and in the reviews on LT, except that E. H. Young is a very fine writer indeed. In fact I may have to add her to my list of favourites if I just happen to read another of her books and it's as good as the three I've read this month....now I have a slight dilemma as there's still some time left in March and Jenny Wren is looking at me appealingly. Do I dare start on that one now and perhaps cause offence to Rosamond L. who has eight of her books lying unread on another pile waiting for the start of next month?

>30 europhile: If you're going to start on Jenny Wren, I think you should be prepared to go on to The Curate's Wife because that's the sequel (and probably a bit better than Jenny Wren).

>31 CurrerBell: Yes, I am prepared!

I think I'm going to just manage to finish Jenny Wren in March - it started a bit slowly but now I'm really enjoying it (and really disliking Aunt Sarah....).

I'm nearly halfway through Jenny Wren. So far it doesn't seem as good as The Vicar's Daughter and William but about as good as The Misses Mallett. For those of you who know it, I've just passed the amusing episode of the flying duster and the clergyman being unsure whether or not it was directed at him deliberately.

I would be interested to read a full biography of this author but there doesn't seem to be one yet. This seems to me a surprising omission, especially as her living arrangements were somewhat unorthodox for their time.

I've now finished Jenny Wren. It did remind me slightly of The Misses Mallett at first. I expected to like the titular character more than I did but she was just too childish in her outlook. She redeemed herself a bit at the end though! Actually the most appealing character was her sister, Dahlia, whom I hope to read more about shortly in The Curate's Wife.

Otherwise there were many interesting minor characters like the two unlikeable busybodies, Aunt Sarah and Miss Jewel, and the lodgers Miss Morrison and Mr Cummings, as well as the neighbours and their lodgers. The clergyman, Mr Sproat (what an unfortunate name!), was very amusing with his dreams of future married bliss even when he had very little basis for his expectations and had a lot of doubts about the suitability of his own feelings. I also felt a lot of sympathy for the mother, Louisa's, predicament and its eventual outcome. So, on the whole, a satisfying read.

ETA: I just thought I'd add that, for the subtlety of her style, her psychological insight and her humour, E. H. Young has been the 'find' of the year for me so far.

Having finished The Curate's Wife last night I have now read all the E. H. Young novels in my possession. Some of the major characters in Jenny Wren reappear and new ones enter but it's in much the same setting. The difference is that this is really a portrait of two marriages, both involving clergymen (though they are two very different men and their wives even more so).

Their relationships evolve in quite surprising and amusing ways during the course of the novel and this is very cleverly described. I was a bit worried when Miss Jewel turned up again late in the story, possibly to spoil things, but fortunately this did not occur. Even Jenny Wren herself was more likeable in this one, though she was still very self-centred. I enjoyed it and am glad I continued well into the month with this author. I will be looking out for more of her work.