The Light Years The Cazalet Chronicles 1

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The Light Years

Author : Elizabeth Jane Howard
Publisher : Open Road Media
ISBN 13 : 1504034910
Total Pages : 463 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (4 download)

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Book Synopsis The Light Years by : Elizabeth Jane Howard

Download or read book The Light Years written by Elizabeth Jane Howard and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2016-04-26 with total page 463 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This “dazzling” novel follows a family of English aristocrats as their country teeters on the brink of World War II (Penelope Fitzgerald). As war clouds gather on the distant horizon, Hugh, Edward, and Rupert Cazalet, along with their wives, children, and loyal servants, prepare to leave London for their annual pilgrimage to the family’s Sussex estate. There, they will join their parents, William and Kitty, and sister, Rachel, at Home Place, the sprawling retreat where the three brothers hope to spend an idyllic summer of years gone by. But the First World War has left indelible scars. Hugh, the eldest of his siblings, was wounded in France and is haunted both by recurring nightmares of battle and the prospect of another war. Edward adores his wife, Villy, a former dancer searching for meaning in life, yet he’s incapable of remaining faithful to her. Rupert desires only to fulfill his potential as a painter, but finds that love and art cannot coexist. And devoted daughter Rachel discovers the joys—and limitations—of intimacy with another woman. A candid portrait of British life in the late 1930s and a sweeping depiction of a world on the brink of war, The Light Years is a must-read for fans of Downton Abbey. Three generations of the Cazalet family come to unforgettable dramatic life in this saga about England during the last century—and the long-held values and cherished traditions that would soon disappear forever.

The Light Years: the Cazalet Chronicles 1

Author : Elizabeth Jane Howard
Publisher : Pan
ISBN 13 : 9781529049442
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (494 download)

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Book Synopsis The Light Years: the Cazalet Chronicles 1 by : Elizabeth Jane Howard

Download or read book The Light Years: the Cazalet Chronicles 1 written by Elizabeth Jane Howard and published by Pan. This book was released on 2021-06-08 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first book in the landmark Cazalet Chronicles, previously a BBC radio and TV series. With the onset of war, The Light Years reveals a privileged family facing uncertain times. Now reissued with a fresh cover look.Elegantly constructed and told with exceptional grace, The Light Years is Elizabeth Jane Howard's modern classic of English life and the beginning of an extraordinary family saga.Every summer, the Cazalet brothers, Hugh, Edward and Rupert, return to the family home in the heart of the Sussex countryside with their wives and children. There, they are joined by their parents and unmarried sister Rachel to enjoy two blissful months of picnics and childish games. But despite the idyllic setting, nothing can be done to soothe the siblings' heartache: Hugh is haunted by the ravages of war, Edward by his latest infidelity and Rupert by his inability to please his demanding wife. Meanwhile, Rachel risks losing her only chance at happiness because of her unflinching loyalty to the family.Howard's beautiful saga is the story of three generations of the Cazalet family: their relatives, their children and their servants - and the fascinating triangle of their affairs.The Cazalet Chronicles is Elizabeth Jane Howard's bestselling five-part series: The Light Years, Marking Time, Confusion, Casting Off, and All Change."Elizabeth Jane Howard is one of those novelists who shows, through her work, what the novel is for... She helps us to do the necessary thing - open our eyes and our hearts." Hilary Mantel

All Change

Author : Elizabeth Jane Howard
Publisher : Open Road Media
ISBN 13 : 1504034953
Total Pages : 397 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (4 download)

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Book Synopsis All Change by : Elizabeth Jane Howard

Download or read book All Change written by Elizabeth Jane Howard and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2016-04-26 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written twenty years after the publication of Casting Off, the final volume of the Cazalet Chronicles begins in 1956 when the death of the family matriarch brings the scattered members of the extended clan back together The death of eighty-nine-year-old matriarch Kitty “the Duchy” Cazalet marks the end of an era—and the commencement of great change for the family. The long, difficult marriage of second son Edward to Villy has ended in divorce and Edward is contemplating wedlock with his longtime mistress, Diana. Hugh, the eldest son, wounded in the Great War and haunted by the death of his wife, Sybil, has finally found happiness with Jemima Leaf. Rupert, the youngest, who was missing-in-action during World War II, is now committed to rebuilding his relationship with his wife, Zoe. Rachel, who has spent a lifetime looking after others, has the chance to finally live for herself—even as she’s faced with the loss of all she cherishes most. And Home Place, the beloved Sussex estate where the Cazalets have gathered for years, is now a beloved relic that, with its faded wallpaper and leaky roof, has aged along with its occupants, including faithful servants like Mrs. Cripps, Mr. Tonbridge, and former governess Miss Milliment, now steadfast companion to Villy. Elizabeth Jane Howard’s critically acclaimed family saga comes to its conclusion as the Cazalets reflect on their past and begin the inexorable move forward.

Marking Time

Author : Elizabeth Jane Howard
Publisher : Open Road Media
ISBN 13 : 1504034929
Total Pages : 463 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (4 download)

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Book Synopsis Marking Time by : Elizabeth Jane Howard

Download or read book Marking Time written by Elizabeth Jane Howard and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2016-04-26 with total page 463 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For fans of Downton Abbey, the second volume of the critically acclaimed Cazalet saga takes readers into the lives of an extended British family and their devoted retinue It is 1939, and Hitler has just invaded Poland. The exigencies of wartime will force the Cazalets to make difficult choices as the older children are evacuated from London and settled in Home Place, their longtime Sussex summer estate. Narrated primarily through the voices of three Cazalet cousins—sixteen-year-old Louise and fourteen-year-old Polly and Clary—Marking Time details the continuing saga of their fathers. With the outbreak of war, Edward is determined to do his part for England. Hugh, crippled in World War I, must sit back and watch other men fight for their country, including his brother Rupert, who enlists and goes missing in action. The Cazalets’ story plays out against the greater drama unfolding on the world stage. Three young girls yearn for the freedom they believe adulthood will confer upon them in this tale of struggle and sacrifice, love and loss, as a new generation of Cazalets makes itself heard. With strong female characters such as the stoic Kitty; her daughter, Rachel, who’s in a relationship with another woman; and the loyal governess Miss Milliment, Marking Time explores the role of women during the war amid early stirrings of feminism.

Confusion

Author : Elizabeth Jane Howard
Publisher : Open Road Media
ISBN 13 : 1504034937
Total Pages : 412 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (4 download)

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Book Synopsis Confusion by : Elizabeth Jane Howard

Download or read book Confusion written by Elizabeth Jane Howard and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2016-04-26 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The women of the Cazalet family carry on while WWII casts its shadow over England as the saga by the award-winning author of The Light Years continues. In the spring of 1942, after the attacks on Pearl Harbor have pulled America into the war, the world reels from the ever-increasing atrocities of the conflict. And in Sussex, at the Cazalet family estate known as Home Place, personal tragedies begin to take their toll. Polly, reacting to the untimely death of her mother, flees her comfortable surroundings accompanied her cousin Clary. But the bustling life of London proves a test not only for their ability to live on their own but also for their once-close relationship. Nineteen-year-old Louise believes she has found the man of her dreams in dashing naval officer Michael Hadleigh. After a whirlwind marriage and honeymoon, though, she begins to realize that being a young wartime bride is not the fairy tale she once presumed it would be. With Rupert still missing in action, his second wife, Zoë, struggles to maintain hope that her husband will one day return. But when a handsome stranger offers her solace, she finds herself drawn into an inadvisable but sorely needed affair. Confusion beautifully continues the sweeping family epic started in The Light Years and Marking Time, examining the struggles, passions, heartbreaks, and joys of three generations. Filled with profound reflections on a country torn apart by war and intimate glances into the lives of those left behind, this is a must-read novel for fans of Downton Abbey and lovers of wartime historical fiction.

Casting Off

Author : Elizabeth Jane Howard
Publisher : Open Road Media
ISBN 13 : 1504034945
Total Pages : 442 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (4 download)

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Book Synopsis Casting Off by : Elizabeth Jane Howard

Download or read book Casting Off written by Elizabeth Jane Howard and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2016-04-26 with total page 442 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Cazalet family saga continues as they struggle to adapt to a new world after WWII in this international-bestselling series for fans of Downton Abbey. The war is over, but for the Cazalets—and England—the challenges continue. Against the backdrop of a crumbling empire, the family soldiers on in the wake of disappointment, heartbreak, and tragedy. Returning home after five long years, Rupert Cazalet struggles to adapt to civilian life back in England. And his wife, Zoe, harbors a guilty secret. Young wife and mother Louise Cazalet, trapped in a loveless marriage to a famous portrait painter, searches for a way out. Cazalet cousins Polly and Clary must face life in a new world, their hopes and ideals changed forever by the ravages of war. And Rachel’s self-sacrificing nature could cost her her relationship with Margot Sidney. But the family comes together again as three generations of Cazalets struggle to hold onto Home Place, the beloved Sussex estate that has been their refuge and their heart. Against the titanic sweep of history, as they are tested by infidelities, divorce, unimaginable loss, and the promise of renewed love, the Cazalets try to cast off the sins and sorrows of the past and sail bravely toward the future.

The Cazalet Chronicles

Author : Elizabeth Jane Howard
Publisher : Open Road Media
ISBN 13 : 150404150X
Total Pages : 1771 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (4 download)

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Book Synopsis The Cazalet Chronicles by : Elizabeth Jane Howard

Download or read book The Cazalet Chronicles written by Elizabeth Jane Howard and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2016-11-08 with total page 1771 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For fans of Downton Abbey: A multigenerational saga of an upper-middle-class British family before, during, and after World War II by a bestselling author. As war clouds gather on England’s horizon, the Cazalet siblings, along with their wives, children, and servants, prepare to leave London and join their parents at their Sussex estate, Home Place. Thus begins the decades-spanning family saga that has engrossed millions of readers. The Light Years: Hugh, the eldest of the Cazalet siblings, was wounded in France and is haunted by recurring nightmares and the prospect of another war. Edward adores his wife, a former dancer, yet he’s incapable of remaining faithful. Rupert desires only to fulfill his potential as a painter, but finds that love and art cannot coexist. And devoted daughter Rachel discovers the joys—and limitations—of intimacy with another woman. Marking Time: Narrated primarily through the voices of teenagers Louise, Polly, and Clary, the second novel details the continuing story of their fathers. With the outbreak of war, Edward is determined to do his bit for England. But Hugh, injured in World War I, must sit back and watch other men fight for their country, including his brother Rupert, who enlists and goes missing in action. Confusion: As the world reels in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the Cazalets are dealt a tragic blow, and a new generation struggles to find peace with each other, a peace that seems to prove as elusive as it is in the larger world. Casting Off: The war is over, but for the Cazalets—and England—the challenges continue. Against the backdrop of a crumbling empire, the family soldiers on in the wake of disappointment, heartbreak, and tragedy. But the family comes together again as three generations of Cazalets struggle to hold onto Home Place, the beloved Sussex estate that has been their refuge and their heart. All Change: In 1956, the death of eighty-nine-year-old matriarch Kitty “the Duchy” Cazalet marks the end of an era—and the commencement of great change for the family. And Home Place, the beloved Sussex estate where the Cazalets have gathered for years, is now a beloved relic that, with its faded wallpaper and leaky roof, has aged along with its occupants. A rich historical read for those who love E. M. Forster, Evelyn Waugh, or Downton Abbey, this is the story of a family “[rendered] thrillingly three-dimensional by a master craftsman” (TheSunday Telegraph).

Marking Time: The Cazalet Chronicles 2

Author : Elizabeth Jane Howard
Publisher : Pan
ISBN 13 : 1743292856
Total Pages : 483 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (432 download)

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Book Synopsis Marking Time: The Cazalet Chronicles 2 by : Elizabeth Jane Howard

Download or read book Marking Time: The Cazalet Chronicles 2 written by Elizabeth Jane Howard and published by Pan. This book was released on 2001-08-01 with total page 483 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The place is once again Home Place, Sussex but the year is now 1939. The sunlit days of childish games and family meals are over, as the shadows of war roll in to cloud the lives of one English family. At Home Place, the windows are blacked out and food is becoming scarce. And a new generation of Cazalets takes up the story.

Slipstream

Author : Elizabeth Jane Howard
Publisher : Pan Macmillan
ISBN 13 : 0330527835
Total Pages : 564 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (35 download)

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Book Synopsis Slipstream by : Elizabeth Jane Howard

Download or read book Slipstream written by Elizabeth Jane Howard and published by Pan Macmillan. This book was released on 2011-02-28 with total page 564 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Slipstream brilliantly illuminates the literary world of the latter half of the 20th century, as well as giving a highly personal insight into the life of Elizabeth Jane Howard, one of our most beloved British writers. 'This is a brave, absorbing and vulnerable book' – Guardian Elizabeth looks back over the course of her eventful life, providing a story of as full of love, passion and betrayal as her novels. Born in London in 1923, she was privately educated at home, moving on to short-lived careers as an actress and model, before writing her first acclaimed novel, The Beautiful Visit, in 1950. She has written many highly regarded novels, including Falling and After Julius. Her Cazalet Chronicles have become established as modern classics and were adapted for a major BBC television series and for BBC Radio 4. She has been married three times – firstly to Peter Scott, the naturalist and son of Captain Scott, and most famously and tempestuously to Kingsley Amis. It was Amis' son by another marriage, Martin, to whom she introduced the works of Jane Austen and ensured that he received the education that would be the grounding of his own literary career. Her closest friends have included some of the greatest writers and thinkers of the day: Laurie Lee, Arthur Koestler and Cecil Day-Lewis, among others. In this memoir, Elizabeth Jane Howard lays bare the slipstream of experience that has comprised her life – in the process, revealing her incredible adventures, wisdom and resilience. 'Her talent seemed so effervescent, so unstoppable, that there was no predicting where it might take her' – Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall

The Long View

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 20 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (199 download)

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Book Synopsis The Long View by :

Download or read book The Long View written by and published by . This book was released on 1928 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Odd Girl Out

Author : Elizabeth Jane Howard
Publisher : Open Road Media
ISBN 13 : 1504036670
Total Pages : 259 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (4 download)

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Book Synopsis Odd Girl Out by : Elizabeth Jane Howard

Download or read book Odd Girl Out written by Elizabeth Jane Howard and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2016-07-05 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The award-winning author of the Cazalet Chronicles “brilliantly” examines a marriage disrupted by a beautiful interloper (The New York Times). Anne and Edmund Cornhill are the perfect couple. From their steadfast marriage to their beautiful home in the suburbs of London to their imperious yet charming cat, they paint a picture of stability to be emulated and admired—until Arabella Dawick appears in their lives. Beautiful, wealthy, and shiftless, twenty-two-year-old Arabella has spent her short years lavishing in luxury and loneliness, craving the kind of connection the Cornhills share. She comes to them wanting nothing more than their affection. But as the emotional and sexual ties between each of them grow and change, the once-idyllic home becomes a domestic minefield of desires and secrets, forever changing the dynamic between man and wife. With brutal honesty and stunning prose, the highly acclaimed author of The Sea Change and Getting It Right delves into the meaning of love, sex, and satisfaction, in a story that is at once startlingly unique and unsettlingly familiar.

Elizabeth Jane Howard

Author : Artemis Cooper
Publisher : John Murray
ISBN 13 : 9781848549265
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (492 download)

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Book Synopsis Elizabeth Jane Howard by : Artemis Cooper

Download or read book Elizabeth Jane Howard written by Artemis Cooper and published by John Murray. This book was released on 2019-10-29 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Elizabeth Jane Howard (1923-2014) wrote brilliant novels about what love can do to people, but in her own life the lasting relationship she sought so ardently always eluded her. She grew up yearning to be an actress; but when that ambition was thwarted by marriage and the war, she turned to fiction. Her first novel, The Beautiful Visit, won the John Llewellyn Rhys prize - she went on to write fourteen more, of which the best-loved were the five volumes of The Cazalet Chronicle. Following her divorce from her first husband, the celebrated naturalist Peter Scott, Jane embarked on a string of high-profile affairs with Cecil Day-Lewis, Arthur Koestler and Laurie Lee, which turned her into a literary femme fatale. Yet the image of a sophisticated woman hid a romantic innocence which clouded her emotional judgement. She was nearing the end of a disastrous second marriage when she met Kingsley Amis, and for a few years they were a brilliant and glamorous couple - until that marriage too disintegrated. She settled in Suffolk where she wrote and entertained friends, but her turbulent love life was not over yet. In her early seventies Jane fell for a conman. His unmasking was the final disillusion, and inspired one of her most powerful novels, Falling. Artemis Cooper interviewed Jane several times in Suffolk. She also talked extensively to her family, friends and contemporaries, and had access to all her papers. Her biography explores a woman trying to make sense of her life through her writing, as well as illuminating the literary world in which she lived.

Love All

Author : Elizabeth Jane Howard
Publisher : Pan Macmillan
ISBN 13 : 0330479202
Total Pages : 326 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (34 download)

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Book Synopsis Love All by : Elizabeth Jane Howard

Download or read book Love All written by Elizabeth Jane Howard and published by Pan Macmillan. This book was released on 2009-10-09 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the bestselling author of the Cazalet Chronicles, Elizabeth Jane Howard, Love All is a heartfelt story of love and adulthood in the 1960s. 'Graceful, moving' – Daily Express The late 1960s. For Persephone Plover, the daughter of distant and neglectful parents, the innocent, isolated days of childhood are long past. Now she must deal with the emotions of an adult world. Meanwhile in Melton, in the West Country, Jack Curtis – a self-made millionaire – has employed Persephone's aunt. A garden designer in her sixties, she is to deal with the terraces and glasshouses of the once beautiful local manor house – one that he has acquired at vast expense. He also has plans to start an arts festival, as a means to avoid the loneliness of divorce. Also in Melton are the Musgrove siblings, Thomas and Mary, whose parents originally owned and lived in Melton House. They are still trying to cope with emotional consequences of the tragic death of Thomas's wife, Celia. As is Francis, Celia's brother, who has come to live with them and thereby, perhaps, to find his way through life. As Jack's festival comes together, so shall these disparate souls – their relationships intertwining, and their loves transformed. 'Her talent seemed so effervescent, so unstoppable, that there was no predicting where it might take her' – Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall

The Seamstress

Author : Frances de Pontes Peebles
Publisher : A&C Black
ISBN 13 : 1408816954
Total Pages : 754 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (88 download)

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Book Synopsis The Seamstress by : Frances de Pontes Peebles

Download or read book The Seamstress written by Frances de Pontes Peebles and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2011-06-01 with total page 754 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Emília and Luzia dos Santos, orphaned when they are children, grow up under the protection of their aunt in the hillside village of Taquaritinga, Brazil. Raised as seamstresses, the sisters learn how to cut, how to mend and how to conceal. Emília treasures pretty, girlish things and longs to escape from the confines of the little town. Captivated by the romances she reads in magazines, she dreams of finding love in the bustle and glamour of the city. Luzia, scarred by a childhood accident that has left her with a deformed arm, knows that for her, real life can not be romantically embroidered, and so she finds solace in her sewing and in the secret prayers to the saints she believes once saved her life. But when Luzia is abducted by a gang of rebel bandits, the sisters' lives diverge in ways they never imagined. Whilst Luzia learns to survive in the unforgiving Brazilian outland, discovering love in the most unexpected of places, Emília meets the son of a wealthy doctor who seems to offer her everything she has always desired. But for the innocent dreamer, the excitement of her escape to the city is soon overshadowed by disillusion and loneliness. As she learns how to navigate the treacherous waters of Brazilian high society, the bandits' campaign against the land-owning 'Colonels' intensifies, and when a price is placed upon Luzia's head Emília realises she must risk everything in order to save her sister.

CASTING OFF

Author : Elizabeth Jane Howard
Publisher : Atria Books
ISBN 13 : 9780671534295
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (342 download)

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Book Synopsis CASTING OFF by : Elizabeth Jane Howard

Download or read book CASTING OFF written by Elizabeth Jane Howard and published by Atria Books. This book was released on 1997-08-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Simon & Schuster, Elizabeth Jane Howard's Casting Off is the next chapter in the Cazalet Chronicles perfect for any lovers of historical fiction and one that will not disappoint. In the aftermath of Ve Day in England, the extended Cazalet family endures such difficult events as deaths, weddings, a shattering pregnancy, and divorces.

Something in Disguise

Author : Elizabeth Jane Howard
Publisher : Pan Macmillan
ISBN 13 : 1447217640
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (472 download)

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Book Synopsis Something in Disguise by : Elizabeth Jane Howard

Download or read book Something in Disguise written by Elizabeth Jane Howard and published by Pan Macmillan. This book was released on 2012-06-28 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the lauded, bestselling author of the Cazalet Chronicles, Something in Disguise paints a candid picture of a family in crisis, from the ever witty Elizabeth Jane Howard. May's second marriage to Colonel Herbert Brown-Lacy is turning out to be a terrible mistake. Her son, Oliver, leaves home only to drift from one affair to another; his sister Elizabeth follows him, yearning for some kind of secure relationship. While even Alice, Herbert's meek daughter, is driven into marriage to escape her father's sinister behaviour . . . At once a candid depiction of a post-war family on the cusp of change and a touching love story, Something in Disguise embodies the startling truth, wit and daring that Elizabeth Jane Howard is renowned for.

The Beautiful Visit

Author : Elizabeth Jane Howard
Publisher : Open Road Media
ISBN 13 : 1504035348
Total Pages : 334 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (4 download)

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Book Synopsis The Beautiful Visit by : Elizabeth Jane Howard

Download or read book The Beautiful Visit written by Elizabeth Jane Howard and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2016-06-07 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author of the bestselling Cazalet Chronicles brilliantly captures the coming-of-age hopes and yearnings of an adolescent English girl during World War I The fourth child born to a struggling musician and a mother who’s an incurable romantic, Lavinia lives an unremarkable existence. But a visit to a sprawling country estate transforms her world and becomes the touchstone for the rest of her life. Lavinia is sixteen when she’s invited to a house party given by distant acquaintances. It’s her first trip away from home, and she’s instantly mesmerized by her beautiful and lush new surroundings. Days are filled with delectable meals and skating and riding lessons; nights with parties and dancing. Lavinia adores her hosts, Lucy and Gerald Lancing, and their boisterous extended family—and the mysterious, conceited Rupert Laing, with whom she shares her first kiss. But the visit can’t last forever. Soon after she returns home, the First World War breaks out. As Lavinia matures, and other people pass through her life—including Ian Graham, the soldier who loves her yet doesn’t expect her love in return—she continues to view things through the prism of that unforgettable Christmas with the Lancings. Elizabeth Jane Howard’s debut novel about a young girl’s spiritual and emotional awakening, the painful pride of youth, and female emancipation, The Beautiful Visit is a moving montage of English life at the beginning of the last century.