The Echoing Stones was Celia Fremlin's penultimate book, written when she was in her late 70s and published (by Severn House) in 1993. I don't think it's unfair to say that it is in some respect an older writer's novel and that may be why it seems to have been turned down by Gollancz, who had published her up to that point in her career. It's not a story that has a lot of pace or drama. But Fremlin was a very good writer and the novel is still extremely readable.
Arnold, a conventional man of sixty-one has just done something unconventional. He's given up his comfortable existence, deciding to sell up his house and take a job as caretaker and guide at a Tudor mansion. He loves history and he wants to live the dream. Unfortunately he neglects to persuade his wife Mildred of the merits of his decision. She leaves him, and as a result he's finding it difficult to look after the place by himself.
Things start to look up when his wayward daughter, Flora, arrives unexpectedly. She is willing to help serve teas to visitors, but her wilfulness is a problem, especially when she befriends the senile former curator, whose daughter is struggling to look after him. Meanwhile Mildred finds herself a new man, only to discover that he has a strong interest in the very mansion from which she fled...
The great strength of this book lies in Fremlin's flair for social comedy, a feature of some of her best novels. The scenes involving Mildred and her feminist friend Val are amusing and Fremlin's caustic observations on social mores are entertaining. The 'crime' element of the book is present, but rather perfunctory. Read it to enjoy the writing rather than to be dazzled by the mystery.
No comments:
Post a Comment