My first Old favourite of the New Year.
The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West.
A little research tells me that this book was Rebecca West's first novel written when she was only 24. It was published in 1918 just before the end of the first World War.It also informs me that Rebecca West was a pseudonym and that she was born Cicily Isabel Fairfield later to become Dame Cicily Isabel Fairfield. (I didn't know that) She trained as an actor and this was when she took the name Rebecca West (and I always assumed it was the name she was baptized with).
At the time of writing her first novel she was already the mother of a little boy (who grew up to be the writer Anthony West) His father was HG Wells but Wells was already married and although they had a 10 year affair and remained friends for the rest of Wells' life they never married.
Not a conventional or boring woman, West was a suffragist, feminist, writer, reporter and traveler, quite the character in fact..a talented woman, not bound by convention and boy could she write.
It seems that she had a rocky relationship with her son but it must've been hard for him growing up at that time in such unconventional but public circumstances. I suppose it's not possible to be all things to all people and sadly for them it was a strained Mother and Child relationship. A brilliant writer but I'm glad she wasn't my mother.
As to the story it's not a lengthy book but it is powerful. Judgements are made based on appearance yet it becomes apparent that appearances are not true indicators of genuine qualities and all is not as it appears on the surface.
In the return of the soldier the soldier in question is Captain Chris Baldry, the time is the First World War . The story is told by Captain Baldry's cousin Jenny, who lives with Captain Baldry and his beautiful wife Kitty in their gorgeous and rather grand home, it is only with the introduction of the despised Mrs Margaret Grey we discover that their lives are not as beautiful or as happy as they may first appear.
I'm wary of describing it further as I don't wish to spoil the story. It's concentrated, layered and thought provoking and sad but rewarding . All the truth is under the surface.
A Film was made of this story starring Glenda Jackson as Mrs Grey ..it was very good.
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