They were sisters – Dorothy Whipple (Persephone)

 

 

Christmas pressie from Liz : )

Wow this is a hugely readable almost unputdownable novel. First published in 1943 – it is only slightly dated – the siter’s of the title employ maids,make trunk calls, send telegrams travel first class etc. Apart from those small details this novel remains as topical today as it ever was. It concerns the slow destruction of a once happy woman; Charlotte married to a man who turned out to be a vile bully. The effect this has on their three children is terrible, as over the course of their childhoods they become more and more cowed by their father. Charlotte’s sisters, Lucy, dependable, supportive and nurturing is happily, but quietly and childlessly married to William. While Vera, beautiful and shallow, married to Brian who bores her takes little notice of her two young daughters.

This excellent Dorothy Whipple novel re published by Persephone takes a poignant look at what today might be called disfunctional families – the unhappiness of children caught up in the destruction brought about by adults is keenly felt.

This is the second Dorothy Whipple novel I have read, and I will be adding the other two that Persephone publish to my growing Persephone collection in due course.