A Lady and her Husband, first published in 1914 surprised me with the modern outlook of several of the female characters. I hadn’t realised it would be such a feminist novel – it was a really nice surprise, and the element which would make me recommend the novel to others.
According to the Preface by Samantha Ellis, Amber Reeves was a brilliant young woman, the uncompromising daughter of a suffragette and Fabian society member. The inspiration for A Lady and her Husband came from a real-life project undertaken by Amber Reeves, her mother; Maud Pember Reeves and other Fabian society women, who spent four years visiting working-class families in Lambeth to find out all they could about their lives. The result of this was Maud Pember Reeves’s book Round About a Pound a week, which is also published by Persephone books, I have an old Virago edition which I have yet to read. Ellis considers this novel very much a companion piece to that other book.
The plot of this novel is fairly simple. Mary Heyham is the wife of a prosperous business man. Mary has spent her adult life so far bringing up her children, and running her home with the help of the usual servants. She has always been the conventional little wife – the soft, unquestioning mother figure her husband James so depends upon. Now her children are grown up, they don’t have the same need of her, her son Trent works alongside James in the business, Laura is recently married, and now her youngest daughter Rosemary has announced her engagement.
Rosemary is very much a forward looking young woman of keen socialist principles. She recognises that Mary needs something to do – a challenge. Rosemary can’t help rather fearing the result of marriage for herself – afraid of becoming soft and useless. So, Rosemary enlists James’ help, and they come up with a scheme for Mary to have a look at his chain of successful tearooms – enquiring into the lives of the girls who work there. James is happy for Mary to have a diversion, expecting her to find him out to be a wonderful employer. James is a brilliantly created character – one I wanted to frequently hit over the head with something heavy. His condescension is hugely irritating, pompous and complacent – he calls his wife ‘old lady’ and doesn’t ever expect her to think too hard about anything. The following quote perfectly demonstrating his patronising attitude.
“James was detached and good-humoured, perfectly ready to talk things over with her. He seemed to think that it was really very creditable that she should have stuck to the thing like this, and taken such an interest in it. One gets rather too much into the habit of assuming that women do not care about serious things. Well then, to what revolutionary courses did she – dear little person that she was – wish to commit her wretched husband and his old fashioned business?”
James and Mary love each other deeply – but they have become used to their conventional roles, and neither have ever had to face their differences. James is a different man in business than he is at home, and Mary has never really met that man before. Rosemary supplies her mother with a pile of socialist literature, and Mary engages a secretary – Miss Percival, whose own deeply held socialist and feminist beliefs are soon revealed. Mary’s education begins.
“Miss Percival shook her head. ‘I don’t know how it came,’ she said, ‘though I could find a hundred reasons – I can see a fresh reason in every man I meet! When I look at their faces in the street, in a bus, anywhere, their mean stupid faces – men who get their ideals out of the half-penny papers, men who think about money on an office stool all day, and then go home and treat some woman as an inferior -I wonder than any woman has ever loved a man.”
Mary begins to visit the tearooms in the company of Miss Percival, and her visits soon raise a number of questions. Mary discovers that the girls who work in the tearooms are expected to come from families where there is already money coming in, where they are not relying on the twelve shillings salary to live. Mary meets a young woman for who this is certainly not the case, and Mary is drawn awkwardly into the story of Florrie and her very sick mother’s life – and realises at once that the employment policy is not realistic and twelve shillings (though more than many women in service) not nearly enough. Her visits raise other questions too – why do the women not have a room in which to eat? She sees women standing in corridors hurriedly eating – no chance to sit down during their hours at work, the women whose job it is to wash up reduced to standing for hours, water slopping around their feet. Others are obliged to carry heavy trays and stand around looking bright and efficient.
The women work long days for little salary, and Mary starts to realise how very difficult and uncomfortable their lives are. James is not happy with the suggestions Mary makes to improve his workers’ lives – and Mary is made to feel quite unhappy about his reaction.
Mary starts to see the world very differently – she starts to ask questions – much to James’ discomfort and irritation. In starting to see the world very differently, Mary also begins to see her husband differently – it causes Mary to re-examine her life and her marriage.
A Lady and her Husband is a quite subtle examination of women’s lives at this period – before the First World War, we meet women from different sections of society, and see clearly how differently the world treats them.
Things haven’t changed much here in the UK, sadly: zero hours contracts, the gig economy, etc. I hadn’t heard of this author: sounds like something that Orwell might have done if he’d taken more interest in the woman’s lot in society
Oh yes, I am sure there are plenty of parallels to working conditions even today.
Sounds fascinating. It reminded me of the waitresses at Lyons Corner Houses who were known as ‘Nippies’. Worth googling if you are interested. Thanks for bringing this novel yo life, Ali.
Ah ok I will look for that. Thank you.
This sounds well worth reading, a little like an early twentieth century North and South in its insight into the grimmer side of employment.
Well it was an eye opener into how unpleasant working in teashops could be. Probably better than the factories but not an easy life.
I haven’t read a Persephone in so long. Like the sound of this one.
Yes I do like a Persephone book. This is a great addition to the catalogue.
A good read but it needed less padding and a subplot involving the daughter who was under used.Liked the politics of Edwardian marriage.
I enjoyed it too but yes a bit more of Rosemary would have been lovely.
Good review. I really liked ‘Round about a Pound a Week’, it was interesting to see factual research how people really lived, rather than the perceptions we normally get. As this is the same author, I suspect it will be realistic, and is now on my reading list.
Yes, now I really need to get around to reading Round about a Pound a week.
Looks like another addition to my ever-expanding Persephone wish list!
I always have a Persephone wishlist too. 😊
Interesting to see this set in a tea shop – so many novels which are making a point about working conditions focus on industrial workers but there were injustices in all kinds of occupations.
Oh yes there certainly were. The majority if the book – aside from a few visits elsewhere – actually takes place in the home. It is the dawning realisation of the world Mary finds herself living in that is so interesting.
it sounds a little gem of a book
Glad you enjoyed it. I also loved how different the views (or confusions) about marriage were in the minds on Mary and her daughters. So many different views.
Yes, a good exploration of different marriages, generations and opinions.
Lovely review Ali – and also for providing the background to the author and her mother. Sounds like some of the feminist viewpoints were very refreshing!
The feminist viewpoints were wonderful especially given the period.
The more things change, the more they stay the same, right? Given our current president (I still can’t believe it) and his political cronies I wonder if some men ever changed views from the James of this book. Terrific review – another book I’d not heard of but it sounds fascinating!
It is amazing (and worrying) how little some things change. I think you’re right bout your president and his cronies – you have the sympathy of many people around the world.
Thank you, Ali! I just hope we can make it through the next 3.5 years (waaaaahhhhh!)
Absolutely. Some of us feel similarly about things over here.
This one is sitting on my bedside table, so I’m pleased you thought so well of it.
Really hope you like it too when you get around to it.
Oo this sounds really good. Quite surprised, with this plot, that Persephone haven’t snapped it up before!
Yes, it’s a perfect one for them to have re-issued.
This sounds really good. I’d never heard of it, so thanks.
Glad to have brought it to your attention.
Very interesting. I have a much-loved copy of Round About a Pound a Week, and have never forgotten some of the things I learned from it, so this will make a good companion volume…
I shall have to get around to reading Round About a Pound a Week.i can see it will be fascinating.
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