My first book for August and the Virago group’s All Virago all August was Open the Door! By Catherine Carswell. It accompanied me on a short trip to Belgium – which was lovely – but during which I didn’t get a huge amount of reading time. Another thing about travelling – and why do I always forget this – but the ‘mood’ lighting in hotels is not good for readers. I really should always take my kindle which at least has its own back light.
Anyway, on with the book – which I thoroughly enjoyed – the kind of novel I think of being ‘a proper Virgo book.’
The author of Open the Door! published only one other novel, like the heroine of this novel she was born in Glasgow. This her first novel is apparently very autobiographical. In the company of Joanna Bannerman – who we follow from childhood to when she is thirty years old – we visit, Edinburgh, London and Italy. Joanna is a brilliantly drawn character, I have seen a couple of reviews of this book, saying she was an unsympathetic character, I didn’t think so. Joanna is flawed – she makes some selfish decisions, but she is warm – craves love and is capable of great kindness. Aren’t we all capable of small acts of selfishness? We all hide from the world our little vanities and caprices, but they make us human, and Catherine Carswell shows us the truth of this in her character of Joanna Bannerman particularly, but in all her characters.
“She was poised and keen, a hawk in mid-air, a speck of perfect bliss upheld in perfection of readiness for the predatory swoop”
As the novel opens it is 1896, Joanna her older sister Georgie, and younger brothers Linnet and Sholto are accompanying their mother Juley on a dreaded visit to their Edinburgh relatives. Juley is a little vague and a little disorganised, even then, she relies on her children to help her organise themselves. As the years pass she will come to lean on her children more and more, while also wanting to retain some control of the household affairs. Juley is another wonderfully drawn, complex character.
This Edinburgh visit is especially memorable, for it is here that the family first learn that the children’s father has died suddenly of pneumonia. The Bannerman children have been brought up within a religious evangelical environment, and the children’s mother Juley – is a particularly strident believer – though she changes churches regularly. There is one last family holiday at their holiday cottage in Duntarvie a place of rural perfection and happiness for Joanna that she is destined to carry with her through life.
As she grows older, the artistic Joanna begins to pull against the conventionalities of this evangelical Glasgow life. She seeks life with a great energy and passion – longs to free herself of the restrictions of her background. Her studies at the School of Art open new horizons for Joanna – she is ready to grab at life and eager for love. She enters into a sudden failed engagement, and then shortly afterwards marries a man she barely knows, an Italian, Mario. She leaves everything she knows and travels to Italy, with her new husband, experiencing sex for the first time, and is less than impressed.
‘This droll device, this astonishing, grotesque experience was what the poets had sung of since the beginning’.
Mario seeks to control her, imprisoning her within the walls of his home, with his own personal wardress watching Joanna – Maddalena his devoted sister.
Thankfully, it isn’t long before Joanna is free again, and back in Glasgow, living again with her mother and siblings. Her dream though is to go to London. She surrounds herself with artistic, interesting friends and lovers including Phemie, Lawrence and the much older, married Louis Pender.
“Ah, how remorselessly the stream swept away all the debris of winter it could reach! As Joanna watched it in fascination she was one with it, and she rejoiced. Her life – was it not as that flood? Was it not muddy, littered, unlike the life she have imagined or chosen? But it was a life. It moved.”
Joanna finds employment and happiness in London, living in two small rooms in the home of a family whose disabled children she becomes particularly fond of. Holidays are spent in Scotland with the family, but in London there is always Louis Pender – her married lover. Louis will never leave his wife, they will always be subject to the little lies and intrigues of an affair – and in time these begin to tell on both of them. Will Joanna ever find the loving fulfilment she craves?
Open the Door! Is the story of a young woman’s awakening, her search for love, independence and happiness is brilliantly and compellingly told. Joanna is both trapped and in time released by her large capacity for love.
heavenali 
This does sound very Virago, especially with its theme of a young woman’s awakening. Not a writer I’m familiar with, so thank you for the introduction. Oh, and I agree with you about the nature of this type of character. We all have our own flaws, idiosyncrasies and limitations – they’re part of what makes us human, imperfections and all.
Yes, very Virago, I do like novels with these kinds of themes. And that show people up for what they truly are.
I haven’t heard of this one (which I don’t expect for a 1920s VMC!) but it does sound very Virago in a wonderful way. Thanks for the review!
Ah, a 1920s book you don’t know about. Goodness, I now want to acquire Catherine Carswell’s other novel Camomile which I think was published a bit later.
And what an alluring cover..
Ha yes isn’t it. Virago did good covers back in the day.
Lovely review Ali. I can highly recommend The Camomile – I really think you should track down a copy…. 😂😉😈
And you know how little persuasion I need to acquire books. 😀
As a good Glaswegian, I’m appalled to admit I’ve never heard of Carswell! Thanks for the introduction – I shall add her immediately to my list of Scottish writers to be investigated…
Always happy to introduce others to books and authors. I personally love to find writers/books from where I live.
I’m another Glaswegian and I really enjoyed this book when I read it some years ago, but I haven’t got around to reading The Camomile yet.
So glad you enjoyed this too. I’m only sorry that Catherine Carswell published only one other novel. Though I believe she wrote some biographies too.
This does sound very Virago and therefore an excellent read! I’ll look out for this author.
Yes, an excellent read indeed. Hope you can find a copy.
A classic Virago theme and Joanna sounds a bit like Dorinda in Barren Ground in that she’s ready to fall in love and fall in love she will, whoever she encounters.
Ah yes possibly. I think lots of Virago books must have similar themes.
This is one of those, like the one which Karen posted about recently (well, ‘recently’ for me, so late catching up with blog-land at the tail-end of an exceptionally humid summer) which feels like a single VMC which I routinely overlook in the stack. Now I’m thinking that would make a great reading project, to start focussing on those, rather than all the clusters (the von Arnims, the Keenes, the Taylors, the Thirkells) which seem to capture my attention more readily. I’m also intrigued by the stream metaphor, which seems to pop up in women’s writing regularly. I’m thinking of Margaret Laurence particularly but it’s also in the Jalna series, although observed by the male character who is supposedly based on Mazo de la Roche herself. Have you been able to find a copy of Camomile yet?
I haven’t found a copy of The Camomile yet, I think it will be one I need to get online.
[…] Open the Door by Catherine Carswell was my first VMC of the month, I read while I was on a short break in Belgium. Open the Door! Is the story of a young woman’s awakening, her search for love, independence and happiness is brilliantly and compellingly told. Joanna is both trapped and in time released by her large capacity for love. […]