Mrs Lippincote's house, with its mahogany furniture and yellowing photographs, stands as a reminder of all the certainties that have vanished with the advent of war. Temporarily, this is home for Julia, who has joined her husband Roddy at the behest of the RAF. Although she can accept the pomposities of service life, Julia's honesty and sense of humour prevent her from taking her role as seriously as her husband, that leader of men, might wish; for Roddy, merely love cannot suffice - he needs homage as well as admiration. And Julia, while she may be a most unsatisfactory officer's wife, is certainly no hypocrite.
At Mrs Lippincote's (VMC)
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'Always intelligent, often subversive and never dull, Elizabeth Taylor is the thinking person's dangerous housewife' -- Valerie Martin, Winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction
'Sophisticated, sensitive and brilliantly amusing, with a kind of stripped, piercing feminine wit' -- Rosamond Lehmann
‘Her stories remain with one, indelibly, as though they had been some turning point in one’s own experience’ -- Elizabeth Bowen
'Sophisticated, sensitive and brilliantly amusing, with a kind of stripped, piercing feminine wit' -- Rosamond Lehmann
‘Her stories remain with one, indelibly, as though they had been some turning point in one’s own experience’ -- Elizabeth Bowen
Book Description
A wonderful novel from one of Britain's most acclaimed twentieth century novelists, At Mrs Lippincote's explores the hypocrisies and evasions inherent in marriage
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By Larah
Format:Paperback
I have not read any of Elizabeth Taylor's books before but I recommended this to my book group after reading a review of the recent biography of Mrs Taylor. All of the group enjoyed reading it with a few saying they didn't like the main character.
I, however, was really interested in the main character, Julia. The book is set at the end of WWII, in a small town where she and her husband are staying because of his posting to the RAF administrative centre there. Julia is caught in a stultifying situation as her husband is conventional and he expects her to conform to the social mores of the middle class in which they move. She however would love to break out but also knows that she has to stay with him and their son. The author gives a very good feel for the era with great accuracy and although nothing much happens in the story it flows well, is easy to read and extremely well written.
I, however, was really interested in the main character, Julia. The book is set at the end of WWII, in a small town where she and her husband are staying because of his posting to the RAF administrative centre there. Julia is caught in a stultifying situation as her husband is conventional and he expects her to conform to the social mores of the middle class in which they move. She however would love to break out but also knows that she has to stay with him and their son. The author gives a very good feel for the era with great accuracy and although nothing much happens in the story it flows well, is easy to read and extremely well written.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A "must read" for those of us who love English, female authors of the mid twentieth century, but this is a sour book, even by Elizabeth Taylor's standards, unrelieved by any humour, other than the very dark. It is difficult to like or care about any of the characters. On the other hand, it is not a long read, at just over 200 pages, and the ending contains, as we come to expect from this author, some stunning twists and shocks, with pithy exposure of the moral weakness and deceitfulness of the characters, who fail to flourish. The book evokes the mores and conditions of an era (England in World War II) beautifully, not to say the fashions, clothes and buildings and rooms of the time. Taylor's terse and wry English is as good as ever. If you like your "lit crit", there are echoes of Virginia Woolf's "To The Lighthouse" and constant references to the Brontes. Much is made of a frequently visited ruined monastery, which perhaps symbolises both decay and yearning for a better time, and other such symbolism is to be found.I found this "high lit" a bit of a straining for effect after a while, but others will disagree (as they write their doctorates). So not the place to start if you are new to Elizabeth Taylor (try a View of the Harbour), but you should get round to it, if you are a fan.
27 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This was Elizabeth Taylor's first published novel. She seemed to be drawn to writing about unhappy people, or those in difficult situations. The novel concerns a family who are billeted in a house belonging to one Mrs. Lippincote - the husband, Roddy, is in the Air Force, so they move around a lot. (With a name like that, he is bound to be some species of rotter. Another plausible rogue, the Irish Dermot, appears in her In A Summer Season. You can deduce a lot from names.)
We see events mainly through the eyes of his wife Julia. Like other Taylor heroines, she has a habit of seeing real people as fictional characters; in this case she is convinced that Roddy's Wing Commander is Mr. Rochester. Her abortive friendship with him is something that doesn't quite convince, but it has very amusing aspects. She tries very hard more than once to find out what he was in civilian life, but refuses to tell her; we find out (but she does not) casually and obliquely from his small daughter what his occupation was.
The novel was published in 1945, and consequently food plays a significant part, from the inadequate sausages (without mustard, as it would take too long to make) served by Julia on their first evening at Mrs' Lippincote's to Julia's work in the kitchen, "sodding and blasting" as she removes a tray of vol-au-vents from the red-hot oven. There is a leitmotif of egg sandwiches; make what you will of that.
Elizabeth Taylor wrote about the apparent trivia that made up women's lives, and in this she was very much like Barbara Pym.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
at mrs lippincotes
I so enjoy elizabeth taylors writing this book is no exception. Her characters are so well written you feel you know them and her attention to detail paints such a clear picture of... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Sally G
5.0 out of 5 stars
quiet perfection
I agree with all of 'Ruth's' review here and don't want to reiterate her praise and appreciation of this novel. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Nina-Jo Rees
3.0 out of 5 stars
Melancholy, almost other-wordly
Having recently read, and loved, Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont (one of her later works) I picked this up with enthusiasm. Read more
Published 17 months ago by hiljean
5.0 out of 5 stars
Autumnal, perceptive but often also very funny
It is difficult to pin down the brilliance of this novel in a review. It is all to easy to draw attention to its domestic minutiae. Read more
Published on 14 Jun 2008 by Ruth
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