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Review
Well written and wide ranging book . . . his account of the period is consistently enjoyable (Piers Brendon, DAILY TELEGRAPH )
Hattersley makes a riveting case . . . a bold, sweeping synthesis . . . full of gleaming nuggets and offbeat points redolent of hours hunched over neglected papers. It is no surprise to readers of his journalism that it is superbly written, gleefully but wryly highlighting the absurdities and pomposities of the age . . . Hattersley's prose flows smooth as the port at a Sandringham shooting party. What makes this book is not just the quality of its social and political analysis, but the breadth of detail and the quality of its gossipy anecdotes (Colin Donald, HERALD )
[A] solid book . . . Hattersley writes entertainingly . . . He is a clear and vigorous writer (Anne Chisholm, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )
Book Description
AMONG the many problems which beset the novelist, not the least weighty is the choice of the moment at which to begin his novel. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
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Indeed this book was not written to sentimentalize its own time and place, but as a call to action out of it! Sackville-West felt the limitations of her sex and lineage, and couragously, if not narcissistically, (through writing,travelling and relastionships of all sorts) took risks and made every attempt to live to the fullest and not just consume it. The first paragraph pretty much says it all and if you don't give a damn about Sebastian after it, you're dead. Although descriptive of homes that are castles with ancient rugs on the walls, these illustrations are merely necessary to the story and matterof fact. The character dynamics are much more interesting than the genre.
I found the writing style refreshingly rich and unprententious, and for once felt that the author really should write for a living. We're just starved for this stuff over here!
Sackville-West has a talent for characterization; we see all the youthful conflict in Sebastian, the heady excitement of Lady Roehampton as she flings herself into what may well be her last affair before age catches up with her; and the shallowness of Sebastian's mother, the duchess, who must surround herself with and endless procession of people and parties to cover the vast chasm of internal emptiness that is her own life. But Sackville-West is herself torn in two directions. On the one hand, she appears to share Anquetil's disgust and the false facade of high society; on the other, she shares that society's contempt of middle-class values and virtues. She can't have it both ways, and it's this very conflict that gives "The Edwardians" so much of its tension and interest. The daughter of a British earl herself, Sackville-West knows the aristocracy inside-out, and she writes with an authority that makes her book all the more compelling to read.
Sackville-West deals gently yet firmly with the social aspects of the age, the double standards, the society, and the arrising reforms.
Sebastian becomes very real, very human and his struggles are believable. Though not one of her finest works, The Edwardians is an excellent book and well worth reading.
I predict that this is one that will go into my 're-read regularly' pile.
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