Lectora
29th December 2011, 03:40 PM
Of Eden Phillpotts' many novels set in Dartmoor and the Devon countryside, Children of the Mist (1896) is perhaps the most well-known. One sees immediately affinities with Thomas Hardy's work. Walter Allen in his book The English Novel writes: "After his (Hardy's) discovery of Wessex a host of minor novelists opened up regions throughout the length and breadth of England and showed us man against an ancient soil; of them all, the only one who has any interest for us today is perhaps Eden Phillpotts."
This is a long novel peppered with conversations in the Devon dialect, which I found myself skipping through once I had got the gist. Whatever the novel's length, it has a powerful story-line which makes for a gripping read, and the descriptions of the countryside are truly breath-taking. Essentially, there are 2 pairs of lovers, who when the novel opens are playing a waiting game. The main character, Will Blanchard, a passionate, tempestous young man of strong character is pledged to Phoebe Lyddon, but her father, the local miller, is dead against the match and wants her to marry a rich older man, John Grimbal recently returned from South Africa with his brother, Martin . The other pair of lovers, Chris Blanchard, Will's sister and her sweetheart Clement Hicks have to wait until Clem can support Chris. Martin Grimbal however, is in love with Chris..........
If this had been a Hardy novel, these young lovers would be ill-fated from start to finish. The plot however, is not bent on ultimate tragedy. Eden Phillpotts has other ideas. The story line is intricately woven and clever. There are plenty of passions expressed - love, envy, hate spilling into violence, an accidental death, a baby's death, passionate devotion and loyalty. There is banishment, & punishment for desertion from the army, an illegitamite birth (shades of Tess, but it does not end as it did for Hardy's heroine). I got a bit annoyed when I rushed on to the next chapter wanting to know how a character was going extricate himself or herself from a tricky situation, only to find myself having to wade through a long descriptive passage of the countryside. I've just been back to re-read the truly wonderful account of how Devon and Dartmoor in particular celebrated Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. I really enjoyed this book and found it a most satisfactory read in every way.
(Downloaded free from Amazon for the Kindle, also a free download from Gutenbery for other e-book owners)
This is a long novel peppered with conversations in the Devon dialect, which I found myself skipping through once I had got the gist. Whatever the novel's length, it has a powerful story-line which makes for a gripping read, and the descriptions of the countryside are truly breath-taking. Essentially, there are 2 pairs of lovers, who when the novel opens are playing a waiting game. The main character, Will Blanchard, a passionate, tempestous young man of strong character is pledged to Phoebe Lyddon, but her father, the local miller, is dead against the match and wants her to marry a rich older man, John Grimbal recently returned from South Africa with his brother, Martin . The other pair of lovers, Chris Blanchard, Will's sister and her sweetheart Clement Hicks have to wait until Clem can support Chris. Martin Grimbal however, is in love with Chris..........
If this had been a Hardy novel, these young lovers would be ill-fated from start to finish. The plot however, is not bent on ultimate tragedy. Eden Phillpotts has other ideas. The story line is intricately woven and clever. There are plenty of passions expressed - love, envy, hate spilling into violence, an accidental death, a baby's death, passionate devotion and loyalty. There is banishment, & punishment for desertion from the army, an illegitamite birth (shades of Tess, but it does not end as it did for Hardy's heroine). I got a bit annoyed when I rushed on to the next chapter wanting to know how a character was going extricate himself or herself from a tricky situation, only to find myself having to wade through a long descriptive passage of the countryside. I've just been back to re-read the truly wonderful account of how Devon and Dartmoor in particular celebrated Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. I really enjoyed this book and found it a most satisfactory read in every way.
(Downloaded free from Amazon for the Kindle, also a free download from Gutenbery for other e-book owners)