The Heir: A Love Story

by Vita Sackville-West

As his elderly relative lay dying, insurance salesman Mr. Chase stands in the wings, waiting to inherit the manor of the soon to be deceased. Yet once in possession, Chase deems the home entirely impractical and a burden whose only useful purpose is to be sold for capital. For him, the house holds none of the charm that had so beguiled its former mistress. But as the wheels are set in motion for the sale, an inexplicable change begins to take place within him, and soon Chase finds himself falling deeplyin love with the very house he had once so scorned.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Short Stories, British Literature, Gardening, Literature

122 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Novels of British writer Victoria Mary Sackville-West, known as Vita, include The Edwardians (1930) and All Passion Spent (1931).

This prolific English author, poet, and memoirist in the early 20th century lived not so privately.
While married to the diplomat Harold Nicolson, she conducted a series of scandalous amorous liaisons with many women, including the brilliant Virginia Woolf. They had an open marriage. Both Sackville-West and her husband had same-sex relationships. Her exuberant aristocratic life was one of inordinate privilege and way ahead of her time. She frequently traveled to Europe in the company of one or the other of her lovers and often dressed as a man to be able to gain access to places where only the couples could go. Gardening, like writing, was a passion Vita cherished with the certainty of a vocation: she wrote books on the topic and constructed the gardens of the castle of Sissinghurst, one of England's most beautiful gardens at her home.

She published her first book Poems of East and West in 1917. She followed this with a novel, Heritage, in 1919. A second novel, The Heir (1922), dealt with her feelings about her family. Her next book, Knole and the Sackvilles (1922), covered her family history. The Edwardians (1930) and All Passion Spent (1931) are perhaps her best known novels today. In the latter, the elderly Lady Slane courageously embraces a long suppressed sense of freedom and whimsy after a lifetime of convention. In 1948 she was appointed a Companion of Honour for her services to literature. She continued to develop her garden at Sissinghurst Castle and for many years wrote a weekly gardening column for The Observer. In 1955 she was awarded the gold Veitch medal of the Royal Horticultural Society. In her last decade she published a further biography, Daughter of France (1959) and a final novel, No Signposts in the Sea (1961).

She died of cancer on June 2, 1962.

Reviews

[Hana · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can I explain how wonderful this book is without giving away the delectable story? Vita Sackville-West subtitled The Heir; A Love Story and it is just that--a love story about the land, its people, a house, and a time and traditions that were fading away. Vita Sackville-West said that it reflected her own mood of melancholy in 1921, but by the very surprising close I felt not sadness, but satisfaction and a sort of gently amused delight. I am still smiling as I write this review. It's that sort of book.

The house is based on Groombridge Place on the border of Sussex and Kent, "...one of the most perfect examples of the Elizabethan manor-house in England."



The heir, Mr. Chase, is an unassuming, retiring man who runs a small insurance office in Wolverhampton. He is bewildered to find himself the owner (if only for a month or so) of this astonishing house, this land, and even these peacocks: "He was too shy...to disturb those regal birds....But he stood there for a very long while, looking at them, until the garden became swathed in the shrouds of the blue evening, very dusky and venerable. He did not pass over the moat, but stood on the little bridge...while those shrouds of evening settled with the hush of vespers...and as he looked he kept saying to himself 'Mine? Mine? in a puzzled and deprecatory way."

I will not spoil your pleasure by saying more about what happens to Mr. Chase and the house and lands, but it's just a joy--one of the loveliest books I've read all year.

Click through to the full review and comments section to see more pictures of Elizabethan manor-house interiors, lots of peacocks and a greyhound :)

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 5 out of 5]

July 27 ~~ Review asap.

July 28 ~~ I chose this book at this time because after reading Virginia Woolf's Orlnado, I was curious about Sackville-West. There are ten or twelve titles of hers at Gutenberg and at first glance this was the one that appealed to me the most. I read the first paragraph and then rushed off to set up the book as Currently Reading.

Then there was a flurry of activity while I went back and forth trying to find an edition that matched the page count in the Gutenberg copy. I had just scrolled quickly down to see what the page count was, I had not looked at the title or contents pages, and I was surprised to see that what I thought was going to be a novel was actually a collection of five short stories. It is too bad that 'And Other Stories' was not included in the original title of this book. There are so many editions The Heir on its own in the GR database that a little hint from the publishers would have been appreciated. I can get pretty confused all by myself, I really don't need extra help. lol

I eventually got things sorted out and began to read, not knowing what exactly to expect. I honestly never knew Sackville-West wrote at all. I only knew her name as a woman associated with both Virginia Woolf and Sissinghurst. But I think my Mom recently read a bio of her so I will have to check on that and read it Someday.

In The Heir, we meet a man who has become the owner of an estate and is not at all sure he wants it or understands what it means to him. This was a slowly built up piece, and for most of the story I did not like the guy at all. I wanted him to wake up and realize what was in front of his nose, to feel the centuries-old connection between his family and the land of the estate. But could he do that?

The Christmas Party was like reading an episode of the Twilight Zone. A woman wants independence from her family, from the restraints she feels in her life. She is twenty-one, of age, and can do whatever she wants now. So she tells her family that she intends to open a theatrical costume shop and promises to use another name so that the family name will not need to be involved. The family did not appreciate this rebel stance and quickly closed ranks, telling her she would not be allowed back into the home when she failed. So off she stomps into her future, instantly transforming herself from plain Alice Jennings to exotic Lydia Protheroe. She leaves town, sets up her business, and never speaks to anyone in the family again. Until after forty years a letter from her brother arrives. Cue Twilight Zone music.

I was torn here between rooting for Alice/Lydia and wanting to smack her upside the head. She got what she wanted in life, but at the same time she brooded about the family's reaction. This, as you might expect, is a recipe for creepy disaster. But disaster for whom?

The other three stories are just as intense. Little glimpses into the minds and lives of a few ordinary people. A man who only truly lives when he is in his dream world, a mother who lives only for her son, and a serving girl who only struggles to live at all. Wonderful reading. I liked all five and was so impressed that I've made another of my infamous lists and will be reading more of Sackville-West's fiction and poetry Someday.

Very highly recommended!

[Alexander Carmele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Idyllische Selbstfindung in ländlicher Ruhe und Abgeschiedenheit

Bis auf die Frühwerke liegen von Vita Sackville-West, die vielen vor allem als Virginia Woolfs Inspiration für die Hauptfigur ihres Romans „Orlando“ bekannt ist, die meisten ihrer Romane in deutscher Übersetzung vor. Von den früheren Arbeiten fehlen noch einige. Mit „Das Erbe“, von Irmela Erckenbrecht aus dem Englischen ins Deutsche übertragen, wird eine weitere Lücke gefüllt. Zum ersten Mal erschien dieser Kurzroman, knapp 130 Seiten, 1922 und fand eine von der Autorin einleitend und kritisch kommentierte Wiederauflage 1949:

„Trotz [der Gefahr der Selbsttäuschung] kam ich [auf die Anfrage zur Neuveröffentlichung] zu dem Schluss, dass ‚Die Erbschaft des Peregrinus Chase‘ eine Stimmung widerspiegelt, die ich damals empfand und mit wachsender Melancholie seitdem immer wieder empfunden habe.“

Die klare Distanzierung bezieht sich auf den sehr rührseligen Ton von „Das Erbe“, das von der Schwierigkeit des jungen Angestellten Peregrinus Chase handelt, das Erbe seiner verstorbenen Tante Phillida, das Anwesen, das Haus und die Ländereien namens Blackboys, anzutreten, das sogar noch mit Schulden belastet ist. Was ihm aber zuerst nichts bedeutet, wächst ihm nach und nach ans Herz:

„Jede kaum merkbare Veränderung des Lichts hatte er [am Anwesen] beobachtet: ob es am Morgen kühl und klar über die Dächer strich oder am Abend gesättigt und golden auf die rubinroten Backsteine, den bläulich-grünen Wassergraben und die Brüste der Pfauen sank. Das ätherische Morgenlicht war ein Geheimnis, das er in den unzugänglichen Tiefen seiner Seele fast vor sich selbst verbarg.“

Thema von „Das Erbe“ entwickelt sich zwischen den beiden Polen: das Haus verkaufen oder nicht. Peregrinus besitzt nicht viel. Der Verkauf würde ihn besser stellen, zumal sich ein Mr. Nutley von ‚Nutely, Farebrother und Co., Grundstücksmakler und Anwälte‘ aus Eigeninteresse darum bemüht, einen möglichst hohen Verkaufspreis zu erzielen. Gegen den Verkauf spricht das gute Gefühl, das Peregrinus überkommt, sobald er sich durch die Zimmer, den Park, auf den Ländereien bewegt, und die Bediensteten, wie auch Farebrother eher darauf hoffen, dass er die Tradition der Chase-Familie fortsetzt und sei’s nur der lieben Pfauen willen, die auf dem Anwesen herumstolzieren:

„»Es gibt wenige im Dorf, die sich vorstellen können, dass Blackboys nicht mehr der Familie Chase gehören soll«, sagte die Frau. »Und die armen Pfauen – lieber Gott!«
»Die Pfauen?«
»Die Leute sagen, die Pfauen werden sterben, wenn Blackboys nicht mehr den Chases gehört«, sagt er Mann. »Trotzdem, sie richten im Park viel Schaden an.«“

Tradition und Neuerung, Sentimentalität und Profit, Langsamkeit und Hektik, Ländlichkeit und das Städtische spielt Sackville-West in „Das Erbe“ gegeneinander aus und malt freundliche Bilder einer verträumt tiefenglischen Idylle, in der Vögel zwitschern, Blumen blühen, Pfauen stolz ihr Rad schlagen und zur festen Zeit der Tee serviert wird. 27 Jahre später wird ihr bei der Sentimentalität selbst etwas mulmig zumute, aber gibt das Buch dennoch zur Veröffentlichung frei. „Das Erbe“ vereint eine ironisch-distanzierte Form der Utopie mit einem sachlich-interessierten Blick auf zwischenmenschliche Interessen. Peregrinus muss seinen ganzen Mut zusammennehmen, um nicht kleinbeizugeben.

„Arm? Ja, aber er konnte arbeiten, er würde es schaffen. Seine Armut würde nicht bitter sein, sondern süß. Er streckte die Hände aus und legte sie voller Leidenschaft auf die Steine – Steine, so warm wie die rosige Farbe, die sie seit dem Morgen mit dem Sonnenlicht aufgesogen hatten.“

Vita Sackville-Wests „Das Erbe“ liest sich leicht und flüssig und eindrücklich. Es steckt viel Hermann Hesse aus „Roßhalde“ in diesen Zeilen, und auch eine geläuterte Form von Joris Karl Huysmans „Gegen den Strich“. Wem freundlich, warme, gediegene Sprachfügungen liegen, wer gerne langsame, besinnliche Literaturen mag, wird ein paar vergnügliche Stunden mit „Das Erbe“ haben.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vita Sackville West is definitely someone who’s writing I feel I should know better. A few years ago I read All Passion Spent in a small ancient penguin paperback and thoroughly enjoyed it. Prior to that I had been fascinated by the hugely enjoyable memoir ‘Portrait of a marriage’ written by Vita’s son Nigel Nicolson of his parent’s marriage. Reading Violet Trefusis’ beautiful letters to Vita, in the collection called Violet to Vita, I found that Vita actually remains frustratingly elusive, as the letters are all Violet’s. I am determined now though, to read more of Vita’s work, especially having finally got around to reading this beautiful little story.
The Heir is a 1922 novella, attractively re-issued by Hesperus in 2008. Having read a couple of excellent reviews of it last year – I immediately wanted to read it.
Beautifully and sensitively written The Heir is the story of Mr Chase, a lonely insurance clerk from Wolverhampton, the heir of the title, who, upon the death of his aunt, has inherited an estate seemingly impractical and burdensome. It would appear its worth lying only in what its various parts can be sold for. Mr Chase; anxious to get back to his office; is, at first somewhat uncomfortable in the beautiful house of Blackboys Estate. Chase’s discomfort is not made any better by the frequent presence of Mr Nutley – one of the partners in the firm of solicitors and estate agents handling the forthcoming auction. Nutley is a wonderfully malevolent character, actually delighting in the distress of estate tenants under threat of losing their homes. In the weeks leading up to the sale, Chase spends more and more time at Blackboys, he starts to feel rather at home in the place, making friends with some of the local tenants and enjoying the company of an old greyhound and the peacocks that live in the grounds.
“And as his vision widened he saw that the house fused very graciously with the trees, the meadows, and the hills, grown there in place no less than they, a part of the secular tradition. He reconsidered even the pictures; not as the representation of meaningless ghosts, but as men and women whose blood had gone to the making of that now in his own veins. It was the land, the farms, the rickyards, the sown, the fallow, that taught him his wisdom. He learnt it slowly, and without knowing he learnt.”
The Heir is surprisingly emotional; Vita Sackville West apparently drew very much on her own experiences of inheritance and loss when she wrote it. She is said to have worried that the story was too sentimental when she was first approached for permission to reprint it nearly thirty years after first writing it. The Heir is not to my mind overly sentimental – it is though deeply poignant and I simply loved it.
This is a small book – which the reader cannot but help race through, anxious to know what will become of Chase and the Blackboys estate. It is certainly possible to read in one sitting, I read it in two, punctuated by a trip to the post office and pharmacy, and some other domestic chores. It made for a delightful afternoon read however, when I was able to sit down and read the majority of it quietly , delighting in the wonderful language and wishing more than anything that there was much more of it. I wanted to know Mr Chase better, follow his progress beyond the events of this beautiful little novella. Maybe it is better, that I imagine it all for myself instead.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cornish Library Service has lost its green Virago copy of The Heir. I was so disappointed when that news arrived by email. I had felt so virtuous when I placed my order; I was controlling my book shopping and supporting the library!

I was offered a 1973 edition instead. I was less than thrilled, but I accepted, telling myself that reading the words was much more important than holding a particular edition.

When the book arrived I was delighted with it. Yes it was a 1970s edition, but it was a facsimile of the first edition, from 1922. The author’s name was shown not as Vita, but as Victoria Sackville-West, and though I had lost that accompanying novella, Seducers in Ecuador, that would have come with the Virago edition I had gained a quartet of short stories that I knew nothing about.


I had found a publisher. This facsimile edition came from Cederic Chivers Ltd of Bath – book-binders, book restorers and paper conservators – at the request of the London & Home Counties Branch of the Library Association.

“This book has been out of print for a number of years, and in response to continued demand we are delighted to be able to reprint such a fine piece of writing.”

It was a lovely reminder that rediscovering old books is nothing new, it’s been going on for years and years. And long may it continue. After all even Jane Austen fell out of print for a little while …

The list of titles published in the same series was a delight. I saw so many familiar names, from Vera Brittain to Barbara Comyns to Robert Graves to Kate O’Brien to Winifred Watson … and, would you believe, Dorothy Whipple sitting next to Baron Von Richthofen …

But it was The Heir that I wanted to read, and it was every bit as wonderful as I had been led to believe.

It began with the end of an era.

“Miss Chase lay in her immense red silk four-poster that reached as high as the ceiling. Her face was covered by a sheet, but she had a high, aristocratic nose, it raised the sheet into a ridge, ending in a point. Her hands could also be distinguished beneath the sheet, folded across her chest like the hands of an effigy; and her feet, tight together like the feet of an effigy raised the sheet into two further points at the bottom of the bed. She was eighty-four years old, and she had been dead for twenty-four hours.”

Miss Chase has no close family and so her estate came to a distant cousin. A solicitor from Wolverhampton. He had never met his cousin, and he had never visited Blackboys, her Elizabethan manor house, set in the Kent countryside, that became his.

It wouldn’t be his for long if the solicitors has their way. They told him that the estate was heavily mortgaged, that it would never pay his way, that the only thing to so was sell up, and then maybe he could go home a little wealthier than he had been when he left it. They had all the facts and figures at their disposal, everything that they said made perfect sense, but Chase rather resented it.

“The house lay in the hollow at the bottom of a ridge of wooded hills that sheltered it from the north, but the garden was upon the slope of the hill, in design quite simple; a central walk divided the square garden into halves, eased into very flat, shallow steps, and outlined by a low stone coping. A wall surrounded the whole garden. To reach the garden from the house, you crossed a little footbridge over the moat, at the bottom of the central walk. This simplicity, so obvious, yet, like the house, so satisfying, could not possibly have been otherwise ordered; it was married to the lie of the land. It flattered Chase with the delectable suggestion that he, a simple fellow, could have conceived and carried out the scheme as well as had the architect.”

Blackboys was home, and its faded grandeur gave him beauty, comfort, and a place in the world, a point in history. He came to realise that slowly, as he walked through galleries full of family portraits, as he looked across beautiful gardens towards rolling hills, as he sat, peacefully in his wood-pannelled library.

It was lovely to watch, to understand, to know that the house belonged to the land and that Chase belonged to the house.

I could see it, perfectly realised, because all of the right details were there. The house, the grounds, the countryside, lived and breathed.

The Heir is subtitled ‘A Love Story’ and I watched that love story grow, between Chase and the home that he inherited

It was a joy to read all of this, in prose that was both rich and elegant, and to have characters and their lives illuminated so gently and so clearly.

I couldn’t see how the story could be resolved. I knew that Chase couldn’t go back to the life he had before, but I couldn’t see a way for him to hold on to Blackboys.

In the end there was a resolution, a resolution that was right, real and natural.

I really didn’t want to let this one go, but I had to. Luckily, I had those short stories to fall back on.

The Christmas Party was a little gem. Almost the opposite of The Heir, it told the darkly, twisted story of a woman who had been exiled from her home, who had built an unconventional life on her own, and who had finally invited her estranged family to stay.

Her Son was a perceptive and heart-breaking story of a mother who learned that her son had no time for the inheritance, the history that she thought so precious.

Patience and The Parrot were were shorter, but they had their own, quite distinctive, charms.

All four stories were beautifully and perceptively written, revealing different facets of their author.

But, lovely though they were, they couldn’t live up to The Heir. That was the story that captured me, heart and soul … and I think that maybe I will have to order a green Virago copy to keep …

[Sasha]

Rec'd as a good intro to Vita Sackville-West

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming story about a common Englishman who inherits a great estate, but he feels he doesn't belong there and that he can't afford the upkeep of it, so it must be sold at auction. Meanwhile, a solicitor is badgering him to sell as quickly as possible, but the villagers and the tenants hope that everything will come 'round in the end.

I very much enjoyed this delightful novella -- the descriptions of the estate and garden were so lovely I could perfectly picture it. It's a book you can read in one sitting, especially if you can't wait to get to the ending.

[Fiona MacDonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nope, this wasn't for me. I feel awful about it, and it won't stop me reading 'The Edwardians' which is near the top of my TBR pile, but I found this story exceedingly dull, where thoughts and feelings could be drawn up in about half the number of pages, and where nothing is going on!! Just happy to say it's over TBH.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the author was inspired by a real life situation, this short novella is really a delightful fairy tale. After the death of his aunt, Mr. Chase inherits the family estate along with its heavy mortgage and garden full of peacocks. The smart thing to do is to sell the estate, says Mr. Nutley, one of his aunt’s solicitors. To sell is the smart thing, but yet.... Did anyone ever write as enticingly about gardens as Vita Sackville-West?

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am on a mini-binge of Vita Sackville-West's books: I started with Portrait of a Marriage (excerpts from her diary about her love affairs and marriage); moved on to one of her most highly regarded novels, All Passion Spent; and just completed her novella, The Heir.

This slim little volume gave me a more profound understanding of her character and ambition than her rather chilling memoir. In her forward to The Heir the author stipulates that she was reluctant when she received a request to republish this work in 1949, twenty-seven (or so) years after its initial publication. She worried that it might be perceived as "mawkishly sentimental."

I welcomed seeing this side of her character. After reading Portrait of a Marriage I perceived Vita Sackville-West as hard, self-centered and innately selfish. Maybe that was so, that was my impression of her from her diary snippets. All Passion Spent added another element to my understanding of her: above all things she seemed to value independence. And now, another piece of the puzzle: her passion for a home and genuine pride of place. Vita finally demonstrated that she really knew how to love---and the object of this love was a home.

I turned the 90 pages of this book more quickly than any thriller---I was so anxious for the outcome of this gentle romance with a property. Although she was a young woman when she wrote this book the profound affection she could feel for a home and garden definitely were not just a youthful passion---years later Ms. Sackville-West and her husband bought a property (Sissinghurst) in great disarray and lovely nurtured it into one of the most magnificent gardens in Great Britain.

I feel like I finally "get" Vita Sackville-West, or at least I am satisfied with my impression of her.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earlier this month, I read this novella for a challenge. The story appears in the Goodreads database as The Heir or The Heir: A Love Story, which would lead one to believe that the book contains only one story. In fact, this is the first of five stories published as a collection by George H. Doran and Company in 1922.

I had not read this author's work before. I had the impression that she had written poetry and lots of non-fiction about English country gardens. So the title story of this collection came as a surprise to me -- and a delightful one at that! I was so taken with The Heir that I finished reading the entire collection. It was time well spent. The length of the stories varies. Each of them is captivating, and the best part of each one is the ending!

An audiobook of the collection can be downloaded at Librivox (recorded very capably by Lee Smalley). It is also available to download in various formats at Project Gutenberg or for online reading at The Internet Archive. Whether you choose to read the longest or the shortest of these stories, prepare yourself for a surprise!

[Bree (AnotherLookBook) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novella about a man who, upon inheriting an estate from a distant relative, decides he should sell the place, but as the date of the auction approaches he finds himself reluctant to let it go.

Full review at Another Look Book

Reminded me of:
- Other beloved Vita Sackville-West (All Passion Spent; The Edwardians)
- Virginia Woolf (Orlando)
- “Downton Abbey”; “Upstairs/Downstairs”
- Thomas Hardy (Tess of the d'Urbervilles) & Catherine Cookson (Tilly Trotter), for their bucolic depictions

[Sir Erbse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, most likely, the greatest love story I’ve ever read. Mr Chase inherits the Blackboys Estate, puts it up for sale and then falls in love with it. Not romantically, but in the way one falls in love with a place. It becomes his home.

The descriptions of house and garden were marvelous, and the story was exciting, though quite sad at times.

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written early in her career and only privately issued for decades, this is a short gem. A humble man of limited means inherits a great estate and is placed in the uncomfortable position of having to sell. The conflict comes when he falls in love with the house and the estate and makes a life altering decision. The writing is crisp and intriguing. There is an effortless quality in Sackville-West's writing, a current that sweeps the reader along to the narratives surprising conclusion.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up.

[Marion · Rating 1 out of 5]

J'ai trouvé l'écriture élégante que je cherchais mais je m'attendais à quelque chose de beaucoup plus introspectif et contemplatif.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Premier livre que je lis de cette autrice et je suis charmée. On s'attache avec le narrateur à cette demeure vieillotte mais tellement charmante. Les jardins et les paons nous donnent une impression de jardin d'Eden. Sackville-West ne manque pas de nous dépeindre le milieu étriqué et mauvais des petits bourgeois de province avec en belle exemple le notaire détestable à souhait. Bref je me suis régalée le style est fluide et très plaisant (après j'ai lu une traduction je ne sais pas si ça reflète parfaitement les intentions de l'autrice). En tout cas je replongerais avec plaisir dans un autre de ses livres.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was so refreshing to read a book which used the english language as an art form, taking time to describe scenes and emotions with a variety of subtle phrasings and sensibilities.

The author examines the Chase's character change as the heir to a large but debt-ridden estate from displaying diffidence and being indifferent to the ties of ancestry, utlimately rising to a crescendo of passion which changes his life.

[Tiah]

– He prided himself, of course, on being a socialist: that was the fashion amongst the young men he occasionally frequented in Wolverhampton; but unlike them he was a socialist whose sense of veneration was deeper and more instinctive than his socialism. –

– He reconsidered even the pictures; not as the representation of meaningless ghosts, but as men and women whose blood had gone to the marking of that now in his own veins. –

[Wealhtheow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tells the tale of a young man born with every advantage nature and fortune can give him, who is yet unhappy and unfulfilled. Sebastion, who is born a duke, struggles against society’s assumptions in a quest for meaning and wholesome goodness. He is alternately assisted and hindered by an old adventurer and his various love affairs.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had just read about Vita Sackville-West in Michael Holyrod's book. I picked this up from the library. It is a charming little novella about a man who inherits an estate from his elderly aunt. He becomes more attached to it than he originally thought he would A "nice" read.

[Susan Merrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a straightforward, clean depiction of protagonist and antagonist in action. An hour's read at most, delightfully British, and a reminder that when we keep things simple, and in character, enough is as good as a feast.

[Paul Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

An evocation of an era that would inevitably end and this book foretells its passing; with it last ditch grasp at Elysium.

[Cliodhna Ni Ghadhra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle class British man inherits house. Tries to sell house. Ends up buying house.

[Kathrin Olzog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schön erzählt, aber zu vorhersehbar. Die Sprache war ein Genuss
Note: 2-

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

(4 stars for the long-short "The Heir," itself, 3 stars for the collection overall)

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mlle Alice, pouvez-vous nous raconter votre rencontre avec L'Héritier ?
"Je crois que je ne me suis jamais vraiment remise de ma découverte de la plume de Vita avec Toute Passion Abolie. Si, si, je vous assure, c'est sérieux. Je me rappelle même que je le lisais dans la salle d'attente de la sécu et que j'ai complètement oublié le monde qui m'entourait. Si ça c'est pas un exploit dans ces conditions-là..."

Dites-nous en un peu plus sur son histoire...
"Peregrine Chase hérite de la maison d'une tante qu'il n'a jamais vu, un héritage de famille qui a connu des jours meilleurs et dont il a bien l'intention de se délester au plus vite. Mais alors qu'il tente de reprendre le cours de sa vie citadine, il se sent de plus en plus happé par le charme du domaine..."

Mais que s'est-il exactement passé entre vous ?
"Je suis partagée. Si je n'avais rien su, ni lu de l'auteur, je me serais certainement régalée mais sûrement en attendais-je trop. En fait, je ne m'attendais pas du tout à cela et je crois que j'ai été déroutée. Ce n'en est pas moins un récit interessant, magnifiquement écrit, qui nous plonge dans les charmes de la campagne anglaise. On y retrouve également énormément d'humour, au travers de ses personnages. Une lecture agréable mais dont je ne suis pas sûre de garder un souvenir durable."

Et comment cela s'est-il fini ?
"La tension des dernières pages nous pousse à les tourner de plus en plus vite, ce à quoi je ne m'attendais pas dans ce genre de roman et qui m'a agréablement surprise. J'ai assez aimé la conclusion même si je lui ai trouvé un petit côté ridicule mais qui n'était sûrement pas involontaire. Je ne désespère pas de retrouver la magie de la plume de Vita Sackville-West qui m'a enchantée lors de ma première lecture dans un autre de ses romans."


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[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a little gem this book was. I loved Vita Sackville-West’s descriptions, not merely of the house and of the natural beauty surrounding it, but of Chase’s emotions as his initial discomfort and disdain slowly undergo a life-changing transformation.

There is a very vivid quality to Sackville-West’s prose. She builds and fleshes out contrasts so well - not least the one that sets Chase and Nutley so far apart, the latter being interested in the house as nothing more than an asset that will line his pockets.

The Heir is the story of a man who falls inexplicably in love with a house, and an ode to the surprising ways in which joy and a sense of belonging can crop up in the most unexpected places.

[Ann]

A beautifully written novella. The language and descriptions are pure poetry in places. Not surprising given that poetry was Vita Sackville-West's usual mode of writing. The climactic moment of the story was so visual in it's description I almost felt I was there with the characters in the room.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

i realise that this is probably not what the author intended, but it mostly comes across as a tired, socially isolated man who really needed a long holiday.

the writing is wonderful, however.