What do you think?
Rate this book
The Colonel's Daughter
At the moment that Colonel Browne is standing in the shallow end of the swimming pool of the Hotel Alphenrose, preparing for his later afternoon dip, his daughter Charlotte, carrying a suitcase, is getting out of her car back in England, preparing to rob the ancestral home. It is not just another day: it is the culmination of hundreds of days, hundreds of disappointments and misunderstandings, and thousands of very small lies... From the Publisher 'Demonstrates a wry talent' Guardian 'A true writer of fiction...A writer whose every book has been a pleasure' Scotsman At the moment that Colonel Browne is standing in the shallow end of the swimming pool of the Hotel Alpenrose, preparing for his late afternoon dip, his daughter Charlotte, carrying a suitcase, is getting out of her car back in England, preparing to rob the ancestral home. It is not just another day: it is the cuilmination of hundreds of days, hundreds of disappointments and misunderstandings, and thousands of very small lies... 'Rose Tremain goes from strength to strength. The Colonel's Daughter is a winner...a riveting and satisfying read' New Statesman 'Dialogue and off-beat humour are spot on' Daily Telegraph.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
39 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Rose Tremain
77 books1,103 followersDame Rose Tremain is an acclaimed English novelist and short story writer, celebrated for her distinctive approach to historical fiction and her focus on characters who exist on the margins of society. Educated at the Sorbonne and the University of East Anglia, where she later taught creative writing and served as Chancellor, Tremain has produced a rich body of work spanning novels, short stories, plays, and memoir. Influenced by writers such as William Golding and Gabriel García Márquez, her narratives often blend psychological depth with lyrical prose.
Among her many honors, she has received the Whitbread Award for Music and Silence, the Orange Prize for The Road Home, and the National Jewish Book Award for The Gustav Sonata. She was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Restoration and has been recognized multiple times by the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. In 2020, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to literature. Tremain lives in Norfolk and continues to write, with her recent novel Absolutely and Forever shortlisted for the 2024 Walter Scott Prize.
Among her many honors, she has received the Whitbread Award for Music and Silence, the Orange Prize for The Road Home, and the National Jewish Book Award for The Gustav Sonata. She was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Restoration and has been recognized multiple times by the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. In 2020, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to literature. Tremain lives in Norfolk and continues to write, with her recent novel Absolutely and Forever shortlisted for the 2024 Walter Scott Prize.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 24, 2023
Edits for clarity 24 February 2023
The title story of this collection published in the mid-eighties is pretty good. A neglected daughter takes drastic action to claim the attention of her military father, punishing him for his absences and in her eyes, neglect. Thereafter the stories become less interesting, although there are some which resonate, notably Dinner for One and Current Account.
Like The Colonel’s Daughter, Dinner for One is a two strand story but takes longer to come together. First we meet Henry and Lal, who have stumbled to reach 50 years of marriage, talking around whether to dine at Partridges, the local restaurant:
And then we meet Larry, the co-owner and chef at Partridges and Edwin,
Current Account: Lorna is a teacher in Australia, flying to France. Penelope, her titled divorced mother supports Guy, a surly sculptor (in metal) 23 years her junior. What could go wrong?
The long term legacy of living through wartime is a recurring theme of these stories as is the burden of having a father in the military. This is taken up in Wedding Night, where twins lose their mother early and their father remarries. He is a colonel, son of a colonel, son of a colonel… (Tremain’s favoured rank, interesting, because a Colonel is a senior officer but short of the ultimate army rank of general, and therefore indicative of some success but not ultimate success).
My Wife is a White Russian is an excruciating tale.
The title story of this collection published in the mid-eighties is pretty good. A neglected daughter takes drastic action to claim the attention of her military father, punishing him for his absences and in her eyes, neglect. Thereafter the stories become less interesting, although there are some which resonate, notably Dinner for One and Current Account.
Like The Colonel’s Daughter, Dinner for One is a two strand story but takes longer to come together. First we meet Henry and Lal, who have stumbled to reach 50 years of marriage, talking around whether to dine at Partridges, the local restaurant:
‘He walked away from her, sat down in his worn red armchair, fumbled for his glasses, found them and took up the The Times crossword. She watched him, still holding her glasses in her hand. It’s funny, she thought, that whenever we talk to each other, we take our glasses off. We blur each other out. I suppose we’re afraid that if we see each other clearly – too clearly – communication between us will cease.’ (p71)This can be taken two ways, first, the way Tremain has it; a fading of affection and the development of insulation from a life partner after the spark has gone but their habits remain. Or it may mean a deliberate blurring, to remember more clearly the bonds which tie and satisfy. Probably the former. Apparently Henry was never the same after the war.
And then we meet Larry, the co-owner and chef at Partridges and Edwin,
Current Account: Lorna is a teacher in Australia, flying to France. Penelope, her titled divorced mother supports Guy, a surly sculptor (in metal) 23 years her junior. What could go wrong?
The long term legacy of living through wartime is a recurring theme of these stories as is the burden of having a father in the military. This is taken up in Wedding Night, where twins lose their mother early and their father remarries. He is a colonel, son of a colonel, son of a colonel… (Tremain’s favoured rank, interesting, because a Colonel is a senior officer but short of the ultimate army rank of general, and therefore indicative of some success but not ultimate success).
My Wife is a White Russian is an excruciating tale.
February 7, 2019
These short stories from Rose Tremain intrigued me, given her talent with novels. I wasn't disappointed, as most of the stories kept me in thrall.
THE COLONEL'S DAUGHTER
A crime takes place at an English manor house. You think you know how it's going to go, but that doesn't happen.
WEDDING NIGHT
Geraniums don't survive winters, do they? A blind father marries again, much to the chagrin of his children.
MY WIFE IS A WHITE RUSSIAN
A handicapped industrialist is also handicapped by his marriage.
DINNER FOR ONE
My heart went out for this one. A gifted chef, known for his creative dishes, is unable to contemplate everyday life without his boyfriend. By contrast, a couple of many years of marriage and devoted to the chef's dishes, may not be as happy together as others think. None of this turns out the way the reader might expect. Just loved this story.
CURRENT ACCOUNT
A princess-by-marriage is devoted to her dwindling savings and not too enthralled with the sudden re-appearance of her daughter from an earlier relationship. Oh my.
WORDS WITH MARIGOLD
Girl gets pregnant with man who is simply using her. Again, not what you think.
AUTUMN IN FLORIDA
An older British couple decide to spend some time in Florida, hoping to change their dreary middle-class lives. The husband is gung-ho, while the wife is not so enthusiastic about the time away. But when they get there, everything changes. This was my absolute fav story of the collection as it rang so true. Just perfect.
We won't go back to England with all that we carried with us to America. There's a part of me which has been replaced.
THE STATELY ROLLER COASTER
An aristocratic owner of a manor home needs money to keep the place going. How about a theme park?
Never liked the winter. Gets dark too early. Sherry keeps me going. Top me up, will you?
A SHOOTING SEASON
A man comes to see his ex-wife, but only because his current lover has left him. He has ignored the children and is jealous of his ex's new life, writing novels. Maturity seems to elude some folks.
MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH JAMES I
A graying queen actor of the English stage describes his current life. Happy with his little roof garden and occasional restaurant meals, he must endure a new film and a dazzling co-star actor.
Book Season = Year Round (versatility)
THE COLONEL'S DAUGHTER
A crime takes place at an English manor house. You think you know how it's going to go, but that doesn't happen.
WEDDING NIGHT
Geraniums don't survive winters, do they? A blind father marries again, much to the chagrin of his children.
MY WIFE IS A WHITE RUSSIAN
A handicapped industrialist is also handicapped by his marriage.
DINNER FOR ONE
My heart went out for this one. A gifted chef, known for his creative dishes, is unable to contemplate everyday life without his boyfriend. By contrast, a couple of many years of marriage and devoted to the chef's dishes, may not be as happy together as others think. None of this turns out the way the reader might expect. Just loved this story.
CURRENT ACCOUNT
A princess-by-marriage is devoted to her dwindling savings and not too enthralled with the sudden re-appearance of her daughter from an earlier relationship. Oh my.
WORDS WITH MARIGOLD
Girl gets pregnant with man who is simply using her. Again, not what you think.
AUTUMN IN FLORIDA
An older British couple decide to spend some time in Florida, hoping to change their dreary middle-class lives. The husband is gung-ho, while the wife is not so enthusiastic about the time away. But when they get there, everything changes. This was my absolute fav story of the collection as it rang so true. Just perfect.
We won't go back to England with all that we carried with us to America. There's a part of me which has been replaced.
THE STATELY ROLLER COASTER
An aristocratic owner of a manor home needs money to keep the place going. How about a theme park?
Never liked the winter. Gets dark too early. Sherry keeps me going. Top me up, will you?
A SHOOTING SEASON
A man comes to see his ex-wife, but only because his current lover has left him. He has ignored the children and is jealous of his ex's new life, writing novels. Maturity seems to elude some folks.
MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH JAMES I
A graying queen actor of the English stage describes his current life. Happy with his little roof garden and occasional restaurant meals, he must endure a new film and a dazzling co-star actor.
Book Season = Year Round (versatility)
September 7, 2021
How many people, Charlotte wonders, as the police car passes the Camden Plaza showing a black and white film, are obscured by their own uselessness?Not usually a fan of short stories, I've saved several collections to read at once, and I'm glad I started with this one. Perfect pandemic reading, these are less than absorbing, but rewarded me as I stuck with them. The title story's the best, although it depressed the socks off me. Rose Tremain's social commentary never misses, which is not a comfort to me in any way, and her characters are mostly revolting and unlikeable but frighteningly understandable. She makes them radiate life without the use of adjectives. She's the queen of showing, not telling, and her characters stand out singularly with their own voices.
...being twins, we enjoyed attention from people which, singly, neither of us would have earned. It was as if the two of us equaled one very striking person.
November 3, 2025
This early (it appears to be her first) collection of short stories by one of my favourite authors was published in 1984 and is something of a mixed bag. Although the stories are urbane, worldly-wise and beautifully observed many of them lack the elan of her later work. The title story - the longest in the book by some margin - is a tour de force of multiple apparently random storylines which proves to be anything but random, but nevertheless seems to lack heart, is the best piece in the book, closely followed by Autumn in Florida, a ‘be careful what you wish for’ modern morality tale. Many of the stories are told by first-person narrators; these exercises in voice are rather variable in effectiveness and believability, but foreshadow Tremain’s excellent ear for the quirks and cadences of human speech that would stand out so effectively in later books.
March 18, 2024
Four words for Rose Tremain’s writing: assured, sensory, witty, unflinching. These particular stories often start with two-dimensional stereotypes of Agatha Christie-like superficiality but they are not allowed to stay that way. In terse chewy prose, her characters quickly reveal themselves, or are revealed to have, a dark Hogarthian underbelly of passions: lust, greed, envy et al, making for an always compelling, if sometimes insalubrious read.
April 4, 2008
In the brilliant, action-packed, title story of this collection, Rose Tremain single-handedly renews our faith in the potential of the short story form. By writing a story in which - heaven forfend - something actually happens, she reclaims the form from those crafty vampires who try to hold it hostage. You know the type - those pallid, anemic 'writers', who hide behind the claim that the short story is all about the 'craft' of writing, even as they exsanguinate the form, bleeding it dry as they distract us with their pretty adjectives and limp, solipsistic navel-gazing.
I don't want to exaggerate. This collection of stories is far from perfect. But the vigor and imagination that Tremain brings to her writing are a welcome development, and deserve to be acknowledged. This short collection hardly represents the final conquest of the forces of mediocrity that plague modern writing. But, in writing these vibrant stories, Tremain reminds us readers that we have a right to expect more from a short story than the anemic navel-gazing of a Deborah Eisenberg or Rick Moody character. In doing so, she puts a stake through the collective heart of the crafty vampires, and puts a major dent in their efforts to leech the life out of the short story form.
A minor victory, perhaps, but a significant one, for which Rose Tremain deserves our acknowledgement and our thanks
I don't want to exaggerate. This collection of stories is far from perfect. But the vigor and imagination that Tremain brings to her writing are a welcome development, and deserve to be acknowledged. This short collection hardly represents the final conquest of the forces of mediocrity that plague modern writing. But, in writing these vibrant stories, Tremain reminds us readers that we have a right to expect more from a short story than the anemic navel-gazing of a Deborah Eisenberg or Rick Moody character. In doing so, she puts a stake through the collective heart of the crafty vampires, and puts a major dent in their efforts to leech the life out of the short story form.
A minor victory, perhaps, but a significant one, for which Rose Tremain deserves our acknowledgement and our thanks
October 10, 2019
This book was my introduction to Rose Tremain. This is a strong, remarkable collection, and has become one of those books a person picks up from time to time and re-reads. Have read it several times. Will have to re-read it again in order to prepare a sensible review. What in particular did I like? I don't know, but I can certainly say that it bears re-reading, and that says a lot right there.
July 2, 2018
Collection of vivid short stories. Beautifully written and engaging but pretty depressing in their portrayal of human relationships.
May 27, 2023
"The Colonel's Daughter": 8.5
It’s not so much that it can’t be done; it’s that it so rarely is: condensing a novel-sized cast of characters and incident into novella-ish size, retaining much of the import and sacrificing but some of the resonance. Strange, still, our psychology — that the “so what” creeps in, nonetheless, with the shorter form, but rarely would with the same story, but blandly expanded several score and more. Still, Tremain does this well, and you can understand her abilities (not here, but elsewhere) in that rare and difficult area of the historical short story, for here this is not the short story of form and inferiority and “moment in (personal) time” capture (although attention to the ideas are there), but of setting and event and “moment in (chronological) time”. STORY: rad feminist daughter of the old order steals from parents to fund movement, while several other strands introduce and intercept, incl the selfishly haughty parents to the inquiring journalists. Her perspective is interestingly panoramic, giving the panoptical impression that all scenes rendered have all characters involved as fair game, and we can flit over for an aside or a diversion. Whether this is characteristic of her work as a whole or confined to this story, I’m interested to see, as it is potentially the most invigorating aspect of her style.
It’s not so much that it can’t be done; it’s that it so rarely is: condensing a novel-sized cast of characters and incident into novella-ish size, retaining much of the import and sacrificing but some of the resonance. Strange, still, our psychology — that the “so what” creeps in, nonetheless, with the shorter form, but rarely would with the same story, but blandly expanded several score and more. Still, Tremain does this well, and you can understand her abilities (not here, but elsewhere) in that rare and difficult area of the historical short story, for here this is not the short story of form and inferiority and “moment in (personal) time” capture (although attention to the ideas are there), but of setting and event and “moment in (chronological) time”. STORY: rad feminist daughter of the old order steals from parents to fund movement, while several other strands introduce and intercept, incl the selfishly haughty parents to the inquiring journalists. Her perspective is interestingly panoramic, giving the panoptical impression that all scenes rendered have all characters involved as fair game, and we can flit over for an aside or a diversion. Whether this is characteristic of her work as a whole or confined to this story, I’m interested to see, as it is potentially the most invigorating aspect of her style.
August 25, 2024
Rose Tremain is an exceptionally fine English writer who I discovered via her short stories and whose novels I have gone on to read and love.
These are superb stories and although it was many years ago I still recall many with great pleasure in particular 'Dinner For One' which is both a brilliant portrayal of upper middle class, middle aged, married life via the ritual of dining out in fashionable/trendy restaurant but the dissolution of the gay marriage of the restaurant's owners when one of them decides it is a 19 year he wants to spend his life with, and the complexities and compromises a love between an older and much younger person is explored, except within a heterosexual couple in 'Current Account'.
It would be easy to describe these stories as comedies of manners, middle class life, or families except that in stories like 'The Colonel's Daughter' and 'Wedding Night' there is an almost unbearable pain at the heart of the comedy.
Preparing this review has reminded me it is much too long since I read anything by Ms. Tremain and I will probably rectify this with this or one of her collections of stories.
These are superb stories and although it was many years ago I still recall many with great pleasure in particular 'Dinner For One' which is both a brilliant portrayal of upper middle class, middle aged, married life via the ritual of dining out in fashionable/trendy restaurant but the dissolution of the gay marriage of the restaurant's owners when one of them decides it is a 19 year he wants to spend his life with, and the complexities and compromises a love between an older and much younger person is explored, except within a heterosexual couple in 'Current Account'.
It would be easy to describe these stories as comedies of manners, middle class life, or families except that in stories like 'The Colonel's Daughter' and 'Wedding Night' there is an almost unbearable pain at the heart of the comedy.
Preparing this review has reminded me it is much too long since I read anything by Ms. Tremain and I will probably rectify this with this or one of her collections of stories.
April 25, 2025
Got this without realising that it was a set of short stories .. it's been a long time since I read a short story collection, as I prefer the longer form novel.
I found this collection very humdrum. Most of the stories consist of a situation (eg. a meal out) with the main character's life being narrated in flashback. And then nothing happens.
Some of the stories do have a narrative arc. Even then, nothing really happens. Compared to Maugham (and others) as a benchmark, these stories fall a long way short.
I found this collection very humdrum. Most of the stories consist of a situation (eg. a meal out) with the main character's life being narrated in flashback. And then nothing happens.
Some of the stories do have a narrative arc. Even then, nothing really happens. Compared to Maugham (and others) as a benchmark, these stories fall a long way short.
December 2, 2017
I read this soon after having read another collection of short stories by Rose Tremain - "The Garden of the Villa Mollini". These stories were slightly longer and I did find most of them quite engaging. But overall, I think I prefer the novels that she has written.
August 3, 2023
I bought this believing it was a novel rather than a series of short stories. In truth, I was disappointed not to dig deeper into the story of the Colonel, his wife and their daughter.
Some of the short stories were most enjoyable and clever, others less so.
Some of the short stories were most enjoyable and clever, others less so.
June 18, 2018
While I've always had an irrational hatred of short stories, I liked Rose Tremain's full length novels and thought I'd give this a collection a try... it didn't convert me.
July 31, 2021
The writing is lovely but the stories are uniformly depressing.
February 2, 2023
Loved Rose Tremain’s Lily, but this one as short as it was wasn’t for me.
July 28, 2023
I was disappointed with these stories from one of my favourite authors.
September 11, 2022
Definitely prefer her novels to these short stories.
January 13, 2016
Ten short stories comprise Rose Tremain's The Colonel's Daughter, most of which seem to have been published originally in the 1980s. The collection is a readable mix of then contemporary tales, most of which concern some form of dramatic life event in the life of one or more main characters.
Tremain's a stylish writer with the knack of creating believable characters, although the notion of 'plot' is pretty limited most of the time, with little in the way of denouement or clarifying revelation. That said, the world she creates has a sort of momentum all of its own, meaning that for the most part, I wasn't left feeling disappointed in any way.
My least favourite was the first story, The Colonel's Daughter of the book's title. It's not a bad story, but I have an in-built prejudice for the over used stylistic 'present tense' narrative. Fortunately, most of the others were told in the first person and these worked well. I also particularly enjoyed Autumn in Florida and My Love Affair With James I.
© Koplowitz 2016
Tremain's a stylish writer with the knack of creating believable characters, although the notion of 'plot' is pretty limited most of the time, with little in the way of denouement or clarifying revelation. That said, the world she creates has a sort of momentum all of its own, meaning that for the most part, I wasn't left feeling disappointed in any way.
My least favourite was the first story, The Colonel's Daughter of the book's title. It's not a bad story, but I have an in-built prejudice for the over used stylistic 'present tense' narrative. Fortunately, most of the others were told in the first person and these worked well. I also particularly enjoyed Autumn in Florida and My Love Affair With James I.
© Koplowitz 2016
April 12, 2008
An enjoyable collection of stories by Rose Tremain. In my opinion a bit mixed. High points - A Shooting Season and Autumn in Florida, both well judged and touching. There were a couple of other stories I found eiher a bit pretentious in tone or just not completely convincing, but there's nothing here that's not worth reading. I love most of her novels - it's just unfortunate that the two things I've read since I started using facebook haven't been as good. Read Restoration, Musicand Silence or Sacred Country if you are new to her work.
December 27, 2014
I was attracted to the book as I enjoy the quality of Tremain's writing and of course her skill does not disappoint. This collection of short stories is widely diverse and doesn't seem to come together well. All populated by strange relationships and strange people who we are persuaded to accept as normal. There is little fun or joy to be found in any of the stories. There is however a rather dark, heavy commentary on human weakness.
Want to read
April 28, 2008Brilliant, says David G. A must-read for me then. Besides, my own collections, when I can find them in bookstores and libraries, are always situated between B. Travens and
Rose Tremain and William Trevor (good company, no?) and having read and admired Travens and Trevor, I guess I might as well check out the neighbor to near right of me...
Rose Tremain and William Trevor (good company, no?) and having read and admired Travens and Trevor, I guess I might as well check out the neighbor to near right of me...
February 19, 2016
Another excellent and varied early collection of short stories from the versatile Ms Tremain. Set mainly in England, with one holidaying English couple in Florida and another story of English folk in France, these stories are full of emotion and there are good contrasts. I especially enjoyed the bleak but powerful story, Words with Marigold, which may have been bravura, but it worked for me.
Want to read
November 15, 201047/174
September 30, 2017
I've been dipping in and out of these short stories, and a couple were very good. A broad mix of themes and characters, different to what I would usually read.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews