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Chatterton Square
"He pitied widows, but he mistrusted them. They knew too much. As free as unmarried women, they were fully armed; this was an unfair advantage, and when it was combined with beauty, an air of well-being, a gaiety which, in a woman over forty had an unsuitable hit of mischief in it, he felt that . . . all manhood was insulted . . . But he knew how to protect himself."
Fastidious Mr. Blackett rules his home in Upper Radstowe with a gloomy and niggardly spirit, and his wife Bertha and their three daughters succumb to his dictates unquestioningly -- until the arrival next door of the Fraser family 'with no apparent male chieftain at the head of it'. The delightful, unconventional Rosamund presides over this unruly household with shocking tolerance and good humour, and Herbert Blackett is both fascinated and repelled by his sensuous and 'unprincipled' neighbour. But whilst he struts in the background, allegiances form between Rosamund and Bertha and their children, bringing changes to Chatterton Square which, in the months leading up to the Second World War, are intensified by the certainty that nothing can be taken for granted.
Fastidious Mr. Blackett rules his home in Upper Radstowe with a gloomy and niggardly spirit, and his wife Bertha and their three daughters succumb to his dictates unquestioningly -- until the arrival next door of the Fraser family 'with no apparent male chieftain at the head of it'. The delightful, unconventional Rosamund presides over this unruly household with shocking tolerance and good humour, and Herbert Blackett is both fascinated and repelled by his sensuous and 'unprincipled' neighbour. But whilst he struts in the background, allegiances form between Rosamund and Bertha and their children, bringing changes to Chatterton Square which, in the months leading up to the Second World War, are intensified by the certainty that nothing can be taken for granted.
378 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1947
29 people are currently reading
609 people want to read
About the author
E.H. Young
20 books38 followersBorn Emily Hilda Young.
Although almost completely forgotten by recent generations, E. H. Young was a best-selling novelist of her time. She was born the daughter of a shipbroker and attended Gateshead Secondary School (a higher grade school later renamed Gateshead Grammar School) and Penrhos College, Colwyn Bay, Wales. In 1902, at the age of 22, she married Arthur Daniell, a solicitor from Bristol, and moved with him to the upscale neighbourhood of Clifton.
Here, Young developed an interest in classical and modern philosophy. She became a supporter of the suffragette movement, and started publishing novels. She also began a lifelong affair with Ralph Henderson, a schoolteacher and a friend of her husband.
When the First World War broke out in 1914, Young went to work, first as a stables groom and then in a munitions factory. Her husband was killed at the Battle of Ypres in 1917. The following year she moved to Sydenham Hill, London to join her lover, now the headmaster of the public school Alleyn's, and his wife in a ménage à trois. Young occupied a separate flat in their house and was addressed as 'Mrs Daniell'; this concealed the unconventional arrangement.
This change seems to have been the catalyst that she needed. Seven major novels followed, all based on Clifton, thinly disguised as 'Upper Radstowe'. The first of these was The Misses Mallett, published originally under the title The Bridge Dividing in 1922. Her 1930 novel Miss Mole won the James Tait Black Award for fiction. In the 1940s, Young also wrote books for children, Caravan Island (1940) and River Holiday (1942).
After Henderson's retirement and the death of his wife, Young moved with him to Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire. They never married. During the Second World War, she worked actively in air raid precautions. She lived in Wiltshire with Henderson until her death from lung cancer in 1949.
Although popular in her time, Young's work has nearly vanished today. In 1980, a four-part series based on her novels – mainly Miss Mole – was shown on BBC television as "Hannah". The feminist publishing house Virago reprinted several of her books in the 1980s, and the Clifton and Hotwells Improvement Society has marked her Clifton home with a plaque.
The 'E H Young Prize for Greek Thought' was an annual essay prize awarded in her memory at Bristol Grammar School.
(Wikipedia)
Although almost completely forgotten by recent generations, E. H. Young was a best-selling novelist of her time. She was born the daughter of a shipbroker and attended Gateshead Secondary School (a higher grade school later renamed Gateshead Grammar School) and Penrhos College, Colwyn Bay, Wales. In 1902, at the age of 22, she married Arthur Daniell, a solicitor from Bristol, and moved with him to the upscale neighbourhood of Clifton.
Here, Young developed an interest in classical and modern philosophy. She became a supporter of the suffragette movement, and started publishing novels. She also began a lifelong affair with Ralph Henderson, a schoolteacher and a friend of her husband.
When the First World War broke out in 1914, Young went to work, first as a stables groom and then in a munitions factory. Her husband was killed at the Battle of Ypres in 1917. The following year she moved to Sydenham Hill, London to join her lover, now the headmaster of the public school Alleyn's, and his wife in a ménage à trois. Young occupied a separate flat in their house and was addressed as 'Mrs Daniell'; this concealed the unconventional arrangement.
This change seems to have been the catalyst that she needed. Seven major novels followed, all based on Clifton, thinly disguised as 'Upper Radstowe'. The first of these was The Misses Mallett, published originally under the title The Bridge Dividing in 1922. Her 1930 novel Miss Mole won the James Tait Black Award for fiction. In the 1940s, Young also wrote books for children, Caravan Island (1940) and River Holiday (1942).
After Henderson's retirement and the death of his wife, Young moved with him to Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire. They never married. During the Second World War, she worked actively in air raid precautions. She lived in Wiltshire with Henderson until her death from lung cancer in 1949.
Although popular in her time, Young's work has nearly vanished today. In 1980, a four-part series based on her novels – mainly Miss Mole – was shown on BBC television as "Hannah". The feminist publishing house Virago reprinted several of her books in the 1980s, and the Clifton and Hotwells Improvement Society has marked her Clifton home with a plaque.
The 'E H Young Prize for Greek Thought' was an annual essay prize awarded in her memory at Bristol Grammar School.
(Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
April 24, 2021
This is the second book by E.H. Young that I have read, and I'm putting her in the same category of mid 20th century English women writers as Barbara Pym, Elizabeth Taylor and Elizabeth von Arnim. Witty dialog, dry, subtle humor, strong women and plausible, complicated plots are trademarks of these authors, so I'm happy to find another one to join their ranks.
This novel doesn't put much value in husbands. In the two families whose houses abut each other, Mr. Blackett is a selfish, clueless, narcissistic fool whose wife and daughters dislike him because he is oppressive and demanding, and Fergus Fraser abandoned his wife and 5 children years ago because he didn't want the responsibility. That doesn't mean there aren't some wonderful male characters in Chatterton Square, but they are friends, cousins and sons, not husbands . Of course, Mrs. Blackett and Mrs Fraser both have to make the best of their situations, which each does in her own style. We also have the sharp-tongued, nosy spinster, Agnes Spanner, who never misses a trick. "I'm much better off as I am and I'm coming to the conclusion that the happiest people are the ones who have missed everything they thought they wanted."
The conclusion of this novel leaves us to our own conclusions as to the future of these characters, not the least of which is the setting just before the beginning of WWII. The reader knows what's coming, the characters do not. Is it better to hate your husband, be abandoned by your husband, or never to have married at all? An enjoyable novel that is thought provoking at the same time, with very real and complex characters, especially the children and teens trying to make sense of it all.
This novel doesn't put much value in husbands. In the two families whose houses abut each other, Mr. Blackett is a selfish, clueless, narcissistic fool whose wife and daughters dislike him because he is oppressive and demanding, and Fergus Fraser abandoned his wife and 5 children years ago because he didn't want the responsibility. That doesn't mean there aren't some wonderful male characters in Chatterton Square, but they are friends, cousins and sons, not husbands . Of course, Mrs. Blackett and Mrs Fraser both have to make the best of their situations, which each does in her own style. We also have the sharp-tongued, nosy spinster, Agnes Spanner, who never misses a trick. "I'm much better off as I am and I'm coming to the conclusion that the happiest people are the ones who have missed everything they thought they wanted."
The conclusion of this novel leaves us to our own conclusions as to the future of these characters, not the least of which is the setting just before the beginning of WWII. The reader knows what's coming, the characters do not. Is it better to hate your husband, be abandoned by your husband, or never to have married at all? An enjoyable novel that is thought provoking at the same time, with very real and complex characters, especially the children and teens trying to make sense of it all.
December 19, 2021
4.5 stars
My first novel by E H Young. Young seems to have been an interesting character. Her writings centre on the Clifton area of Bristol, called Upper Radstowe in the novels. She was a supporter of suffrage and a keen climber and mountaineer. She had a lifelong relationship with Ralph Henderson, a friend of her husband’s. After her husband’s death in the War she moved in with Henderson and his wife.
Chatterton Square is the story of two families who live next to each other, one relatively happy and one relatively unhappy. The Blacketts are a married couple with three teenage daughters. They are the unhappy family, although Mr Blackett thinks they are perfectly content (because he is perfectly content). The Frasers are happier, possibly because there is no man at the head of the house. Mr Fraser has left his wife and five children and Mrs Fraser seems generally content with her lot and has a very different approach to bringing up her children than does Mr Blackett. Living with the Fraser’s is Miss Spanner, an older unmarried woman and a friend of Mrs Fraser. Young shows three of the options open to women at the time (this was , written in 1947): unhappily married, separated and unmarried. It is set in 1938 with the threat of war looming and in the build up to the Munich agreement.
This is an analysis of families and the role of women within them. There is no real “action”, because we know that is coming within the year: there is no real ending either, but that doesn’t seem to matter. The whole is character and interaction driven. Young’s portrait of Mr Blackett is very telling. He isn’t violent or abusive, the cruelty is more subtle and Mr Blackett wouldn’t, of course, recognise it as such. His sense of his own worth and maleness is well drawn:
“He pitied widows but he distrusted them. They knew too much. As free as unmarried women, they were fully armed; this was an unfair advantage, and when it was combined with beauty, and air of well-being, a gaiety which, in women over forty had an unsuitable hint of mischief in it, he felt that in this easy conquest over, or incapacity for grief, all manhood was insulted, while all manhood, including his own, was probably viewed by that woman as a likely prey.”
Unfortunately for him, his wife understands him and has learnt to manage his idiosyncrasies, as per this exchange when discussing whether Mr Blackett should take his eldest daughter on holiday to Europe:
“I think you might feel quite different when you came back. Your mind would be refreshed. You would have other things to think about.”
“But I don’t want to feel different!” Mr. Blackett exclaimed irritably. “And as for my mind, I wasn’t aware that it showed signs of flagging.”
“Oh no,” Mrs. Blackett said pleasantly, “it’s too active,” and she gave him one of her rare, full looks. “Like a squirrel in a cage,” she added and carried away the tray before he could reply.”
This is a look at a society which is about to undergo great change, but Young’s focus is also on relationships and women’s role. The interactions between the teenagers seem to be overshadowed by what we know is coming.
This is a subtle and interesting novel, Young’s last, and would certainly prompt me to read more.
My first novel by E H Young. Young seems to have been an interesting character. Her writings centre on the Clifton area of Bristol, called Upper Radstowe in the novels. She was a supporter of suffrage and a keen climber and mountaineer. She had a lifelong relationship with Ralph Henderson, a friend of her husband’s. After her husband’s death in the War she moved in with Henderson and his wife.
Chatterton Square is the story of two families who live next to each other, one relatively happy and one relatively unhappy. The Blacketts are a married couple with three teenage daughters. They are the unhappy family, although Mr Blackett thinks they are perfectly content (because he is perfectly content). The Frasers are happier, possibly because there is no man at the head of the house. Mr Fraser has left his wife and five children and Mrs Fraser seems generally content with her lot and has a very different approach to bringing up her children than does Mr Blackett. Living with the Fraser’s is Miss Spanner, an older unmarried woman and a friend of Mrs Fraser. Young shows three of the options open to women at the time (this was , written in 1947): unhappily married, separated and unmarried. It is set in 1938 with the threat of war looming and in the build up to the Munich agreement.
This is an analysis of families and the role of women within them. There is no real “action”, because we know that is coming within the year: there is no real ending either, but that doesn’t seem to matter. The whole is character and interaction driven. Young’s portrait of Mr Blackett is very telling. He isn’t violent or abusive, the cruelty is more subtle and Mr Blackett wouldn’t, of course, recognise it as such. His sense of his own worth and maleness is well drawn:
“He pitied widows but he distrusted them. They knew too much. As free as unmarried women, they were fully armed; this was an unfair advantage, and when it was combined with beauty, and air of well-being, a gaiety which, in women over forty had an unsuitable hint of mischief in it, he felt that in this easy conquest over, or incapacity for grief, all manhood was insulted, while all manhood, including his own, was probably viewed by that woman as a likely prey.”
Unfortunately for him, his wife understands him and has learnt to manage his idiosyncrasies, as per this exchange when discussing whether Mr Blackett should take his eldest daughter on holiday to Europe:
“I think you might feel quite different when you came back. Your mind would be refreshed. You would have other things to think about.”
“But I don’t want to feel different!” Mr. Blackett exclaimed irritably. “And as for my mind, I wasn’t aware that it showed signs of flagging.”
“Oh no,” Mrs. Blackett said pleasantly, “it’s too active,” and she gave him one of her rare, full looks. “Like a squirrel in a cage,” she added and carried away the tray before he could reply.”
This is a look at a society which is about to undergo great change, but Young’s focus is also on relationships and women’s role. The interactions between the teenagers seem to be overshadowed by what we know is coming.
This is a subtle and interesting novel, Young’s last, and would certainly prompt me to read more.
July 1, 2024
This is the first time I have read E.H. Young, but I felt I was on familiar ground, as she is very much like two of my favorites, Elizabeth Taylor and Dorothy Whipple. She writes about ordinary people leading ordinary lives that are anything but, because no two people are the same and no two lives are either.
The book, in many ways, is the dissection of marriage…the intact one of Mrs. Blackett and the fractured one of Mrs. Fraser. We are privy to the secret thoughts of these women with regard to their husbands and children and the myriad responsibilities they encounter daily. However, we also see how the world around them is affected by their choices, the taste of freedom both women get and the way they do (or do not) allow society’s rules to color their pleasures.
These are two very different households. Rosamund Fraser is light and breezy and exercises as little interference with her children as possible. They love and respect her and come to her with their problems. This does not mean she has an easy life. Sometimes not interfering takes a lot of courage and discipline.
They were separate people, standing on their own feet, needing no parental props, and all their difficulties lay ahead when she would not be able to help them and, ultimately, every human being was alone. Yet, she wondered, were they all missing what she had withheld, first through light-heartedness and then by design?
Her husband, Fergus, has abandoned the family, and in her household as a paying border is her friend since childhood, Miss Spanner. Miss Spanner contributes the spinster’s view of marriage, sometimes in very amusing ways. I loved this friendship, that, despite its odd inconguity, is deep and true.
There’s no hurry about it and as for not hurting your feelings—what a funny expression that is, by the way—I don’t think I could hurt them if I tried, or you mine. Ours is the best relationship in the world. We haven’t to be careful. We haven’t to think before we speak.
Across the street are the Blacketts. The Blackett children are ruled by an obsessive and controlling father and their mother smolters with dislike for her husband and attempts to bury her feelings from view. Herbert Blackett might be one of the most infuriating male characters ever written. It would be unsafe to put him in arm’s length of me…eyeballs would, at the least, be scratched out.
He liked to believe that, in any case of an absent husband, the woman must be to blame. If he strayed, it was her fault for not being agreeable or clever enough to hold him; if she were guilty as, with Mrs. Fraser, seemed most likely, because this was how he wished to find her, then no excuse was possible, and he had the right to look at her a little longer, with a shade less respect than he would have wished anyone to look at Bertha.
But, even Mr. Blackett gets a fair shake from Young. He is disgustingly pompous and self-centered, and since he can never be wrong, the rest of the world must be; however, he is not always aware of his nature and the person he robs of the most happiness is himself.
Another stand-out element of this book is its treatment of pre WWII England. Neville Chamberlain is busy trying to appease Hitler and we get a glimpse into how that affected the lives of those waiting to hear the news daily. The generation these women represent has been a recent witness to war and all its horrors, and watching another loom on the horizon is not a pleasant experience. They do not continue with life as usual. Rosamund has two sons of just the right age to be involved in such a war, and a daughter with a sweetheart. Young perfectly depicts the mixed feelings that must have been running through every sane person’s veins.
I will close with one of my favorite moments in the book. It resonates, of course, because I am able to embrace exactly what Rosamund is saying. I have seen that look, heard that tone, in the face of the young. Our only consolation might be that we are old enough to know it is going to fade.
But he’s quite young!” Rosamund exclaimed. “He can’t be much older than I am. Yes, that amuses you, doesn’t it? And when I was your age I thought everybody over thirty was practically dead. But we don’t feel like that. We find ourselves just as interesting as we ever did and what happens to us seems just as important.
The book, in many ways, is the dissection of marriage…the intact one of Mrs. Blackett and the fractured one of Mrs. Fraser. We are privy to the secret thoughts of these women with regard to their husbands and children and the myriad responsibilities they encounter daily. However, we also see how the world around them is affected by their choices, the taste of freedom both women get and the way they do (or do not) allow society’s rules to color their pleasures.
These are two very different households. Rosamund Fraser is light and breezy and exercises as little interference with her children as possible. They love and respect her and come to her with their problems. This does not mean she has an easy life. Sometimes not interfering takes a lot of courage and discipline.
They were separate people, standing on their own feet, needing no parental props, and all their difficulties lay ahead when she would not be able to help them and, ultimately, every human being was alone. Yet, she wondered, were they all missing what she had withheld, first through light-heartedness and then by design?
Her husband, Fergus, has abandoned the family, and in her household as a paying border is her friend since childhood, Miss Spanner. Miss Spanner contributes the spinster’s view of marriage, sometimes in very amusing ways. I loved this friendship, that, despite its odd inconguity, is deep and true.
There’s no hurry about it and as for not hurting your feelings—what a funny expression that is, by the way—I don’t think I could hurt them if I tried, or you mine. Ours is the best relationship in the world. We haven’t to be careful. We haven’t to think before we speak.
Across the street are the Blacketts. The Blackett children are ruled by an obsessive and controlling father and their mother smolters with dislike for her husband and attempts to bury her feelings from view. Herbert Blackett might be one of the most infuriating male characters ever written. It would be unsafe to put him in arm’s length of me…eyeballs would, at the least, be scratched out.
He liked to believe that, in any case of an absent husband, the woman must be to blame. If he strayed, it was her fault for not being agreeable or clever enough to hold him; if she were guilty as, with Mrs. Fraser, seemed most likely, because this was how he wished to find her, then no excuse was possible, and he had the right to look at her a little longer, with a shade less respect than he would have wished anyone to look at Bertha.
But, even Mr. Blackett gets a fair shake from Young. He is disgustingly pompous and self-centered, and since he can never be wrong, the rest of the world must be; however, he is not always aware of his nature and the person he robs of the most happiness is himself.
Another stand-out element of this book is its treatment of pre WWII England. Neville Chamberlain is busy trying to appease Hitler and we get a glimpse into how that affected the lives of those waiting to hear the news daily. The generation these women represent has been a recent witness to war and all its horrors, and watching another loom on the horizon is not a pleasant experience. They do not continue with life as usual. Rosamund has two sons of just the right age to be involved in such a war, and a daughter with a sweetheart. Young perfectly depicts the mixed feelings that must have been running through every sane person’s veins.
I will close with one of my favorite moments in the book. It resonates, of course, because I am able to embrace exactly what Rosamund is saying. I have seen that look, heard that tone, in the face of the young. Our only consolation might be that we are old enough to know it is going to fade.
But he’s quite young!” Rosamund exclaimed. “He can’t be much older than I am. Yes, that amuses you, doesn’t it? And when I was your age I thought everybody over thirty was practically dead. But we don’t feel like that. We find ourselves just as interesting as we ever did and what happens to us seems just as important.
November 4, 2018
I loved my return visit to Upper Radstowe.
The story centres on 2 families living in Chatterton Square. Rosamund Fraser, whose husband is living in France, is head of one family. She guides her family, but is fairly easy-going and leaves them to find their own way in life. Over the road, Mr Blackett is a conceited prig and a much sterner ruler of his family. He likes to believe that they obey his every word and resents any time the spend with the unsuitable Frasers. Marriage is very much the theme of this book, but it is set in 1939 and war looms large throughout the narrative.
Another beautifully written story from E.H. Young and I'm looking forward to reading more of her novels.
The story centres on 2 families living in Chatterton Square. Rosamund Fraser, whose husband is living in France, is head of one family. She guides her family, but is fairly easy-going and leaves them to find their own way in life. Over the road, Mr Blackett is a conceited prig and a much sterner ruler of his family. He likes to believe that they obey his every word and resents any time the spend with the unsuitable Frasers. Marriage is very much the theme of this book, but it is set in 1939 and war looms large throughout the narrative.
Another beautifully written story from E.H. Young and I'm looking forward to reading more of her novels.
May 13, 2022
I was sailing along and quite pleased with this book, and then it got bogged down starting in the middle of the 378-page tome (it seemed like a tome to me) so that by the end it was not an enjoyable read for me. Sorry, but that’s the way I feel. 😕 🙁 But I should also say I am an outlier – most of the reviews I read from bloggers (see below for links) were laudatory towards the book.
The book takes place in England (Bristol, which is called Radstowe in the novel) on the eve of World War II. Near the end of the book, Chamberlain has given his famous speech, ‘peace for our time’. Turned out of course not to be true. There are two families in the book...one family has the father who is a grade-A loser, Herbert Blackett, who likes to rule over his wife (Bertha) and three daughters, Flora, Mary, and Chloe, like he is a king of his castle and they are there to please him and to serve at his fancy. Down the road is another family that has as its head Rosamund Fraser and her five children, and a friend from childhood who is a spinster, Miss Agnes Spanner. Rosamund’s husband left her and his children to go find himself...he also appeared to have an anger management issue at the end of them living together. Anyway, Herbert is aghast and at the same time titillated he is living next to a woman with loose morals because she is separated/divorced from her husband and it must have been her fault since her husband left her, right? Stands to reason that that is what he would think since he is a grade-A loser and a sexist pig. And then there was a World War I veteran, Piers Lindsay, who had a facial disfigurement from a war wound who was a second cousin of Bertha....they had known each other since their childhood days, and he had wanted to marry her but had to go to war and when he came back she was recently married to Herbert, who didn’t fight in the war. Apparently, Herbert had shirked his duty although he spun things differently. And he didn’t like Bertha visiting with Piers, probably because Piers had done his duty and fought in the war and he had gotten injured while Herbert had evaded service...and he probably did not want to be compared to Piers.
All of this was well and good, and it had the makings of an interesting novel.
I have one more book to read from her oeuvre — Celia — but I am going to call a time-out on reading it.
Notes:
• Chatterton Square was her last novel... two years after its publication she died of lung cancer.
• Herbert’s character reminded me of two odious characters of Elizabeth von Arnim’s... Otto in ‘The Caravaners’ (he was a total jerk and was oblivious to that, but his wife, Edelgard, was not [just as Bertha was aware her husband was a jerk]) and Wemyss in ‘Vera’ (he was evil personified).
Reviews (they all liked it!...actually loved it!)
• https://www.stuckinabook.com/chattert...
• https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2021...
• https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2017/...
• https://bookbound.blog/2020/05/10/boo...
• https://karensbooksandchocolate.blogs...
• https://reading19001950.wordpress.com...
• http://agirlwalksintoabookstore.blogs...
The book takes place in England (Bristol, which is called Radstowe in the novel) on the eve of World War II. Near the end of the book, Chamberlain has given his famous speech, ‘peace for our time’. Turned out of course not to be true. There are two families in the book...one family has the father who is a grade-A loser, Herbert Blackett, who likes to rule over his wife (Bertha) and three daughters, Flora, Mary, and Chloe, like he is a king of his castle and they are there to please him and to serve at his fancy. Down the road is another family that has as its head Rosamund Fraser and her five children, and a friend from childhood who is a spinster, Miss Agnes Spanner. Rosamund’s husband left her and his children to go find himself...he also appeared to have an anger management issue at the end of them living together. Anyway, Herbert is aghast and at the same time titillated he is living next to a woman with loose morals because she is separated/divorced from her husband and it must have been her fault since her husband left her, right? Stands to reason that that is what he would think since he is a grade-A loser and a sexist pig. And then there was a World War I veteran, Piers Lindsay, who had a facial disfigurement from a war wound who was a second cousin of Bertha....they had known each other since their childhood days, and he had wanted to marry her but had to go to war and when he came back she was recently married to Herbert, who didn’t fight in the war. Apparently, Herbert had shirked his duty although he spun things differently. And he didn’t like Bertha visiting with Piers, probably because Piers had done his duty and fought in the war and he had gotten injured while Herbert had evaded service...and he probably did not want to be compared to Piers.
All of this was well and good, and it had the makings of an interesting novel.
I have one more book to read from her oeuvre — Celia — but I am going to call a time-out on reading it.
Notes:
• Chatterton Square was her last novel... two years after its publication she died of lung cancer.
• Herbert’s character reminded me of two odious characters of Elizabeth von Arnim’s... Otto in ‘The Caravaners’ (he was a total jerk and was oblivious to that, but his wife, Edelgard, was not [just as Bertha was aware her husband was a jerk]) and Wemyss in ‘Vera’ (he was evil personified).
Reviews (they all liked it!...actually loved it!)
• https://www.stuckinabook.com/chattert...
• https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2021...
• https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2017/...
• https://bookbound.blog/2020/05/10/boo...
• https://karensbooksandchocolate.blogs...
• https://reading19001950.wordpress.com...
• http://agirlwalksintoabookstore.blogs...
July 18, 2021
First published in 1947, E. H. Young’s marvellous novel, Chatterton Square, is another of the titles recently reissued by the British Library as part of their Women Writers series.
Having now read five of these books, I think this is probably the richest, most satisfying in the series so far. It is a novel of contrasts, an exploration of lives – women’s lives in particular – in the run-up to the Second World War. As Simon Thomas points out in his excellent afterword, on the surface, Chatterton Square appears to be a straightforward story of two neighbouring families, one relatively happy and functional, the other much more constrained. However, the degree of depth and nuance Young brings to her portraits of the main characters makes for a particularly compelling read – more so than that description suggests.
The two families in question are the Frasers and the Blacketts, whose houses are situated perpendicular to one another in the corner of Upper Radstowe’s Chatterton Square – a setting modelled on Clifton in Bristol. The Fraser household is the happy one – a relaxed and loving environment created by Rosamund Fraser for her five children, most of whom are teenagers. Rosamund – whose husband has disappeared off to France to find creative fulfilment – is an attractive, liberated woman, the kind of mother who encourages her children to pursue their own ambitions and preferences in life wherever possible. Also living with the Frasers is Rosamund’s close friend, Miss Spanner, a spinster in her forties, somewhat akin to a maiden aunt.
By contrast, the Blackett household is much more subdued than its lively next-door neighbour. Headed by Herbert Blackett – a conceited, self-absorbed puritan who considers himself vastly superior to the Frasers – the Blackett family have three children, Flora, Rhoda and Mary, all similar in age to some of the Frasers. Mr Blackett’s wife, Bertha, has lived a narrow, restricted life, effectively penned in by her husband’s self-satisfied, high-minded behaviour, a damaging culture that permeates the Blackett household.
To read the rest of my review, please visit:
https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2021...
Having now read five of these books, I think this is probably the richest, most satisfying in the series so far. It is a novel of contrasts, an exploration of lives – women’s lives in particular – in the run-up to the Second World War. As Simon Thomas points out in his excellent afterword, on the surface, Chatterton Square appears to be a straightforward story of two neighbouring families, one relatively happy and functional, the other much more constrained. However, the degree of depth and nuance Young brings to her portraits of the main characters makes for a particularly compelling read – more so than that description suggests.
The two families in question are the Frasers and the Blacketts, whose houses are situated perpendicular to one another in the corner of Upper Radstowe’s Chatterton Square – a setting modelled on Clifton in Bristol. The Fraser household is the happy one – a relaxed and loving environment created by Rosamund Fraser for her five children, most of whom are teenagers. Rosamund – whose husband has disappeared off to France to find creative fulfilment – is an attractive, liberated woman, the kind of mother who encourages her children to pursue their own ambitions and preferences in life wherever possible. Also living with the Frasers is Rosamund’s close friend, Miss Spanner, a spinster in her forties, somewhat akin to a maiden aunt.
By contrast, the Blackett household is much more subdued than its lively next-door neighbour. Headed by Herbert Blackett – a conceited, self-absorbed puritan who considers himself vastly superior to the Frasers – the Blackett family have three children, Flora, Rhoda and Mary, all similar in age to some of the Frasers. Mr Blackett’s wife, Bertha, has lived a narrow, restricted life, effectively penned in by her husband’s self-satisfied, high-minded behaviour, a damaging culture that permeates the Blackett household.
To read the rest of my review, please visit:
https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2021...
August 6, 2016
I was surprised by this book, as I didn't really know anything about EH Young and expected it to be fairly frivolous. It wasn't at all. Written post-WW2, it was set in the period of appeasement, building up to the climax of Chamberlain's famous compromise. The protagonist feels isolated in her community (but not in her home) by what she sees as acceptance of the loss of what England stands for and why it matters. I'm tempted to quote but don't want to spoil the intricate psychological build-up. The psychological aspects of the novel's characters are intriguing, underwriting the theme. The unlikeable character of the neighbour, Mr Blackett, is a portrayal of human self-perception (take it in whatever degree you choose!). Relationships between the novel's characters are subtle and often surprising. The only criticisms I would make are that the oblique political and personal references are perhaps a little too oblique for modern tastes - I didn't quite get what was going on for two of the background characters, one of whom doesn't even make a direct appearance. Oh, and the sentence structure was a tiny bit reminiscent of Henry James! Long sentences with a noticeable scarcity of commas, but at the same time no words wasted. Everything very cleverly shaped and witty. Dialogue skilful and intriguing. Masterly.
April 6, 2025
Brilliant characterization. I hope to write more soon.
Want to read
February 24, 2023Recommended by Tania and Alwynne.
****************
*Chatterton Square TBR
*The Misses Mallett: The Bridge Dividing TBR
*Miss Mole TBR
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*Chatterton Square TBR
*The Misses Mallett: The Bridge Dividing TBR
*Miss Mole TBR
February 27, 2017
This is one of those books that you will eventually re-read. Out of 4 books by E.H. Young, I have genuinely admired two. Her adroit plot shifts and character portrayals seldom disappoint. One trait I have noticed about E.H. Young's plots is the fact that her lead female characters are often willing to live in intolerable circumstances, or with profound ambiguity in their marital relationships. There is a great passivity in all this which is notable, but which I believe reflected the author's own life. There are a great many characters to keep track of, which is often an E.H. Young earmark. She writes beautifully. An example will suffice regarding a gentleman who suddenly suspects his wife may despise him: "Mr. B..., who had been pacing the room, stood still and saw, not the carpet at which he looked but a dark well of unknown depth. Half fascinated and quite horrified, he stared down, knowing that the longer he looked the darker and deeper it would become, until, with self-preservation more urgent than curiosity, he stepped back into safety."
November 11, 2017
E.H Young is a fabulous Virago author – and Chatterton Square – her final novel proved to be a fantastic pick for my third All Virago/All August read of the month. Although I have still to read a few of her novels – especially those early hard to find ones – I feel confident in saying that Chatterton Square is almost certainly her best novel. It is complex, multi-layered and fantastically readable.
The setting is Upper Radstowe – the setting of the majority of E H Young’s novels, a thinly disguised Clifton – the genteel, prosperous suburb of Bristol where she herself lived for a time. However, the canvas of this novel like many of her others is far smaller than that, almost the entire story taking place at the titular address.
We are in familiar territory with many of the themes of this novel, those of marriage, provincial life and morality. However, the novel also explores pre-war attitudes, it is the late 1930s and the prospect of another war is at the back of everyone’s mind. Naturally, the possibility of war is contemplated with some pain by those who lived through one war and still bear the scars – either physical or mental. Meanwhile the next generation, face the possibility of having the best years of their lives stolen – and well they know it.
Chatterton Square – not really a square is more of an oblong – has seen better days. Still although fashion has deserted this small corner of Upper Radstowe, these are houses with small gardens, basement kitchens and some – like the Frasers – have balconies. The Frasers occupy a corner of Chatterton square – here live – Rosamund Fraser, her childhood friend Agnes Spanner and Rosamund’s five almost adult children. Agnes, we learn lived a sad, small diminished life with her controlling parents. So, with Rosamund’s husband; Fergus, choosing to live abroad, away from his family – Rosamund took the opportunity to save her friend – bringing her in to the warm, lively family she has never had for herself.
Full review: https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2017/...
The setting is Upper Radstowe – the setting of the majority of E H Young’s novels, a thinly disguised Clifton – the genteel, prosperous suburb of Bristol where she herself lived for a time. However, the canvas of this novel like many of her others is far smaller than that, almost the entire story taking place at the titular address.
We are in familiar territory with many of the themes of this novel, those of marriage, provincial life and morality. However, the novel also explores pre-war attitudes, it is the late 1930s and the prospect of another war is at the back of everyone’s mind. Naturally, the possibility of war is contemplated with some pain by those who lived through one war and still bear the scars – either physical or mental. Meanwhile the next generation, face the possibility of having the best years of their lives stolen – and well they know it.
Chatterton Square – not really a square is more of an oblong – has seen better days. Still although fashion has deserted this small corner of Upper Radstowe, these are houses with small gardens, basement kitchens and some – like the Frasers – have balconies. The Frasers occupy a corner of Chatterton square – here live – Rosamund Fraser, her childhood friend Agnes Spanner and Rosamund’s five almost adult children. Agnes, we learn lived a sad, small diminished life with her controlling parents. So, with Rosamund’s husband; Fergus, choosing to live abroad, away from his family – Rosamund took the opportunity to save her friend – bringing her in to the warm, lively family she has never had for herself.
Full review: https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2017/...
Read
November 16, 2020This was delightful: subtle, funny, mysterious in a rewarding way. I felt reading it that E.H. Young must have had a great deal of insight into people, and poured all of it into this novel.
The setting is also interesting: though current events figure prominently, the run-up to World War II is discussed so obliquely that it was a while before I was sure whether it was the summer of 1938 or 1939. This was published in 1947, so it was historical fiction of a recent vintage, and the take on the times is refreshingly different from more recent historical fiction dealing with this period.
I thought the way the author dealt with sex was interesting too. Without giving us any sort of salacious detail at all, she nonetheless makes it clear that one of the characters (Mrs. Fraser) very much enjoyed the sexual aspect of her marriage, while the complete opposite was the case for Mrs. Blackett. And how this has colored their entire experience of married life. How do you say something without actually coming out and saying it? E.H. Young is really a master at this, and will reward further study.
I am looking forward to reading more of her work.
The setting is also interesting: though current events figure prominently, the run-up to World War II is discussed so obliquely that it was a while before I was sure whether it was the summer of 1938 or 1939. This was published in 1947, so it was historical fiction of a recent vintage, and the take on the times is refreshingly different from more recent historical fiction dealing with this period.
I thought the way the author dealt with sex was interesting too. Without giving us any sort of salacious detail at all, she nonetheless makes it clear that one of the characters (Mrs. Fraser) very much enjoyed the sexual aspect of her marriage, while the complete opposite was the case for Mrs. Blackett. And how this has colored their entire experience of married life. How do you say something without actually coming out and saying it? E.H. Young is really a master at this, and will reward further study.
I am looking forward to reading more of her work.
February 22, 2022
I loved this, despite the fact that I found the writing a bit woolly and I'm not 100% sure what happened at the end. It is so frank and so thought provoking and just so fresh and unexpected. It reminded me very much of Howard's End with two houses and two families - very different but interconnected.
August 23, 2025
Based on the dates you can see I struggled reading this. In the end I wound up enjoying it though. Three stars seems harsh, four seems generous, but here we are.
The BLWW books are so hit or miss for me. I’ve loved a couple, but struggled with a couple. This was too much nothing for so long, too many characters that were barely necessary. In the end it all came together and had a lot of truth in it all. I’m not big on WWII books and as this is about the lead up to the war I think that’s why I struggled a lot. And all the random characters.
The afterword, of course, is well done and shows a lot of how I felt by the end. It just took too long to come together for me and I wound up needing the audiobook to finish. :/
The BLWW books are so hit or miss for me. I’ve loved a couple, but struggled with a couple. This was too much nothing for so long, too many characters that were barely necessary. In the end it all came together and had a lot of truth in it all. I’m not big on WWII books and as this is about the lead up to the war I think that’s why I struggled a lot. And all the random characters.
The afterword, of course, is well done and shows a lot of how I felt by the end. It just took too long to come together for me and I wound up needing the audiobook to finish. :/
July 5, 2020
This is the first E H Young novel I read, having found a second-hand hardback many years ago. I've read it countless times since. One of the things I love about Ms Young's novels is the way her writing can transport you to a particular place and time - in this case a residential square in Radstow (Bristol) before the start of WW2.
The story centres on two families living next door to each other: 1) the Frasers, comprising Rosamund, her five children (most of whom are grown up) and her close friend Agnes Spanner, and 2) the Blacketts, comprising Mr and Mrs and three daughters. The two households are very different. The Frasers are relaxed, tolerant and happy. The Blacketts are much less so, and there are varying tensions between individuals. Much of this is caused by the overpowering personality of Mr Blackett. Whilst he is a pretty unlikeable character he is interesting. He believes himself to be some sort of creative bohemian trapped in a respectable lifestyle for the sake of his family. In reality he is more traditional and repressed than his wife and at least one of his children. His self-obsession makes him blind to the real characters of those closest to him. He is fascinated and repelled by the Frasers who have so much fun despite the somewhat mysterious absence of any husband and father. As the story progresses, the female members of the Blackett family develop increasingly close friendships with the Frasers much to Mr B's consternation...
In the background is the looming war and Mr Chamberlain's meetings with Hitler, culminating in the Munich agreement. With the predictable exception of Mr B, all the main characters in the book are highly critical of Chamberlain's actions at this point. I'm not sure how realistic this is, given the limitations of peoples' knowledge at the time. To me it smacked of hindsight being applied to the story. Nevertheless this is a small criticism compared to the delight of seeing these wonderfully realistic people going about their lives in the Square, being mostly kind and happy despite the shadows hanging over them. In my mind this is one of Young' best novels and I thoroughly recommend it.
The story centres on two families living next door to each other: 1) the Frasers, comprising Rosamund, her five children (most of whom are grown up) and her close friend Agnes Spanner, and 2) the Blacketts, comprising Mr and Mrs and three daughters. The two households are very different. The Frasers are relaxed, tolerant and happy. The Blacketts are much less so, and there are varying tensions between individuals. Much of this is caused by the overpowering personality of Mr Blackett. Whilst he is a pretty unlikeable character he is interesting. He believes himself to be some sort of creative bohemian trapped in a respectable lifestyle for the sake of his family. In reality he is more traditional and repressed than his wife and at least one of his children. His self-obsession makes him blind to the real characters of those closest to him. He is fascinated and repelled by the Frasers who have so much fun despite the somewhat mysterious absence of any husband and father. As the story progresses, the female members of the Blackett family develop increasingly close friendships with the Frasers much to Mr B's consternation...
In the background is the looming war and Mr Chamberlain's meetings with Hitler, culminating in the Munich agreement. With the predictable exception of Mr B, all the main characters in the book are highly critical of Chamberlain's actions at this point. I'm not sure how realistic this is, given the limitations of peoples' knowledge at the time. To me it smacked of hindsight being applied to the story. Nevertheless this is a small criticism compared to the delight of seeing these wonderfully realistic people going about their lives in the Square, being mostly kind and happy despite the shadows hanging over them. In my mind this is one of Young' best novels and I thoroughly recommend it.
February 20, 2021
Great book! I read it after seeing a plaque to EH Young on Saville Place in Bristol, then reading that some of her books, like Chatterton Square, are set in a fictionalised version of Clifton in Bristol, "Upper Radstowe". (I've found an article in the Evening Post archives that suggest Chatterton Square is actually Clifton's oddly triangular Canynge Square, and it would certainly be in about the right place for that to be true.)
So, I came for the historical interest, which is very much there, but actually came away impressed with the emotional deftness of the book and the overall portrait of a society on the brink of war—the book was published in 1947, but set in the run-up to the war, in 1938. This is portrayed very well through the (quite large) cast of characters and their reactions to Chamberlain's appeasement policy, especially those of stern buffoon Mr Blackett. (While I think Rosamund is probably meant to be the "hero" of the book, for me Mrs Blackett wins on points...)
You don't have to be interested in Bristol history to enjoy Chatterton Square, though it's nice to recognise still-familiar sights in the descriptions of Clifton Down, the Suspension Bridge and the Avon gorge. Just try to get everyone's names straight in your head as soon as you can, and strip in for a nice ride through the emotional life of two very different families living in adjacent houses during a tense moment in history.
So, I came for the historical interest, which is very much there, but actually came away impressed with the emotional deftness of the book and the overall portrait of a society on the brink of war—the book was published in 1947, but set in the run-up to the war, in 1938. This is portrayed very well through the (quite large) cast of characters and their reactions to Chamberlain's appeasement policy, especially those of stern buffoon Mr Blackett. (While I think Rosamund is probably meant to be the "hero" of the book, for me Mrs Blackett wins on points...)
You don't have to be interested in Bristol history to enjoy Chatterton Square, though it's nice to recognise still-familiar sights in the descriptions of Clifton Down, the Suspension Bridge and the Avon gorge. Just try to get everyone's names straight in your head as soon as you can, and strip in for a nice ride through the emotional life of two very different families living in adjacent houses during a tense moment in history.
February 28, 2023
Nearly half way through but I'm abandoning it for now as I'm struggling to engage with the characters. It is set in 1939 but I don't feel that the characters are contemporary with 1939. Something just feels odd.
Feb 2023 :- It niggled me that I hadn't finished it so decided to read a few chapters daily from where I had left off. I soon got back into it and started to enjoy the book more. It's much more serious than the witty Miss Mole and I still felt the time period was more late Victorian - probably because of Mr. Blackett's character and the way that Mrs. Blackett dressed. She (Mrs B) was my favourite character along with her daughter Rhoda.
I did like the way it was written - swapping from house to house within the chapters.
I'm glad I persevered.
Feb 2023 :- It niggled me that I hadn't finished it so decided to read a few chapters daily from where I had left off. I soon got back into it and started to enjoy the book more. It's much more serious than the witty Miss Mole and I still felt the time period was more late Victorian - probably because of Mr. Blackett's character and the way that Mrs. Blackett dressed. She (Mrs B) was my favourite character along with her daughter Rhoda.
I did like the way it was written - swapping from house to house within the chapters.
I'm glad I persevered.
May 18, 2022
I am reading through less known British women authors who wrote in the first half of the 20th Century and this is my first E. H. Young novel.
There are many descriptions of the storyline, so I will not go into it.
It was first published in 1947 with World War II and its toll on Britain's young men, as well as on those who remained behind, still fresh and painful.
I really enjoyed the first third of the novel. The characters were believable and distinct, and the writing excellent. The story of the Frasers and the Blacketts, was building up to be an interesting mingling and confrontation of two families, so very different from each other in their conceptual grasp of life, of education, and of politics. In hindsight we know what is in store for Britain, its young men, and its civilian population, and the tension in this respect very effectively builds up.
But as the novel moves along, the third person narrator, particularly through the thoughts of Rosamund and Miss Spanner, goes off on a tangent of political diatribe, and it is not at all subtle. We get a settling of accounts with the shirkers of the Great War (the unlikeable and dim Herbert Blackett), as opposed to the heroes who fought, sacrificed, and still bear the physical and mental scars of that war (Fergus, Rosamund's husband, and the saintly Piers). It is evident that in this war the Frasers who have two grown sons, both politically aware and willing to fight for their country, should the need arise, will once again sacrifice, whereas Herbert Blackett, will not be at risk with his three daughters.
And then we have the distinct separation between the "good guys" (The Frasers and Miss Spanner)" who see Chamberlain's agreement with Hitler as an abomination, and the "bad guys" (Herbert) who approve of it.
The political differences are drawn with too bold a stroke, there are no grey areas, and being overdone and lengthily hammered in, it becomes tedious.
At some point, the story itself is lost in the political manifesto.
There are many descriptions of the storyline, so I will not go into it.
It was first published in 1947 with World War II and its toll on Britain's young men, as well as on those who remained behind, still fresh and painful.
I really enjoyed the first third of the novel. The characters were believable and distinct, and the writing excellent. The story of the Frasers and the Blacketts, was building up to be an interesting mingling and confrontation of two families, so very different from each other in their conceptual grasp of life, of education, and of politics. In hindsight we know what is in store for Britain, its young men, and its civilian population, and the tension in this respect very effectively builds up.
But as the novel moves along, the third person narrator, particularly through the thoughts of Rosamund and Miss Spanner, goes off on a tangent of political diatribe, and it is not at all subtle. We get a settling of accounts with the shirkers of the Great War (the unlikeable and dim Herbert Blackett), as opposed to the heroes who fought, sacrificed, and still bear the physical and mental scars of that war (Fergus, Rosamund's husband, and the saintly Piers). It is evident that in this war the Frasers who have two grown sons, both politically aware and willing to fight for their country, should the need arise, will once again sacrifice, whereas Herbert Blackett, will not be at risk with his three daughters.
And then we have the distinct separation between the "good guys" (The Frasers and Miss Spanner)" who see Chamberlain's agreement with Hitler as an abomination, and the "bad guys" (Herbert) who approve of it.
The political differences are drawn with too bold a stroke, there are no grey areas, and being overdone and lengthily hammered in, it becomes tedious.
At some point, the story itself is lost in the political manifesto.
January 10, 2015
Some moments in history are easily overlooked, and it’s one of these on which Young focuses – the period before the outbreak of the Second World War when the nation waited to know if its fate was war or peace. We all know what happened – but for the people living through those few months, the tension and the constant swinging from optimism to despair was agonising.
For Rosamund Fraser who has two sons of an age to fight, and for Bertha Blackett who is married to a man determined to ignore the danger, the situation is indeed a terrible one. The novel explores their feelings by focussing on their personal lives. Both women are in unhappy marriages – Rosamund’s husband has left her and she is in love with Piers Lindsay; Bertha’s husband is a conceited, selfish man. Piers has already served in one war and has been left scarred by his wounds. Herbert Blackett did not serve, and has managed to justify his staying at home as a matter of principle: “War! It is a wicked, hateful thing...”
The women’s responses to the threat of war are personal. Rosamund feels Britain’s willingness to negotiate with a set of “gangsters” as deeply shaming; Bertha sees through her husband’s self-deceptions about his war “principles” and much else besides. It is a question of honour, both national and personal. Is Britain willing to secure its own peace at the expense of another nation?
The book expresses a profound love of country in passages that remind me of Mrs Mary Humphry Ward’s patriotic writing: eloquent descriptions of the beauties of England, its fields and churches, its woods and hills, its cosy villages and “benign” mansions. This is an England without dark satanic mills, back-to-back houses, factories belching smoke and filth over grim industrial cities.
Published in 1947, the novel is in part an exploration of the complex issues around war, the decisions that have to be made, the personal plans altered, the emotions that have to be suppressed and the ones that have to be cultivated. I’ve always loved E H Young’s novels. There’re a bit like Jane Austen’s – deceptively lacking in action yet using their domestic settings to contemplate major themes. With wit and insight, the intertwined stories of two families in a sleepy square in Upper Radstowe (Young’s fictionalising of Clifton in Bristol) contemplate a world in which we are all “groping in the dark” and must do our best to find our way in the shadow of the fear that "probably the way is wrong".
For Rosamund Fraser who has two sons of an age to fight, and for Bertha Blackett who is married to a man determined to ignore the danger, the situation is indeed a terrible one. The novel explores their feelings by focussing on their personal lives. Both women are in unhappy marriages – Rosamund’s husband has left her and she is in love with Piers Lindsay; Bertha’s husband is a conceited, selfish man. Piers has already served in one war and has been left scarred by his wounds. Herbert Blackett did not serve, and has managed to justify his staying at home as a matter of principle: “War! It is a wicked, hateful thing...”
The women’s responses to the threat of war are personal. Rosamund feels Britain’s willingness to negotiate with a set of “gangsters” as deeply shaming; Bertha sees through her husband’s self-deceptions about his war “principles” and much else besides. It is a question of honour, both national and personal. Is Britain willing to secure its own peace at the expense of another nation?
The book expresses a profound love of country in passages that remind me of Mrs Mary Humphry Ward’s patriotic writing: eloquent descriptions of the beauties of England, its fields and churches, its woods and hills, its cosy villages and “benign” mansions. This is an England without dark satanic mills, back-to-back houses, factories belching smoke and filth over grim industrial cities.
Published in 1947, the novel is in part an exploration of the complex issues around war, the decisions that have to be made, the personal plans altered, the emotions that have to be suppressed and the ones that have to be cultivated. I’ve always loved E H Young’s novels. There’re a bit like Jane Austen’s – deceptively lacking in action yet using their domestic settings to contemplate major themes. With wit and insight, the intertwined stories of two families in a sleepy square in Upper Radstowe (Young’s fictionalising of Clifton in Bristol) contemplate a world in which we are all “groping in the dark” and must do our best to find our way in the shadow of the fear that "probably the way is wrong".
July 18, 2014
"He pitied widows, but he mistrusted them. They knew too much. As free as unmarried women, they were fully armed; this was an unfair advantage, and when it was combined with beauty, an air of well-being, a gaiety which, in a woman over forty had an unsuitable hind of mischief in it, he felt that ...all manhood was insulted ... But he knew how to protect himself."
"Fastidious Mr. Blackett rules his home in Upper Radstowe with a gloomy and niggardly spirit, and his wife Bertha and their three daughters succumb to his dictates unquestioningly -- until the arrival next door of the Fraser family 'with no apparent male chieftain at the head of it.' the delightful, unconventional Rosamund presides over this unruly household with shocking tolerance and good humour, and Herbert Blackett is both fascinated and repelled by his sensuous and 'unprincipled' neighbour. But whilst he struts in the background, allegiances form between Rosamund and Bertha and their children, bringing changes to Chatterton Square which, in the months leading up to the Second World War, are intensified by the certainty that nothing can be taken for granted."
~~back cover
An absolutely wonderful book! Mr. Blackett is as pompous and ridiculous as any character in Dickens, and it is a true delight to watch his world unravel around him, without his understanding or knowing why. His wife and daughters and neighbors reorder their lives according to their growing outlooks on the world and life, ignoring him to a greater or lesser degree.
The shadow of war looms over their little world, and faithfully presents the schism of the English nation in the days before war becomes a reality. So many felt that appeasement and compromise were the wisest course -- ludicrous now in hindsight, but very serious at the time.
Omnipresent as it was, the march toward war is not very pressing in the lives of the residents of Chatterton Square, nor nearly so engrossing as the changes growing up and growing older bring to each of them.
My only disappointment was the ending -- I didn't expect it, and didn't understand how it came to pass. It was the result of a good deal of anguished soul-searching that's so prevalent in this style of book, but even a rereading of the last bits left me clueless.
"Fastidious Mr. Blackett rules his home in Upper Radstowe with a gloomy and niggardly spirit, and his wife Bertha and their three daughters succumb to his dictates unquestioningly -- until the arrival next door of the Fraser family 'with no apparent male chieftain at the head of it.' the delightful, unconventional Rosamund presides over this unruly household with shocking tolerance and good humour, and Herbert Blackett is both fascinated and repelled by his sensuous and 'unprincipled' neighbour. But whilst he struts in the background, allegiances form between Rosamund and Bertha and their children, bringing changes to Chatterton Square which, in the months leading up to the Second World War, are intensified by the certainty that nothing can be taken for granted."
~~back cover
An absolutely wonderful book! Mr. Blackett is as pompous and ridiculous as any character in Dickens, and it is a true delight to watch his world unravel around him, without his understanding or knowing why. His wife and daughters and neighbors reorder their lives according to their growing outlooks on the world and life, ignoring him to a greater or lesser degree.
The shadow of war looms over their little world, and faithfully presents the schism of the English nation in the days before war becomes a reality. So many felt that appeasement and compromise were the wisest course -- ludicrous now in hindsight, but very serious at the time.
Omnipresent as it was, the march toward war is not very pressing in the lives of the residents of Chatterton Square, nor nearly so engrossing as the changes growing up and growing older bring to each of them.
My only disappointment was the ending -- I didn't expect it, and didn't understand how it came to pass. It was the result of a good deal of anguished soul-searching that's so prevalent in this style of book, but even a rereading of the last bits left me clueless.
November 28, 2016
A really interesting psychological portrait of two marriages. I enjoyed the subtle changes in family dynamics over the course of the book. The awful, vain, conceited Herbert Blackett is comical yet very believable.
It was published in 1947 and set pre-WW2 in the appeasement era. Although I've read a fair bit about that period I didn't have much idea about how controversial appeasement was at the time or about the differing attitudes to the prospect of war. This was all fascinating but it was also sometimes difficult to understand this aspect of the book because people and events are not referred to by name. Of course readers in 1947 would know exactly who and what were being referred to but I found it a little confusing. Otherwise a very enjoyable book.
It was published in 1947 and set pre-WW2 in the appeasement era. Although I've read a fair bit about that period I didn't have much idea about how controversial appeasement was at the time or about the differing attitudes to the prospect of war. This was all fascinating but it was also sometimes difficult to understand this aspect of the book because people and events are not referred to by name. Of course readers in 1947 would know exactly who and what were being referred to but I found it a little confusing. Otherwise a very enjoyable book.
October 8, 2007
This is the second E.H. Young novel I've read (other is Miss Mole). Written c. 1946, this in depth character study of two very different middle class families is fascinating. The book suffers a little from the spectre of WW2 in Britain, but I easily overlooked that.
Young has mastered the development of fiercely independent "spinster" women in her books. The women are searching for acceptance and a place in a world that offered them very few options. For those of us who have so many choices, it is an interesting reminder of what life didn't offer single women in other eras.
I love Young's books, but if you are looking for plot---it doesn't exist in these novels.
Young has mastered the development of fiercely independent "spinster" women in her books. The women are searching for acceptance and a place in a world that offered them very few options. For those of us who have so many choices, it is an interesting reminder of what life didn't offer single women in other eras.
I love Young's books, but if you are looking for plot---it doesn't exist in these novels.
September 8, 2024
4.5🌟 One of my new top three favorite books from the British Library Women Writers series!
After reading Miss Mole, I felt a bit let down and disappointed. I think so many people told me how fantastic it was, so my expectations were too high. The opposite happened with this book! Because my expectations were pretty low this time, I absolutely loved it!
This book had my attention from the very first chapter after being introduced to Mr. Blackett. (Wow, he was a piece of work!) I was completely sucked in by all of the drama in this Chatterton Square neighborhood. Although the story is entirely different, I got strong 44 Scotland Street (by Alexander McCall Smith) vibes—which was definitely a good thing.
It was incredibly interesting reading and comparing the life experiences, thoughts and feelings of married Bertha Blackett, separated Rosamund Fraser (my fav!) and spinster Agnes Spanner. Although they are all completely different in age and personality, they still had some things in common...especially feeling somewhat unsatisfied and frustrated with life at that moment in time (at the brink of another war).
The addition of the children (all ages), friends, family members and long-lost memories made this novel quite a bit more lively than I was expecting. It was chock full of gossipy goodness, which I loved.
I stopped short of giving this book a full five stars because the ending was not quite as comforting and satisfying as I'd hoped. I really thought it was going one way, but it definitely veered away from it. I felt like the author tempted the reader with a great ending and then snatched it away at the last minute. It made sense overall, but I still would have preferred something more positive.
The afterwards by Simon Thomas was the icing on the cake—he never disappoints with his "spot on" observations, comparisons and extra information about that time period (which I never would have know otherwise). Bravo to Simon once again!
A highly, highly recommended British Library Women Writers novel!
After reading Miss Mole, I felt a bit let down and disappointed. I think so many people told me how fantastic it was, so my expectations were too high. The opposite happened with this book! Because my expectations were pretty low this time, I absolutely loved it!
This book had my attention from the very first chapter after being introduced to Mr. Blackett. (Wow, he was a piece of work!) I was completely sucked in by all of the drama in this Chatterton Square neighborhood. Although the story is entirely different, I got strong 44 Scotland Street (by Alexander McCall Smith) vibes—which was definitely a good thing.
It was incredibly interesting reading and comparing the life experiences, thoughts and feelings of married Bertha Blackett, separated Rosamund Fraser (my fav!) and spinster Agnes Spanner. Although they are all completely different in age and personality, they still had some things in common...especially feeling somewhat unsatisfied and frustrated with life at that moment in time (at the brink of another war).
The addition of the children (all ages), friends, family members and long-lost memories made this novel quite a bit more lively than I was expecting. It was chock full of gossipy goodness, which I loved.
I stopped short of giving this book a full five stars because the ending was not quite as comforting and satisfying as I'd hoped. I really thought it was going one way, but it definitely veered away from it. I felt like the author tempted the reader with a great ending and then snatched it away at the last minute. It made sense overall, but I still would have preferred something more positive.
The afterwards by Simon Thomas was the icing on the cake—he never disappoints with his "spot on" observations, comparisons and extra information about that time period (which I never would have know otherwise). Bravo to Simon once again!
A highly, highly recommended British Library Women Writers novel!
October 15, 2025
The Blacketts, a straight-laced family headed by a man who takes a strict line with his wife and daughters, are thrown into disarray when a more Bohemian family moves into their street. Rosamund Fraser is running her household alone, with her husband away long-term. She and her handsome sons prove an irrestistible attraction to the Blackett mother and daughters.
E H Young was a best-selling novelist in her day, but many of her books are out of print now. I really enjoyed this one. It is set just before World War 2 but written after it, so the war is a tangible cloud over the lives of the characters.
E H Young was a best-selling novelist in her day, but many of her books are out of print now. I really enjoyed this one. It is set just before World War 2 but written after it, so the war is a tangible cloud over the lives of the characters.
September 7, 2023
A tale of two families in the run up to the second world war. Fascinating insight into the misplaced optimism many people felt at the time. Wonderful characters and little glimpses at their thought processes. Definitely kinder to the women than the men.
September 9, 2021
Powerful portrait of a domestic despot who unconsciously believes that everything he thinks or does is the only way to be. He naturally expects his wife and family to concur exactly with his egotistical personality. Mr Blackett is brilliantly drawn and violently unlikeable, so much so that I became desperate for Mrs Blackett to hit him on the head with a fire iron or for a bomb to fall on his head or at the very least to be run over by a bus.
The Blacketts live on a corner of Chatterton Square where on the opposite corner are the Frasers, an easy going family of five mainly- teenage children, their still beautiful mother and Miss Spanner, a sharp tongued spinster (but with an underlying heart of gold) who has moved in with her old friend.
The action of the story focuses on the slow making of relationships between the two families and while doing so demonstrates the author's brilliant depiction of the personalities involved.
Yet perhaps the greatest character of all, only ever alluded to, never exactly spelled out, is the looming likelihood of war. It's seen towards the end of practically every chapter as something forcing present day life to take risks or to delay decisions because who knows what might be going to happen in the near future. It feels like an ominous overtone and the book even ends on this overtone since it ends with "peace in our time" and we, the readers, know that peace won't last.
For all its brilliance the novel is flawed. For starters it is not really about Chatterton Square although you might fairly expect it to be so. Black mark to the editor and marketing manager.
Rosamond Fraser and Miss Spanner enjoy endless discussions about the meaning of life which I eventually began to skip and the finale of the book is totally frustrating since I couldn't make out if the two women whose lives I had been following for nearly four hundred pages, were going to make any of the changes they so evidently needed. Hm.
On the other hand I gained a fascinating insight into how married women's roles were perceived before the war and the kind of desperation many of them must have been sentenced to.
I associate the book with my mother since I remember seeing it in her bookcase. And the lives described do have a bearing on her marriage to my father. They fortunately were happy but not all their friends were so lucky and I remember my father's disquiet when a couple of old friends divorced. It just wasn't the done thing, he'd tell me.
And a bonus to the novel. It's set in Upper Radstowe which is a pseudonym for Clifton in Bristol. I've always loved the idea of hearing the lions roar, echoing from the Zoo nearby. And I'm very fond of that part of Bristol.
The Blacketts live on a corner of Chatterton Square where on the opposite corner are the Frasers, an easy going family of five mainly- teenage children, their still beautiful mother and Miss Spanner, a sharp tongued spinster (but with an underlying heart of gold) who has moved in with her old friend.
The action of the story focuses on the slow making of relationships between the two families and while doing so demonstrates the author's brilliant depiction of the personalities involved.
Yet perhaps the greatest character of all, only ever alluded to, never exactly spelled out, is the looming likelihood of war. It's seen towards the end of practically every chapter as something forcing present day life to take risks or to delay decisions because who knows what might be going to happen in the near future. It feels like an ominous overtone and the book even ends on this overtone since it ends with "peace in our time" and we, the readers, know that peace won't last.
For all its brilliance the novel is flawed. For starters it is not really about Chatterton Square although you might fairly expect it to be so. Black mark to the editor and marketing manager.
Rosamond Fraser and Miss Spanner enjoy endless discussions about the meaning of life which I eventually began to skip and the finale of the book is totally frustrating since I couldn't make out if the two women whose lives I had been following for nearly four hundred pages, were going to make any of the changes they so evidently needed. Hm.
On the other hand I gained a fascinating insight into how married women's roles were perceived before the war and the kind of desperation many of them must have been sentenced to.
I associate the book with my mother since I remember seeing it in her bookcase. And the lives described do have a bearing on her marriage to my father. They fortunately were happy but not all their friends were so lucky and I remember my father's disquiet when a couple of old friends divorced. It just wasn't the done thing, he'd tell me.
And a bonus to the novel. It's set in Upper Radstowe which is a pseudonym for Clifton in Bristol. I've always loved the idea of hearing the lions roar, echoing from the Zoo nearby. And I'm very fond of that part of Bristol.
September 18, 2021
3.5 stars. I wasn't sure when I started this if I was going to like it but by the time I had got half way through it I was really enjoying it. The story is set during the year running up to the Munich agreement when Hitler was being appeased to try to prevent another war. It is set in a square of houses and involves 2 families who live next door to each other. In one house we have the Blackett's, a husband, wife and 3 daughters. Mr. Blackett is definitely the head of the house. What he says goes, he is a vile, narcissistic obtuse individual who I don't think really likes women but thinks that all women fancy him!! His wife and daughters can't stand him but he doesn't realise that because he only sees what he wants to see and he is so far up himself with such a high opinion of his worth. I enjoyed his reaction at the end!! In the next house we have the Frasers, head of family is Rosamund who has 5 children most of them grown up (3 boys and 2 girls). Also living in the house is Miss Spanner, an old spinster friend. Rosamunds husband has deserted her and his family.
It is a story of families and of marriages but also of the choices women had. An unhappy marriage, never married or separated (I don't think the author could have been too enamoured of the marriage state as there is no evidence of the other option - a happy marriage!)
It's not really a plot driven novel but more about the characters and their day to day lives during a time of uncertainty. I actually grew to like most of the characters and at the end was wanting to know what happened to them in the future. Obviously the reader knows that a few months after the end of the book the second world war started and several of the family members would be involved in that and I found myself worrying about them and how would they get on during the war. Having 3 boys myself, I could relate with Rosamunds fear for her boys if a war started.
It is a story of families and of marriages but also of the choices women had. An unhappy marriage, never married or separated (I don't think the author could have been too enamoured of the marriage state as there is no evidence of the other option - a happy marriage!)
It's not really a plot driven novel but more about the characters and their day to day lives during a time of uncertainty. I actually grew to like most of the characters and at the end was wanting to know what happened to them in the future. Obviously the reader knows that a few months after the end of the book the second world war started and several of the family members would be involved in that and I found myself worrying about them and how would they get on during the war. Having 3 boys myself, I could relate with Rosamunds fear for her boys if a war started.
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November 21, 2016A picture of England at the outset of the Second World War, as experienced by two families living across from one another in E.H. Young's familiar fictive town of Radstowe. We see two women, one trapped in a loveless marriage to a priggish man who escaped fighting in the Great War; and the other living in limbo, not unhappily, as her (brave) husband has absconded to the Continent, and a new man (wounded in the Great War) pursues her. The novel traces their respective emotional journeys-- a muted book, but written with great intelligence.
July 7, 2020
An honest, splendid read about the lives of two families composed of some fascinating characters in the months leading up to the second world war. Among other things, this book presents a cool, detached study of one of the most unfortunate marriages in the history of marriage. It shows up life for what it is: memories, hopes, fears and illusions strung up like beads on a necklace. And I love the ending: there's a bit of closure, some poetic justice, some bad decisions, and the shadow of a dark future looming above.
December 5, 2018
Maybe 4.5...but I still loved it. Only thing was the superfluous children.
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