One Year's Time

by Angela Milne, Simon Thomas (Introduction)

Single-girl Liza leaps into an exciting new sexual relationship with Walter, after the couple meet at a New Year’s party. Written by Angela Milne, the niece of A. A. Milne, and originally published in 1942, the story shines a light on subtly changing societal attitudes and deftly captures Liza’s euphoria and frustrations as she navigates a relationship outside of marriage. Warm, witty and surprising, it leaves you wondering why Milne only wrote one novel.

Genres: Fiction, British Literature

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1942

Reviews

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel was published in 1942, but is set in the late 1930's and follows a year in the life of Liza, a modern Batchelor Girl, who meets Walter at a New Years Eve party, and almost immediately embarks on a sexual relationship with him.

[Caro (carosbookcase) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“‘Please. Would it be awful if I kissed you?’
“Liza was suddenly very happy. They were friends, they were on the same side; all that he wanted was what she wanted—a flash of beauty in a dull world.” — One Year’s Time by Angela Milne

Liza meets Walter at a New Year’s party and the couple immediately start a sexual relationship. Sex before marriage isn’t an uncommon occurrence in Liza’s set, but sex without even the promise of marriage, well— that’s something Liza has to battle with within herself.

This is a novel that feels incredibly modern, especially considering it was first published in 1942 and set sometime in the 30s before the Second World War!

I’ve read contemporary novels that were doing similar things relating to how a young single woman manages her love life. But Angela Milne does it better, by far.

With how Liza bends herself to be more likeable to Walter, she could easily have become a frustrating character to read. That is, if she wasn’t so relatable. I think everyone has either known a Liza or been a Liza at some point in their lives. There is a youthful innocence to her. She is endlessly optimistic about what she refers to as “the Future”, even when what is happening in the present is making her miserable.

On more than one occasion Liza acknowledges that she isn’t herself when she is with Walter. Yet, instead of seeing this as a red flag, still she looks on the Future when she is married to Walter as being a place of safety and comfort, when she will stop the constant worry of losing him.

This book is heartbreaking and beautiful and I especially enjoyed reading a book from this period that centres around a woman who doesn’t necessarily have to work, as she has an aunt and uncle that seem more than happy to house her, but who enjoys work, even if she doesn’t particularly enjoy her job.

I’d be interested to know why Angela Milne only wrote the one novel. How I wish there were more of her books to enjoy!

[Bronwyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man.. I went on a trip with this book… I don’t think I liked it, but in the end I wasn’t hating it anymore. Three stars seems fair.

I liked this at the beginning! And I trust the BLWW series and Simon Thomas, so was eager to keep going. But I just did not like Walter at all and really stalled out during spring? summer? when they’ve gone away together. Once Walter was not as present the book got better again. At one point I’d decided Liza is a sociopath or something, but even that passed by the end. She’s just so frustrating and I wanted her to wise up about Walter so much sooner than she did. Even at the very end she’s still considering a potential other relationship in terms of Walter and it’s maddening.

Like I said, the parts without Walter were enjoyable, but he’s just such a part of the book (and understandably so) that it’s hard for me to really enjoy this. Three stars seems a fair compromise.

[Gina House · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5🌟 A poignant and thoughtful novel about young romance. I have to admit that I had a hard time getting into this story. I wanted so much to love it, but I just seemed to plod along. Once I reached the middle of the book, things picked up for me. Maybe it was because I felt like I knew the characters a little better or maybe I was more invested in the plot—it's hard to tell.

It's funny because Liza had such similar thoughts in her head as I did when I had my first love. Although I wasn't in the same position as she was (living and working in London away from family) at that time, I felt like the way we thought about relationships (worry then happiness followed by more worry and insecurity) in the same way.

Walter is described as someone who is very handsome, charming and desirable. It's easy to see how Liza could so easily fall in love with him and want to continue their affair in hopes of a possible future marriage. The parts of the story where she is so worried about her faux wedding ring are so pitiful that it made me want to cry.

I felt like One Year's Time had a lot in common with a Barbara Pym novel—mundane everyday routines, stilted conversations, thoughts not shared, hopes dashed and an overall feeling of somber disappointment.

I didn't love this book, but I did like it. Towards the end, it really got hold of my heart and I was hoping for the perfect ending. I would have liked a perfect ending, but the reader is brought back full circle in a way which might promise future happiness, but doesn't all together guarantee it.

Overall, I'm glad I read this addition to the British Library Women Writers collection and perhaps I'll read it again someday and enjoy it more. This is a story that leaves you musing at the end and stays with you for a while.

[Susan Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounding up, since the last 50 pages or so was at least a little better for me. I picked this up at the British Library & was disappointed I didn’t care for this one. I still can’t quite figure out the meaning of “he flicked her neck,” which was used repeatedly.

[JacquiWine · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 Stars)

Over the past few years, the British Library has been doing sterling work with its excellent Women Writers series, reissuing lost treasures by female authors from the 20th century for modern-day readers to enjoy. First published in 1942, Angela Milne’s novel One Year’s Time is a relatively recent addition to the series, another welcome release from this fascinating imprint.

Set in the mid-late 1930s – we’re never quite sure of the exact date – Milne’s novel covers a year in the life of Liza, a young unmarried woman who fantasises about ‘The Future’. More specifically, the story is concerned with the pursuit of love and marriage, charting the ups and downs of Liza’s relationship with Walter, a superficially charming young man she has just met at a party.

For a writer working in the early 1940s, Milne is relatively candid about the portrayal of sex before marriage. For instance, Liza and Walter waste little time in cutting to the chase, ending up in bed together the second time they meet. There is a bit of a Nancy Mitford/Bright Young Things vibe to this couple’s interactions, with liberal use of the pet name ‘darling’ as they get to know one another in and out of bed.

The novel is divided into four sections – Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter – with Milne cleverly using the passing of the seasons to represent the different stages in Liza’s relationship with her beau. So, in spring, we see romance blossoming as Walter spends several evenings at Liza’s Chelsea flat. By the summer, Liza has given up her steady secretarial job in London’s Chancery Lane to rent a cottage in the New Forest with Walter as he works on his book.

While Walter is fairly relaxed about the pair of them living together, Liza is more conscious of social conventions, so she buys a wedding ring from Woolworths for the sake of appearances. In short, Liza likes the idea of being married to Walter, but this pretence comes with its own risks – a multitude of little details that threaten to trip her up.

As the story unfolds, we begin to see a mismatch in their expectations of the relationship. Liza longs for the security of a more solid bond; consequently, she can never truly be herself with Walter, fearing that she might lose him if her real feelings come to light. (While the novel is written in the third person, Milne gives us access to Liza’s inner world, laying bare her insecurities in a refreshingly candid way.)

She could never be herself till she was married. When they were married she could be nasty to Walter when it was necessary, because she wouldn’t be afraid of losing him. She could tell him he was lazy, she could make him a proper barrister and bully him to write his book. And all she did now was stop him working; not by saying anything, by saying nothing; because he was afraid, because at the heart of their relationship, instead of the courage to take each other for life, was a blank, a fear on her side, on his – she sat down again and thought, trying to put herself in Walter’s place. Yes, he was being perfectly reasonable; he had always told her what he wanted, she had always said she wanted it too, because she was afraid.

To read the rest of my review, please visit:
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[Julia Schulz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liza is alone in her world, yet not the bookish, spinster type. She wants to live a real life. Liza is romantic. She meets Walter at a party and they begin a ritzy affair in her apartment. She spends her days working in an office, which she is glib about. If you could call it working. I actually think that she was a useless secretary, useless with shorthand, yet it's all swept under the rug, because she charms everyone with her exemplary social skills. I spent a lot of time, while reading this, marvelling at how we used to think and behave in bygone eras. Portions of buses favoured for quiet corners in which to ruminate, couple with the imaginations of what it must be to be in another's world, and what other people mean to other people. And all of this coming from Liza who was a shallow girl!

Tedium set in quite early with Milne's sentence structures; replaying in Liza's mind, the retracing of how everything was a year before and what it was supposed to be in one year's time, hence the title. I struggled to comprehend some of the fishy dialogue, too. This book requires quite a lot of concentration. What I loved about it was Milne's descriptions of Liza's apartment. I was in there with her. Me, a dull mouse, whom Liza wouldn't care to have as an acquaintance in real life.

Sadly, I looked quizzically upon Liza's anticipation, inbetween times, of seeing Walter again. A feeling now lost to most of us, I assume, to cyberspace. Relationships appear mechanical to me now. Logical arrangements that I feel have merit. Yet, the drudgery of her hence needing to find ways to pass the time, pleased me. I could learn from that. It showed me how I want to live my life. Monotony leading to sparks of joy.

I say it was tedious, but that was mainly dialogue issues, for me. What kept me interested was how exacting and well sketched her descriptions were. It really was quite colourful. And she had a talent in the compare & contrast of her characters. Quite a talented writer, I think, yet this was her only published novel. And, what an effort!

I've read a few, but not many of the BLWW series now, and some have left me underwhelmed, while others I thought were fantastic, this one seems to land in the middle of all that, somewhere.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite portrayal of a passionate love affair covering the period of exactly one year.
This book was written in 1940 and set in the late 1930’s just before WWII.
This novel reminds us that people have not changed and men and women have always engaged in both physical and emotional relations outside of marriage.

The skillful writing portrays an intense affair without the need for graphic details or physical descriptions.
The protagonist, Liza, is an independent young woman in her mid twenties living alone and working as a secretary and we learn from obscure references to other men that she is not inexperienced, though far from promiscuous.
Her lover, Walter, is also in love with Liza but in no way ready for marriage, which she understands while hoping that the affair will progress to that point.
Without being spelled out we can discern that he is probably richer and better educated than Liza, but they are both decidedly middle class (in the traditional sense, meaning not aristocracy but not working class).
They love each other and hurt each other.
It’s definitely a case of one person wanting to have a commitment while the other is not ready.
In this case Liza is the more committed party and the one who gives more.
An excellent book depicting its time. So many details about how people lived and what things cost.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this is probably my least favorite of the British library women writers series that I have read so far. This is what romance tropes of today would call instalove. Our two main characters fall in love on the very first night they spend together, or at least, Liza does. Walter, the love interest, is frankly an idiot. He’s insufferable and self-important. It’s clear from the first page that this is a relationship that will not work out but maybe that’s the point. Liza’s instant obsession with him reads something like mania. It’s a reminder that being inside the head of someone who is unreasonably in love is annoying at best and downright maddening at worst. That isn’t to say that there is no good writing here. The writing is extremely good and I especially liked Milne’s eye for detail and exquisitely rendered minutia of daily life. I wish she had written more fiction because the talent was clearly there I just didn’t connect with this particular story or its characters.

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, written in the 1940s but set in the 1930s, presented a surprisingly modern story of a young single woman who lives on her own, and embarks on a sexual affair with a man. I've read a lot of books set in this time period, but nothing like this- typically the books I've read have marriage as the inevitable result of a romance, with nothing more than a kiss until the wedding night. Sadly for the woman, Liza, in this book, her lover is content to remain only a lover, while she is hoping for more.
In the end, another, more traditional man falls in love with Liza, and offers her the marriage she wants. This ending felt a bit too convenient, but overall this was a satisfying and entertaining read.

[Oolookitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fact that I took seven months to finally get back to this book and finish it pretty much says it all. It’s very well written, and an interesting look at “bachelor girl” in England between the wars, but Liza is such an incredibly passive character that she drove me up the wall. I was so stressed out waiting for her to make one single decision about her life.

I would definitely read something else by this writer because I think the writing itself was excellent, but I needed something more than Liza’s neediness and clinginess and inability to take charge of her own life. Possibly if Walter, her boyfriend, had been less of a heel I would’ve felt better about it all. ;)

[Simon Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so delighted this book is back in print. It follows a year in the life of Liza - her romantic life, and also an unusual insight into life in an office in the 1930s (the book is published in 1942, but set pre-war). The dialogue is often quite Coward-esque, and it all felt surprisingly modern to me. Sex and money are the two preoccupations of many characters, and Liza's up-and-down relationship with Walter is believable and enjoyable.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one in the women's writers series this time the only novel ever written by Angela Milne in 1938 and guess what? It reads like a total "message left on read" from the 2020. A year of waiting and hoping in vain for a different outcome but knowing without asking the answer ahead as the rules have been laid out in that first meeting between the two lovers. A contemporary and universal chess game of parallel lives briefly intertwined in a romantic/sexual entanglement.

[Helena Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable book. Existentialist and curious, Milne explores the life of an unmarried woman in the early twentieth century. Uncertain, questioning, insecure, Liza enters into an affair with a man. With high highs and lower lows, Liza explores morality and love and propriety.

[Ruby Reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to read how an ("immediate") sexual relationship with a couple would be described in this era, and how it might complicate things. Unfortunately, I read half of the book without feeling any movement in the story or characters and had to DNF. Life is too short.

[Lisa of Hopewell]

https://jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2024...

[Lucie Drouin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me so long to read but it was nice. Liza is so relatable to be honest

[Ria Gibbison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely, if predictable story of a year in the life of Liza. This felt very modern, despite being set and written in the 40s.

For the most part I found it very engaging, although towards the end I found the dialogue, particularly between Liza and Walter quite repetitive.