Confusion

Cazalet Chronicles #3

by Elizabeth Jane Howard

This is an alternate cover edition for ISBN 9780330339957.

The long, dark days of struggle provide the background to this book in the Cazalet Chronicle. As the war enters its fourth year, chaos has become a way of life, as the family find the battle for survival echoes the confusion in their lives.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, British Literature, World War II, War, Audiobook

481 pages, Paperback

First published November 5, 1993

About the author

Elizabeth Jane Howard, CBE, was an English novelist. She was an actress and a model before becoming a novelist. In 1951, she won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for her first novel, The Beautiful Visit. Six further novels followed, before she embarked on her best known work, a four novel family saga (i.e., The Cazalet Chronicles) set in wartime Britain. The Light Years, Marking Time, Confusion, and Casting Off were serialised by Cinema Verity for BBC television as The Cazalets (The Light Years, Marking Time, Confusion and Casting Off). She has also written a book of short stories, Mr Wrong, and edited two anthologies.

Her last novel in The Cazalet Chronicles series, "ALL CHANGE", was published in November 2013.

Reviews

[Jaline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This third novel of the Cazalet Chronicles quintet is aptly named Confusion. It covers a period of time when WWII has intensified, and all able bodies are called upon to serve their countries. Some countries switch allegiances, some move from neutrality to battle in their own ways, and resistance forces within many countries under seige are increasing their efforts to aid the Allies.

The privations of civilians are everywhere – in the battling countries, in the neutral countries, and with trade at a virtual stand-still, even in countries not directly involved in the theatres of war.

For the Cazalets, their country home remains a haven, albeit shabbier than ever, and their gardens help to stretch their rations. For the youngest people in the family, memories of “before the war” are foggy with the exception of some family members who are missing and others actively involved in some war effort or another.

War also means that some people are a long way from their homes – even across oceans. During times of leave, a sense of almost desperate need to socialize and seek solace through romantic involvements becomes the norm. Sometimes marriages occur: those made in haste, and those whose dates are brought forward due to the grooms’ looming departures for the Front. Another consequence: abandoned young women, and young women whose sympathy and empathy generate an impulse to loving acts that they might otherwise think twice about.

Businesses are also affected: do they take action in a certain direction presuming the war continues? Or do they move forward in the direction of what is best for the business with peace on the horizon?

Conflict – confusion – is everywhere, infecting everyone and all enterprises as the war rages on. But for how long? And what happens then?

Elizabeth Jane Howard addresses all of these topics as well as many others through the Cazalet family and their extended circle of friends and acquaintances. By now, I have grown to care about this family even more than I did in the first novel.

With her ability to portray each of her characters true to form and in multi-dimensions, the in-depth emotional and mental sensitivities of her characters bring their lives and the times they are living through into sharp focus. And I look forward to discovering more of their plans and how their lives continue to change when I read the 4th novel next month.

[Libros Prestados · Rating 5 out of 5]

La verdad es que ya no sé qué decir de esta saga familiar que es sin duda la mejor que he leído nunca.

Supongo que todo lo dicho anteriormente más: ¿CÓMO TE ATREVES A TERMINAR EL TERCER VOLUMEN ASÍ, ELIZABETH JANE HOWARD? Eso no se le hace a una persona. No debería ser legal. ¿Cómo voy a superar la espera hasta saber cómo van a seguir Clary, Polly, Louise... y en general todos los Cazalet y allegados? (Tú no, Edward, tú muérete). Lo que sí sé es que sufro mucho con esta historia y todos sus personajes (Howard es más cruel que G.R.R. Martin) pero no puedo dejar de leer. Es un culebrón bien escrito, con personajes humanos a los que llegas a preciar tanto que parecen de la familia (aunque no a todos, algunos merecen morir y arder en el infierno).

No sé cómo superaré la espera, pero no hay duda de que la cuarta parte me la leo seguro. Aunque sea para sufrir aún más.

[Malacorda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giusto due righe per annotare che mi sto godendo questa saga e vado avanti con gusto e soddisfazione. La considerazione è delle più elementari: non sarà il capolavoro letterario del secolo, ma mi ha ben intrattenuto e dunque ha assolto egregiamente al suo compito. Per il resto, non entro nei dettagli perché se da un lato non vorrei ripetermi, dall'altro non voglio spoilerare: scrittura sempre scorrevole; i personaggi sono sempre ben tratteggiati; le derive che solitamente possono costituire il maggior timore di fronte a trame da soap, qui sono agevolmente scongiurate. Gli eventi significativi all'interno della famiglia incalzano, allo stesso modo in cui l'evolversi della guerra incalza in quella che è la vita delle nazioni. Tra il Marzo del '42, in piena confusione bellica, e la primavera del '45, con la confusione che segue l'armistizio soprattutto negli animi delle persone, le quali tentano di ritrovare quella normalità di prima della guerra che ormai nemmeno si ricordano più, il quadro dipinto dalla Howard potrebbe sembrare, in un primo momento, meno minuzioso di quanto la stessa autrice aveva saputo fare nei primi passaggi del primo volume, eppure se ci si volta indietro a guardare tutti e tre i libri, si può ben vedere come i cambiamenti di usi e costumi nella vita quotidiana delle persone, durante quegli anni cruciali, siano stati rappresentati con una ricostruzione pressoché perfetta, che nasce da una penna evidentemente dotata di grande abilità. Peccato solo per qualche refuso e qualche ripetizione che è evidentemente sfuggita al lavoro di editing.

[Ingrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was like meeting dear old friends after some time apart and finding they were still all right.

[Magrat Ajostiernos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esta saga no defrauda, si te gustan las historia de personajes, no te la puedes perder.
En este caso seguimos a la familia en plena Segunda Guerra Mundial y los Cazalet siguen haciendo como que no pasa nada, como si no hubiera bombas, desaparecidos en la familia, racionamiento... pero es que ya han pasado 4 años y los más jóvenes de la familia ni siquiera recuerdan un mundo sin guerra.
Este libro está lleno de momentos inolvidables (me rompió el corazón el capítulo que habla de la depresión posparto, ya sabéis cual), aunque es cierto que no ha llegado a las 5 estrellas como los dos anteriores principalmente por los constantes amores (tormentosos) que aparecen, son muchos y se me hicieron repetitivos (soy rara, lo sé, no sentí mucha emoción por estos amores/desamores, toda mi empatía la tienen Hugh y Clary). Me pareció que la autora tiraba menos de los detalles costumbristas y más de las relaciones románticas.
Sea como sea, maravillosa la saga de los Cazalet siempre, este libro termina como sabía que iba a terminar, y no por ello dejó de maravillarme ♥︎

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly captivating family saga which covers 3 generations of the Cazalet family. This was a reread though I listened to it this time. As different characters took over the narrative I felt like I was hearing the story of a real person, knew them intimately and cared for them deeply. This book covers WWII. Two more books books to go. Simply fantastic.

[Petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful continuation of the Cazalet story. This is a wonderful family. Through all their troubles, they see themselves as part of a whole.
I'm a sucker for generational family sagas. I like getting to know the characters, watching them grow up & develop their personalities, to marry and have children, who then continue the saga in future books.
This saga is more contained and covers the family over 3 generations and, as yet, all three generations are still alive, which makes for an interesting extended family with lots of drama, mistakes, good intentions and Life.
This book occurs during the final years of WWII. The children have only vague memories of life without war & rations. There are many decisions to be made: marriage decisions, schooling, relationships of all sorts. These characters have decisions to make.
My favorite character is Neville. I'm not sure what his role will be in the next 2 books of this saga but I look forward to his growth.

NOTE: this series reminds me of the Jalna series by Mazo de la Roche (Book 1: The Building Of Jalna) in that it follows a family through the generations. I enjoyed this saga as well.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A continuation of the story of one large family and their journey before, during, and after World War 2, Confusion takes place during the last part of the war and ends with the declaration of peace in Europe.

It is mostly the saga of three girls who start out as children, preteens in the first book, and who are now in their early twenties. Louise, the most lost of the three, has gotten married to a much older man and had a baby. She feels unconnected to her husband, who is kind of an overgrown adolescent and very selfish, and her baby boy. She and her husband are ruled by his mother who is a tyrant and has her hands on all the strings of her family.

Polly is working, but feels she is not suited for any profession and has fallen in love with an old family friend. Clary is working too, but is more comfortable in her new life and is having fun being on her own. She still mourns for her poor father Rupert, missing and believed dead in France.

The rest of the family is sort of in the background, but you still get glimmers every now and then.

[Rosemary Atwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Howard’s intricate and absorbing Cazalet saga continues with ‘Confusion,’ a labyrinthine network of intrigue and loss set against the war years of 1942 to 1945.

This has been the longest, yet in many ways, the most satisfying of the series to date, with its beautiful control and fine dissection of emotions. My only quibble is that the reader is dropped into scenes mid-conversation quickly becomes a ‘where am I now?’ irritant before moving forward. But this is a small gripe for such an escapist feast.

A writer at the pinnacle of her craft.

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like visiting old friends. The continuing saga of the Cazalet family is one of the few books that I can sink into at the moment. This, like the last book, focuses mainly on the three older girls; Louise, Polly, and Clary and their trials and tribulations in Wartime. I'll get to the next one soon.

[Antoinette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Book 3 of the Cazalet Chronicles. This book starts in March 1942 and takes us to May 1945. Once again, I became totally immersed in the continuing saga of the Cazelets. Much as we still are apprised of the whole family, the main emphasis is still the three older cousins- Louise, Polly and Clary.
So much takes place in this book. Thanks to the ongoing war, everyone remains in a state of “confusion”. What does the future hold? It’s hard to move forward when you feel stuck waiting- Clary is still waiting to hear if her father is alive or dead; Polly is still grieving the loss of her mother and waiting to move forward; Louise marries Michael but with him gone so much , due to the war, she is waiting for her life to move forward.. I really liked when the focus moved to the older members of the family.. All the Cazelets are stuck, one way or another. Once I got back into their world, I had trouble putting this book down. I had to restrain myself from picking up #4 immediately as I didn’t want to rush onwards.
One of the many things that struck me this time around was how life went on even though a major war was raging. Kids still had to be taught and go to school. The girls moved out to be independent- they looked for jobs, they fell in love. Life continued! It felt so realistic as I read this, but I guess I never considered that aspect of the war. Most books just focus on the war itself- in this series, the focus is the home front.
I loved this book and will be anticipating returning to the Cazelets world in book 4. What will happen to them all after the war is over?

Published: 1993

[Andy Marr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh no! More than halfway through the series already! I'm dreading its end...

[Emma.catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts off with quite a shock…it is very much a continuation of the previous book in the series, however it is a shock nonetheless. I should note here that this book, although brilliantly written, cannot be read as a standalone; it is very much part of the Cazalet Chronicles.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

This story continued the theme of the long, dark days of WW2. We encounter the Cazalet family life once again and watch how the war divides and troubles each member of the family differently. The wartime battle confuses many of them, echoing the confusion and conflict in their own lives. Deceit seemed to be becoming second nature to many of them…

I liked the fact that this instalment had more, shorter characters in it. Elizabeth has certainly made a conscious change from her first book, in which there was only 2 or 3 very long chapters. The second book had a few more and this time around the book is split into 3 parts with 5-6 chapters each. I find this type of writing much less intimidating and more compelling to read.

Furthermore, I was also happy to see that Elizabeth had chosen to continue with the same POV as in the second book. Seeing the world through the eyes of Louise, Polly and Clary is an interesting read, especially now that they are all getting a bit older. The two younger girls are now in their late teens, which is quite a change from the first book. The decision to continue in this format has made the series flow very smoothly from one book to the next. I do, however, also enjoy the chapters of ‘the family’ as this gives us a broader perspective of what is going on in the world around them.

Louise - the headstrong, independent woman surprises us in this book. She takes on a totally different narrative than we could have imagined for her. She has always had her sights set on being a famous actress but her dreams of being on stage are brought to an abrupt halt in this book. While it was nice to see a different side of her, I missed her strong will and felt that her self-confidence dwindled in this novel. However, as the story went on the focus seemed more and more on Louise and I personally found her taking more of a prime position in the novel 🤐 She was definitely my main character of interest in this book.

Polly - Oh now dreadful the start of this book was for her. My heart absolutely broke for her and the family. Polly spends most of the novel trying to find a way to cope with both with what happens to her mother and her father’s subsequent feelings. However, now in her late teens (along with Clary), she is still immensely pretty and attractive, and is told as such. Herself and Clary are both finally living out their ambition of living together in London. However, the City life is not quite as glamorous as one would have imagined. They both find themselves in dead-end jobs, just trying to scrap by enough to live in London.

Clary - sweet little Clary. She is as sharp and clever as always; being constantly aware of the secrets swarming her family. She is the only one that still believes her father is alive. I really FEEL for her. She continues to write journals to her father which are both captivating and sad at the same time. She longed for her father to return and through her I also gain a sense of hope that he WILL return.

Furthermore, another character I would like to mention is Zoe; she had grown on me since the first book. She is no longer the spoiled, vain, shallow, 19 year old who had married Rupert. Now, nearing 30, she had gained so much wisdom from everything the world had thrown at her and because of this she was much more grounded and genuine. She was now a mother, and that in itself had changed her massively. HOWEVER, similarly to other characters in the extended family, my mind was changed massively as she took on another totally different role. It was like she had split her life in two; neither of which would recognise the other.

And finally, those last few pages 😱 absolutely hypnotic description. This book is worth reading just for that ending 😭 👏🏼 🤫

Overall, Elizabeth has delivered yet another captivating novel. I have once again been entertained and felt all consumed by the Cazalet family’s lives. While there is so much to take in, during this period of great uncertainty, Elizabeth has conveyed it all in a manner that is easy to grasp, and furthermore, enjoy! And, I truly can NOT wait to see what happens in book 4 👀

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[Tittirossa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lettura rilassante, ma non per questo riduttiva.

Rilassante perché Howard non soffre di ansia da prestazione, e quindi non ha la necessità di infarcire la storia di spiegazioni, di tormentate analisi sentimentali-emotive, di excursus sociali, di accadimenti eccezionali. Ha scelto un microcosmo (la famiglia allargata dei Cazalet e persone varie che gravitano attorno) e lo racconta prevalentemente con la voce delle protagoniste femminili, con qualche inserto famigliare.
Gli accadimenti si succedono e la “crescita” personale è sempre resa attraverso le vicende, senza concessioni o scorciatoie. Viene spontaneo tifare per Louise o Polly (per me un po’ meno per Clary, che mi è sempre sembrata la cocca della Howard, forse perché ha l’ambizione di scrivere, e quindi mediamente ci fa sempre più bella figura delle altre), e trovare irritanti alcuni dei caratteri più egoisti (Sid & Rachel sono una bella coppia della dipendenza vittimistica, Jessica e Andrew che si fanno i fatti propri incuranti del prossimo, Michael e Zee da perfetto complesso edipidico).
La narrazione del tempo di guerra è notevole, perché assunta dal punto di vista di chi la vive dal di dentro senza sapere che finirà, e genera un’ansia che si trasmette anche al lettore perfettamente consapevole che il 1945 porterà con sé la fine.
Mentre si avvicina la fine del libro, Howard prende un po’ di scorciatoie con il carattere di Archie deus ex machina che-risolve-problemi, ma il lettore sa che ci sarà il quarto volume e poi il quinto.
Con molto meno di questa materia (sia narrativa che umana) ci hanno fatto 6 stagioni di Downton Abbey, quindi è presumibile che arriverà anche questo sul grande schermo.

[Diane Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am just as deeply involved with this family as the first time I read this series over 25 years ago. I can't believed how immersed in this book I became. Polly and Clary are growing up, Louise just keeps making mistakes, the Duchy and Brig are fading, Lydia is still funny, and I'm expecting big things from Neville. Of course, Edward and Hugh and Rachel and Villy are soldiering on in their own ways. Through it all Archie, honorary member of the family, listens and solves problems and hides his own emotions to do so.

In this third book, I gained respect for Zoe and dearly loved the Duchy, for understanding more than anyone gave her credit for, abandoning her Victorian ideas to silently condone a younger woman's needs.

Now I can't wait to get to Casting Off, the fourth installment which begins just after the war in Europe has ended, meaning so many changes for this remarkable family. I had told myself that I would wait to start Confusion until April, but I couldn't wait, so #4 will be my April treat instead.

[Cristina - Athenae Noctua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Con Confusione ho avuto l'immediata certezza che i quadretti spensierati che si ritrovavano nel primo romanzo e che già si erano diradati nel secondo erano ormai spariti, segno della crescita dei personaggi e dell'ampliarsi dei loro problemi. Questo non significa che Confusione non mi sia piaciuto, anzi. La chiara percezione di queste trasformazioni è, a mio avviso, la vera forza delle saghe familiari, che, come accade nella vita reale, vedono nascere e dissolversi gesti e relazioni, velando inevitabilmente il passare del tempo di malinconia.
http://athenaenoctua2013.blogspot.it/...

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

El cuarto libro en la saga familiar “Crónicas de los Cazalet” sigue la estela de sus dos precursores en cuanto a la narración tan increíblemente fluida y ágil que produce una alta adicción en sus lectores.

Inglaterra marzo 1942- mayo 1945. Los Cazalet continúan sus vidas como pueden mientras la guerra sigue su curso. Se van produciendo muertes, desapariciones, traiciones, decepciones y miedos pero ellos son de una pasta muy resistente y aun en medio de un conflicto bélico que les afecta personalmente (como a todos los habitantes del país) parece como si la violencia no fuera con ellos. Ni aun las pequeñas violencias que se producen de manera cotidiana independientemente de la guerra.

Y a estas alturas poco más se puede decir sin entrar en detalles. El tercer volumen me ha gustado muchísimo, lo he disfrutado incluso más que el segundo, que a mi juicio era bastante más violento en cierto sentido. Ya solo me quedan dos libros para terminar la saga, aunque me han comentado que el quinto es mejor hacer como si no existiera.

[Chrissie]

On completion of Marking Time, the previous book in the series, I came to the conclusion that I did not want to continue. My review of that book explains why. I thought my notes covering what has occurred in the previous two books before Confusion might help others.


Cazalet Family Tree :
(as of the conclusion of Marking Time, where Confusion begins, which is to say December 1941 after Pearl Harbor)

Abbreviations:
lrw = love relationship with
fw = friend with


William Cazalet = Brig (born 1860)
-brother-in -law of Flo who dies in 1941 and Dolly who is still alive
-husband of Kitty = Duchy
-father of Hugh, Edward, Rachel and Rupert

Hugh Cazalet eldest son (born 1896)
-husband of Sybil Cazalet (born 1899, dying of cancer)
-three children:
1.Polly (born 1925)
-kind, fw Carly
2.Simon (born 191926)
3.William=Wills (born 1937)

Edward Cazalet second son (born 1897)
-husband of Viola Rydel Cazalet=Villy (born 1896, ballerina)
-four children
1.Louise (born 1923)
-lrw Michael Hadley
-to-be-actress
-sexually mishandled by father
2.Teddy (born 1924)
3.Lydia (born 1931)
-fw Neville
4.Roland (born 1939)
-maybe father of Diane’s children
1.Jamie (born 1938)
2.child to be born in 1942

Rachel Cazalet (born 1899)
-lrw Sid
-lrw Archy

Rupert Cazalet third son (born 1903)
-husband of Isobel Rush Cazalet (1893-1930)
-missing since Dunkirk 1940
-tried to escape France with Pipete O’Neil
-April 1941 still alive
-two children:
1.Clarissa = Clary (born 1925)
-fw Polly
-to-be-writer
2.Neville (born 1930)
-fw Lydia
-husband of 2nd wife Zoe Headford Cazalet (born 1915)
1.infant dies (Philip maybe father)
2.Juliet (born 1940)

Jessica Rydel Castle
-sister of Villy Rydel Cazalet
- lrw Lorenzo Chatterworth married to Mercedes)
-wife of husband Raymond Castle
-four children (births calculated)
1.Angela (born 1919)
-earlier lrw Rupert
-lrw married Brian
-miscarriage
2.Nora (born 1922)
-to-be-nun or nurse
-plain
3.Christopher (born 1923)
-against war
-shock-therapy
4.Judy (born 1929 or 1930)

Lady Rydel
-mother of Villy and Jessica
-dies 1941

Servants :

Mrs. Cripps - cook
Eileen - parlor maid
Peggy and Bertha - house maids
Dotty - kitchen maid
Frank Tunbridge - chauffeur
McAlpine - gardener
Billy - gardener's helper
Wren - groom
Inge - German maid

Emily - cook
Phyllis - parlor maid
Edna - house maid
Brachen - chauffeur
Eddie - daily help

Other important characters :

Miss Millament – governess and teacher

Stella Rose (born 1921)
-Jewish Austrian family
-close friend of Louise
-daughter of Dr. Otto Rose
-daughter of Sophie Rose
-sister of musician Peter

Diane MacIntosh
-wife of Angus MacIntosh (dies 1941)
-three children:
1.Ian first son
2.Fergus second son
3.Jamie third son (born 1938)
-father Edward or Angus
4.child to be born 1942
-father probably Edward
-mistress of Edward

Sid
-sister of Evie
-Rachel’s lesbian partner

Archy
-lrw Rachel

Michael Hadley (born 1908)
-portrait painter
-close to mother= Lady Zinnia
-lrw Louise

Brian married
-father of Angela’s miscarriage

Lorenzo Chatterworth
-married to Mercedes
-lrw with both Villy Cazalet and Jessica Castle


I have done my best to calculate birth dates and name spellings from blurry information. I hope this helps others.

[Arwen56 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Indubbiamente, per il momento e per quanto mi riguarda, si è rivelato il migliore tra i romanzi della saga dei Cazalet, con un’eccellente scioltezza narrativa e una notevole crescita emotiva dei diversi personaggi. Però adesso bisogna aspettare la prossima primavera per leggere il quarto volume. Peccato, perché sarei andata avanti molto volentieri.

[JimZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was 2.5 stars for me. A weak 3 stars. As I move along in the chronicles my ratings are progressively decreasing. I have one more volume to go. I have read several reviews by GR friends, and they are mixed. Oh well, I’ve come this far (over 1200 pages) ...I’m reluctant to abandon ship right now.

This volume started off pretty good but then about halfway through, some story lines become a bit hard to believe For example, Nora who wanted to become a nun marries a wounded veteran who is a gay quadriplegic. He does not love her...she expects and I guess wants no sex from him...then there is gay Rachel and Sid, and Rachel, sorta like Nora, is so bound up in trying to be good and to help out those around her much (her parents and aunts) that she almost purposefully lets the relationship between her and Sid flounder....plus she has an aversion to physical sex....let’s see who else...oh yes, Michael who is 20 years older than Louise marries her...she does not love him, the baby she has with him she does not love, and lets a nanny take care of the baby (Sebastian) while she lives some distance away from the family home, but getting back to Michael. He’s a classic momma’s boy and is tied to her apron strings (well she doesn’t wear an apron because she is filthy rich)..anyway, Michael came on to a cousin because he was physically aroused by him, but the cousin was not physically aroused by Michael, and the momma was disappointed for her son...this all took place in one paragraph and before he marries Louise, and for me it was like “what the hell is going on here?” It’s dropped into one paragraph and never mentioned again at least in this volume.

This volume is aptly named ‘Confusion’. From the paperback edition’s back cover:
• During the long, dark days of war, the divided and troubled Cazalets begin to find the battle for survival echoing the confusion in their own lives.

A plus for this volume is that I am learning though historical fiction some things about Great Britain in its war years...for example, that the country homes and that way of life was going to vanish after World War II was concluded. The people who staffed and ran those country homes (servants, maids, butlers, kitchen help) had better options to pursue than being second-class citizens to the hoity-toity after serving in the war.

Another plus is that for the most part I am immersed into the lives of these different characters that I have come to know over all of these pages. Howard certainly knows how to write and to tell an interesting story. So onward to what I think is the final volume to this collection — ‘Casting Off’ — but then I am puzzled by apparently another ‘final’ volume involving the Cazalet clan, ‘All Change’. I don’t want to dig too deep into why that is, because if I run into spoilers accidentally I will throw a hissy fit!!! 😜 🤪 🤨

Reviews:
• https://www.sandradanby.com/book-revi...
• http://www.juliawebbharvey.com/book-r...
• https://northernreader.wordpress.com/...
• https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/conf...

[Chari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qué bonito, me ha encantado.. de lo que llevamos de saga, mi preferido.
Elizabeth Jane Howard, madrastra de Martin Amis, no solo ha sabido mantener el interés desde el primer libro sino que ha logrado que éste vaya in crescendo con Confusión.
Esperando ansiosamente el cuarto y quinto volúmen.

[María · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me absorbe los Cazalet. Me parece una saga familiar atraparte. Nada de giros, nada de vueltas al argumento, la vida es único que pasa. La evolución de los personajes.
Me quedan solo dos para acabar y ya muero de pena.

[Marie Saville · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Quizá la guerra fuese la única culpable de que la vida fuese tan rara. Marcharse de casa para ir a la escuela de cocina y después a la compañía de repertorio le había parecido normal; formaba parte de hacerse adulta y de prepararse para su gran carrera de actriz. Pero el matrimonio lo había cambiado todo, y en muchos aspectos que no se había imaginado. Lo de irse de casa era mucho más definitivo cuando te casabas."
- Elizabeth Jane Howard, 'Confusión'.

El tercer volumen de la Saga de los Cazalet cubre el periodo comprendido entre marzo de 1942 y julio de 1945. En esta ocasión, tal y como ocurría en el segundo volumen, son las jóvenes de la familia (Louise, Polly y Clary) las encargadas de confiarnos el día a día de los Cazalet.
Para ellas la adolescencia y ese tiempo de espera, que marcó los primeros años de la guerra entre las paredes de 'Home Place', ha quedado definitivamente atrás. Todas, al igual que su joven tía Zoe, deberán enfrentarse a la pérdida de un ser querido, a las esperanzas perdidas y a las ilusiones rotas. Y es que ¿quién dijo que el matrimonio era una puerta segura hacia la felicidad? ¿Qué es fácil empezar de nuevo cuando lo que daba sentido a nuestra vida se ha ido para siempre?

A pesar de todo, la vida también trae algunas alegrías a las jóvenes Cazalet, y también para el resto de la familia. El final de la guerra está cerca y, quién sabe si con él llegarán al fin los tan esperados reencuentros.
Para las chicas, su nueva vida en Londres está llena de excitantes encuentros y experiencias. Primeros empleos, primeros flirteos y primeros cortes de pelo que tienen el sabor de la tan ansiada independencia...

Un volumen más, el ritmo no decae y las aventuras de los Cazalet siguen resultando igual de adictivas. A pesar de las idas y venidas de sus numerosos personajes y de los múltiples dramas y secretos que se viven entre sus páginas, me alegra ver como la saga no termina convirtiéndose en un mero folletín sin alma. Elizabeth Jane Howard hace revivir entre las páginas de sus novelas una época de luces y sombras, y lo hace con maestría. Con la minuciosidad del detalle y con la comprensión del que lo ha vivido en primera persona.

Deseando leer las dos últimas entregas.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third in the series, The Cazalet Chronicles, Confusion picks up the story in the midst of World War II and carries us to the end of the war in Europe. The war has gone on so long for Polly and Clary; they have come of age during it; and it is inevitable that it would seem the norm. It is hard to imagine how they will even decide what life is about without the war being the determinant.

There are so many sad developments in this installment that the overall feeling was one of wretchedness and loss. There is death, despair, abandonment, and abject cruelty for members of this family, and it serves as a mirror of what is transpiring in the world around them. Of course, there is also hope, determination, and kindness; and so much to admire in some.

I am quite in love with Archie, so hopeful for Rupert, and still captivated by the possibilities for all these young women that Howard has set upon the path to womanhood. These are characters I will be sad to say goodbye to, but only two more books to go and then I must.

[Xenja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finalmente, finalmente ai Cazalet succede qualcosa! I ragazzi sono cresciuti, si innamorano, di disamorano, si sposano, hanno figli, vanno in guerra, e chi più ne ha più ne metta. Molto più vivace dei precedenti, il terzo volume della saga smuove finalmente le acque stagnanti della trama e ci presenta molte scene interessanti. La mia preferita è quella che riguarda la maternità di Louise: che io sappia solo Elizabeth von Arnim, in precedenza, aveva descritto il parto e quel che segue in modo così sincero, così fuori dagli schemi e priva di tabù.

[AnaBells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cada libro me parece más interesante. Me está encantando esta serie.
Aproximadamente, los tres últimos años de la Segunda Guerra Mundial abarcan este tercer libro. Los hijos de los Cazalet son los principales protagonistas. Como ya, mayores de edad algunos afrontan sus vidas rodeados de tanta incertidumbre. Los más pequeños siguen sacando más de una sonrisa con sus ocurrencias.
Es complicado decir más de un tercer libro sin soltar spoilers pero es muy representativo de una época, un país en guerra y como se vivió según las clases sociales.

[Marica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le fanciulle in fiore
Questi libri dei Cazalet in me generano dipendenza, cosa molto insolita perchè sono una lettrice incostante, ho sempre paura di perdermi qualcosa. Ma davvero la scrittura di EJH è così fluida e i suoi personaggi così piacevoli che desidero sapere come le storie procedono. Uno dei miei personaggi preferiti è Villy, molto ben caratterizzata e credibile nelle sfaccettature della personalità, iperattiva, insoddisfatta, generosa, illusa, romantica, acida con la figlia maggiore, affettuosa con le vecchie dame. Una parte del piacere della lettura sta nella dimensione british, ambiente e caratteri, che su di me esercita sempre un certo fascino, magari anche solo l'abitudine alla letteratura inglese che ho sempre frequentato.
Mi stupisco un po' della modernità dei costumi: è vero che la guerra e altri eventi eccezionali (come la peste del '300, basta pensare a Boccaccio) aiutano molto a spazzare le convenzioni, lasciando spazio al buonsenso che si accompagna all'istinto di sopravvivenza. E' vero che la buona società inglese dell'epoca era più moderna della provincia italiana di quegli anni; però non credo che le donne della generazione delle mie bisnonne sarebbero state magnanime come la Duchessa sulla vita delle giovani donne di famiglia.

[Kittaroo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il più bello dei tre. Fino ad ora.
Dio. Quanto manca al prossimo?

[Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's more than a year since I finished the first 2 books in this series. I very much enjoyed reading this third book. Two more to go.

Initially I was a bit uncomfortable reading about a 'privileged ' family, because so many of the things that they found difficult seem so minimal compared to 'ordinary ' families. However, I've now got used to that.

I'm really impressed with how Elizabeth Jane Howard has managed to create so many family members, each with individual personalities. Also that she structures the chapters and the book in such an interesting and varied way. I still get a bit confused by who is married/ having an affair with whom, and where the various children fit in, but I just 'go with the flow' over that issue. My favourite character of all is Neville.

[wutheringhheights_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Struggente, profondo, bellissimo. Il migliore della saga fino ad ora.