Henry

by Elizabeth Eliot

‘The trouble with you, Anne, is that you’re always imagining things.’ Who had said that? Probably mother. Or the governess before she left to get married. How disagreeable, and it was all the fault of the sub-conscious. . . . Why didn’t the sub-conscious ever turn up things like: ‘Anne, how beautiful you are looking today.’ Or even: ‘That’s a good girl finishing up all your dinner.’

Anne Palliser is insecure, morbid, and a bit off-balance—in other words, a perfect Elizabeth Eliot narrator. She escapes an overbearing mother and moves to London, working as secretary to the eccentric Lady Merton and dating a detective novelist. But her self-absorbed and irresponsible brother Henry remains a central focus. In the years after running away from school to join the circus, Henry marries, divorces, keeps a mistress, gambles, and flirts with Lady Merton. Now he plans to marry a doctor and turn the family home into a maternity hospital. What could go wrong?

Anne observes it all in unique style—daft, brilliant, and dark by turn, but always hilarious. Henry is Elizabeth Eliot’s acclaimed second novel. Her debut, Alice, and two subsequent novels, Mrs. Martell and Cecil, have also been reprinted by Furrowed Middlebrow and Dean Street Press. They feature a new introduction by Elizabeth Crawford.

“This novel has a tart and unique flavour of its own, and the author displays her most amusing and delightful stylistic trick, which is to have the last word” Daily Telegraph

“Delightful light-heartedness, malicious wit and humanity lurking beneath the surface” Times Literary Supplement

Genres: Fiction

245 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1950

About the author

Elizabeth Eliot was the author of fiction, mainly romantic mysteries, that were most popular in the 1950's. Elizabeth Eliot was the pen name for Lady Germaine Elizabeth Olive Eliot.

Reviews

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an author, Elizabeth Eliot reminded me a little of Nancy Mitford; she is from the same class and she also clearly has a problem with the fact that she didn't get a proper education, which comes through in the writing, however I think she lacks the sparkle of Mitford.

In this, Ann Palliser narrates the story of her wild, reckless and somewhat feckless brother Henry. The writing is a bit clunky but Ann also didn't get a proper education and I wondered whether this was deliberate and to emphasise this point. She is clearly intelligent and has some rather sharp observations on the people around her.

[Louise Culmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The narrator of this story is Anne, youngest child of an upper class family whose Devonshire home has seen better days. Anne is in her mid twenties,her sister Sophia and brother Henry are in their mid thirties. Henry, the only son, has turned out a disappointment, he ran away from school, had no interest in going to university or pursuing a suitable career, and has had a failed marriage and no success in business. Anne moves to London to work as a secretary, but Henry continues to be a prominent person in her life as she describes his various antics. There are some quite amusing bits, especially in the earlier part of the book, but as the story wore on I found the characters less interesting, even Henry was not as amusing, and the book ends on a rather bleak note. Like the previous book, Alice, the charm faded.

[Classic reverie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read Elizabeth Eliot's "Alice" a couple of years, I knew I was in for some stream of consciousness with "Henry" s narrator Anne. Eliot used humor throughout this quite modern type filled with dysfunctional characters. The pre WW 1 conventions of society differing not just after that war but more so after WW 2. "Henry" is filled with taboo topics like unmarried couples, birth control, abortion, deciding not to marry, alcoholism, suicide and dysfunctional families, it seems that society was clearly starting to change vastly before the 1950's. As I read this story I wanted to give advice to this characters that looked to be sinking into the unsettled murky life that they chose for themselves but as in real life, sometimes people just do not listen and need to just live the life they desired. The ending was not too satisfying, I mean in a happy sense, but Eliot stayed to true to her characters and life.

Story in short-Anne's older brother Henry is very charming but he seems to never be quite satisfied.


❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert ❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌

"Anne Palliser is insecure, morbid, and a bit off-balance—in other words, a perfect Elizabeth Eliot narrator. She escapes an overbearing mother and moves to London, working as secretary to the eccentric Lady Merton and dating a detective novelist. But her self-absorbed and irresponsible brother Henry remains a central focus. In the years after running away from school to join the circus, Henry marries, divorces, keeps a mistress, gambles, and flirts with Lady Merton. Now he plans to marry a doctor and turn the family home into a maternity hospital. What could go wrong? "

I knew the changing Trelynt into a nursing home was not going to work for many reasons. Henry would soon tire of the idea and the sense of humiliation about the change in the ancestral home. Henry being an alcoholic headed for more troubles, which are impossible for a married life, but Pamela is not innocent in making things work, how can she think that she could run a nursing home without the truly serious management. George, the helper is not going to make things look professional as well as having Henry drinking and living there. Pamela liked to take charge of Henry who regretted it at times and it seemed that she was able to perform better after Henry had his "so called" accident, which it seems she tried to kill him while in the quarry. I wonder if Anne will ever marry it seems unlikely, Gerald seems quite satisfied with the way things are going. When Anne turned Stephen's marriage proposal down, she looks back and sees it as an "incident" if she said yes would be dragging her into an unwanted life. The last scene shows how after years and years of conflicts between persons, it dulls down the nerves and causes indifference.



Henry is the Anne's brother who having run away from school when he was a late teen told his parents,.who did not want to pay for him any longer, that he joined the circus, which he actually did. The war years kept her older sister Sophia at home with her parents, Henry in the home service and Anne was in the WRENS. After the war Anne finds a secretarial job but neither her or her sister were properly educated. She works in London and pays for a pricey flat with a doctor named Stephanie. Lady Merton is Anne's employer who likes Anne to wear her uniform at work. Lady Merton has asked Anne about her brother, Henry which she had recently met and would like them all to go out to dinner. Anne can not see why anyone would like to be with Lady Merton. Henry is good looking and amusing, having once been married to an actress, they divorced. He has a mistress who he is not quite happy with and she comes along to dinner too, which is good theater. Anne's father has died. Anne's friends have a party and invite her boss as well as her brother. Lady Merton and Henry have been seeing each other but it seems they fought after the party. Henry was enjoying Pamela's company. Anne is worried that after her father's death she will have to live with her mother and sister in London, she rather stay with Stephanie in her flat. Anne was surprised when she heard about Pamela and Henry getting married and he wants to stay in the country. Gerald, Anne, Pamela and Henry go to the race track but it is serious business with Henry who has bet thousands so he can win enough to live at Trelynt, he wins and says they can live there for 3 years. Pamela is not too happy about the gambling. Pamela and Henry are engaged. During a stay with friend Henry has an appendectomy. Henry is apparently a drinker and has had his license troubles. Anne finds out that she loved Gerald. Henry is recovering in the nursing home and depressed, mentioned about turning Trelynt to a nursing home, Anne thought he was kidding but Pamela liked the idea, so she started planning. Daphne looks to see Henry and Pamela speeds up the marriage and they are married. Anne is hoping not to have to live with Mother and Sophia. Gerald has been away all summer and Anne had stayed at Trelynt which had been changed over to a nursing and maternity home. Gerald finally rings up Anne and invites her to dinner and talk about the book. Henry comes to see Gerald, he has run away from Pamela and the crying babies. Anne asks him what he will do now, of course he will go back to Pamela. Pamela's family is an enigma until Mrs.Issacs, a supposed friend of Pamela, who she knows Rose Denton, a girl from Pamela's past is acting in a play that the group decided to see. George Merritt, Pamela's father left her family, because his wife was too demanding and he had a mistress. Though it was worse that he has embezzled and committed suicide. The money he left to Pamela which was used for her education. Mrs. Issacs seemed quite happy that Rose came and she could cause a scene. Anne who has not been too perceptive sees things clearer then before. Henry tries to get a pregnant girl in at Trelynt. Rose trying to ruffle Pamela but Pamela rises to the occasion. It is unclear if Henry is ever truly happy and he thinks he is a manic depressant which the doctors disagree. I did not really care for Pamela but now I want her and Henry to be happy. Mrs. Palisser is worried about Sophia and some of her spiritual activities, so when she talks to Anne about this and other things a fight is started. Anne feels she must move out and it is not working living with her mother. Sophia comes home and tells Anne, she has a job in Kenya as a governess. Anne calls Pamela up about staying at Tralynt for awhile. Lady Merton has a drunk historian boyfriend, Mr. Butler that has come up to Trelynt for treatment. He starts to ave DTs and it seems that Pamela is lost but she regains her composure. Gerald calls up Anne, she tells herself she no longer loves him but he needs help with his plot and Pamela invites him to stay. Mr. Byways wants to take his pregnant wife home but her being in labor changed that scenario. Gerald is writing his book in the library. Henry accepted some more rich drunks to come to the nursing home without Pamela's okay. Henry and Anne go to pick up Lady Merton, taking a long detour by way of the pub. George calls the pub and tells Anne that all things are set loose and there need to return. They return back to Trelynt and Mr. Butler has escaped and Mrs. Byways had a girl. Lady Merton, Anne, Henry and Pamela go look for Mr. Butler. Anne is told to stay by the forked road in case he came this way but it is hours and nobody shows up, until George comes saying that Henry had an accident and needs an ambulance. Mrs. Palisser is looking after her son, who seems to be able to recover. It is strange that Pamela is not more upset about her husband compared when Mr. Butler is missing, who went to see a show and having been drinking. I thought the artist Stephen would fall in love with Anne. He asks her to marry him. Gerald was just a friend, he did not see anything more in Anne. I was wrong Anne does not marry Stephen, she still loves Gerald but it seems he will never marry. There are fewer babies being born and the nursing home is not paying off and it is 2 years later. Mrs. Pallisser found a job for Anne as a personal secretary. Lady Merton who Anne now misses her. Henry is still drinking but he is less attractive and the fighting between husband and wife tiring. Henry tells of Pamela trying to kill him by pushing him off the cliff, it is true but the repeating becomes tiring.