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La casa di campagna
In questo romanzo, pubblicato per la prima volta nel 1907, John Galsworthy ha saputo condensare al meglio i tratti caratteristici che hanno fatto la fortuna della più nota Saga dei Forsyte. La casa di campagna presenta un magistrale ritratto dell’alta società dei proprietari terrieri e con il suo stile arguto e insieme ironico racconta l’amore sconveniente che George Pendyce nutre per Helen Bellew, separata dal marito ma non ancora divorziata. Una lunga lista di complicazioni e fraintendimenti metterà a serio rischio il loro rapporto, fino al fondamentale intervento della madre di George, divisa tra l’amore materno e la volontà di mantenere alta la reputazione del figlio. Con La casa di campagna, prosegue la riscoperta del grande narratore John Galsworthy, Premio Nobel per la Letteratura nel 1932.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1907
51 people are currently reading
244 people want to read
About the author
John Galsworthy
2,429 books474 followersLiterary career of English novelist and playwright John Galsworthy, who used John Sinjohn as a pseudonym, spanned the Victorian, Edwardian and Georgian eras.
In addition to his prolific literary status, Galsworthy was also a renowned social activist. He was an outspoken advocate for the women's suffrage movement, prison reform and animal rights. Galsworthy was the president of PEN, an organization that sought to promote international cooperation through literature.
John Galsworthy was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1932 "for his distinguished art of narration which takes its highest form in The Forsyte Saga."
In addition to his prolific literary status, Galsworthy was also a renowned social activist. He was an outspoken advocate for the women's suffrage movement, prison reform and animal rights. Galsworthy was the president of PEN, an organization that sought to promote international cooperation through literature.
John Galsworthy was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1932 "for his distinguished art of narration which takes its highest form in The Forsyte Saga."
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
November 27, 2019
With tenderness, Galsworthy tells us the tale of a headstrong heir in the throes of an ungovernable passion. The tale is so delicately told that I believe its fine sentiments will always stay with me. The plot's twists and turns surprised and gratified this reader. I am also in awe of Mr. Galsworthy's ability to describe the thoughts of various animals that inhabit the fields surrounding the house. It is simply beautifully done in every sense of the word
January 6, 2017
Galsworthy seems to be read almost exclusively for his Forsythe saga but his other books seem to be quite excellent as well. This particular book, along with Fraternity on the Powys list, are both books with very strong social themes but considerable ambiguity about the ultimate message. I suspect this moral ambiguity, and the refusal of Galsworthy to fully accept either traditional or more liberal values, is why these books may languish. You may be critical of the marriage restrictions that existed in Victorian society but the book makes sure that the other side is argued as well. And this book has an ending which would seem to support the marriage laws of the time.
This book has a very difficult beginning: there are a lot of characters to follow, and I had to read the first fifty pages a couple of times. My edition was not annotated (I couldn't find one) so a lot of the references were missed. Galsworthy has this quality where once in a while he drops a paragraph that leaps out at you for how great it is, and there were a few of them in here. The characters here are quite vivid and some of the situations he sets up have an incredible dramatic quality.
Like - I think - the author, I was a bit torn and felt my sympathies were being played with, rather than me being told what to think - I mean wouldn't anyone want to be a member of the Stoic Club in London, where the first rule is that "No one shall have any occupation whatsoever," and yet it's clear that this exclusive club is the pinnacle of English class snobbery. I envied the plots of pear and cherry trees, which were forever untrimmed.
Ultimately, as the author notes in his preface, the book is ultimately about Mrs. Pendyce, a 52 year old married woman, living in a country house. That makes it a bit of a surprise, and yet the book works extremely well. Also the descriptions of animals are superb, especially Mr. Pendyce's dogs. The horse racing scenes are possibly the best I've ever come across. Pretty much all of the characters work (although the pathetic romantic interactions are the weakest part of the book). But I think the book is really about the way that people were in 1891 who lived primarily in a country house. It is consummately English, and clearly more realistic than something like Downton Abbey.
In the end, I would recommend it to those who have read the Forsythe Saga and want explore and see another side of Galsworthy. Or any fan of very English, very Victorian literature, with a bit of an edge to it. Galsworthy does us the great favor of showing but not telling, and that makes the book very much subject to the reader's own interpretation and makes it extremely interesting and the kind of book you could spend a few hours discussing with a friend. Anyway, another pleasant surprise from the Powys list.
This book has a very difficult beginning: there are a lot of characters to follow, and I had to read the first fifty pages a couple of times. My edition was not annotated (I couldn't find one) so a lot of the references were missed. Galsworthy has this quality where once in a while he drops a paragraph that leaps out at you for how great it is, and there were a few of them in here. The characters here are quite vivid and some of the situations he sets up have an incredible dramatic quality.
Like - I think - the author, I was a bit torn and felt my sympathies were being played with, rather than me being told what to think - I mean wouldn't anyone want to be a member of the Stoic Club in London, where the first rule is that "No one shall have any occupation whatsoever," and yet it's clear that this exclusive club is the pinnacle of English class snobbery. I envied the plots of pear and cherry trees, which were forever untrimmed.
Ultimately, as the author notes in his preface, the book is ultimately about Mrs. Pendyce, a 52 year old married woman, living in a country house. That makes it a bit of a surprise, and yet the book works extremely well. Also the descriptions of animals are superb, especially Mr. Pendyce's dogs. The horse racing scenes are possibly the best I've ever come across. Pretty much all of the characters work (although the pathetic romantic interactions are the weakest part of the book). But I think the book is really about the way that people were in 1891 who lived primarily in a country house. It is consummately English, and clearly more realistic than something like Downton Abbey.
In the end, I would recommend it to those who have read the Forsythe Saga and want explore and see another side of Galsworthy. Or any fan of very English, very Victorian literature, with a bit of an edge to it. Galsworthy does us the great favor of showing but not telling, and that makes the book very much subject to the reader's own interpretation and makes it extremely interesting and the kind of book you could spend a few hours discussing with a friend. Anyway, another pleasant surprise from the Powys list.
March 1, 2020
In Victorian England in the early 1890s, it was very much—and very incongruously—a man’s world in a number of ways. Among the landed gentry, for example, property ownership was almost entirely the exclusive purview of men. Indeed, the feudal “law of entail” was such that property passed from father to eldest son, even if that son was a profligate, irresponsible rascal and a bounder. Similarly, of course, women were excluded from the country’s political processes and decision-making.
Thus, not surprisingly, the backdrop and general context of The Country House will infuriate modern readers of both gender. The simple plot is this: George Pendyce, next in line to inherit the beautiful acres of Worsted Skeynes from his father Horace, has committed the scandalous folly of falling in love with a married woman, Helen Bellew. Helen’s husband threatens a very public divorce. While this situation may barely cause a raised eyebrow today, the eruption is practically volcanic in the bucolic English countryside, where restrictive class distinctions are crushing but nevertheless clearly understood.
To exploit this period drama, author John Galsworthy populates his story with a number of stereotypes beyond, of course, the hapless, idle, directionless George and his vainglorious, rigid-thinking, pompous father. There is the village rector, a chauvinistic, narrow-minded man, who objectifies his wife by siring a child by her each year of their ten-year marriage, but who avoids with utter distaste anything related to the biology of childbirth. There is also General Pendyce, Horace’s brother, who “never married, feeling it to be comparatively useless.”
Despite an abundance of manliness and machismo, the men prove to be pathetic in their attempts to avoid a scandal. Rather, it turns out to be the women who are bold and undaunted in pursuing a viable solution. George’s mother, for example, albeit with trembling heart, stuns her husband with defiance—a scandal in its own right!—and imbues the situation with a common-sense touch, far more effective than the mulish, heels-dug-in immobility of the men. Helen Bellew herself sees no reason why, having got herself into this predicament, cannot with a foudroyant feat of feminism, get herself out of it just as easily.
Galsworthy’s scathing descriptions of men’s behavior will not go unnoticed by readers, nor will his subtle but savage criticism of the unfair dynamics between men and women. His brilliant writing is restrained and reserved, yet weighty with clarity. There is terrific humor, too: the slapstick variety, whereby Horace repeatedly steps on his luckless dog; and the intelligent, witty kind, as when the lawyer, Mr. Paramor says, “Don’t confuse yourself by dragging in Christianity. Christianity has nothing to do with the law.”
The Country House is a fabulous book, a short, fast-paced story written with confidence and competence. The delight of this reviewer’s first encounter with Galsworthy, has emboldened him to put Galsworthy’s nine-volume The Forsyte Saga high on his to-read list!
Thus, not surprisingly, the backdrop and general context of The Country House will infuriate modern readers of both gender. The simple plot is this: George Pendyce, next in line to inherit the beautiful acres of Worsted Skeynes from his father Horace, has committed the scandalous folly of falling in love with a married woman, Helen Bellew. Helen’s husband threatens a very public divorce. While this situation may barely cause a raised eyebrow today, the eruption is practically volcanic in the bucolic English countryside, where restrictive class distinctions are crushing but nevertheless clearly understood.
To exploit this period drama, author John Galsworthy populates his story with a number of stereotypes beyond, of course, the hapless, idle, directionless George and his vainglorious, rigid-thinking, pompous father. There is the village rector, a chauvinistic, narrow-minded man, who objectifies his wife by siring a child by her each year of their ten-year marriage, but who avoids with utter distaste anything related to the biology of childbirth. There is also General Pendyce, Horace’s brother, who “never married, feeling it to be comparatively useless.”
Despite an abundance of manliness and machismo, the men prove to be pathetic in their attempts to avoid a scandal. Rather, it turns out to be the women who are bold and undaunted in pursuing a viable solution. George’s mother, for example, albeit with trembling heart, stuns her husband with defiance—a scandal in its own right!—and imbues the situation with a common-sense touch, far more effective than the mulish, heels-dug-in immobility of the men. Helen Bellew herself sees no reason why, having got herself into this predicament, cannot with a foudroyant feat of feminism, get herself out of it just as easily.
Galsworthy’s scathing descriptions of men’s behavior will not go unnoticed by readers, nor will his subtle but savage criticism of the unfair dynamics between men and women. His brilliant writing is restrained and reserved, yet weighty with clarity. There is terrific humor, too: the slapstick variety, whereby Horace repeatedly steps on his luckless dog; and the intelligent, witty kind, as when the lawyer, Mr. Paramor says, “Don’t confuse yourself by dragging in Christianity. Christianity has nothing to do with the law.”
The Country House is a fabulous book, a short, fast-paced story written with confidence and competence. The delight of this reviewer’s first encounter with Galsworthy, has emboldened him to put Galsworthy’s nine-volume The Forsyte Saga high on his to-read list!
October 19, 2014
As a longtime devotee of Galsworthy in
general and The Forsyte Trilogies in particular, I was eager to read this and was not disappointed. It is prime, first rate Galsworthy written with supreme style and insight into his characters. Language and character are everything here. If you, like some reviewers, are looking for action and plot, there are other authors like Dickens and Trollope who will give you that. The Pendyces, like the Forsytes, are creatures of their society, struggling to keep their emotions in check, futilely trying to avoidi any action that would lead to scandal. But it arrives and the characters respond according to the stuff they are made of. Galsworthy knew this world well and no one writes it better!
general and The Forsyte Trilogies in particular, I was eager to read this and was not disappointed. It is prime, first rate Galsworthy written with supreme style and insight into his characters. Language and character are everything here. If you, like some reviewers, are looking for action and plot, there are other authors like Dickens and Trollope who will give you that. The Pendyces, like the Forsytes, are creatures of their society, struggling to keep their emotions in check, futilely trying to avoidi any action that would lead to scandal. But it arrives and the characters respond according to the stuff they are made of. Galsworthy knew this world well and no one writes it better!
February 22, 2025
Did not finish. Same themes as The Forsyte Saga -- a beautiful woman who everyone disaproves of is nevertheless shown empathy by certain people who are not as scandalized by the idea of her getting a divorce as they should be.
September 12, 2020
A gentle peek into social history. Galsworthy's fine sense of humour and use of irony are a delight. The descriptions of animals are particularly well drawn, especially my favourite - a dog which makes nests of his master's slippers when in need of comfort. Mine does that too!
January 5, 2015
It seems to me that the title The Country House refers not just to the inherited property of the Pendyce family but to the Country House of England at the turn of the 20th century. A new age is approaching and the conservative land-owning class is under direct threat. In the Pendyce family, a divorce is threatened, and under the pressure of this threat it is possible to see where marriages, families, estates, and ways of life may be turned upside down. Galsworthy tells this story with great skill and a sense of irony. He is critical of the law and outmoded social forms but is sympathetic to those who are their victims.
September 28, 2011
Read this for delight of watching a master skewer the turn of the century British class system. Could be a quick read, but better read slowly for his exquisite choice of language and fine dry wit.
May 4, 2012
I was very moved by this little story.
May 14, 2023
M-am apucat de cartea aceasta ca să-mi scutur puțin conștiința de „vina” de a nu fi citit „Forsyte Saga”.
Lectura a fost o încîntare de la un capăt la altul și pe toate palierele.
Ce atmosferă, ce simț al detaliului în descrierile vizuale, cu elemente olfactive, auditive, de mimică și de gestică ale personajelor aflate în scenă - un regal! Probabil trebuie să ai o anumită vîrstă să te entuziasmezi „numai” de atît, după cum văd din unele recenzii care reproșează acestui roman că în el "nu se întîmplă nimic"...
Într-adevăr, se întîmplă puține și nesemnificative – la scară cosmică 😊 - lucruri, dar ele sînt doar un pretext pentru construirea unui vast tablou de epocă înfățișînd modul de viață al nobilimii rurale engleze, la sfîrșit de secol XIX, cu tabieturi și tradiții de nezdruncinat - vînătoarea… - cu obiectivitate, pînă la un punct… Punct care-i face onoare scriitorului - sfîrșitul partidei de vînătoare organizate pentru oaspeții moșiei, cu iepurele rănit și pe moarte mă trimite direct la sfîrșitul nuvelei „Un coeur simple” a lui Flaubert.
Individualismul este un leit-motiv foarte prezent – au loc reproșuri inter-generationale, foarte frecvente. Alte reproșuri se îndreaptă împotriva sistemului de organizare a societății.
Un alt palier minuțios disecat, inclus în trama povestirii, cîtă este ea acolo, este condiția femeii. Tot ceea ce astăzi este considerat restrictiv pentru libertatea femeilor - maternitate istovitoare, căsătorii lipsite de dragoste și de speranța de a ieși din ele, lipsa drepturilor economice, judecata societății și a instituțiilor (biserica, legi) pentru comportament neconform tradițiilor – este prezent aici. Și, oricît de dramatică pare această condiție, cel mai luminos și puternic personaj al romanului este o femeie, Margery Pendyce, monument de dragoste maternă(ah, delicatețea relațiilor mamă-fiu!), blîndețe, demnitate, bun-simț, echilibru, acuitate a spiritului de observație.
Opusă personalității doamnei Pendyce este cea lipsită de imaginație a d-lui Pendyce închistat într-un conservatorism feroce, care are ca unică soluție la problemele sociale cu care el însuși se confruntă pe moșie – tradiția.
Stilistic vorbind, Galsworthy este copleșitor – dacă mă gîndesc , de exemplu, la cina de la sfîrșitul cap.II, „Tot influența pastorului…”/Partea a IIa, care se încheie cu un adevărat travelling cinematografic din interior spre exterior, cu indicații de mișcare printre cadre ca pentru o cameră de filmat.
Notez pentru amintire un alt exemplu, cînd scriitorul îl plasează în chip magistral pe d-l Pendyce într-o cameră lungă și îngustă, cu ferestre strîmte - locul potrivit pentru conceperea unor idei meschine care să ducă la rezultate meschine. De parcă asta nu ajungea, capul lung și îngust al proprietarului seamănă izbitor cu al prepelicarului său (mulți si plini de personalitate cîini în familia Pendyce...), fapt care facilitează un final de capitol savuros, capitol numit chiar „Capul domnului Pendyce”.
Lectura a fost o încîntare de la un capăt la altul și pe toate palierele.
Ce atmosferă, ce simț al detaliului în descrierile vizuale, cu elemente olfactive, auditive, de mimică și de gestică ale personajelor aflate în scenă - un regal! Probabil trebuie să ai o anumită vîrstă să te entuziasmezi „numai” de atît, după cum văd din unele recenzii care reproșează acestui roman că în el "nu se întîmplă nimic"...
Într-adevăr, se întîmplă puține și nesemnificative – la scară cosmică 😊 - lucruri, dar ele sînt doar un pretext pentru construirea unui vast tablou de epocă înfățișînd modul de viață al nobilimii rurale engleze, la sfîrșit de secol XIX, cu tabieturi și tradiții de nezdruncinat - vînătoarea… - cu obiectivitate, pînă la un punct… Punct care-i face onoare scriitorului - sfîrșitul partidei de vînătoare organizate pentru oaspeții moșiei, cu iepurele rănit și pe moarte mă trimite direct la sfîrșitul nuvelei „Un coeur simple” a lui Flaubert.
Individualismul este un leit-motiv foarte prezent – au loc reproșuri inter-generationale, foarte frecvente. Alte reproșuri se îndreaptă împotriva sistemului de organizare a societății.
Un alt palier minuțios disecat, inclus în trama povestirii, cîtă este ea acolo, este condiția femeii. Tot ceea ce astăzi este considerat restrictiv pentru libertatea femeilor - maternitate istovitoare, căsătorii lipsite de dragoste și de speranța de a ieși din ele, lipsa drepturilor economice, judecata societății și a instituțiilor (biserica, legi) pentru comportament neconform tradițiilor – este prezent aici. Și, oricît de dramatică pare această condiție, cel mai luminos și puternic personaj al romanului este o femeie, Margery Pendyce, monument de dragoste maternă(ah, delicatețea relațiilor mamă-fiu!), blîndețe, demnitate, bun-simț, echilibru, acuitate a spiritului de observație.
Opusă personalității doamnei Pendyce este cea lipsită de imaginație a d-lui Pendyce închistat într-un conservatorism feroce, care are ca unică soluție la problemele sociale cu care el însuși se confruntă pe moșie – tradiția.
Stilistic vorbind, Galsworthy este copleșitor – dacă mă gîndesc , de exemplu, la cina de la sfîrșitul cap.II, „Tot influența pastorului…”/Partea a IIa, care se încheie cu un adevărat travelling cinematografic din interior spre exterior, cu indicații de mișcare printre cadre ca pentru o cameră de filmat.
Notez pentru amintire un alt exemplu, cînd scriitorul îl plasează în chip magistral pe d-l Pendyce într-o cameră lungă și îngustă, cu ferestre strîmte - locul potrivit pentru conceperea unor idei meschine care să ducă la rezultate meschine. De parcă asta nu ajungea, capul lung și îngust al proprietarului seamănă izbitor cu al prepelicarului său (mulți si plini de personalitate cîini în familia Pendyce...), fapt care facilitează un final de capitol savuros, capitol numit chiar „Capul domnului Pendyce”.
October 22, 2024
Ensikosketus vuoden 1932 Nobel-voittajaan.
Galsworthy on yksi niistä kirjailijoista, joita olen hieman pelännyt. Kuvaukset brittiläisestä yläluokasta ovat kryptoniittini - illallisjärjestelyt, perintökiistat ja metsästysretket eivät vain jaksa kiinnostaa. Ja Galsworthyn juttu on juuri brittiläisen yläluokan kuvaus, olkookin, että hän suhtautui siihen hyvin kriittisesti. Herraskartanonkin perimmäinen tarkoitus on hienovaraisesti osoittaa kuinka älytöntä viktoriaanisen herrasväen touhu on.
Kirjan ytimessä on uskottomuus avioliitossa ja sen tuomat vaikeudet Pendycen suvulle. Kunnianarvoisan kartanonisännän Horace Pendycen vanhin poika George on nimittäin mennyt ajautumaan suhteeseen naimisissa olevan naisen kanssa. Vuorotellen Galsworthy kuvaa Horacen kauhistusta, Georgen nuoren miehen sekoilua ja tämän äidin Margeryn pohjatonta huolta pojastaan. Tämän lisäksi lusikkaansa soppaan sekoittavat useat enemmän tai vähemmän uteliaat sivuhahmot.
Mitä enemmän kirjaa miettii, sen toimivammalta se tuntuu. Galsworthyn kuivan ironinen ote tuo esiin koko pompöösin systeemin naurettavuudet ajautumatta missään kohtaan lähellekään farssia. Kirjan alku on oikeasti todella tervaista luettavaa, mutta hitaasti avautuva hahmojen inhimmillisyys on kaunista seurattavaa. Erityisesti se miten Horacen ja Margeryn asenne tilanteeseen eroaa, tuo kirjaan selkeän kantavan kahtiajaon härkäpäisen, turhanpäiväisen ylpeyden ja aidon äidillisen rakkauden välillä.
Kehuista huolimatta on sanottava, että tämä oli edelleen vähän tylsä. Mutta lopulta ihan kiinnostava haaste näin lukijana.
Galsworthy on yksi niistä kirjailijoista, joita olen hieman pelännyt. Kuvaukset brittiläisestä yläluokasta ovat kryptoniittini - illallisjärjestelyt, perintökiistat ja metsästysretket eivät vain jaksa kiinnostaa. Ja Galsworthyn juttu on juuri brittiläisen yläluokan kuvaus, olkookin, että hän suhtautui siihen hyvin kriittisesti. Herraskartanonkin perimmäinen tarkoitus on hienovaraisesti osoittaa kuinka älytöntä viktoriaanisen herrasväen touhu on.
Kirjan ytimessä on uskottomuus avioliitossa ja sen tuomat vaikeudet Pendycen suvulle. Kunnianarvoisan kartanonisännän Horace Pendycen vanhin poika George on nimittäin mennyt ajautumaan suhteeseen naimisissa olevan naisen kanssa. Vuorotellen Galsworthy kuvaa Horacen kauhistusta, Georgen nuoren miehen sekoilua ja tämän äidin Margeryn pohjatonta huolta pojastaan. Tämän lisäksi lusikkaansa soppaan sekoittavat useat enemmän tai vähemmän uteliaat sivuhahmot.
Mitä enemmän kirjaa miettii, sen toimivammalta se tuntuu. Galsworthyn kuivan ironinen ote tuo esiin koko pompöösin systeemin naurettavuudet ajautumatta missään kohtaan lähellekään farssia. Kirjan alku on oikeasti todella tervaista luettavaa, mutta hitaasti avautuva hahmojen inhimmillisyys on kaunista seurattavaa. Erityisesti se miten Horacen ja Margeryn asenne tilanteeseen eroaa, tuo kirjaan selkeän kantavan kahtiajaon härkäpäisen, turhanpäiväisen ylpeyden ja aidon äidillisen rakkauden välillä.
Kehuista huolimatta on sanottava, että tämä oli edelleen vähän tylsä. Mutta lopulta ihan kiinnostava haaste näin lukijana.
August 25, 2025
Having read and enjoyed the all of the Forsyte Saga books , I picked this up, one of Galsworthys other novels. It retains the same themes ( a country estate in the 1890's , at the centre of which sits the Pendyce family, a notable 'county'name) along with a cad of a son who has a love affair with a married woman and the 'scandal' that follows.
I like these books that give an insight into Victorian 'society' whilst also poking fun at them. In the 'country' the Squire and his wife sit down to a 7 course meal every day; the son is a member of a club in London , the Stoics club, where the rules for membership include that ‘No member of this club shall have any occupation whatsoever’ and one of the many cklubs at the time where idle bachelors on an allowance spend their days watching cricket or horse racing; the novel begins with a days shooting on the estate.
A short introdcutioon to Galsworthy for anyone who would like to give it a try!
I like these books that give an insight into Victorian 'society' whilst also poking fun at them. In the 'country' the Squire and his wife sit down to a 7 course meal every day; the son is a member of a club in London , the Stoics club, where the rules for membership include that ‘No member of this club shall have any occupation whatsoever’ and one of the many cklubs at the time where idle bachelors on an allowance spend their days watching cricket or horse racing; the novel begins with a days shooting on the estate.
A short introdcutioon to Galsworthy for anyone who would like to give it a try!
November 21, 2025
Questo è un libro per gli amanti dei romanzi vittoriani e, in particolare, per gli amanti della Saga dei Forsytes.
Protagonisti i Pendyces che, come i Forsytes, sono creature della loro società, che lottano per tenere sotto controllo le loro emozioni, cercando inutilmente di evitare qualsiasi azione che porterebbe a uno scandalo.
Ma arriva e i personaggi rispondono in base alla loro educazione e al periodo che stanno vivendo . Galsworthy conosceva bene questo mondo e nessuno lo scrive meglio!
Se all’inizio la figura della madre mi ha un po’ infastidito, poi sono entrata nell’epoca e nello spirito del romanzo e me lo sono goduto.
Protagonisti i Pendyces che, come i Forsytes, sono creature della loro società, che lottano per tenere sotto controllo le loro emozioni, cercando inutilmente di evitare qualsiasi azione che porterebbe a uno scandalo.
Ma arriva e i personaggi rispondono in base alla loro educazione e al periodo che stanno vivendo . Galsworthy conosceva bene questo mondo e nessuno lo scrive meglio!
Se all’inizio la figura della madre mi ha un po’ infastidito, poi sono entrata nell’epoca e nello spirito del romanzo e me lo sono goduto.
June 21, 2021
You have to appreciate Galsworthy’s talent in describing nature, human emotion, and how the two intertwine & complement each other.
Not as “epic” as some other author's work, it still is an excellent treat for JG’s fans. Also for people that need a reminder of the importance of the human in all of us, humans.
P.S. Surprised I’m only finishing this book now, six years after starting it and setting aside early into it.
Not as “epic” as some other author's work, it still is an excellent treat for JG’s fans. Also for people that need a reminder of the importance of the human in all of us, humans.
P.S. Surprised I’m only finishing this book now, six years after starting it and setting aside early into it.
August 18, 2021
Couldn't put it down
Thought this was going to be some happy-go-lucky hunting story featuring a bunch of bull-headed tough guys trying to one up the other. Little did I suspect it would be about a remarkable woman who showed what real strength looks like.
Thought this was going to be some happy-go-lucky hunting story featuring a bunch of bull-headed tough guys trying to one up the other. Little did I suspect it would be about a remarkable woman who showed what real strength looks like.
May 15, 2023
Abgebrochen bei 12%
March 16, 2023
John Galsworthy fusese indemnat initial de sotia asa Ada, dar si de prietenul sau J. Conrad sa-si publice manuscrisele, iar in 1897 visul i se indeplineste aparandu-i prima culegere de povestiri "From the 4 winds". Este celebru pentru "Forsyte Saga", "Dark flower", "A modern comedy" etc.
Volumul meu (ed. Minerva 1973) are o prefata foarte reusita de V. Moglescu intitulata "Universul lui Galsworthy sau ciocnirea dintre structura sociala ca necesitate sau arta ca libertate."
"The Country house" a aparut in 1907 si ne infatiseaza viata nobilimii de la tara oferind o analiza amanuntita asupra moravurilor din acele vremuri. Pe fondul acestei analize autorul abordeaza mai multe fatete ale iubirii: dragostea pasionala dintre un barbat si o femeie, iubirea unei mame fata de fiul ei si interesant, atasamentul fata de un domeniu fabulos, o resedinta de tara.
Actiunea are loc in 1891 la castelul domnului Horace Pendyce unde ii cunoastem pe oaspetii sai adunati la masa dupa cum urmeaza:
Doamna Gertrude Winlow, o femeie foarte onorabila si nobila;
Hellen Bellew, o frumusete pe care nicio lady nu o poate suferi insa toti barbatii o adora, inclusiv fiul gazdei, George. Este prototipul femeii periculoase, irezistibile, seducatoare;
Doamna Haselbarter, sotia preotului, o femeie ofilita si mereu cu teama in privire;
Gilbert Foxleight, un nobil aratos, mare amator de vanatoare, cu o situatie materiala incerta;
Maiorul in rezerva Charles Pendyce, un holtei convins, fratele lui Horace si protectorul lui Hellen;
Lady Malden, o doamna acra, directa si carcotasa care mereu spune ce crede;
Geoffrey Winlow, un barbat placut si cu maniere ce urmeaza sa mosteneasca locul tatalui sau in Camera Lorzilor;
Doamna Margery Pendyce, o femeie gingasa si blanda, eleganta si cu "inima unei adevarate doamne". Ea e cea care isi salveaza fiul;
Sir James Malden, un judecator de pace ce se trage dintr-o veche familie din Kent si care se teme de gura sotiei sale;
Reverendul Haselbarter, un pastor tipic de la tara cu mintea ingusta si foarte traditionalist. Considera ca imaginatia este ceva primejdios;
George Pendyce, fiul gazdei, un baiat frumos si rasfatat, avid de curse de cai si indragostit pana peste cap de Hellen;
Gazda, Horace Pendyce, un om de moda veche ce iubeste viata la tara, isi adora domeniul si se declara un conservator comunist.
Acum ca i-am cunoscut pe toti participantii nu ne ramane decat sa urmarim dezvoltarea legaturilor si intrigilor dintre ei. De asemenea suntem cu ochii si pe soarta lui George si relatia fatala dintre el si Hellen. Ea mi s-a parut ca seamana cu contesa Olenska din "Varsta inocentei" de Edith Wharton, fiind excentrica, nepasatoare la vorbele lumii, dorind sa se distreze si din pacate distrugandu-l pe George caruia ii spune ca nu-l iubeste dupa ce acesta sacrificase totul pentru ea.
Cartea ridica o multime de chestiuni morale cum ar fi: emanciparea femeilor, divortul (autorul a fost avocat), situatia femeii singure, scandalul, pastrarea aparentelor etc.
In concluzie avem de-a face cu o lectura extrem de agreabila in care am savurat descrierile si amanuntele vietii nobiliare de la tara precum si atmosfera epocii respective. Iata si cateva citate pe care le-am cules:
"Un om de lume nu-si scruteaza adancimile psihice; el accepta situatiile cu o simplitate induiosatoare. Daca e flamand, trebuie sa manance. Daca e insetat, trebuie sa bea. De ce e flamand sau insetat? Acestea sunt intrebari de prisos."
"La suprafata civilizatiei noastre moderne apare din cand in cand unul dinte acei oameni mari si buni care, ca toti oamenii mari si buni - inconstienti de maretia operei lor - lasa in urma o amintire durabila inainte de a dispare..."
"Daca mandria iti sta in cale, ascunde-o. Daca adevarul te zguduie, uita-l."
"Da, dar este una dintre acele femei la care nu te poti uita fara sa vezi ca e un... trup. [...] S-ar zice... s-ar zice ca-i o frantuzoaica!"
Volumul meu (ed. Minerva 1973) are o prefata foarte reusita de V. Moglescu intitulata "Universul lui Galsworthy sau ciocnirea dintre structura sociala ca necesitate sau arta ca libertate."
"The Country house" a aparut in 1907 si ne infatiseaza viata nobilimii de la tara oferind o analiza amanuntita asupra moravurilor din acele vremuri. Pe fondul acestei analize autorul abordeaza mai multe fatete ale iubirii: dragostea pasionala dintre un barbat si o femeie, iubirea unei mame fata de fiul ei si interesant, atasamentul fata de un domeniu fabulos, o resedinta de tara.
Actiunea are loc in 1891 la castelul domnului Horace Pendyce unde ii cunoastem pe oaspetii sai adunati la masa dupa cum urmeaza:
Doamna Gertrude Winlow, o femeie foarte onorabila si nobila;
Hellen Bellew, o frumusete pe care nicio lady nu o poate suferi insa toti barbatii o adora, inclusiv fiul gazdei, George. Este prototipul femeii periculoase, irezistibile, seducatoare;
Doamna Haselbarter, sotia preotului, o femeie ofilita si mereu cu teama in privire;
Gilbert Foxleight, un nobil aratos, mare amator de vanatoare, cu o situatie materiala incerta;
Maiorul in rezerva Charles Pendyce, un holtei convins, fratele lui Horace si protectorul lui Hellen;
Lady Malden, o doamna acra, directa si carcotasa care mereu spune ce crede;
Geoffrey Winlow, un barbat placut si cu maniere ce urmeaza sa mosteneasca locul tatalui sau in Camera Lorzilor;
Doamna Margery Pendyce, o femeie gingasa si blanda, eleganta si cu "inima unei adevarate doamne". Ea e cea care isi salveaza fiul;
Sir James Malden, un judecator de pace ce se trage dintr-o veche familie din Kent si care se teme de gura sotiei sale;
Reverendul Haselbarter, un pastor tipic de la tara cu mintea ingusta si foarte traditionalist. Considera ca imaginatia este ceva primejdios;
George Pendyce, fiul gazdei, un baiat frumos si rasfatat, avid de curse de cai si indragostit pana peste cap de Hellen;
Gazda, Horace Pendyce, un om de moda veche ce iubeste viata la tara, isi adora domeniul si se declara un conservator comunist.
Acum ca i-am cunoscut pe toti participantii nu ne ramane decat sa urmarim dezvoltarea legaturilor si intrigilor dintre ei. De asemenea suntem cu ochii si pe soarta lui George si relatia fatala dintre el si Hellen. Ea mi s-a parut ca seamana cu contesa Olenska din "Varsta inocentei" de Edith Wharton, fiind excentrica, nepasatoare la vorbele lumii, dorind sa se distreze si din pacate distrugandu-l pe George caruia ii spune ca nu-l iubeste dupa ce acesta sacrificase totul pentru ea.
Cartea ridica o multime de chestiuni morale cum ar fi: emanciparea femeilor, divortul (autorul a fost avocat), situatia femeii singure, scandalul, pastrarea aparentelor etc.
In concluzie avem de-a face cu o lectura extrem de agreabila in care am savurat descrierile si amanuntele vietii nobiliare de la tara precum si atmosfera epocii respective. Iata si cateva citate pe care le-am cules:
"Un om de lume nu-si scruteaza adancimile psihice; el accepta situatiile cu o simplitate induiosatoare. Daca e flamand, trebuie sa manance. Daca e insetat, trebuie sa bea. De ce e flamand sau insetat? Acestea sunt intrebari de prisos."
"La suprafata civilizatiei noastre moderne apare din cand in cand unul dinte acei oameni mari si buni care, ca toti oamenii mari si buni - inconstienti de maretia operei lor - lasa in urma o amintire durabila inainte de a dispare..."
"Daca mandria iti sta in cale, ascunde-o. Daca adevarul te zguduie, uita-l."
"Da, dar este una dintre acele femei la care nu te poti uita fara sa vezi ca e un... trup. [...] S-ar zice... s-ar zice ca-i o frantuzoaica!"
July 29, 2021
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The Country House
by John Galsworthy
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One reads The Forsyte Saga trilogy, and wants more, and goes on to search out the rest of the tale about the characters one is so involved in by now, Irene and Jon most of all. Irene remains elusive and if anything more so than through the first trilogy, but one gets more of people related to Forsytes, and of beauty of England and some insights of social life and political state of the country and the world of that era. One finishes Forsyte Chronicles, three trilogies, nine books each of which is further three parts, and two in each trilogy connecting the parts. And one wants more. So one goes on to other writings of Galsworthy.
And one is not disappointed. Only, rather than go forth, one gets a view, an insight into how Forsyte Saga and Chronicles came to be the finished, polished, elusive portraits of the time and life veiled with a very English poetic mist wafting over the whole tale.
The Country House is set as the title would tell one in a country house, primarily, and the village life in general of that time, the mindsets still entrenched in the traditions and caste system of that time and place, but the people evolving at their own speeds of comfort.
A woman unwilling to live with her husband is at the centre of this work, with the peripheral people vivid as usual with the author. How her decision to separate affects people, how her involvement impacts on them, how they deal with the questions of divorce and involvement and questions of whether a woman may leave her husband and still be respectable, is the work.
There is the rector who is unable to deal with his wife's tenth confinement and the question of whether she will survive it, and with her contempt and pity for him hidden well until her moment of agony when she still smiles at him and tells him to go for his usual walk - and he never connects it in his conscious mind to his condemnation of the woman divorcing her husband for moral reasons. The opposite are the squire and his wife and son, each of whom deals with the same woman in a different way, but more humane and more civil. And the heartening part is, the husband she separated from is not automatically held up as free of guilt and full of innocence - rather, everyone including the rector is quite honest about how he is no better than the wife but merely has more rights to possess the woman since he is the man.
This admission of the skewed basis therefore makes them able to look at the whole question in a more honest way, and to go as far as he or she might with comfort with one's inner core, into the question of a woman's being a person in her own right rather than a mere possession and chattel bound and branded by her husband's right to her.
Not that these questions are now universally solved to satisfaction of justice much less satisfaction of everyone, especially those not willing to grant a personhood of a woman, but that era was the beginning of such questioning and thought in Europe. Tolstoy solved it by having Anna Karenina miserable with her choice of going away with her lover, unable to love her daughter by her lover, pining for the son she has by the husband she is unable to live with, and unable to feel secure in her love, committing suicide at the end symbolic of her choice of love over respectability of unhappy marriage stifling her heart - the choice that was a social suicide for her.
Galsworthy is kinder and more honest in that he does not attempt to satisfy all regressive or closed minds, much less authorities of the kind that attempt to rule personal lives by impersonal laws same for all, but rather shows a whole spectrum of people that deal with these questions in different ways, thus freeing the reader to think and feel and explore one's own heart and mind and thought, while looking at the portrayal by the author.
Thursday, October 17, 2013.
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The Country House
by John Galsworthy
.......................................................................
.......................................................................
One reads The Forsyte Saga trilogy, and wants more, and goes on to search out the rest of the tale about the characters one is so involved in by now, Irene and Jon most of all. Irene remains elusive and if anything more so than through the first trilogy, but one gets more of people related to Forsytes, and of beauty of England and some insights of social life and political state of the country and the world of that era. One finishes Forsyte Chronicles, three trilogies, nine books each of which is further three parts, and two in each trilogy connecting the parts. And one wants more. So one goes on to other writings of Galsworthy.
And one is not disappointed. Only, rather than go forth, one gets a view, an insight into how Forsyte Saga and Chronicles came to be the finished, polished, elusive portraits of the time and life veiled with a very English poetic mist wafting over the whole tale.
The Country House is set as the title would tell one in a country house, primarily, and the village life in general of that time, the mindsets still entrenched in the traditions and caste system of that time and place, but the people evolving at their own speeds of comfort.
A woman unwilling to live with her husband is at the centre of this work, with the peripheral people vivid as usual with the author. How her decision to separate affects people, how her involvement impacts on them, how they deal with the questions of divorce and involvement and questions of whether a woman may leave her husband and still be respectable, is the work.
There is the rector who is unable to deal with his wife's tenth confinement and the question of whether she will survive it, and with her contempt and pity for him hidden well until her moment of agony when she still smiles at him and tells him to go for his usual walk - and he never connects it in his conscious mind to his condemnation of the woman divorcing her husband for moral reasons. The opposite are the squire and his wife and son, each of whom deals with the same woman in a different way, but more humane and more civil. And the heartening part is, the husband she separated from is not automatically held up as free of guilt and full of innocence - rather, everyone including the rector is quite honest about how he is no better than the wife but merely has more rights to possess the woman since he is the man.
This admission of the skewed basis therefore makes them able to look at the whole question in a more honest way, and to go as far as he or she might with comfort with one's inner core, into the question of a woman's being a person in her own right rather than a mere possession and chattel bound and branded by her husband's right to her.
Not that these questions are now universally solved to satisfaction of justice much less satisfaction of everyone, especially those not willing to grant a personhood of a woman, but that era was the beginning of such questioning and thought in Europe. Tolstoy solved it by having Anna Karenina miserable with her choice of going away with her lover, unable to love her daughter by her lover, pining for the son she has by the husband she is unable to live with, and unable to feel secure in her love, committing suicide at the end symbolic of her choice of love over respectability of unhappy marriage stifling her heart - the choice that was a social suicide for her.
Galsworthy is kinder and more honest in that he does not attempt to satisfy all regressive or closed minds, much less authorities of the kind that attempt to rule personal lives by impersonal laws same for all, but rather shows a whole spectrum of people that deal with these questions in different ways, thus freeing the reader to think and feel and explore one's own heart and mind and thought, while looking at the portrayal by the author.
Thursday, October 17, 2013.
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May 28, 2021
This is the first book in a trilogy by Galsworthy, but is not part of the Forsyth series. This trilogy is called Worshipful Society. One could accurately say that not a lot happens in the book, in then same way not much happens in books by Trollope, or Austen, for that matter. It is a detailed study of the manners and viewpoints of society at that time.
The book didn’t pull me in like some books do; rather I had to burrow into it. But once I was burrowed safely into it, I was hooked and it became the main book I was reading, as I am always reading multiple books at a time. As with the Forsyth saga, there are a lot of characters here, but in this book some of them are truly supporting characters and do not move to the forefront of the story as most characters due in the Forsyth series.
Galsworthy uses humor here, but don’t look for punchlines or broad humor. He is subtle about it, usually presented in observations that roll along until you realize, Oh, what seems like a positive description is really a subtle joke at their expense. He also uses animals as means of observation, and has a setter, for example, thinking real thoughts.
So yes, I enjoyed it and will be reading the second book at some point. I am curious if the series follows the same characters, like the Forsyth Saga, or follows a theme or the like. I will let you know.
The book didn’t pull me in like some books do; rather I had to burrow into it. But once I was burrowed safely into it, I was hooked and it became the main book I was reading, as I am always reading multiple books at a time. As with the Forsyth saga, there are a lot of characters here, but in this book some of them are truly supporting characters and do not move to the forefront of the story as most characters due in the Forsyth series.
Galsworthy uses humor here, but don’t look for punchlines or broad humor. He is subtle about it, usually presented in observations that roll along until you realize, Oh, what seems like a positive description is really a subtle joke at their expense. He also uses animals as means of observation, and has a setter, for example, thinking real thoughts.
So yes, I enjoyed it and will be reading the second book at some point. I am curious if the series follows the same characters, like the Forsyth Saga, or follows a theme or the like. I will let you know.
December 1, 2025
Puțini scriitori au reușit să ilustreze în operele lor viața micii nobilimi precum John Galsworthy, laureat al Premiului Nobel pentru literatură. Încununarea unei cariere prodigioase (chiar dacă nu recunoscută așa cum se cuvenea de critica de specialitate) a venit în 1932, cu doar un an înainte de decesul autorului.
În romanul de față viața la Worsted Skeynes curge monoton și liniștit, până când un triunghi amoros iese la iveală. Iar de aici încolo, nimic nu va mai fi la fel de simplu pentru toți cei implicați...
În romanul de față viața la Worsted Skeynes curge monoton și liniștit, până când un triunghi amoros iese la iveală. Iar de aici încolo, nimic nu va mai fi la fel de simplu pentru toți cei implicați...
August 27, 2012
I know that John Galsworthy was awarded the Nobel for literature in 1931. And I haven't read what people seem to consider his best work, the Forsyte Saga trilogy (only saw the movie). These being said, I found The Country House common. Neither brilliant, nor terribly bad. A bit simple, straight forward. I did not particularly regret reading it, but would not do it again, if given the choice.
November 15, 2022
Although I enjoyed much of the plot of this, watching many of the characters interact with each other and the older, titled, male characters struggling at the idea of a changing world, I just couldn’t fully get to grips with it. The constant switching between characters felt jarring at times, and many of them just didn’t feel fully identifiable in their own right as individuals.
February 25, 2012
I liked the bit where Mrs Pendyce decided she had so little practice in saying bitter things that she could not think of any that were nice enough to put in her "bitter" letter.
June 13, 2012
A simple story, with an ending which was not at all surprising. A bit boring, though, because the lack of action makes the reading a bit annoying.
June 23, 2012
Wow. Wanted to like this so much because I loved the bbc's forsyte saga miniseries, but this was dullsville. Nothing happened! Only read a third of it.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews