The Winds of Heaven

by Monica Dickens, A.S. Byatt (Afterword)

The Winds of Heaven is a 1955 novel about 'a widow, rising sixty, with no particular gifts or skills, shunted from one to the other of her more or less unwilling daughters on perpetual uneasy visits, with no prospect of her life getting anything but worse’ (Afterword). One daughter is the socially ambitious Miriam living in commuter belt with her barrister husband and children; one is Eva, an aspiring actress in love with a married man; and the third is Anne, married to a rough but kindly Bedfordshire smallholder who is the only one who treats Louise with more than merely dutiful sympathy. The one relation with whom she has any empathy is her grandchild.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Novels, British Literature, Modern Classics, Literary Fiction, Romance

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

From the publisher: MONICA DICKENS, born in 1915, was brought up in London and was the great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens. Her mother's German origins and her Catholicism gave her the detached eye of an outsider; at St Paul's Girls' School she was under occupied and rebellious. After drama school she was a debutante before working as a cook. One Pair of Hands (1939), her first book, described life in the kitchens of Kensington. It was the first of a group of semi autobiographies of which Mariana (1940), technically a novel, was one. 'My aim is to entertain rather than instruct,' she wrote. 'I want readers to recognise life in my books.' In 1951 Monica Dickens married a US naval officer, Roy Stratton, moved to America and adopted two daughters. An extremely popular writer, she involved herself in, and wrote about, good causes such as the Samaritans. After her husband died she lived in a cottage in rural Berkshire, dying there in 1992.
http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/page...

Reviews

[Helene Jeppesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars.
Monica Dickens seems to be able to do no wrong, in my eyes. She's the author of my favourite read classic of 2016 "Mariana", she writes amazing characters and "The Winds of Heaven" is no exception.
With this book, you can't help but feel sorry for the poor widow Louise whose life seems to be spent between her ungrateful daughters, none of them willing to take her in and care for her. At times I was frustrated with Louise for not being more Independent, but mostly I was frustrated with her daughters, and when I came to the ending I was confirmed in my frustrations - their ungratefulness to their mother seems to be the theme of this book.
"The Winds of Heaven" was one of those novels that I flew through and couldn't seem to put down. I loved how it gradually introduces new characters so that the setting is always refreshened. I adored the anecdotes that came with each setting, but most of all I loved the characters themselves. Each of them were quirky, different and vastly interesting to read about.
The title of the book, however, seemed a bit forced on the story, and the ending left me with some kind of a question mark in my head. Therefore, it doesn't quite reach a 5-star-rating from me, but it was definitely one of the better classics I've read so far this year.

[Diane Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Persephone winner. Poor Louise is left destitute at 59 after the death of her lying, unloving husband and has to sell her home and all she owns to pay his debts. This leaves her at the mercy of her 3 daughters, shunting around for a few months at each of their homes, well aware that she's merely tolerated, not welcomed. At least she spends the winters with a friend who owns a holiday hotel on the coast, until a heart attack of the friend puts an end to that.

The two bright spots in her life are her 11 year old granddaughter Ellen, who feels rather unloved and unwanted herself, and her friend Gordon, an overweight seller of beds in an apartment store, who is alone and lonely as well.

The characters and situations of of her 3 daughters was well described, I felt sympathy for all of these people, coping with life and obligations as best they could. Monica Dickens was Charles Dickens great-granddaughter, so comes by her writing talent honestly. As always, this Persephone book highlighted the roles and emotions of women in society at all levels without moralizing.

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful book from the ever reliable Persephone Books.

Poor Louise is a widow who has been brow-beaten and bullied by her selfish husband. On his death, she discovers he was also a braggart, who couldn't admit to failure, so he carried on spending money he didn't have. She has been left with next to nothing and has to rely on the charity of her daughters and an old school friend, moving between the families, aware that she is not really wanted anywhere. She meets a writer of thrillers in a cafe, equally lonely. A lovely friendship developed between them, despite her daughters sneering that he is common. What follows is a very readable story that I whipped through quickly. It was quietly compelling.

[Dorcas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a difficult book to rate. The writing is good, reminding me of my favorites Margaret Kennedy and Dorothy Evelyn Smith. But.... I hesitate to give this five stars us because of the extremely unlikable characters. The reader longs for some human kindness but although it's there, it is dealt out so sparingly that I doubt I will ever re-read it. Lovers of pink warm fuzzies look elsewhere.

The story follows a middle-aged widow who is left destitute after her rat bag husband dies. Without money or skills she is left at the mercy of her three grown daughters who view her as a tiresome nuisance and at whose homes she is bounced back and forth for weeks or months at a time.

Her life would be one grinding slog if it weren't for three people in her life: her misfit granddaughter Ellen (who is socially awkward and unloved), Frank, her son in law (who at least knows her true value, although his wife is a selfish slob), and an oversized bed salesman/ writer, Gordon Disher who she meets in London and becomes close friends with.

The book is mostly a character study and an interesting one, how a simple good woman can come to have ungrateful brats that bear no resemblance to she who bore them. Their entanglements and family problems. Bits of sunshine peeping out of the storm clouds in the form of true friends. And tragedy, but with hope.

So mixed feelings; but I have already bought a compendium of five Monica Dickens novels so you know there is something there that resonates with me.

Definitely an author worth checking out.

 3.5 Stars

[Fiona MacDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this an absolutely astounding book. The astounding thing was that I adored it, despite hating ALL but one of the characters (Louise's granddaughter Ellen). I particularly despised Louise, the lead character and most irritating, idiotic and pathetic creature I have come across in literature. She was topped off by her 3 daughters, Miriam, Eva and Anne who all had their own infuriating traits as they passed their mother backwards and forwards to each other, moaning and complaining as they did so. At the same time, Louise was moaning about how much of a burden she was being to her daughters, and constantly apologising for speaking, breathing and having an opinion of any kind.
Weak women are exceedingly unpopular in literature, and knowing Monica Dickens, I'm sure it has been done tongue in cheek. Even weirder therefore that I loved the whole thing, I loved the relationships, the writing, the wit and the story in general.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

“When the winds of heaven blow, men are inclined to throw back their heads like horses, and stride ruggedly into the gusts, pretending to be much healthier than they really are; but women tend to creep about, shrunk into their clothes and clutching miserably at their hats and hair.”

Louise Bickford had felt the force of the wind of heaven. In her early fifties in the early fifties, she found herself widowed, penniless and homeless after the death of her brutish husband.


Her daughters, three very different women, knew that they had to their duty and so she spent part of the year with each and the winter months in a run-down hotel owned by an old school friend.

It’s a far from ideal arrangement, but there seems to be no alternative. Louise’s suggestion that she earn a living is swiftly dismissed by her family. She is unskilled and it is not what women of her class do.

And so she tries to help out, to be unobtrusive, but sadly it is unappreciated. Louise’ daughters are wrapped up in their own lives their own concerns and give not one thought to how their mother might feel, what she might want.

The lack of understanding, the lack of communication, is horrible but it is utterly believable. That made this an uncomfortable read at times, but it was always compelling.

And if Louise could hold on then so could I.

She finds support from two of the more sensitive members of her family. And from a salesman who become a friend after a chance encounter in a cafe.

Monica Dickens writes such lovely prose and she is a fine storyteller. Characters, settings, and scenarios are all utterly believable. And she picks up exactly the right details to bring the story to life, to make it utterly real.

Eventually, inevitably arrangements break down and Louise finds herself in trouble …

More than that I am not going to say.

Persephone Books will be reissuing The Winds of Heaven later this week and it is a very fine selection for its list.

A book to engage both emotions and social consciences.

The world may have changed since the fifties, but this is still a book with a lot to say about relationships and social conventions.

Yes, a fine novel that stands the test of time.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book I could not put down. It is about so many things - what it is like to grow old and dependent - what it is like to have spunk despite numerous personal disappointments - how you can be too soft and giving and not assert yourself - on the other hand how your good heart can lead you to new delights. It is also about how we find kindred spirits where we often least expect to find them and how we can be disappointed in those closest to us. Like books from the 50's, the plot's resolution will seem too tidy to some, but it delighted me.

It can be bracing to read about people who have hurled themselves into life vs. those who carefully stand aside and remark cleverly on players in the great game of life.

[Veronique · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25*

The first thing you notice upon picking up this novel is how readable it is. The prose is inviting and easy, but also rich, in a subtle way - mostly in the choice of descriptions and metaphors. These were unobtrusive, but still gave me such a clear image. And this is where I found plenty of humour, which was a little unexpected.

Mrs Maddox glared at her, pushing long, bristly eyebrows together. She was a great, swarthy old woman, with a coarse skin and two moles on her chin from which long, black hairs waved like feelers.

The heroine of the novel is a recently widowed woman of nearly 60, who finds herself without a penny or home due to her braggart husband ruining them, and is now at the mercy of her three daughters’ charity, forever bundled from one to the other. Not the cheeriest of premise and yet.

We follow Louise in her difficult situation, experiencing her daughters’ social spheres as the outsider she is. The third person narration even jumps into the cast’s consciousness, giving us glimpses of their thoughts, these most of the time less than stellar. Monica Dickens (Charles’ great granddaughter) however never becomes acerbic. She shows us all these pretensions, egotisms, and idiosyncrasies, but always in a kind, and funny, way.

In this fashion, the author shows us and thus comments on the institution of marriage, on patriarchy in this 1950s civilisation, on generational differences but mostly similarities, on social status, and on ageing. Dickens also used wind as a motif throughout her novel, figuratively with Louise being buffeted by events, thrown one way or the other, forever at the power of others, but also literally, the element appearing at critical times. My only criticism is with the ending, but it didn’t distract from my enjoyment of the rest.

Another little gem brought back by Persephone Books. And yes, I’m sure I shall be trying Mariana soon :O)

[Beth Bonini · Rating 5 out of 5]

During the school term, I rarely find time to read adult books. I'm always conscious of the huge stack of children's books that I need to read and the never-ending lesson plans which need to be written.

I bought this book at the Persephone store in London -- a birthday present to myself -- and I read it in one sitting on a cold, wet January day. It felt like a necessary indulgence at the time, and there was something hugely emotionally satisfying about it. The characters felt so real, particularly the main character (the gentle widow, Louise), and one sympathised so with her plight. Although the subject matter was by no means cheerful, the narrative was completely gripping and the ending happy -- a bit happy, anyway. In brief, the protagonist of the book discovers that her difficult, bossy husband has left her penniless -- and that she must rely on her three grown-up daughters to provide a home for her. She is just middle-class enough for everyone to think her too much a "lady" to work, and she is still too young to just give up and die. There must have been a great many women like Louise, not only in her time -- but in every time. The novel just felt very true, and it stuck with me for days.

I had never read anything by Monica Dickens before, and I was surprised to learn what a popular and prolific writer she had been during the 1940s and 50s. I've read that many of her books are coming back into print; please do let me know if anyone spies them anywhere. I shall be looking for more of her work at Persephone and Daunt Bookstore in Marylebone (the usual suspects).

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Louise's husband has recently died, leaving her nearly destitute and having to cast herself on the tender mercies of her three daughters, with whom she lives turn and turn-about. Unfortunately, none of the daughters really wants Louise, though they feel morally obliged to have her, and so she feels that she doesn't belong anywhere. Although I appreciated Dickens' deft and sympathetic characterization and very readable writing, the plot slogged a bit and wound up in a rather melodramatic way.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner from the marvelous Persephone books, number 90 from their list. The second Monica Dickens they have re-published.
The Winds of Heaven is a beautifully constructed novel. Louise is a widow forced by financial hardship to depend on her grown up daughters to home her for half the year, while she winters at a friend's hotel the rest of the time. Her daughters are each selfish, and difficult, in different ways and Louise is never able to feel at home, or properly useful where ever she goes. Gentle and uncomplaining she has developed a lovely relationship with one of her eldest daughter's children, Ellen, a child Louise feels needs her, as she too is isolated and lonely, not quite fitting into her own family. One day when at a Lyons house in London Louise meet Gordon Disher, a big fat man who sells beds and writes thrillers under a pseudonym. This new friendship comes to delight Louise and confound her family who often tease her about "her salesman". As Louise moves from one daughter's home to the next trying her best to fit in to their lives, and help them with their problems, she begins to find her position more and more intolerable.

I loved every bit of this lovely book, with it's dramatic climax and a wholly satisfying ending.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Winds of Heaven, the eighth of Monica Dickens ( the great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens) seventeen novels , was published in 1955.
Louise Bickford aged 57 has become a widow after her husband Dudley dies from a illness.
Dudley leaves Louise with nothing , except his debts.He had sold every share he possessed, mortgaged the house, and realised his life insurance.
Louise is forced to sell the house , car , and all their possessions, to pay off all the debt.With only a small income of two hundred pounds a year to live on , Louise is homeless.
After a family meeting with her three daughters, Miriam , Eva and Anne , it is decided that Louise will spend half the year living at her old school friends hotel in the Isle of Wight ,over the winter months,and then with her daughters in turn over spring and summer.
This story is about family relationships, loneliness and growing old.
Told with sadness and humour, i loved it and i'm looking forward to reading more by Monica Dickens soon.
'You, my dear, have committed the crime of growing older. The greatest crime in our society.People shouldn't do it.It doesn't pay.' He wagged his head,and rang the jerky porcelain bell for the housekeeper to bring more hot water.

[Squeak2017 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The melancholy plot of this book - elderly unwanted lady humiliated by the "kindness" her reluctant relatives feel obliged to offer her - reminded me of Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont. This novel has a more upbeat ending but the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune rain down upon Louise copiously as the novel progresses. Constantly trying to please and unerringly annoying those whose charity she is forced to accept, Louise remains dignified, loving and considerate in the face of some harsh winds. She happily accepts and returns the genuine affection she finds in the few sympathetic characters in the novel and finally finds her deserved independence.

Edit: anyone who thinks having children is the way to avoid a lonely old age should be forced to read this novel. And those who think Louise too docile should never have to be so poor as to be dependent on the goodwill of ill tempered, busy or callous relatives

[Linden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fiftyish widow is left to the charity of her three selfish daughters. I just loved this book. Funny and sad and a joy to read. A Persephone Book.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear daughter, I confess that I am old;

Age is unnecessary.

These lines from King Lear, written centuries ago, still apply to our society’s attitude towards age. It is viewed as undesirable and terrifying. And it can be, but not for the obvious reasons. Growing old is difficult because others make it so. They make a person feel invisible, unwanted, by locking them away; sometimes they infantilize them, believing they’re no longer adults capable of making their own decisions. At other times, they fire them from their jobs because they think their capabilities have dulled. At the heart of this treatment is the institution of family. A microcosm of society.

Louise Bickford, the protagonist of The Winds of Heaven, is only fifty-seven but wanders without purpose because what she was raised to be -wife and mother- is now fulfilled. She has three daughters: Miriam, Eva, and Anne. Her husband Dudley, who treated her appallingly, complicated her life even in death by leaving her riddled with debt. Louise lost everything, including her home, and now has to be passed over from one daughter to another as if she were a hand grenade. Miriam and her husband Arthur are the worst offenders; rigid and patronizing, they make Louise feel that she’s always in the way. In one of the most painful scenes in the book, Miriam asks Eva in front of everyone -at Louise’s birthday party no less- when she’s going to take Mother with her, all under a mask of politeness.

Her granddaughter Ellen, also an outcast in the family, is the only one who loves her best and treats her with consideration. They can be together without criticisms or expectations. They understand each other. My favourite passages take place when Louise is staying for the winter at the hotel of an old friend:

“Darling Ellen, here I am, and everything is just the same as last year, including Goldie. I like it, except that I wish you were here too,” she wrote, and meant it. She wanted to be with Ellen now more than ever. She wanted to take her away from her invidious position and make up to her with love for the wrong that had been done to her.

(...)

Perhaps, after all, she was silly to worry so much about her family. However much she worried from the other side of the Solent, it would make no difference to them. They would carry on their lives without her, pausing now and then, she hoped, to say, “I wonder how Mother is getting on.” The winter would pass, and perhaps when she went back, everything would be all right.
Not Ellen, though. Ellen would never be all right. I must not die until she’s grown up and married, Louise thought. Whatever happens, I must not die and leave her. She cared for Ellen more than she had ever cared for any of her children, and she knew, guiltily, that Ellen loved her better than her own mother.

Louise also forms an unlikely friendship with Gordon Disher, a bed salesman and, incongruously, writer of pulp fiction. Though for me, their bond paled in comparison with Louise and Ellen’s. Every time Mr. Disher was mentioned, so was his weight. It made me uncomfortable but I let it pass because the book worked well overall.

What didn’t work was Eva’s predictable romance with a married man and the characters of Anne and her husband Frank, which weren’t well-developed. All I can say about Anne is that she’s apathetic and Frank a simple, good-hearted country boy. Their characterizations didn’t ring as true as the others.

I have seen criticisms of Louise’s character, unjustified in my opinion. Louise has been belittled and steamrolled all her life, so it makes sense that she’s timid and insecure. We’re so accustomed to the “strong female character” trope that any other character that doesn’t fit into that mold is condemned as anti-feminist. Louise Bickford is a well-rounded character, not a cliché, and therefore much more interesting. She’s allowed to be human, which should be the goal of feminist literature.

In short, The Winds of Heaven enthralled me. Nothing much happens, but the interactions among the characters were complex and real. More importantly, it highlighted the problem of how we treat others, especially those who are at a disadvantage. Thanks to Persephone Books for rescuing this gem from obscurity.

[Gwynplaine26th · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le edizioni Astoria sono sempre garanzia di un libro spumeggiante, spiritoso, umano, disimpegnato ma non frivolo.

Così è "Quando soffia il vento" di Monica Dickens (proprio parente sì, pronipote del più famoso Charles), un romanzo divertente, affabulatore, che ho praticamente iniziato e finito nelle quasi cinque ore di attesa dal dottore, ieri pomeriggio.

Siamo nella Londra degli anni '50, un po' vessata dalla guerra ma pronta a rialzarsi, un po' snob come si confà a dei veri inglesi, dove una donna che lavora è un po' meh.. triste. Louise però sa di non avere molta scelta (o meglio ci prova, ma alla fine non lavorerà comunque mai), alla morte del marito si trova senza un soldo e sballottata tra le tre figlie, una più odiosa dell'altra, finché un vento leggermente frizzantino di un cambiamento incoming la sorprende aiutandola a superare l’impasse in cui le tradizioni borghesi la inchiodano.

Un romanzo senza pretese, fluido e leggero, in perfetta sintonia con ciò che la casa editrice Astoria tende ad offrire: "Ma chi l’ha detto che la letteratura deve solo restituirci il mondo nei suoi aspetti più tragici? E se fosse vero che la leggerezza e l’ironia riescono a darci ugualmente ragione del mondo in cui viviamo? " (Astoria edizioni cit.)

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Persephone, like Virago before them, do have a great knack of uncovering forgotten books by women writers that have unfairly fallen out of print. Monica Dickens (the great-granddaughter of the great Victorian novelist), is still remembered for her three books about her experiences of work as a cook, nurse and local journalist (all happily still in print), but her novels, once so popular, have been largely forgotten. The Winds of Heaven (1955) is a tragicomedy with much contemporary relevance. Louise Bickford, having spent years in a loveless, controlling marriage but now recently widowed, finds herself thrown on the mercy of her three daughters (echoes of King Lear!) when she discovers that her husband has left her with barely a penny to her name. But they have their own very different lives to lead and she finds herself shuffled around between them like some sort of reverse game of pass the parcel. Monica Dickens has a sharp eye for human failings and character, and the ways in which little hurts and slights can mount up to become an overwhelming tide. The boredom and ennui that Louise, left to fill lonely hours with no money, experiences is achingly evoked. But hope and help comes from a most unexpected quarter…

[Lyana Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure if I can put my finger on what made this read so enjoyable. Certainly, the heroine, Louise Bickford, was charming, and I kept feeling sorrier as her life kept winding down. Her daughters were certainly wonderfully awful with stuck-up Miriam and busy Eva. Louise's love interest, Gordon Disher, was also a fun character to read. And of course, there's young Ellen (who really seems to have the worst lot). I suppose the only characters I disliked reading about were Anne and Frank as they were the only ones that seemed way too cardboard for me.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Louise, penniless and astonished after her unsatisfactory husband dies, is blown to and fro as she “visits” her three daughters. They are also unsatisfactory. One is a slattern who smokes and reads all day while her devoted husband manages a smallholding; one is a snob who begrudges Louise houseroom; one is a struggling actress caught up in an affair with a married actor who claims he’s going to leave his wife any day now. It’s a story that could be depressing, but Louise’s self awareness, wry observations and humility made her very appealing. I wanted the best for her, and luckily she seemed on her way to changing her life for the better. This is not quite a comedy of manners; it’s rather a novel of life in Britain in the 50s with touches of humor, a bit of pathos and many acute observations. The end falls apart somewhat, but this didn't stop my enjoyment.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louise is a widow with three grown-up daughters, left with so little money that she has nowhere to live and has to stay with her daughters in turns. None of the daughters are particularly happy in their lives and none of them really want her. The family members that Louise gets on with best are a young granddaughter and one of her sons-in-law. By chance she meets and becomes friends with a man of a lower class who writes trashy thrillers. But the heart of the novel is her relationships with her daughters and what happens when she tries to help them – is it help or interference?

This is an excellent example of the kind of books that Persephone publish, slow-moving and focused on relationships. I loved it.

[Ruthiella · Rating 3 out of 5]

The disinterested storytelling style of The Winds Heaven reminded me a tad of Dorothy Whipple, though I think Whipple is better. The melodrama was a little too uneven for my tastes.

The story is about Louise, widowed at 50 something, and her three rather ungrateful grown daughters. Louise’s husband bullied her and left her with only debts upon his death. She cannot afford to support herself and is shunted between the homes of her self-centered children in the spring, summer and fall while spending the winters in Portsmouth on the charity of a school friend who runs a hotel. Louise’ only occasional solace is her awkward granddaughter Ellen, her son-in-law Frank and her new found friend, Mr. Disher.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ugh. Can't remember when I've last read a book with such a host of unlikeable characters. Worlds wimpiest protagonist in Louise, three vile snobby daughters among host of others. I don't understand why people get nostalgic about this period. Women really did get a rough deal, we take so much for granted these days.

[Carys Attwater-Sheen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting this book to be so raw and touching. I enjoyed every second of reading it, there was hints of humour, so much sadness and for the entire book, I just felt so sad for Louise, like she needs a hug🥺. I was so sad that the book ended on a bit of a cliff hanger but the way it did end was the sweetest way I could picture it to end🥰. EVERYONE MUST READDDD😩💕

[Karen Mace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another exquisite read from the Persephone stable that is full of drama, some ghastly characters and wonderful observations on the quirks and idiosyncrasies of families.

You cannot help but empathise with the main character Louise. Left penniless and homeless when her over-controlling husband passes away, she is left to rely on the 'charity' of her 3 daughters who each have her stay with them in turn for short bursts, before she spends each winter in a guest house on the Isle of Wight. But far from being a caring family, the daughters all see time with their mother as a burden and she's often left feeling in the way. You do wonder how such a woman brought up 3 quite ungrateful daughters, who all seem to take after their father in the way they look down on their mother.

There are bright lights in her life though - her granddaughter Ellen has the same outlook on life as Louise, and they are very similar and always thrive in each others' company. And then Louise meets a kind stranger, who shows genuine interest in her and it's lovely to see this friendship blossom as she is treated like a human being for the first time in a very long time.

Louise is such a calming character, despite those around her treating her so harshly, and you often wish she'd just tell her daughters exactly what she thinks of them! She often blames herself too for their behaviour. The sisters are all so wrapped up in their own existence that they fail to see life from the point of view of their mother and I think that resonates even now with some aspects of society.

Desperate to read more now from Monica Dickens.

[SarahC · Rating 2 out of 5]

Monica Dickens wrote notable novels, particularly examining the quiet struggles of women in the earlier part of the 20th century. The Winds of Heaven details the troubled, mid-century life of widowed Louise Bickford, left impoverished by a neglectful, egoist late husband. Her three adult daughters unfortunately are carrying on the theme of their deceased father's life by deriding, snubbing, and generally underestimating Louise in all ways. It is a truthful novel, but tiring in that these stereotypically selfish family and friends have only two real exceptions (her emotionally neglected young granddaughter and Louise's quiet friend who secretly authors thrillers). Even her lifelong school friend, who offers the only physical refuge for the Louise at a hotel off-season, hardly spends a minute of each day thinking of Louise under her own roof. The Winds of Heaven is really too lengthy a story of this cold crowd.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised by the ending of this book. I didn't quite understand how the action reached the point of the fire, and I thought that the marriage with Gordon Disher was very sudden. I had hoped that Louise would become more independent, and she definitely showed signs of it as the novel progressed, but then it turned out to be a book of it's generation in that the woman got married at it's close. I couldn't tell if perhaps Monica Dickens had intended this one as a sort of satire on a traditional comedy, where you have a series of characters blundering their way through marriage. It was a successful read and I did enjoy it, but I think I will both have to read more of her work and reread this book before I fully understand where she was going with this one.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story about a widowed grandmother who has been left poverty stricken by her feckless husband is heartfelt and insightful. Her situation is such that she relies on her three daughters to keep her through the summer, rotating between them and developing a bond with her eldest granddaughter. In the winter she boards with an old friend who runs a hotel. The story revolves around her efforts to survive poor and tolerated by her daughters, who really want to get on with their lives and not have to worry about her. It is poignant, irritating and dramatic by turns and is a wonderful portrait of a woman of that class and position in English society of the time.

[Kate Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Painfully observed and brilliantly written the story of Louise’s journey through first years of widowhood and fall into penury. Passed around between her daughters’ homes and their strikingly different family lives. Their long suffering reluctant sense of duty seeps through with her sense of uselessness and being beholden. She has one other residence with a friend but it’s equally tortuous as the meagre paying guest in friend’s hotel. Her escape route to independence and a changed life from all this is slowly revealed with two dramatic scenes in the last two chapters.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. Charming. The eye into various aspects of English life post WWII were wonderful. The digs into 'suburban/village' were right on.
Persephone picked a winner in this one. Interesting to note which you get from the little essay by Byatt at the back is that Monica Dickens is a Dickens great granddaughter.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good read. Published ages ago in the 50's (actually, not that long ago). The widow mother of 3 daughters, who is left penniless and is passed on to each daughter during the year. A very unpleasant situation for all. Will Louise ever find happiness or will she be a burden to everyone and herself?