To the North
Elizabeth Bowen
1932
Around 320 pages
Our streak of so-so novels continues. It's like we are on the B-side of authors who already have plenty of coverage on this List. And the ending of this made me roll my eyes, which admittedly, are easily triggered.
Cecilia Summers and her late husband's sister, Emmeline, live together in 1920s London. Cecilia is having difficulty processing her husband's death, and spends her days drifting through the city's social scene. She meets Mark Linkwater, and is savvy enough to see that Mark is a roguish cad who wouldn't be out of place in a Jane Austen novel. Emmeline, however, is younger and more susceptible to roguery.
I feel like this was heavily influenced by the Bunner Sisters. She nails the description of the psychological power each character possesses over the other, but not much else stood out to me. And Mark is a dick.
RATING: ***--
Interesting Facts:
Elizabeth Bowen's marriage was reportedly never consummated. I know that has nothing to do with this book, but I thought it was juicy.
UP NEXT: The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
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