324. Parade's End

Parade's End
Ford Madox Ford
1924-1928
Around 830 pages

Jean Rhys has blown the whistle on how creepy FMF was, but if I let that ruin my fun, I wouldn't be able to enjoy 75% of the novels on this List. And I would be deprived of seeing Benedict Cumberbatch's above haircut. 

Christopher Tietjens is a government statistician from a wealthy English family. He serves as an officer in World War I, and is married to Sylvia, who is the type of woman that male authors always seem to come up with. The shallow socialite who gives her husband hell and makes all his infidelities excusable. Speaking of which, he has a relationship with Valentine, a passionate woman's suffragist. 

At the very least, Ford always produces rich characters, and Christopher was a good representation of the generation wiped out during the First World War. Sylvia was also portrayed sympathetically, her actions could largely be explained by the sexual repression of the time. 

But he's wordy, and I find his way of drifting in and out of his characters' heads hard to follow.  Jean Rhys can do better than him.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Admired by Dorothy Parker. 

Graham Greene spoke out about the last volume, calling it an afterthought that Ford did not mean to make. Ouch.

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