One of my favourite novels
Richmal Crompton is one of the great publishing discoveries in a long time. Her William books are enjoyable and lastingly popular, but this book...
And, so you see, I am speechless. From the opening page, on which the 'central character' (if there is only one) Millicent Dorrington reveals how she behaved less intelligent than she was to please her husband, calling her witty self 'Milly' and her dutiful self 'Millicent,' I was hooked. Richmal has the ability to create a character in an amazingly brief number of words - and each character, from the matriachal but insecure Mrs. Willoughby to the eminent author-seducer, is perfectly and addictively drawn.
What could have been a depressing book, given its depiction of families separating and becoming lonely, is in fact extremely funny much of the time. Crompton uses the wit so well known from the pages of William (like all good childrens books, wasted on children) to both acerbic and fond affect within the pages of this, one of my favourite novels.
I can't recommend Richmal Crompton in general, and this book in particular, strongly enough.
A tale of two mothers
This is the story of two famillies, the Willoughbys and the Fowlers. Each is headed by a woman (the fathers are conveniently dead before the story begins). Mrs Fowler is initially the more attractive character, kind, bookish, understanding, while Mrs Willoughby rules her family with a will of iron. The novel spans nearly twenty years in the lives of these two famillies, brought together initially by the marriage of Max Willoughby to Helen Fowler. The mothers present two opposing methods of nurturing their children, but by the end of the novel, it's difficult to say who is the more successful mother. As Mrs Fowler says at one point, maybe she needed a bit more of Mrs Willoughby in her, and maybe Mrs Willoughby needed a little of her. As well as being a fascinating picture of family life,the novel is also very funny. Mrs Willoughby's control over her family is evident in everything they do (the episode of the black and pink versus the green mat is typical)until the day when she is defied by one of her grandchildren, and the whole edifice begins to crumble. Mrs Fowler seems unable to really help and advise her children. She doesn't interfere and is always supportive, but this hasn't made them happy. The Roundabout of the title is an appropriate image as the characters' fortunes change. Round and round and up and down they go, but knowing when to jump off the roundabout is the important thing.
