I was gifted a bag of Cazalets some years ago, picking them up now after reading Laura's (Laurelkeet) enthusiasm for them.

A family saga with a bit of upstairs/downstairs to it in the early volumes at leadt.Kicking off in volume 1 in 1937 introducing all the family/personalities. Howard is wonderful at giving you a varied cast, and allowing you to like even the more difficult characters. And she gives a wonderful flavour of place.

Now I'm heading into WWII in Volume 2 [Marking Time]. ( )

The Cazalets–patriarch, matriarch, three adult sons, their wives and children–traditionally spend their summers at their country house in Sussex. The Light Years opens in 1937, with the first part of the novel developing each of the characters as they enjoy an idyllic summer together: eldest son Hugh his devoted wife Sybil and their three children; second son Edward, his strong-willed wife Viola aka Villy, and their three children; and youngest son Rupert, his much younger wife Zoe, and their three children from Rupert’s previous marriage. Hugh and Edward make occasional trips to London for the family timber business, while Sybil and Villy capably manage household affairs while gossiping about Zoe. The cousins band together with those closest to their own age, with occasional drama and shifting loyalties. Most of this sounds too good to be true, and sure enough the second part of the novel, set in late 1938, exposes chinks in the family armor and some closely guarded secrets. The threat of war is palpable: Hitler is already laying groundwork for what we know is to come. The family engages both in denial, and preparations for living at their country house for the foreseeable future.

I love a good family saga, and this most certainly is one. Elizabeth Jane Howard puts her female characters at the center, often the source of real power in the family. At the same time, she shows the ways women are disadvantaged in society, through limited education (which continues with the female Cazalet children), to dependence on male wage earners and a complete lack of reproductive freedom. Also, the children are multi-dimensional, setting them up to play more significant roles in the ten years that play out in the remaining Cazalet Chronicles novels. I am really looking forward to continuing this series. ( )

Marvelous. Now deep into the whole 5-book series. ( )

I read all the 5 parts of the Cazalet Chronicles during christmas holiday. An English family saga which starts in 1937 and ends in november-december 1958. What struck me most was the changing world of women, starting in victiorian times. The decennia after WorldWar II, gives more possibilities to women, but marriage is still what parents most for their daughters and going to university and becoming an intellectual woman is not done. Elizabeth Jane Howard, who put a lot her own experiences and history in the chronicle is a superb in observation. Writer Hilary Mantel prized her and rightly so: "Elizabeth Jane Howard is one of those novelists who shows, through her work, what the novel is for... She helps us to do the neccessary thing - open our eyes and our hearts" ( )

Well-written family saga set just before World War 2 in a middle class family which lives in East Sussex and London. Written with technical power but also affection. The issues of family life and the international dilemma over appeasement of Germany are woven together well. Huge cast of characters, but it is still possible to keep track. A particular strength is the way in which children's thoughts, actions and speech are sharply differentiated from that of adults. Very enjoyable indeed even though I never usually read this sort of book. ( )