A Wreath of Roses by Elizabeth Taylor ~ 1949. This edition: Penguin, 1984. Softcover. ISBN: 0-14-00.2587-1. 176 pages.
My rating: Easily a 9/10 for the writing, perhaps a bit less for the dark mood it engenders.
Well, no, I don’t really mean that. There are abundant gleams of light. As a middle-aged person myself, fast approaching the half century mark, much in this novel resonated with me, and I felt a strong sympathy and emotional kinship for all three of the female main characters, “maiden, woman, and crone”, as another reviewer referred to them.
*****
There are several excellent reviews on this early Elizabeth Taylor novel, only her fourth, which I’ve linked for your enjoyment below. Anything I have to say merely echoes what these others have said, so I won’t go into too much detail, or describe my response to this interesting novel except to say that I found it much more enthralling than expected.
Three women spend a summer holiday together year after year, but this visit highlights the inexorable march of time, and is one of those “years where everything changes” which happen to everyone from time to time; markers which we think of later in the context of “before” and “after.”
Frances, the eldest, owns the cottage where the three convene. A retired governess and a confirmed spinster, she has for years pursued a secondary career as a modestly successful painter. Liz, the youngest, was once Frances’ charge, and in the year past has married a much older clergyman and has borne a child, whose inclusion in the party is looked upon with something like apprehension by the adult trio. Camilla, a school secretary, is approaching middle-age; she too is a spinster, though not by choice; circumstances and her fastidious personality have left her out in the cold in the mating ritual, and her pride reinforces her smooth shell; she pretends not to mind her state, and the pretence is so finely wrought that she has begun to believe in it herself.
It is Camilla who has the most outwardly eventful time. Her journey to the cottage has been horribly punctuated by a suicide at the railway station; shaken out of her usual reserve, she has made the acquaintance of a handsome young man who turns out to be going to the same village. Claiming to be a writer on a trip of nostalgic research, it is soon apparent that Richard is not averse to weaving a web of lies about his past and present. Camilla is attracted to him and he returns her interest, to the concern of Frances and especially Liz, who sense something “off” in Richard’s manner and constantly shifting explanations.
All three of the friends are “paired up” as the summer progresses. Liz’s husband Arthur drops in from time to time, and Liz flits between her home and the cottage. Frances apprehensively prepares to meet a man who has been a long-time artistic patron and correspondent. Film director Morland Beddoes is himself uncertain as to whether the woman of his long-distance friendship will be the kindred spirit he yearns for.
As the various personalities clash with each other, self-analyze and readjust, the truth about Richard slowly becomes revealed, with deeply disturbing repercussions.
I must also add that Frances’ dog Hotchkiss is one of the most unpleasant canines I’ve yet met in literature. I suspect that Elizabeth Taylor was more of a cat person, as she uses feline comparisons in a rather favorable way in describing some of the characters, and incidentally gives a beautiful cameo appearance to a pregnant Siamese.
*****
Check out the following for more detail and some very thoughtful analyses of this work:
Bentley Rumble: A Wreath of Roses
Leaves & Pages 
Hello, I’m delighted to find another Elizabeth Taylor fan. And thank you for linking to my review! This year I’ve been hosting a celebration of Taylor’s centenary, with monthly readalongs (see my Elizabeth Taylor Centenary page). We read this book back in April — I hope you don’t mind that I added a link to this review.
This month we’re reading her tenth novel, The Wedding Group (and her eleventh and twelfth novels in November & December). Care to join us?
Hello Laura, many thanks for the comment and of course the link! And no – I don’t mind at all if you include my link in your review.
I have read a fair bit of Elizabeth Taylor over the years; she is one of those authors who repay re-reading, don’t you think? I find myself nodding in appreciation with so many of her delicately keen observations.
I recently read and reviewed The Wedding Group, , in August of this year, but would be most happy to re-read it in company with others.
Oops, my link to my review of The Wedding Group has disappeared – not quite sure what happened there. Doesn’t seem to want to cooperate this morning!
The link to your review is now back on my centenary page. I’m not sure what happened, I noticed that it disappeared too, but then returned. Strange!
Oh, yes, the truth about Richard. So many images come flooding back when I read that line of yours. This is such a delightfully unsettling work. I’ve got to read more of ET’s works: so good. (Thanks very much for the link, BTW. And it was a pleasure to read your thoughts on the book.)
Yes, I enjoyed the suspense of this one – we immediately twig that Richard is a bad apple, but though I had suspicions I wasn’t quite sure if ET was going to make him guilty of the ultimate crime; I rather liked his fate (in a purely literary way) because we know that particular complication has been removed from our plot!
And I wonder… is there anything meaningful in Camilla’s flight into Morland’s arms? I know he is just there by happenstance, but wouldn’t it be nice if something came of it …? 😉
Message to BR – no problem – I saw your second post last, but did as you asked – both are now gone. Hopefully you catch this reply!
Many thanks for linking me to your post, L&P. I enjoyed reading it and have added you to my blog roll. Your review of Taylor’s 1972 story collection is interesting too. I agree that it was a form Taylor excelled in, yet her novels retain a certain indefinable magic for me. Her understanding of what drives and maintains human relationships was and is genuinely astounding.
I look forward to reading your review of JB Priestley’s “Midnight on the Desert.” He’s another fine, very British writer whose non-dramatic work has been undeservedly neglected since his death. You may like to visit these sites (if you haven’t already) once you finish it:
http://www.jbpriestley.co.uk/JBP/Home.html
http://www.jbpriestleysociety.com
Thanks again for your interest (and kind cooperation). Both are very much appreciated.