Anderby Wold (1923)

This novel originally published in 1923 was Winifred Holtby's first published novel. While it lacks the scope, drama and power of her final and most famous novel South Riding, there is still much to commend it. An agricultural community on the brink of great change, with the raise of unions and social change is brought faithfully to life. Mary Robson is brilliant portrayed old before her time farmers wife, who believes the villagers couldn't manage without her, and makes herself indispensable. Mary manages the farm, her much older husband deferring to many of her decisions - she's a strong, stubborn woman, yet the readers can see her vulnerability, as her way of life is threatened and her disappointments lead her to desperately try to keep the status quo. Mary's fascination with fiery radical David Rossitur seems doomed from the start, coming as they do from different worlds and different persepectives.
I enjoyed this early Winifred Holtby novel immensely, the writing is glorious, with some fabulous characterisation, which clearly shows the emerging brilliant writer she already was. ( )

Winifred Holtby quickly became one of my favorite authors when I read The Crowded Street early last year. Although Anderby Wold was Holbty’s first published novel, it ranks up there as one of my favorites. The novel is set in a familiar Holtby milieu—agricultural and rural Yorkshire. Mary Robson is a young housewife married to a man much older than she. Her marriage is pleasant, but lacking in passion. Although she has lived in Anderby all her life, she is somewhat of an outsider. Nonetheless, she’s a kind of social queen. One day, in the most dramatic fashion possible, she meets David Rossitur, a socialist writer who really shakes things up, so to speak, both in Anderby and with Mary herself.

Anderby Wold suffers a little bit from first-time writer’s syndrome; Winifred Holtby uses a few writers’ clichés here and there (witness the scene where Mary and David meet. The introduction of David into Mary’s life certainly isn’t subtle, and David is mentioned by name even before Mary knows who he is). But you can definitely see where Winifred Holtby’s career is going. The hallmarks of her books are there: a provincial Yorkshire town; an opinionated, outsider main character. South Riding, in my opinion, is one of her best books, but Anderby Wold comes a close second.

This is a novel that is heavy on character development; this is also a novel where the place in which it’s set also becomes a character. Winifred Holtby’s love for Yorkshire is very clear in this book. The author tends to hit her reader over the head with her political themes, but she’s not partial to one side or the other.

Winifred Holtby was born into a farming family in Yorkshire; for many years, she was a friend of the writer Vera Brittain (who wrote about her in Testament of Friendship, a copy of which I intend to track down immediately). She published six novels and several collections of short stories. Tragically, Holtby died of kidney disease at the age of 37. If not for that, Winifred Holtby could easily have been one of the 20th century’s greatest female writers. As it is, it’s a shame that her books are nearly out of print (although Virago is doing another revival of five of them this spring) and that she isn’t better known. ( )

After reading Winifred Holtby's South Riding last month, I was eager to read more of her work. Where South Riding is considered Holtby's masterpiece, Anderby Wold was her debut novel. It shows, but only a bit.

Mary Robson is the novel's protagonist. She's 28, and married to the much older John Robson, who rescued Mary from her father's debts through profitable farming that paid off the farm's mortgage. The book opens shortly after John and Mary have achieved this degree of financial freedom. And while John deserves credit for his farming success, Mary is no slouch. She is somewhat of a pillar in Anderby, visiting the sick and supporting community functions. But she's also a bit of a control freak, insisting on being present at every important event to make sure everything is done right. And she's not entirely happy in her marriage, because John is both distant and dull.

One day Mary encounters a young man traveling by foot. He is quite ill, and Mary provides him with shelter for a few days. He turns out to be David Rossitur, a journalist who espouses progressive ideas about farming and labor. His spirited private debates with Mary soon turn into community organizing down the pub, much to the chagrin of Mary and her relations. David forms an alliance with the schoolmaster Mr. Coates, who is not at all on good terms with Mary. Another man arrives from Manchester to form a union, and before you know it farm workers all over Anderby are threatening a strike.

This central conflict provides an opportunity for Winifred Holtby to explore the clash between progressive and conservative ideas. While Holtby was a very liberal thinker, she portrays characters on both sides of the debate sympathetically and often with a bit of humor. The result is an interesting, if somewhat strident, depiction of early 20th century England, showcasing the talent that created South Riding some 13 years later. ( )

Anderby Wold is Winifred Holtby's first book, published when she was 25, I think. It is very much a first book, but a first book by a major talent. In it she uses the story of her parents' experience in losing their Yorkshire farm as a result of the unionization of farm workers.
Mary Robson has married her older, stolid cousin in order to save her family's farm. As the story opens, Mary and John have successfully paid off the mortgage and are looking forward to good times. Mary is queen of Anderby village: a benevolent queen, but an autocrat all the same. Into her kingdom comes David Rossitur, a vivid, young labor organizer. Although they know each other only three days, Mary falls in love with him.
The book is filled with loving and lovely descriptions of the Yorkshire countryside. The plot is a bit predictable. The writing shows flashes of Holtby's brilliance. I recommend it to anyone who can happily read a book whose pages turn in a leisurely manner. ( )