Celia Fremlin (1914–2009)
Author of The Hours Before Dawn
About the Author
Works by Celia Fremlin
Something Evil in the House 1 copy
The Betrayal (short story) 1 copy
Associated Works
The Web She Weaves: An Anthology of Mystery and Suspense Stories by Women (1983) — Contributor — 60 copies, 2 reviews
Ladies of the Gothics: Tales of Romance and Terror by the Gentle Sex (1975) — Contributor — 48 copies, 1 review
Ellery Queen's murdercade: 23 stories from Ellery Queen's mystery magazine (Mystery annual ; 29) (1975) — Contributor — 25 copies
Ellery Queen's headliners; 20 stories from Ellery Queen's mystery magazine. (1972) — Contributor — 15 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Fremlin, Celia Margaret
- Birthdate
- 1914-06-20
- Date of death
- 2009-06-16
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Berkhamstead School for Girls
University of Oxford (Somerville College) - Occupations
- interviewer (for Mass Observation)
novelist
short story writer
mystery writer - Relationships
- Minchin, Leslie (husband)
- Short biography
- The Times of London wrote in her obituary: "Celia Fremlin used to say that she wrote the sort of book she wanted to read, in which a mysterious threat hangs over someone and escalates chapter by chapter. . . Publishers sometimes treated her novels as mere precursors of the 'woman in jeopardy' genre. . . But Fremlin had an observant wit all her own, highly valued by her friends as well as her readers." Celia Fremlin was born in Kingsbury, now part of London. Her older brother, John H. Fremlin, later became a nuclear physicist. In 1942 she married Elia Goller, with whom she had three children; he died in 1968. In 1985, Celia married Leslie Minchin, a writer and translator. Her novel The Hours Before Dawn won the Edgar Award in 1960. Later in life she became known as an active advocate of voluntary euthanasia.
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Ryarsh, Kent, England, UK
- Places of residence
- Herefordshire, England, UK
London, England, UK
Geneva, Switzerland - Place of death
- Bournemouth, Dorset, England, UK
- Map Location
- England, UK
Members
Discussions
Scary novel or story ('70's era) about a nanny in Name that Book (February 2017)
Reviews
My third Fremlin and what an interesting evolution to her usual domestic thriller. We are once again only privy to the protagonist's very limited perspective, exaggerated with great effect through the extreme haziness of a fatigued mother of a newborn. My two favourite scenes were the park stroll at dawn and the diary in the attic.
Yes, there's an intended villain embued with all the creepy and supernatural qualities one comes to expect from a Fremlin villain. However, it made me laugh that show more Fremlin felt the need to clarify this before the story (first published in '59) as even the audience of '88 can clearly see how terrible the husband is! Turns out even if she denies it, we all agree that the true villain is weaponised incompetence and not postpartum depression.
I rarely find resolutions in thrillers satisfying, but when the atmosphere as good as here, I'll be continuing my Fremlin streak. show less
Yes, there's an intended villain embued with all the creepy and supernatural qualities one comes to expect from a Fremlin villain. However, it made me laugh that show more Fremlin felt the need to clarify this before the story (first published in '59) as even the audience of '88 can clearly see how terrible the husband is! Turns out even if she denies it, we all agree that the true villain is weaponised incompetence and not postpartum depression.
I rarely find resolutions in thrillers satisfying, but when the atmosphere as good as here, I'll be continuing my Fremlin streak. show less
The claustrophobic interior monologue coupled with the slow reveal of the past, contrast with the immediate successful reinvention and reestablishment of a Self.
Fremlin takes a very simple premise, finding the potential of horror in domesticity, and invites - no, locks - her readers in it. We are sucked into this relentless whirlpool of fear and power and control, with little respite.
Fremlin gave herself an impossible task here, there is no satisfying way of wrapping up this story. However, show more since I choose to read the horror into the ending, it gives me a pervasive thrill. Everyone's a horrible hypocrite! show less
Fremlin takes a very simple premise, finding the potential of horror in domesticity, and invites - no, locks - her readers in it. We are sucked into this relentless whirlpool of fear and power and control, with little respite.
Fremlin gave herself an impossible task here, there is no satisfying way of wrapping up this story. However, show more since I choose to read the horror into the ending, it gives me a pervasive thrill. Everyone's a horrible hypocrite! show less
My second Fremlin and it continues the theme of divorced woman striking out on her own, and the psychology of domesticity and relationships as prison and chains to one's sense of self. I loved this one for the question it raises about perception, what is the truth of a situation and what other intentions could be read into it by each participant?
Fremlin is so good at blending the cosiness of home with the ratcheting tension of outside forces threatening to disrupt it. She is also strangely show more great at capturing the voice of a precocious preteen boy, and the feeling of youthful ambitions and rebellions. The ending ties up a little too neatly for the realism that the story had been presenting, but given the story, I'm not sure there could have been another more satisfying ending.
Aside: real jarring to see the n-word make a few appearances here. They're supposedly spoken by the neighbourhood black kids, but they sure didn't add anything to the story nor characterisations! show less
Fremlin is so good at blending the cosiness of home with the ratcheting tension of outside forces threatening to disrupt it. She is also strangely show more great at capturing the voice of a precocious preteen boy, and the feeling of youthful ambitions and rebellions. The ending ties up a little too neatly for the realism that the story had been presenting, but given the story, I'm not sure there could have been another more satisfying ending.
Aside: real jarring to see the n-word make a few appearances here. They're supposedly spoken by the neighbourhood black kids, but they sure didn't add anything to the story nor characterisations! show less
Louise is a midcentury British housewife struggling to deal with the sleepless nights caused by her baby's nighttime crying sessions. Needing additional income, she and her husband Mark decide to rent out the spare room to a teacher from the local girls' school. But Louise is worried by the new boarder's mysterious comings and goings, her apparent flirtation with Mark, and her excessive interest in their baby. Is Louise right to be suspicious, or is she merely losing her grip on reality from show more lack of sleep?
This book is a predecessor of the domestic thrillers with unreliable female narrators that are so popular today. It's very well-written and the suspense is handled adroitly and kept me turning the pages. Louise is a sympathetic character whose unreliability comes not from ulterior motives but simply from the amount of stress she is under. Because of the book's age, however, the thrills will probably seem pretty tame to thriller readers of today.
The reason to read this book today is not so much the plot but the harrowing description of Louise's life as a housewife and mother before the days of labor-saving machines like dishwashers and dryers and before the concept of shared parenting duties. Louise's husband screams at her to "Shut that baby up!" when their son's crying wakes him at night, and he thinks nothing of coming home unannounced in the middle of the day and demanding an appetizing cooked hot lunch that his wife is expected to provide, in addition to the lunch she gives their two daughters when they come home from school. Laundry is a task that takes days; the children are considered to be exclusively the wife's responsibility -- so much so that at one point on an outing, the husband gets annoyed and goes home, leaving his wife with the three children. And how does Louise react to this treatment? She feels sorry for him for having to put up with her subpar housewife skills. If you have ever wondered why a book like The Feminine Mystique was a necessary revelation for so many women in the 1960s, read this book and you'll get it. show less
This book is a predecessor of the domestic thrillers with unreliable female narrators that are so popular today. It's very well-written and the suspense is handled adroitly and kept me turning the pages. Louise is a sympathetic character whose unreliability comes not from ulterior motives but simply from the amount of stress she is under. Because of the book's age, however, the thrills will probably seem pretty tame to thriller readers of today.
The reason to read this book today is not so much the plot but the harrowing description of Louise's life as a housewife and mother before the days of labor-saving machines like dishwashers and dryers and before the concept of shared parenting duties. Louise's husband screams at her to "Shut that baby up!" when their son's crying wakes him at night, and he thinks nothing of coming home unannounced in the middle of the day and demanding an appetizing cooked hot lunch that his wife is expected to provide, in addition to the lunch she gives their two daughters when they come home from school. Laundry is a task that takes days; the children are considered to be exclusively the wife's responsibility -- so much so that at one point on an outing, the husband gets annoyed and goes home, leaving his wife with the three children. And how does Louise react to this treatment? She feels sorry for him for having to put up with her subpar housewife skills. If you have ever wondered why a book like The Feminine Mystique was a necessary revelation for so many women in the 1960s, read this book and you'll get it. show less
Lists
Edgar Award (1)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 31
- Also by
- 40
- Members
- 1,192
- Popularity
- #21,563
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 27
- ISBNs
- 155
- Languages
- 7
- Favorited
- 1
