Frank Swinnerton (1884–1982)

Nocturne, or Jenny and Keith and Emmy and Alf. This 1917 novel by a friend of H.G. Wells (who wrote the introduction) makes no mention of the Great War going on at the time, so we can presume it is set shortly before it. Emmy is the older sister--28 or 29--her sister isn't sure, and Jenny is 25. They live with their father in Kennington in South London. Jenny works at a milliners, but Emmy is stuck at home cooking and cleaning and taking care of father all day. And she resents it. Over the show more course of one night, for the novel's three parts take place from 6 o'clock in the evening until perhaps 2 o'clock the next morning, each sister will undergo a potentially life-changing experience. This is a book all about character and about night. It is old fashioned and sentimental and its portrayal of female emotions and fragility is perhaps unrealistic, but it still resonates with the reader. These are real people trying to live real lives and find some meaning in them. Jenny is the dreamer, while Emmy is the practical one. You'll enjoy seeing how it turns out. In his introduction, Wells wrote, "This is a book that will not die. It is perfect, authentic, and alive. Whether a large and immediate popularity will fall to it, I cannot say, but certainly the discriminating will find it and keep it and keep it alive." I'm afraid Wells was a bit overoptimistic--perhaps out of friendship for the younger Swinnerton (who lived until 1982!) Although Nocturne was reprinted a few times, it doesn't seem to be in print now, but it is easily found on Project Gutenberg. Recommended. show less

Swinnerton (1884-1982) is now largely forgotten as a novelist, editorial adviser and critic.
Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Arthur_Swinnerton

This is a second reminiscence in which he writes and comments on the literary trends and scene from the beginning of the Twentieth Century until the sixties. Its value lies in his personal memoirs of some of the writers of the time. Personal friendships with Arnold Bennett, Hugh Walpole and H.M. Tomlinson (writers who have dimmed over the past show more century) are mildly informative now.
None the less, it is refreshing to recall a passed literary world, and to savour again the gracious writing that Swinnerton uses to recapture it.
For me, a piece of random reading that I don't regret. show less