Elizabeth Taylor Centenary: Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont

During November we will read and discuss Elizabeth Taylor’s eleventh novel, Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont. The description on the back cover reads:

One rainy day Mrs. Palfrey, recently widowed, arrives at the Claremont Hotel in the Cromwell Road. Here she will spend her last days. Her fellow residents are a magnificently eccentric group who live off crumbs of affection, obsessive interest in the relentless round of hotel meals, and undying curiosity. There is Mrs. Burton with her mauve-rinsed hair, her costume jewelry, and her drinking; Mrs. Arbuthnot, bossy and arthritic; Mr. Osmond with his risque stories and endless stream of letters to the press. Together, upper lips stiffened, teeth gritted, they fight off their twin enemies: boredom and teh Grim Reaper. And then one day Mrs. Palfrey encounters the handsome young writers, Ludo, and we learn that even the old can fall in love.
Of the irresistible Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont The Atlantic Monthly said 'Deception weaves the usual tangled web, tragicomic and described by Miss Taylor with a wit as light and dry as autumn grass and a perception as sharp as a needle.'
Elizabeth Taylor was one of the most acclaimed British novelists of this century. Her short stories appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's Bazaar, Harper's and The Saturday Evening Post. She wrote a total of thirteen novels and four volumes of short stories, before her death in England in 1975

Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont is Taylor's most-read book, and the only one of her novels to be nominated for the Booker Prize. In 1969, Taylor's father Oliver moved into a home for the elderly, and her friend and fellow author Ivy Compton-Burnett passed away. These events provided the inspiration for Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont.

Nicola Beauman clearly loved this book, as do many others. In her biography, she called it "another study in excruciating loneliness." (p. 363). The character of Ludo was apparently drawn from actor turned novelist Paul Bailey (who, incidentally, wrote introductions to several Virago editions of Taylor's books). Bailey, like Ludo, often used Harrod's as a place to work, and noted the large number of elderly people napping in the comfortable armchairs. These people, in turn, inspired Taylor's portrayal of the Claremont's guests, which Beauman described as straying "over the borderline between compassionate observation and almost vicious satire." (p. 364)

Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont was made into a film starring Joan Plowright, which most believe was changed too much from Taylor's story.

Let’s hear your thoughts on Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont ... And on the film, if you've seen it.

Marvelous, I have it ready. Nice intro, Laura.

Thank you, Lucy. First draft written with pen & paper during Hurricane Sandy!

I am looking forward to re-reading this one - but will probably be reading two books before it first.

I love Mrs Palfrey but won't be re-reading as I only read it earlier this year, for the Centenary event that some of us went to in Reading. I will probably jump in with my thoughts though!

I have started re-reading Blaming though, in preparation for next month's guest spot on Laura's blog (insert nervously excited emoticon here).

Just a comment:
I loved Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont and give it 5+ stars but my poor old heart was broken at the end. I didn't want it to end like that but it certainly was in keeping with the beautiful story. Mrs Palfrey's daughter, Elizabeth; what a bloody cold hearted bitch!~! Elizabeth Taylor writes like an angel. Just a really lovely story.

Thank you for hosting Laura.

Looking forward to it.

I read it around Reading, too - in fact I read it on the train down, having read it before (and read Ali's famous inside-out copy which had all the pages but in the wrong order). Very typical Taylor in the observations, class issues and tiny details, and in the humour and pathos and monsters, I recall.

I've read several chapters and am positive I've read it before. I know I never saw the film, and I remember little moments as I read, when she falls and cuts her knee and so on. The book seems..... different...... from the others we've read, so compassionate, is I guess the word I would use.

I've just finished my rereading for it today, ready to post with two friends about it on my blog on the 15th. Hopefully other bloggers will be joining in! I was shocked once more by the final paragraph which I had forgotten about. Masterful.

I started reading this yesterday - I am finding it so poignant. I have read it before so know what's coming and yet I am reading with a lump in my throat - despite not having got very far - as I was out till late last night.

Finished this morning. I loved it even more this second time of reading.

My review is here.

http://heavenali.wordpress.com/2012/11/10/mrs-palfrey-at-the-claremont-elizabeth...

That's a beautiful review, Ali, and you're right about a re-reading often being more intense than the original. My first re-reading, on the train to Reading, wasn't so intense, but my next one will be, I'm sure!

Fine review Ali.

I've had an interesting conversation with two friends about this book for my blog posting which will be up hopefully on Thursday!

I read this and loved it. Probably my favourite Taylor so far. I found it poignant without being depressing, and a fascinating look at aging as seen from both within and without. Mrs Palfrey's daughter - what a cow! I love that the other residents of the Claremont start out almost as caricatures, but are gradually revealed in all their complexity as the novel progresses. I'll definitely be rereading this in the near future.

This was my first Taylor, about 20 years ago. Will be reading it for the third time when I've finished The Good Earth by Pearl Buck, that classic of storytelling.

I really hated the film of this book, thought Taylor would turn in her grave at the saccharin flavour of the sentimental script and changes to her perfect story. Despite the best efforts of Joan Plowright and Anna Massey it was a travesty of this tough tale.

My first Mrs Palfrey post is up http://veritysviragoventure.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/mrs-palfrey-at-claremont-1.ht...

I loved this post Verity -- very creative of you!

It was mainly thanks to my two lovely helpers!

Am hoping people will pop by with their own answers to the questions, as Darlene already has.

Verity, I tried to post on your blog but there didn't seem to be an option for someone without their own blog, google account or various other things that I didn't have! I think I've had that problem before on your blog but had forgotten.

Anyway I wrote this in response to the comment about ageing in fiction:

There's so much to think about here. Ageing in fiction has recently been on my mind after reading a couple of collections of short stories by Alice Munro; one written recently and one written in the 1970s. I was particularly interested to see how the way Munro portrays older characters has changed. In the earlier collection, the elderly feel very different from the young and can't identify with them at all. In the collection written more recently, the elderly still identify with their youthful selves and can't believe that they really are so far away from youth.

Thanks Dee, I'll pop that on... I had to have those settings to avoid the spammers :(

Thank you, Verity.

Part 2 is now up!

I finally got a chance to start this, and it's going to be good I think. Both funny and depressing, so far.

Finished and reviewed over at the book's proper thread: Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont.

#16 - I read this and loved it. Probably my favourite Taylor so far. I found it poignant without being depressing, and a fascinating look at aging as seen from both within and without. Mrs Palfrey's daughter - what a cow! I love that the other residents of the Claremont start out almost as caricatures, but are gradually revealed in all their complexity as the novel progresses. I'll definitely be rereading this in the near future.

Sakerfalcon - yes,yes, and yes! This is my first Taylor, and I'm just blown away. I can see why this was nominated for the Booker prize, and I'm sure whatever won wasn't nearly as good!

Here's my review: http://www.librarything.com/topic/141913#3705095

The Virago Press website has a reading guide for Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont. (here: http://www.virago.co.uk/author_results.asp?TAG=&CID=&PGE=&LANG=en&am.... From their list of discussion questions, this one intrigues me:

Do you agree that the relationship between Mrs Palfrey and Ludo is built on misunderstandings and misappropriated needs? Is it a true friendship or are they taking advantage of each other? What does it mean that Ludo has used Mrs Palfrey as a basis for his book and that, just before her death, Mrs Palfrey confuses Ludo with the real Desmond?

What are your thoughts? I'm still mulling this over.

I think it's deliberately ambiguous. There's pathos in Mrs Palfrey's situation - that she needs a surrogate grandson to save face and that Ludo needs her for research but there were moments which suggested a genuine friendship too.

From my perspective, as a person who has always liked older folks and had a number of friendships, it was accurate. Probably all friendships have a bit of what might be called taking advantage or allowing it, misappropriating or allowing it, but I think we tend to examine this kind of friendship more suspiciously since it is less common. As in, why would any young person WANT to hang about with someone elderly. Just the fact that Ludo WANTS to understand the elderly, to write a book with an elderly character tells us that he is a little more than interested. Certainly he already knows a great deal about loneliness and feeling useless. He and Laura P. also share what I would call a 'sweetness' of character, an eagerness to please, honesty - Ludo borrows the money, but he pays it back, for example. He is kind too. He does his best. I have found, as a some of the older people I was close to became ill, it was difficult to continue the friendships - families kind of appear and take over and eye you suspiciously, and it becomes depressing. I've had one friend who became embarrassed, basically, and made it clear that that was that. I would have tried to go on with it, but in truth, I was relieved, just as Ludo is in the end.

As far as it could go it was a 'true' friendship:

Who wouldn't want Ludo over Desmond, I say. Did she confuse or simply prefer?

Slipping into the conversation a little late--I was sort of not looking forward to reading this novel, possibly because I knew it had been made into a movie and I couldn't imagine any of ET's books as movies! I'm not surprised that the plot was changed significantly for the movie, and can guess the direction in which they went.

While this is a compelling and well-done novel, I can't say I really liked it. I may have been in the mood for something a little cheerier! As usual, however, the setting and characters are perfectly executed, with brilliance and insight; I love how her characters are never quite stereotypical--there's always something sympathetic.

>29 Nickelini:: I was a little surprised by that question from the Virago reading guide, as I hadn't really seen the relationship that way. What misunderstandings, do you think? Their meeting is so spontaneous and sweet, and sets up Ludo's character so perfectly. And it seemed that Mrs Palfrey truly liked him and enjoyed his company, and wanted a friend much more than she wanted to save face at the Claremont. The decision to pretend he was Desmond was completely unpremeditated, and came from someone else's mistake. While Ludo did take advantage of the opportunity for material for his novel, he too seemed to enjoy Mrs Palfrey's company, and I didn't get the feeling that his novel was derogatory (any more than this one is!).

Halfway through this at last - it's soooooo sad!

Finally finished this - one of the saddest books I've ever read - review here:

http://kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/virago-volumes-mrs-palfr...

I was a little surprised by that question from the Virago reading guide, as I hadn't really seen the relationship that way.

That was my thought too. And probably what prompted me to ask bring the question over here. I was rather taken aback by it and wondered if it was only me. I guess they were trying to be a bit provocative.

Fascinating question. I read it that they became friends in a surprising way but that it was a genuine enough friendship. What's interesting, and sad, is that neither of them feels able to just describe the other to people as a friend.

I came away with your same concept elkiedee. I didn't find anything provocative in it at all. Love, love, love this novel.

Now I'm feeling horribly cynical because there were times in the book when I wondered about how genuine Ludo was. Mrs Palfrey was very useful for research purposes. I do believe a real friendship existed by the end though.

Luci, that's an interesting point that neither of them is ever able to describe the other as a friend.

I thought Taylor was describing friendship quite accurately - and I don't mean this in cynical way in the least - all friendships it seems to me have a combination of some mutually beneficial element along with a natural 'getting along' factor. Ludo genuinely likes Mrs. P. but he is also interested in what she can show him about old age.

And Mrs. P does parade him around to shore up her standing at the Claremont, too, so it's not one-sided.

I re-read the book back in May but it has really stayed with me. Not that I've read so much this year, but still, 50-odd books later it's still there.