A Dubious Legacy
by Mary Wesley
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A "darkly comic, wise and irresistible" novel of friendship, romance, and the chaos in between, from one of Britain's bestselling authors (Publishers Weekly).When Henry Tillotson comes back from the war with a mysterious new bride from Egypt, everyone is intrigued. But intrigue turns to outright confusion when his new wife retreats to her room and refuses to leave her bed, much less the house, stranding poor Henry in a loveless marriage.
Antonia and Barbara are captivated by Henry and his show more lavish country estate, Cotteshaw, from the very first time they are asked to visit for a dinner party with their boyfriends. Drawn by his charm, his wife's madness and beauty, and his unusual lifestyle, they cannot help but be intrigued by their host.
But as time passes, their relationships grow and change, bringing weddings, engagements, children, and even the occasional illicit liaison—as the strange heritage of Cotteshaw begins to affect all who pass through its doors.
Wesley once again proves herself a master of the modern novel of manners in this energetic tale that is simultaneously laugh-out-loud funny, outrageously irreverent, and poignant.
"As always, the dialogue snaps with vigor. . . . Another bright and biting novel." —Kirkus Reviews
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Member Reviews
A very subtle story centred on Henry, who married a woman that his now deceased father chose to rescue by making her Henry's wife, the dubious legacy of the title. When Henry takes Margaret to his home she went to bed and there she stayed. It's a sparsely-written story - spread over 40 years, more of a saga - that is in places hard to believe but nevertheless packed with passion. The outdoor dinner party was like a scene from a horror version of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Not the ending I was expecting; a good twist.
Riveted by it.
Luchtig verhaal met warme toetsen. Een aardig tussendoortje.
Nov 28, 2023Dutch
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ThingScore 75
The English author of witty, elegant novels continues her cheerful splaying out of human rottenness, eruptions of goodness, and general asininity—all with a faint brushing of enchantment. Here, in an ancient, lakeside, woodside estate, a dear man of admirable affections has been cursed with a marital legacy from a deceased, high-minded father. To Cotteshaw, the country house of Henry show more Tilotson, come Barbara and Antonia, "two determined little beauties'' who think Henry is rather dishy." The young things have just accepted the proposals of two rather stodgy young men, thereby escaping boring jobs and parents. Meanwhile, in Midsummer Night's Dream fashion, the lovers quarrel, love, and stalk off by wood and water as preparation for an outdoor dinner party gets underway. Anticipation shimmers, but upstairs—where she stays all the time—is beautiful Margaret, the bad fairy—Henry's simply awful, horrid wife. Finally, the guests arrive: a sweet homosexual couple, a brace of bores, the lovers, an old flame of Henry's and her husband, and the servants—a faithful retainer and a mother and son rescued years ago, by Henry's father, from death in Spain. It's happy time by the dark woods—until it's "ill met by moonlight'" when Margaret arrives to perform savage and terrible acts, scattering the feast and wits. Years later, Margaret will drown (a joyous event with mystery attached). Also as the years pass—alas—lovely girls grow old (but there are secrets), and Henry leaves, unlike his father's "dubious legacy," something quite marvelous. As always, the dialogue snaps with vigor, and there are delightful signature touches (e.g., animals have a haunting presence—from Henry's Greek chorus of dogs to the antic cockatoo, Margaret's sacrificial victim). For Wesley fans: another bright and biting novel. show less
added by VivienneR
Author Information
25+ Works 4,567 Members
Mary Aline Mynors Farmar was born in Berkshire in 1912. She was the youngest of three children and her father was an army officer, so the family frequently moved. In 1936, she married Lord Swinfen, had two children, and divorced in the early 1940's. During World War II, she fell in love with journalist Eric Siepmann and lived with him for several show more years before they were married, which caused Mary's parents to cut her out of their will in disapproval. When her husband died, she was broke with a teenage son. During the late 1960's, she wrote two books, "Speaking Terms" and "The Sixth Seal," but it wasn't until she was in her seventies that her first major novel was published, "Jumping the Queue." Afterwards, she published "Cammomile Lawn" (1984), which is about love and sex in the British upper middle class and was adapted for television, "Harnessing Peacocks" (1986), which is about a young unwed mother who turns to prostitution to pay for her son's education, and "The Vacillations of Peppy Carew" (1986). Wesley's other titles include "A Sensible Life" (1990), "A Dubious Legacy" (1993), "An Imaginative Experience" (1994) and "Part of the Furniture" (1997). She died of natural causes following a long battle with gout on December 30, 2002. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1992
- People/Characters
- Henry Tillotson; Margaret Tillotson; Hector Grant; Calypso Grant; James Martineau; Matthew Stephenson (show all 10); Antonia Lowther; Barbara; Pilar; Ebro
- Dedication
- For Isobel
- First words
- 'I thought you said you had a car?'
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)A blackbird began to sing in the garden, but Henry Tillotson had died a moment before.
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- 378
- Popularity
- 82,518
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.58)
- Languages
- 5 — Dutch, English, French, German, Italian
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 21
- ASINs
- 7
