So this volume we have 'the brothers' ie the fathers of the girls, and the outsiders: the in-laws and friends. The Cazalets are generally good at friendship, are welcoming and inclusive, but ultimately probably couldn't function completely without their support. And a few sections on 'the wives'. I'm deliberately not saying much about individuals as I don't want to spoil anyone's first reading.

I'm still loving the tone.

A thing that sticks out is the smoking of pipes. That has totally fallen by the wayside here, that and cigars. I haven't smelt pipe or cigar smoke since my 20s. Smoking generally here has dropped to 15%, although there are a lot of vaper's, which isn't as healthier an alternative as promoted! ( )

This is the fifth and final volume of the Cazalet Chronicles and I have finished all five. I love these books and wish that EJH was still alive so that I could write her a letter, and tell her how much I appreciate her humor, psychological astuteness, the world she brings to life (England 1937-1959), the company of her characters. I admit it all makes me hugely nostalgic for a world that wasn't even mine except by extension--many of the characters are contemporary to my parents and grandparents, though English. Still there are resonances.

And comforts: These are not edgy, post-modern literary efforts. Everyone calls everyone "darling" (not the movie star darling, the familial darling) and love is strong and steady, even though the extended family has its share of conflicts, betrayals, misfits, outsiders; people make life-long mistakes and suffer deep losses. Still in these days of Trump, Brexit, etc., there is something almost exalted in bringing to life a cast of characters finding their way through change at the mid-century. It makes clear, at least to me, how all our freedoms are also the loss of belonging and accepted ways, of being embedded in an intelligible society.

EJH is a fine writer. She is wonderful with dialogue, especially with her cast of children, and can be quite funny describing opinions, conflicts, stages along the way from childhood through adolescence that are entirely familiar to anyone who has had a child or been one. Even her adults get to grow--Howard is especially good at portraying growth and keeping the essential personality of her characters. She loves her lovers and tells their stories with such tenderness. There are several deaths that are conveyed piercingly, for both reader and character.

I know that much of the story and many of the characters are taken from EJH's life, so I guess she knows much of what she writes from intimate experience. I've just begun reading her biography.

I loved every page of every volume. ( )

As I grow more familiar with all Elizabeth Jane Howard's characters I care about them all more. I was gripped by this instalment of the series and very nearly missed my bus stop a few times. This obviously points to some wonderful writing and characterisation. I was so happy for both Clary and Polly when all came good for them, that it quite cheered my day. They are like old friends. What will happy to them all in the final book I wonder? ( )

This was supposed to be the last of the Cazalet Chronicles, but Howard added another 18 years later. I'm so glad - there are always so many loose ends to travel further along. ( )

This is the fourth in a five-volume family saga detailing English life before, during and after World War II. The Cazalet family lies at the heart of the tale, though some of the characters on the family's periphery also come in for scrutiny. It’s astonishing how such a large cast of characters (Duchy and the Brig are matriarch and patriarch, respectively of three sons and their various wives and children, and an unselfish, uncomplaining, unmarried, unappreciated daughter) nonetheless remain individually distinct and vivid. I don’t like all of them but I feel as though I understand them. I'm tempted to dive right in and read the fifth soon, but then I will be done with the Cazalets and I'm not sure I'm ready for that. ( )