The New Moon with the Old

This was very entertaining. Escapism of the purest kind. It put me in mind of old fashioned romances, Whitehall farces, and Nancy Mitford's satirical novels, all at once. There are some rum goings on that pulled me up with a jolt, but Dodie Smith dealt with everything bizarre so matter of factly that it seemed less bizarre. The story is magical and bonkers, and I loved it.

While the story could seem stereotypical, I call it closer to satire.

The New Moon with the Old does begin with a secretary (named Jane, even) hired by a charming, handsome widower, Rupert Carrington, in the city, who is sent to work and live at his country home with the servants and the precocious, attractive children. But the 'children' are all, at least in age, adults, or mostly so. Of the two family servants, yes, one actually is named Cook, but they are both kind, function rather as nannies within the household—they like, even approve of, Jane.

Jane herself is in her “very late” thirties, and has been a secretary for years, fifteen in fact. Not the usual innocent creature of the gothic romance. She’s sturdy and practical, and show more frankly rather prudish. There’s the traditional long, winding drive up to the house. And then the father returns: by sneaking in the back gate, and confessing to Jane that he is in fact wanted by the police and is about to flee the country. He’s delightfully matter-of-fact about the whole thing. Jane is more than eager to believe him, and immediately offers to look after the family while he is gone—after having been there all of a week.

See, she just really loves the atmosphere of the house. Or the atmosphere and especially the house?

The devotedness is a hallmark of the gothic tradition, but Smith so emphasizes that Jane has only known the family a week, doesn’t have any particular affection for the older two ‘children,’ and harbors such deep love for her employer, that I can only read this as a gentle sort of parody. Because despite her affection for Mr. Carrington, she never actually acts or responds to him as a lover would—or anyone with genuine attraction, really.

As for the children who are actually mostly adults, well, I guess you could say they do have various adventures of their own. But it’s not really about that. It’s about adults who have been so sheltered from the world for their entire lives, with little to no consideration of who they really are, that they still are mentally children. They’ve never grown up.

Even throughout the prologue, Jane comments on the Carrington family’s lack of familial love. When Rupert commits his crime, he never bothered to have any backup for his family. The children hear about his dilemma—and their own—and are hardly concerned for their father’s danger, and at most find it exciting. There is no mourning or bewailing this new world; they immediately start wondering how they can make enough money to survive, and know perfectly well that they have no real world or marketable skills. That they have, in fact, been infantalized.

Working backwards from the youngest to the oldest (because I'm pretty sure that's how the book does it) because that's where I felt the novel really got the most interesting:

The youngest girl, nicknamed Merry, can act much more mature than she is--actually is and actress, and noted by her father as the child with the truest talent--but learns that her ability to be perceived as an adult does not make her one.

Then Drew, the younger son, the wanna-be author who can't stop researching to actually write--finally reaches out to the real world, though he considers it research at first--and finds a little reality behind the fiction.

The second oldest, Clare, "wants to live in a book" and decides to make it happen--sort of.

And the oldest, Richard--the new 'man' of the family immediately takes up the mantle as expected of him--and realizes that perhaps it wasn't what the family actually needed, or what he wanted. His growth wasn't in following the sensible option, but in realizing that in taking it, he is avoiding the responsibility for his own life and calling. I think I can say he was my favorite.

If you can find it, you might want to read it. Especially if you are willing to read it generously, and are familiar with the classics. Good luck!

{reposted from my blog, with edits} show less

This novel from the author of I Capture the Castle is an absolute joy. There is something of the fairy-tale about it – although it is more heart-warming than frothy.

It is the early 1960’s and Jane Minton a thirty something single woman arrives at Dome house to begin a new job. The job is that of secretary/housekeeper to Rupert Carrington. On arrival Jane finds that Mr Carrington is absent – but she is welcomed heartily by his four children all in their early twenties or teens – and the two elderly sisters who work for the family. That first evening is a wonderful start for Jane, warm, well fed, settled as one of the family in front of the television – she is certain that Dome house is a place she’ll never want to leave. The show more following day however everything is thrown in to disarray – when Rupert Carrington suspected of fraud flees the country. Jane has to find a way to help the Carrington family live – immediately there are strict economies that have to be made and the elder Carrington children need to start to think about employment.
The narrative switches from character to character as we follow the eccentric ways they find to fly the nest and start to make their ways in the world. There is Merry- 14 and a half – who wants to be an actress, Drew who has aspirations to be a writer, Richard the musician and Clare a painter with little talent, whose only ambition is to be the mistress of a king.

Merry runs away to London disguised as someone much older – she doesn’t quite make it to London – but ends up in another equally eccentric household. Drew applies to become an elderly woman’s companion, and ends up totally reorganising her life. Clare finds her job as a reader to an elderly man in London has an unexpectedly romantic twist. Richard meanwhile tries to keep Dome house going, while coping with the arrival of the dreaded Aunt Winifred and his father’s ex-girlfriend who has also landed on him unexpectedly. Jane holds them all together admirably while working as secretary to the headmistress of Merry’s old school.

I was reminded strongly of I capture the castle while reading this – in the voices of the characters particularly. It is an enormously charming novel, humorous and engaging it’s fabulous for curling up with for long periods. I enjoyed it immensely. show less

You think you have first-day-on-the-job woes? Nothing doing compared to Miss Minton. She's hired as secretary and near-instantly becomes surrogate parent to 4 teens/young adults, housekeeper, cook, working single-mom, adviser, and criminal co-conspirator. And that's day 1. As the kids begin disappearing to find their own way, she must decide to keep up the empty nest or shutter it or rent it out. And it's not even her house! I loved the chapters on the children's escapades. They are believably farcical and heartwarming and adventurous. This would make an excellent feature film.

The way it ended felt VERY abrupt. So I can't quite give it five stars, but it was a really wonderful book. It felt like something Jane Austen may've written if she'd been alive in the 1960s. It had some very interesting characters and I ended up truly enjoying that it wasd split into five parts - one for the story of each main character, with interludes for Jane (the new housekeeper/secretary). My only complaint is that almost right when you begin to desperately love a character, their portion of the story is over!!! So therefore, great book but I wish there was a lot more of it to go around!

Dodie Smith is to charm what Chanel is to perfume" (NYT)
By sally tarbox on 6 February 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
This is a charming, light and entertaining flight of fancy, full of improbable characters having even more improbable adventures.
When nice, sensible Jane Minton turns up for a new position as secretary/ housekeeper for the delightful (but absent) Rupert Carrington, she is entranced with her new life. Four intelligent, personable children (one still at school); devoted servants and a luxurious lifestyle.... but when Rupert turns up to inform her he's wanted by the police for fraud and is going on the run, things suddenly change.

The privileged youngsters (and Jane) need to go out in the world and find work... but no shops or show more factories for them, as each is taken up by wealthy individuals, to whom they rapidly become indispensable.
Feel I desperately need a gritty real-life read now!! show less

A quick, fluffy, quasi-gothic fiction read. I definitely prefer "I Capture the Castle," but this was a pleasant enough diversion.