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In Certain Circles
In Certain Circles is the novel Elizabeth Harrower wrote after the release of The Watch Tower. The author withdrew this novel before publication in 1971, and it has languished in a library for four decades.
In Certain Circles is an intense psychological drama about family and love, tyranny, and freedom. Set amid the lush gardens and grand stone houses that line the north side of Sydney Harbour, it follows the lives of four unforgettable characters whose fates are intertwined.
Harrower is one of Australia's most important postwar writers. Never before published, In Certain Circles is one of the most anticipated releases of the season. Text's Classic edition of The Watch Tower has been reviewed in literary pages across the globe.
Elizabeth Harrower was born in Sydney in 1928. Her first novel, Down in the City, was published in 1957 and was followed by The Long Prospect (1958) and The Catherine Wheel (1960). Harrower published The Watch Tower in 1966. Four years later she finished In Certain Circles, but withdrew it before publication for reasons she has never publicly spoken of.
In Certain Circles is an intense psychological drama about family and love, tyranny, and freedom. Set amid the lush gardens and grand stone houses that line the north side of Sydney Harbour, it follows the lives of four unforgettable characters whose fates are intertwined.
Harrower is one of Australia's most important postwar writers. Never before published, In Certain Circles is one of the most anticipated releases of the season. Text's Classic edition of The Watch Tower has been reviewed in literary pages across the globe.
Elizabeth Harrower was born in Sydney in 1928. Her first novel, Down in the City, was published in 1957 and was followed by The Long Prospect (1958) and The Catherine Wheel (1960). Harrower published The Watch Tower in 1966. Four years later she finished In Certain Circles, but withdrew it before publication for reasons she has never publicly spoken of.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published April 23, 2014
30 people are currently reading
931 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Harrower
17 books39 followersElizabeth Harrower is an Australian novelist and short story writer.
(from Wikipedia)
Elizabeth Harrower is regarded as one of Australia's most important postwar writers, and is enjoying a recent literary revival. Born in Sydney in 1928, her first novel, Down in the City, was published in 1957 and was followed by The Long Prospect (1958) and The Catherine Wheel (1960). Her most well-known work, The Watch Tower, was published in 1966 to huge acclaim. Four years later she finished In Certain Circles , but withdrew it before publication for reasons she has never publicly spoken of. The manuscript was rediscovered recently by her publisher who felt it should be published immediately. Harrower has since received rave reviews, including comparisons with Emile Zola and F Scott Fitzgerald.
(from Wikipedia)
Elizabeth Harrower is regarded as one of Australia's most important postwar writers, and is enjoying a recent literary revival. Born in Sydney in 1928, her first novel, Down in the City, was published in 1957 and was followed by The Long Prospect (1958) and The Catherine Wheel (1960). Her most well-known work, The Watch Tower, was published in 1966 to huge acclaim. Four years later she finished In Certain Circles , but withdrew it before publication for reasons she has never publicly spoken of. The manuscript was rediscovered recently by her publisher who felt it should be published immediately. Harrower has since received rave reviews, including comparisons with Emile Zola and F Scott Fitzgerald.
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February 15, 2024
Harrower’s novel opens in post-WWII North Sydney, Australia. The affluent, liberal Howard family is hosting a tennis afternoon with the (aptly named) Quayles—Stephen, 23, and Anna, 15 —an orphaned brother and sister, whom empathetic, do-gooder Russell Howard has managed to befriend.
The Howard parents are well-known biologists who travel widely, give public lectures, and are often called upon by the media to offer informed opinions on the issues of the day. They and their two attractive, accomplished children are local celebrities whose photographs regularly appear in the papers. Their 17-year-old daughter, Zoe, seems to have lived a charmed life; she’s academically and athletically gifted, committed to charitable works, and capable with a movie camera. She’s thinking of travelling to Paris to pursue a career in film making once school is done. The Howards’s son, Russell, is a golden boy, but his life has not been all sweetness and light. Now in his early twenties, he has only recently returned home from a POW camp. His mates were not so lucky. Shadows had also fallen across his teenage years: he and a couple of pals were swimming when a riptide carried all three out to sea. Russell alone survived. Intensely attentive to everyone he interacts with, he is dutiful and socially engaged. He visits the families of the friends he lost and plans to follow through with his “childhood agreement” to marry to Lily, a forceful, academically ambitious young woman who has determined he’s made of fine enough stuff to father her children.
Harrower’s novel is concerned with fate of these two pairs of siblings, the privileged Howards and the disadvantaged Quayles. When they were very young children, Stephen and Anna lost their parents in a car accident at a railway crossing. The kids were taken in by their maternal uncle and his “neurasthenic”, volatile, and despotic wife. The emotionally abusive environment they grew up in has left its mark on both of them.
In the opening scenes of the novel, Zoe meets and is compelled by Stephen, who appears to her “like a weird, irascible character out of some dense Russian novel”, or perhaps “an anarchist or a music student.” She is hooked by him, because unlike the easy, charming, but predatory boys she’s kept company with, Stephen is the first man to be unimpressed by her. He’s aloof and contemptuous. A challenge. A project.
Harrower uses the stories of the two Howard siblings— Russell’s marriage to Lily and Zoe’s to Stephen—to explore questions about the forces that draw the sexes together, the balance of power between them, and the role of duty and sacrifice in romantic relationships and marriage. Anna, with her failure to connect and her unrequited love for Russell, also plays a critical role in the novel. Yes, the naïve, idealistic, and slightly narcissistic Zoe abandons her creative pursuits for the project that is Stephen. Her marriage to him is every bit as disastrous as Dorothea Brooke’s to Mr. Edward Casaubon (in Eliot’s Middlemarch)—possibly even more so, as it involves self-erasure and submission.
In Certain Circles is an ambitious and fascinating book, but a flawed one, too. Harrower’s language is sometimes frustratingly elliptical and occasionally impenetrable. Her characters occasionally seem less like people than conduits for the transmission of particular points of view. Realistic details about characters’ work, actions, and situations are often lacking. For example, Russell’s social work project in England is laughably vague. Sometimes, too, the plot turns too conveniently—the Howard parents are suddenly whisked from the novel, one by death; the other, to South Africa. Finally, the climax is one of high melodrama, yet the characters quickly recover and are quite miraculously rational at the end.
I admire the psychological astuteness Harrower has brought to her novel. She has important things to say about intimate relationships. Apparently written in the late 1960s and early 1970s, In Certain Circles was only published in 2014. It revived interest in Harrower. I can see why. I’m eager to get my hands on her other books.
Rating: a solid 3.5
The Howard parents are well-known biologists who travel widely, give public lectures, and are often called upon by the media to offer informed opinions on the issues of the day. They and their two attractive, accomplished children are local celebrities whose photographs regularly appear in the papers. Their 17-year-old daughter, Zoe, seems to have lived a charmed life; she’s academically and athletically gifted, committed to charitable works, and capable with a movie camera. She’s thinking of travelling to Paris to pursue a career in film making once school is done. The Howards’s son, Russell, is a golden boy, but his life has not been all sweetness and light. Now in his early twenties, he has only recently returned home from a POW camp. His mates were not so lucky. Shadows had also fallen across his teenage years: he and a couple of pals were swimming when a riptide carried all three out to sea. Russell alone survived. Intensely attentive to everyone he interacts with, he is dutiful and socially engaged. He visits the families of the friends he lost and plans to follow through with his “childhood agreement” to marry to Lily, a forceful, academically ambitious young woman who has determined he’s made of fine enough stuff to father her children.
Harrower’s novel is concerned with fate of these two pairs of siblings, the privileged Howards and the disadvantaged Quayles. When they were very young children, Stephen and Anna lost their parents in a car accident at a railway crossing. The kids were taken in by their maternal uncle and his “neurasthenic”, volatile, and despotic wife. The emotionally abusive environment they grew up in has left its mark on both of them.
In the opening scenes of the novel, Zoe meets and is compelled by Stephen, who appears to her “like a weird, irascible character out of some dense Russian novel”, or perhaps “an anarchist or a music student.” She is hooked by him, because unlike the easy, charming, but predatory boys she’s kept company with, Stephen is the first man to be unimpressed by her. He’s aloof and contemptuous. A challenge. A project.
Harrower uses the stories of the two Howard siblings— Russell’s marriage to Lily and Zoe’s to Stephen—to explore questions about the forces that draw the sexes together, the balance of power between them, and the role of duty and sacrifice in romantic relationships and marriage. Anna, with her failure to connect and her unrequited love for Russell, also plays a critical role in the novel. Yes, the naïve, idealistic, and slightly narcissistic Zoe abandons her creative pursuits for the project that is Stephen. Her marriage to him is every bit as disastrous as Dorothea Brooke’s to Mr. Edward Casaubon (in Eliot’s Middlemarch)—possibly even more so, as it involves self-erasure and submission.
In Certain Circles is an ambitious and fascinating book, but a flawed one, too. Harrower’s language is sometimes frustratingly elliptical and occasionally impenetrable. Her characters occasionally seem less like people than conduits for the transmission of particular points of view. Realistic details about characters’ work, actions, and situations are often lacking. For example, Russell’s social work project in England is laughably vague. Sometimes, too, the plot turns too conveniently—the Howard parents are suddenly whisked from the novel, one by death; the other, to South Africa. Finally, the climax is one of high melodrama, yet the characters quickly recover and are quite miraculously rational at the end.
I admire the psychological astuteness Harrower has brought to her novel. She has important things to say about intimate relationships. Apparently written in the late 1960s and early 1970s, In Certain Circles was only published in 2014. It revived interest in Harrower. I can see why. I’m eager to get my hands on her other books.
Rating: a solid 3.5
September 1, 2020
Το μυθιστόρημα της Elizabeth Harrower, μιλά για τις ανθρώπινες σχέσεις και για το πως εμεις οι άνθρωποι από τη στιγμή που γεννιομαστε, έχουμε την ανάγκη να ανήκουμε σε κάποιον κυκλο. Αρχικά σε αυτόν της οικογένειας μας, όπου νοιώθουμε την ασφάλεια του να μας καταλαβαίνουν και να καταλαβαίνουμε. Τι γίνεται όμως όταν μεγαλώνουμε και θέλουμε να επεκτείνουμε τον κύκλο μας ή να ανοίξουμε κάποιον νέο? Η Ζοι, η πρωταγωνιστρια του βιβλίου, ανακαλύπτει πως αν θέλει να μπει σε έναν κύκλο με τον Στίβεν, που αγαπά από παιδί, με τον αδερφό της τον Ράσελ και τη γυναίκα του, που έχουν πια τον δικό τους κύκλο, με την Άννα, την καλύτερη της φίλη, που όμως έχει ένα πολύ διαφορετικό background από το δικό της, πρέπει να κάνει υποχωρήσεις, οι υποχωρήσεις όμως μέχρι που φτάνουν? Και που ξεκινά η διαστρεβλωση της προσωπικής μας αλήθειας και πότε αρχίζουμε να γινόμαστε κάτι άλλο προκειμένου να μην χαθεί ο κύκλος?
προφανώς και το βιβλίο αυτό δεν έχει κάποια αξιοσημείωτη υπόθεση, είναι όμως από αυτά τα βιβλία που προσωπικά λατρεύω, μιας και μιλούν για ανθρώπινες σχέσεις, λάθη, αγάπη, έρωτα.. Η μετάφραση ήταν απολαυστική και με έκανε να χαρώ πολύ την προζα, καθώς επισης μου θύμισε και κλασικούς συγγραφείς όπως Austen ή και Fitzgerald, με τον οποίο μάλιστα συγκρίνουν τη συγγραφέα(αποκαλώντας τη θηλυκό Fitzgerald της Αυστραλίας) .
"καθώς της έφερνε ζεστα αφεψήματα όλες αυτές τις μέρες, η κυρία Τρεντ, της μίλησε για τρεις γυναίκες που συμβουλεύονταν έναν υπνωτιστή για ανακούφιση από ασθένειες και δεινά. Η Ζοι άφησε τη φαντασια της να καλπασει σαυτη την ιδέα σαν να επρόκειτο για μια ρεαλιστική πιθανότητα. Θα του ζητούσε να ξεριζωσει από το μυαλό της το "να είσαι ευχαριστημενη" θα του έλεγε "έχω την εντύπωση ότι πέθανα πριν από δύο τρία χρόνια και δε ξέρω τι να κάνω." τι ήθελε λοιπόν? Απλώς να αναστηθεί. Κρύβοντας την ιλαροτητα και την περιφρόνηση του, θα ενωνε τα ακροδαχτυλα του. "καλή μου κυρία, είναι πολύ απλό το ζήτημα. Εύκολα επανορθωνεται. "θα έγραφε πάνω σε μια κάρτα, σαν γιατρός" νεκρή, αλλά αρνείται να κατακλιθει"
προφανώς και το βιβλίο αυτό δεν έχει κάποια αξιοσημείωτη υπόθεση, είναι όμως από αυτά τα βιβλία που προσωπικά λατρεύω, μιας και μιλούν για ανθρώπινες σχέσεις, λάθη, αγάπη, έρωτα.. Η μετάφραση ήταν απολαυστική και με έκανε να χαρώ πολύ την προζα, καθώς επισης μου θύμισε και κλασικούς συγγραφείς όπως Austen ή και Fitzgerald, με τον οποίο μάλιστα συγκρίνουν τη συγγραφέα(αποκαλώντας τη θηλυκό Fitzgerald της Αυστραλίας) .
"καθώς της έφερνε ζεστα αφεψήματα όλες αυτές τις μέρες, η κυρία Τρεντ, της μίλησε για τρεις γυναίκες που συμβουλεύονταν έναν υπνωτιστή για ανακούφιση από ασθένειες και δεινά. Η Ζοι άφησε τη φαντασια της να καλπασει σαυτη την ιδέα σαν να επρόκειτο για μια ρεαλιστική πιθανότητα. Θα του ζητούσε να ξεριζωσει από το μυαλό της το "να είσαι ευχαριστημενη" θα του έλεγε "έχω την εντύπωση ότι πέθανα πριν από δύο τρία χρόνια και δε ξέρω τι να κάνω." τι ήθελε λοιπόν? Απλώς να αναστηθεί. Κρύβοντας την ιλαροτητα και την περιφρόνηση του, θα ενωνε τα ακροδαχτυλα του. "καλή μου κυρία, είναι πολύ απλό το ζήτημα. Εύκολα επανορθωνεται. "θα έγραφε πάνω σε μια κάρτα, σαν γιατρός" νεκρή, αλλά αρνείται να κατακλιθει"
March 24, 2015
“She was too young to be thoughtful, or interested in someone else’s problems. She felt a huge impatience at this unwarranted check to her self-absorption and happy conceit and ambition. So they had all had more troubles than she. Did that really make hem superior? ….It was not as though she were a trashy or frivolous person. Or not only trashy and frivolous. She was almost sure her heart was in the right place. It was simply that circumstances had not called on her to produce it very often.”
In Certain Circles is the fifth and final full-length novel by Australian author, Elizabeth Harrower, and is set in post-WW2 Sydney. Meet the Howard siblings, offspring of well-to-do parents living on Sydney’s exclusive north shore: seventeen-year-old Zoe, a shallow, self-centred, snobbish girl whose sheltered upbringing means she is quite naïve in some respects; and her older brother Russell, returned safely from the war and very unlike the rest of the family. Russell, about to marry childhood sweetheart, Lily, introduces two orphans to the family: Stephen Quayle, a prickly salesman with erratic moods, and his younger sister, Anna.
The narrative, carried mainly by two voices, Anna and Zoe, follows the lives of these five characters over the next twenty-three years. Zoe is a quite unappealing main character, although she improves with maturity; Anna is more likeable; the remaining characters are lightly sketched: Russell is apparently charismatic and convincing, a champion of the needy; Stephen, a stereotypical damaged soul; and Lily, a woman devoted to her twin daughters. A somewhat disjointed narrative may confuse the reader at times. Harrower subjects her players to unrequited love, widowhood, neurosis, mental breakdown, mental cruelty and suicidal thoughts.
Some of the prose is quite beautiful: “Something in him took her from the pink marshmallow castle of her life to a high cliff over the ocean of the real world” and “As always now, she had the sensation, when their eyes met, of sustaining a physical injury. A speechless, difficult resentment went out from them both” and “To live without the interest or attention of other people, without making an impression: in her mind, Zoe groped to imagine such a state. All she could find was a feeling of irritation” are examples.
The dialogue seems rather stiff and formal, but perhaps the well-to-do intelligentsia really did talk like that in post-war Sydney; perhaps they really did spend their days analysing themselves and their relationships. : “Now she realised that she had shared the common illusion that if someone were only ‘himself’, instead of an imitation of what he could be, he would be fulfilled, more likeable, cleverer, happier, good, better, best. That the mask might sometimes be superior to what lay beneath was an idea that had only recently occurred to her”. This previously unpublished novel from an acclaimed author rewards the reader who persists with a very clever twist at the end.
In Certain Circles is the fifth and final full-length novel by Australian author, Elizabeth Harrower, and is set in post-WW2 Sydney. Meet the Howard siblings, offspring of well-to-do parents living on Sydney’s exclusive north shore: seventeen-year-old Zoe, a shallow, self-centred, snobbish girl whose sheltered upbringing means she is quite naïve in some respects; and her older brother Russell, returned safely from the war and very unlike the rest of the family. Russell, about to marry childhood sweetheart, Lily, introduces two orphans to the family: Stephen Quayle, a prickly salesman with erratic moods, and his younger sister, Anna.
The narrative, carried mainly by two voices, Anna and Zoe, follows the lives of these five characters over the next twenty-three years. Zoe is a quite unappealing main character, although she improves with maturity; Anna is more likeable; the remaining characters are lightly sketched: Russell is apparently charismatic and convincing, a champion of the needy; Stephen, a stereotypical damaged soul; and Lily, a woman devoted to her twin daughters. A somewhat disjointed narrative may confuse the reader at times. Harrower subjects her players to unrequited love, widowhood, neurosis, mental breakdown, mental cruelty and suicidal thoughts.
Some of the prose is quite beautiful: “Something in him took her from the pink marshmallow castle of her life to a high cliff over the ocean of the real world” and “As always now, she had the sensation, when their eyes met, of sustaining a physical injury. A speechless, difficult resentment went out from them both” and “To live without the interest or attention of other people, without making an impression: in her mind, Zoe groped to imagine such a state. All she could find was a feeling of irritation” are examples.
The dialogue seems rather stiff and formal, but perhaps the well-to-do intelligentsia really did talk like that in post-war Sydney; perhaps they really did spend their days analysing themselves and their relationships. : “Now she realised that she had shared the common illusion that if someone were only ‘himself’, instead of an imitation of what he could be, he would be fulfilled, more likeable, cleverer, happier, good, better, best. That the mask might sometimes be superior to what lay beneath was an idea that had only recently occurred to her”. This previously unpublished novel from an acclaimed author rewards the reader who persists with a very clever twist at the end.
May 26, 2020
I was a bit apprehensive about reading this - the awful, powerful of bleakness of The Watch Tower still haunts me a bit. Thankfully for my mental health, In Certain Circles is a slightly lighter book. It still deals with Harrower's themes: power and privilege; the porous boundaries between love, pity and abuse; how we should live. The shifting perspectives are well handled - Anna and Zoe are great characters and are the real heart of the novel, while Russel and Steven were a bit less richly developed. I'm so glad that Text reissued a bunch of Harrower's books a few years back and that they finally got this one into print.
January 6, 2015
I gave up on this one at 48%, mainly because I found it dull, pretentious and boring and pretty much unreadable and I don’t think that was to do with the kindle formatting.
It is a story which is always switching the point of view from character to character, but because it felt as if all the characters had the same voice, it wasn’t always immediately apparent and I had to keep rereading segments to ensure I was getting it right in my head.
You do get right into the characters heads and sometimes this is not a pretty place to be – particularly Zoe’s mind – she is from a privileged family and has grown up spoiled, encouraged almost to believe that she is a cut above everyone else – and it shows in her narration.
I wasn’t connecting with her, or indeed any of the characters in this story that meanders back and forth between characters constantly. In addition, I couldn’t feel the characters connecting with each other.
In the end it was just a chore to turn the kindle on to read it. Thanks to the publishers for the review copy.
It is a story which is always switching the point of view from character to character, but because it felt as if all the characters had the same voice, it wasn’t always immediately apparent and I had to keep rereading segments to ensure I was getting it right in my head.
You do get right into the characters heads and sometimes this is not a pretty place to be – particularly Zoe’s mind – she is from a privileged family and has grown up spoiled, encouraged almost to believe that she is a cut above everyone else – and it shows in her narration.
I wasn’t connecting with her, or indeed any of the characters in this story that meanders back and forth between characters constantly. In addition, I couldn’t feel the characters connecting with each other.
In the end it was just a chore to turn the kindle on to read it. Thanks to the publishers for the review copy.
January 20, 2016
It’s impossible to read this novel without wondering why it was that Elizabeth Harrower withdrew it from publication in 1971: it’s as if the novel comes with ghostly baggage that haunts the reading. After four successful novels and critical comparison with Christina Stead and Patrick White, Harrower suddenly and inexplicably stopped writing, and was all but forgotten until her other novels were recently reissued by Text Publishing. In their wake, Harrower was persuaded to publish In Certain Circles, but in a recent interview for The Australian she said that it was written like forced labour because she had a grant and was obliged to write it. She told Macmillan that this one would have been a disappointment, and then she disappeared off the literary radar.
Well, even if the novel is read it with an undercurrent of expectation that it will be flawed, I think most people will be pleased to find that it’s a splendid novel. Like The Watch Tower, it explores unsatisfactory marriage and the power of damaged people to exert power over others. It’s set in Sydney and the beginning section is a brilliant portrayal of the patronising wealthy: Harrower was interested in class consciousness in The Watch Tower too, but in this novel it’s more noticeable. Siblings Russell and Zoe are North Shore, while ‘poor’ Anna and Stephen were orphaned some time ago and have been brought up by a neurotic aunt whose husband submits to her bullying. The orphans are inevitably outsiders in this glittering world of yachts and tennis courts, where to play badly is a social crime.
Seventeen-year-old Zoe’s life of privilege means she is attracted to Stephen as an exotic: a weird, irascible character out of some dense Russian novel: She’s not the first young woman with a romantic view of her own power to cure a moody man, and no doubt she won’t be the last…
To read the rest of my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2014/04/27/in...
Well, even if the novel is read it with an undercurrent of expectation that it will be flawed, I think most people will be pleased to find that it’s a splendid novel. Like The Watch Tower, it explores unsatisfactory marriage and the power of damaged people to exert power over others. It’s set in Sydney and the beginning section is a brilliant portrayal of the patronising wealthy: Harrower was interested in class consciousness in The Watch Tower too, but in this novel it’s more noticeable. Siblings Russell and Zoe are North Shore, while ‘poor’ Anna and Stephen were orphaned some time ago and have been brought up by a neurotic aunt whose husband submits to her bullying. The orphans are inevitably outsiders in this glittering world of yachts and tennis courts, where to play badly is a social crime.
Seventeen-year-old Zoe’s life of privilege means she is attracted to Stephen as an exotic: a weird, irascible character out of some dense Russian novel: She’s not the first young woman with a romantic view of her own power to cure a moody man, and no doubt she won’t be the last…
To read the rest of my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2014/04/27/in...
February 26, 2015
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2019
Το μυθιστόρημα «Στους δικούς μας κύκλους» της Αυστραλής συγγραφέως Elizabeth Harrower, που κυκλοφόρησε πρόσφατα στη σειρά «Aldina» των εκδόσεων Gutenberg, σε εξαιρετική μετάφραση της ηθοποιού Κερασίας Σαμαρά, αποτελεί μία ευχάριστη αναγνωστική έκπληξη για κάθε αναγνώστη, που θα επιλέξει να ταξιδέψει μέσα απ' τις σελίδες του!
Αν και γραμμένο το 1968, το μυθιστόρημα τη Harrower κυκλοφορεί για πρώτη φορά το 2014, καταφέρνει να γνωρίσει επιτυχία, αλλά και να αναθερμάνει το ενδιαφέρον του αναγνωστικού κοινού για τα προηγούμενα έργα της. Στη χώρα μας, έρχεται πέντε ολόκληρα χρόνια μετά την πρώτη του κυκλοφορία, αποτελώντας το έναυσμα για να γνωρίσουμε μία εξαιρετική συγγραφέα.
Το «Στους δικούς μας κύκλους» αποτελεί ένα αμιγώς κοινωνικό μυθιστόρημα, που διακατέχεται από την αύρα των κλασικών λογοτεχνικών έργων. Θα μπορούσε άλλωστε να αποτελεί ένα σύγχρονο κλασικό μυθιστόρημα, αν αναλογιστούμε την εποχή που γράφτηκε. Η αύρα αυτή δεν είναι αποτέλεσμα μόνο της ατμόσφαιρας που δημιουργεί η συγγραφέας, αλλά κυρίως λόγω των διαχρονικών ζητημάτων, που αποτελούν τους θεματικούς πυλώνες, επάνω στους οποίους θεμελιώνεται η πλοκή του έργου, καθώς και η εξέλιξη της.
Η δράση του βιβλίου τοποθετείται χρονολογικά λίγο μετά τη λήξη του Δεύτερου Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου, στο Σίδνεϊ της Αυστραλίας, όπου ο αναγνώστης συναντά τη Ζόι και τον Ράσελ, τα παιδιά μιας ευκατάστατης οικογένειας, τα οποία συναναστρέφονται δύο ορφανά αδέρφια, την Άννα και τον Στίβεν. Δύο παντελώς διαφορετικοί κόσμοι έλκονται μεταξύ τους σαν μαγνήτες, αφού παρά τις όποιες διαφορές τους, η Ζόι και ο Ράσελ δέχονται στον κύκλο τους τα δύο ορφανά αδέρφια, τα οποία βρίσκουν πλάι στην οικογένεια των Χάουαρντ το καταφύγιο που αναζητούν, μακριά από την φροντίδα του θείου τους, αλλά και της φοβερά ενοχλημένης συζύγου του.
Η επαφή των τεσσάρων παιδιών θα είναι σχεδόν καθημερινή, γεγονός που αποτελεί την τέλεια αφορμή για να αρχίσουν να έρχονται στο φως οι διαφορές που απαρτίζουν τους δύο αυτούς ταξικούς κόσμους. Από την μία έχουμε τη Ζόι και τον Ράσελ, που ανατρέφονται σε ένα πλούσιο σε υλικά και όχι μόνο περιβάλλον, το οποίο δύναται να τους παρέχει ένα μέλλον γεμάτο με ευκαιρίες σε όλα τα επίπεδα που αφορούν τον άνθρωπο και σχετίζονται με την καθημερινότητα του. Από την άλλη έχουμε την Άννα και τον Στίβεν, το μέλλον των οποίων φαντάζει ήδη προδιαγεγραμμένο. Μεταξύ των τεσσάρων μυθιστορηματικών ηρώων θα αναπτυχθούν άρρηκτοι φιλικοί δεσμοί, οι οποίοι με τον καιρό θα ζυμωθούν και θα μετατραπούν σε δεσμούς άλλου τύπου...
Ο χρόνος κυλά, η ζωή προχωρά, οι ήρωες του βιβλίου μεγαλώνουν, ενηλικιώνονται, παίρνουν αποφάσεις και κάνουν τις δικές τους επιλογές, διαγράφοντας ο καθένας τη δική του πορεία. Η συγγραφέας επιδίδεται σε ένα χρονικό άλμα, και συναντά τους ήρωες της μεσήλικες πια, με τον καθένα να έχει στρώσει τον δρόμο του βάσει των δικών του επιθυμιών, επιλογών και ονείρων. Η πλοκή του έργου, ακολουθεί μία ήρεμη, γραμμική θα λέγαμε πορεία, δίχως ιδιαίτερες εκπλήξεις, αφού η συγγραφέας φιλοτεχνεί ένα μυθιστόρημα, το οποίο δεν βασίζεται στα “plot twists”.
Θα λέγαμε πως η πορεία που ακολουθεί η ζωή του κάθε ήρωα, είναι σχεδόν προδιαγεγραμμένη απ' το πρώτο μέρος του βιβλίου. Εξάλλου, η πλοκή σε αυτό το μυθιστόρημα διαδραματίζει έναν επικουρικό ρόλο, στοχεύοντας στο να προσφέρει στη συγγραφέα το γόνιμο εκείνο έδαφος που χρειάζεται για να ξεδιπλώσει τους προβληματισμούς της, και να θίξει τα ζητήματα που την απασχολούν. Ζητήματα με χαρακτήρα διαχρονικό, που λίγο ή πολύ, όλους μας έχουν απασχολήσει σε κάποια περίοδο της ζωής μας.
Συγκεκριμένα, η Harrower μέσα απ' τις σελίδες του βιβλίου της, επιχειρεί να θίξει μερικά σημαντικά ζητήματα, όπως η επιρροή που ασκεί το περιβάλλον μες στο οποίο ανατρέφεται κάθε άτομο, στη διαμόρφωση του χαρακτήρα του, αλλά και στη στάση που ακολουθεί στην μετέπειτα πορεία της ζωής του. Χαρακτηριστικό παράδειγμα αυτού του ζητήματος αποτελεί η Ζόι και οι δυσκολίες που αντιμετωπίζει στην κατανόηση των απόψεων, των πράξεων, και των αποφάσεων ζωής, που λαμβάνουν τα δύο ορφανά αδέρφια, ενώ υπάρχουν φορές κατά τη διάρκεια του έργου, όπου η Ζόι προβληματίζεται έντονα γιατί αδυνατεί να καταλάβει τη συμπεριφορά τους, γεγονός που καταδεικνύει με εύλογο τρόπο, πως οι ταξικές διαφορές, και όσα αυτές συνεπάγονται, δημιουργούν χάσματα και γκρεμίζουν τις γέφυρες επικοινωνίας μεταξύ των ανθρώπων.
Η συγγραφέας αναφέρεται επίσης στην τριβή που επιφέρει ο χρόνος στις ανθρώπινες σχέσεις, είτε φιλικές, είτε ερωτικές. Σχέσεις εντός των οποίων οι άνθρωποι ίσως να καταπιέζονται και να βαλτώνουν. Αλλά παραμένουν εκεί, προσπαθώντας να τις συντηρήσουν, άλλοτε από δειλία, κι άλλοτε από τη δύναμη της συνήθειας. Σχέσεις που μεταμορφώνονται με την πάροδο του χρόνου, αλλάζοντας εντελώς μορφή!
Μεγάλο ενδιαφέρον διαβάζοντας κανείς το μυθιστόρημα της Harrower, εντοπίζει στα δίπολα που εμφανίζονται μεταξύ των πρωταγωνιστών. Δίπολα που σχετίζονται με τον τρόπο που αντιλαμβάνονται και αποκωδικοποιούν τα ερεθίσματα του περιβάλλοντος γύρω τους. Δίπολα που αφορούν τον τρόπο που σκέφτονται, αισθάνονται και διαισθάνονται όσα συμβαίνουν στην καθημερινότητα τους.
Η Harrower λοιπόν, δίχως να πέφτει στην παγίδα του φτηνού και επιφανειακού μελοδραματισμού, με γραφή κελαριστή, έντονα γλαφυρή και προφορική στα σημεία που κρίνεται απαραίτητο, δημιουργεί ένα απλό εκ πρώτης όψεως μυθιστόρημα, πίσω απ' τις λέξεις του οποίου κρύβεται ένα απύθμενο βάθος σκέψεων και συναισθημάτων. Ένα μυθιστόρημα που φέρει εκείνη την γλυκιά μελαγχολία των κλασικών αναγνωσμάτων, αναγνωσμάτων που καταφέρνουν να αγγίξουν κάθε αναγνώστη.
Προσωπικά, το «Στους δικούς μας κύκλους» ήταν ένα μυθιστόρημα που απόλαυσα απ' την πρώτη μέχρι και την τελευταία του σελίδα. Ήταν ένα ανάγνωσμα που με άγγιξε βαθιά και χαράχτηκε μέσα μου, όπως αντίστοιχα συνέβη με το «Καραβοφάναρο στο μαύρο νερό» και τον «Στόουνερ», που κυκλοφορούν στην ίδια σειρά! Αυτό πιστεύω ότι συνέβη, γιατί στους μυθιστορηματικούς χαρακτήρες, που μαεστρία σκιαγραφεί η συγγραφέας, κατάφερα να βρω κομμάτια μου. Κομμάτια της δικής μου προσωπικότητας και κοσμοθεωρίας. Κομμάτια με τα οποία ταυτίστηκα σε μικρότερο ή μεγαλύτερο βαθμό.
Ολοκληρώνοντας, αξίζει κανείς να αφιερώσει τον αναγνωστικό του χρόνο και να ταξιδέψει μέσα απ' την απολαυστική γραφή της Harrower, ακολουθώντας μία πορεία, που αναπόδραστα θα τον οδηγήσει σε μία συνάντηση με τον ίδιο του τον εαυτό.
Αν και γραμμένο το 1968, το μυθιστόρημα τη Harrower κυκλοφορεί για πρώτη φορά το 2014, καταφέρνει να γνωρίσει επιτυχία, αλλά και να αναθερμάνει το ενδιαφέρον του αναγνωστικού κοινού για τα προηγούμενα έργα της. Στη χώρα μας, έρχεται πέντε ολόκληρα χρόνια μετά την πρώτη του κυκλοφορία, αποτελώντας το έναυσμα για να γνωρίσουμε μία εξαιρετική συγγραφέα.
Το «Στους δικούς μας κύκλους» αποτελεί ένα αμιγώς κοινωνικό μυθιστόρημα, που διακατέχεται από την αύρα των κλασικών λογοτεχνικών έργων. Θα μπορούσε άλλωστε να αποτελεί ένα σύγχρονο κλασικό μυθιστόρημα, αν αναλογιστούμε την εποχή που γράφτηκε. Η αύρα αυτή δεν είναι αποτέλεσμα μόνο της ατμόσφαιρας που δημιουργεί η συγγραφέας, αλλά κυρίως λόγω των διαχρονικών ζητημάτων, που αποτελούν τους θεματικούς πυλώνες, επάνω στους οποίους θεμελιώνεται η πλοκή του έργου, καθώς και η εξέλιξη της.
Η δράση του βιβλίου τοποθετείται χρονολογικά λίγο μετά τη λήξη του Δεύτερου Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου, στο Σίδνεϊ της Αυστραλίας, όπου ο αναγνώστης συναντά τη Ζόι και τον Ράσελ, τα παιδιά μιας ευκατάστατης οικογένειας, τα οποία συναναστρέφονται δύο ορφανά αδέρφια, την Άννα και τον Στίβεν. Δύο παντελώς διαφορετικοί κόσμοι έλκονται μεταξύ τους σαν μαγνήτες, αφού παρά τις όποιες διαφορές τους, η Ζόι και ο Ράσελ δέχονται στον κύκλο τους τα δύο ορφανά αδέρφια, τα οποία βρίσκουν πλάι στην οικογένεια των Χάουαρντ το καταφύγιο που αναζητούν, μακριά από την φροντίδα του θείου τους, αλλά και της φοβερά ενοχλημένης συζύγου του.
Η επαφή των τεσσάρων παιδιών θα είναι σχεδόν καθημερινή, γεγονός που αποτελεί την τέλεια αφορμή για να αρχίσουν να έρχονται στο φως οι διαφορές που απαρτίζουν τους δύο αυτούς ταξικούς κόσμους. Από την μία έχουμε τη Ζόι και τον Ράσελ, που ανατρέφονται σε ένα πλούσιο σε υλικά και όχι μόνο περιβάλλον, το οποίο δύναται να τους παρέχει ένα μέλλον γεμάτο με ευκαιρίες σε όλα τα επίπεδα που αφορούν τον άνθρωπο και σχετίζονται με την καθημερινότητα του. Από την άλλη έχουμε την Άννα και τον Στίβεν, το μέλλον των οποίων φαντάζει ήδη προδιαγεγραμμένο. Μεταξύ των τεσσάρων μυθιστορηματικών ηρώων θα αναπτυχθούν άρρηκτοι φιλικοί δεσμοί, οι οποίοι με τον καιρό θα ζυμωθούν και θα μετατραπούν σε δεσμούς άλλου τύπου...
Ο χρόνος κυλά, η ζωή προχωρά, οι ήρωες του βιβλίου μεγαλώνουν, ενηλικιώνονται, παίρνουν αποφάσεις και κάνουν τις δικές τους επιλογές, διαγράφοντας ο καθένας τη δική του πορεία. Η συγγραφέας επιδίδεται σε ένα χρονικό άλμα, και συναντά τους ήρωες της μεσήλικες πια, με τον καθένα να έχει στρώσει τον δρόμο του βάσει των δικών του επιθυμιών, επιλογών και ονείρων. Η πλοκή του έργου, ακολουθεί μία ήρεμη, γραμμική θα λέγαμε πορεία, δίχως ιδιαίτερες εκπλήξεις, αφού η συγγραφέας φιλοτεχνεί ένα μυθιστόρημα, το οποίο δεν βασίζεται στα “plot twists”.
Θα λέγαμε πως η πορεία που ακολουθεί η ζωή του κάθε ήρωα, είναι σχεδόν προδιαγεγραμμένη απ' το πρώτο μέρος του βιβλίου. Εξάλλου, η πλοκή σε αυτό το μυθιστόρημα διαδραματίζει έναν επικουρικό ρόλο, στοχεύοντας στο να προσφέρει στη συγγραφέα το γόνιμο εκείνο έδαφος που χρειάζεται για να ξεδιπλώσει τους προβληματισμούς της, και να θίξει τα ζητήματα που την απασχολούν. Ζητήματα με χαρακτήρα διαχρονικό, που λίγο ή πολύ, όλους μας έχουν απασχολήσει σε κάποια περίοδο της ζωής μας.
Συγκεκριμένα, η Harrower μέσα απ' τις σελίδες του βιβλίου της, επιχειρεί να θίξει μερικά σημαντικά ζητήματα, όπως η επιρροή που ασκεί το περιβάλλον μες στο οποίο ανατρέφεται κάθε άτομο, στη διαμόρφωση του χαρακτήρα του, αλλά και στη στάση που ακολουθεί στην μετέπειτα πορεία της ζωής του. Χαρακτηριστικό παράδειγμα αυτού του ζητήματος αποτελεί η Ζόι και οι δυσκολίες που αντιμετωπίζει στην κατανόηση των απόψεων, των πράξεων, και των αποφάσεων ζωής, που λαμβάνουν τα δύο ορφανά αδέρφια, ενώ υπάρχουν φορές κατά τη διάρκεια του έργου, όπου η Ζόι προβληματίζεται έντονα γιατί αδυνατεί να καταλάβει τη συμπεριφορά τους, γεγονός που καταδεικνύει με εύλογο τρόπο, πως οι ταξικές διαφορές, και όσα αυτές συνεπάγονται, δημιουργούν χάσματα και γκρεμίζουν τις γέφυρες επικοινωνίας μεταξύ των ανθρώπων.
Η συγγραφέας αναφέρεται επίσης στην τριβή που επιφέρει ο χρόνος στις ανθρώπινες σχέσεις, είτε φιλικές, είτε ερωτικές. Σχέσεις εντός των οποίων οι άνθρωποι ίσως να καταπιέζονται και να βαλτώνουν. Αλλά παραμένουν εκεί, προσπαθώντας να τις συντηρήσουν, άλλοτε από δειλία, κι άλλοτε από τη δύναμη της συνήθειας. Σχέσεις που μεταμορφώνονται με την πάροδο του χρόνου, αλλάζοντας εντελώς μορφή!
Μεγάλο ενδιαφέρον διαβάζοντας κανείς το μυθιστόρημα της Harrower, εντοπίζει στα δίπολα που εμφανίζονται μεταξύ των πρωταγωνιστών. Δίπολα που σχετίζονται με τον τρόπο που αντιλαμβάνονται και αποκωδικοποιούν τα ερεθίσματα του περιβάλλοντος γύρω τους. Δίπολα που αφορούν τον τρόπο που σκέφτονται, αισθάνονται και διαισθάνονται όσα συμβαίνουν στην καθημερινότητα τους.
Η Harrower λοιπόν, δίχως να πέφτει στην παγίδα του φτηνού και επιφανειακού μελοδραματισμού, με γραφή κελαριστή, έντονα γλαφυρή και προφορική στα σημεία που κρίνεται απαραίτητο, δημιουργεί ένα απλό εκ πρώτης όψεως μυθιστόρημα, πίσω απ' τις λέξεις του οποίου κρύβεται ένα απύθμενο βάθος σκέψεων και συναισθημάτων. Ένα μυθιστόρημα που φέρει εκείνη την γλυκιά μελαγχολία των κλασικών αναγνωσμάτων, αναγνωσμάτων που καταφέρνουν να αγγίξουν κάθε αναγνώστη.
Προσωπικά, το «Στους δικούς μας κύκλους» ήταν ένα μυθιστόρημα που απόλαυσα απ' την πρώτη μέχρι και την τελευταία του σελίδα. Ήταν ένα ανάγνωσμα που με άγγιξε βαθιά και χαράχτηκε μέσα μου, όπως αντίστοιχα συνέβη με το «Καραβοφάναρο στο μαύρο νερό» και τον «Στόουνερ», που κυκλοφορούν στην ίδια σειρά! Αυτό πιστεύω ότι συνέβη, γιατί στους μυθιστορηματικούς χαρακτήρες, που μαεστρία σκιαγραφεί η συγγραφέας, κατάφερα να βρω κομμάτια μου. Κομμάτια της δικής μου προσωπικότητας και κοσμοθεωρίας. Κομμάτια με τα οποία ταυτίστηκα σε μικρότερο ή μεγαλύτερο βαθμό.
Ολοκληρώνοντας, αξίζει κανείς να αφιερώσει τον αναγνωστικό του χρόνο και να ταξιδέψει μέσα απ' την απολαυστική γραφή της Harrower, ακολουθώντας μία πορεία, που αναπόδραστα θα τον οδηγήσει σε μία συνάντηση με τον ίδιο του τον εαυτό.
January 13, 2015
‘As she spoke, she had an impression of something not pleasant happening to her, something irreversible and magical and inevitable.’
The first part of the novel opens just after the end of World War II, in Sydney, where the Howards live in their house on the north side of Sydney Harbour. Mr and Mrs Howard are both biologists, and ‘Mrs Howard was a useful example of a woman who combined a successful career with a happy home life. Whenever such a phenomenon needed illustration, journalists and producers were as likely to think of Alice Howard as anyone in town.’
Their son Russell has returned home in one piece after a period as a prisoner of war. Their 17 year old daughter, Zoe, was considered by family and friends to be remarkable. Perhaps she is: Zoe is an excellent student, captain of the school, editor of the school paper, a competent sailor and photographer who can handle a car better than her father.
‘To live without the interest or attention of other people, without making an impression: in her mind, Zoe groped to imagine such a state.’
Through the Howards, we also meet another brother and sister, Stephen and Anna Quayle. Stephen and Anna have been orphaned, and live in Parramatta with an uncle and his seriously disturbed wife. The uncle is preoccupied with his wife and doesn’t have much attention left for Stephen and Anna. Stephen, who intrigues Zoe, works as a salesman and Anna will be a clerk. Zoe is destined for Paris, to study film or photography. Russell will marry the well-educated Lily, and will open his own publishing company. Such a contrast between the lives of, and opportunities for, these four young people.
‘You can’t explain anything to a rich, lucky person. They don’t know.’
The second part of the novel opens eight years later, when the death of Alice Howard brings Zoe home from Europe. Zoe is now a successful photographer, in a relationship with a film director, with a career ahead of her. But once she meets Stephen again, she decides to marry him and remain in Sydney. Anna is widowed: her husband David, a musician, died less than two years after they married. Russell and Lily married, as expected, and have twin daughters.
‘Be satisfied. Be satisfied. This is what you wanted. This is what you’ve got.’
By the late 1960s, in the final part of the novel, Zoe is forty. She has devoted herself to trying to make Stephen happy. Anna has found success making pottery, while Lily has sacrificed her academic career for her daughters. None of these younger women has had the same success that Alice Howard had in combining a career and marriage.
‘He shook his head. Zoe checked an impulse to speak. Once so impulsive, she was now very skilled at checking impulses.’
The relationships in this novel - between individuals, between those with power and those without can be both straightforward (when individuals have a clear idea about what they want) and complex (when individuals make choices without fully appreciating the consequences). And even clarity about the future can be obscured when an individual world view is based in ignorant naivety. Can any of the younger generation move beyond the barriers of class and power, beyond the expectations of others to find their own place in the world?
In this novel (and in fact) Australia is not as egalitarian as it pretends to be. And that is an uncomfortable truth which I’d like to ignore, but can’t. I enjoyed the way Ms Harrower constructed this story, and I wondered why the novel was withdrawn from publication after it was completed in 1971. In some ways, I think Australia has become even less egalitarian since then. I’ll be adding Ms Harrower’s other novels to my reading list.
‘It occurred to her that there might be nothing braver in the world than to allow yourself to be understood.’
Note: my thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this novel.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
The first part of the novel opens just after the end of World War II, in Sydney, where the Howards live in their house on the north side of Sydney Harbour. Mr and Mrs Howard are both biologists, and ‘Mrs Howard was a useful example of a woman who combined a successful career with a happy home life. Whenever such a phenomenon needed illustration, journalists and producers were as likely to think of Alice Howard as anyone in town.’
Their son Russell has returned home in one piece after a period as a prisoner of war. Their 17 year old daughter, Zoe, was considered by family and friends to be remarkable. Perhaps she is: Zoe is an excellent student, captain of the school, editor of the school paper, a competent sailor and photographer who can handle a car better than her father.
‘To live without the interest or attention of other people, without making an impression: in her mind, Zoe groped to imagine such a state.’
Through the Howards, we also meet another brother and sister, Stephen and Anna Quayle. Stephen and Anna have been orphaned, and live in Parramatta with an uncle and his seriously disturbed wife. The uncle is preoccupied with his wife and doesn’t have much attention left for Stephen and Anna. Stephen, who intrigues Zoe, works as a salesman and Anna will be a clerk. Zoe is destined for Paris, to study film or photography. Russell will marry the well-educated Lily, and will open his own publishing company. Such a contrast between the lives of, and opportunities for, these four young people.
‘You can’t explain anything to a rich, lucky person. They don’t know.’
The second part of the novel opens eight years later, when the death of Alice Howard brings Zoe home from Europe. Zoe is now a successful photographer, in a relationship with a film director, with a career ahead of her. But once she meets Stephen again, she decides to marry him and remain in Sydney. Anna is widowed: her husband David, a musician, died less than two years after they married. Russell and Lily married, as expected, and have twin daughters.
‘Be satisfied. Be satisfied. This is what you wanted. This is what you’ve got.’
By the late 1960s, in the final part of the novel, Zoe is forty. She has devoted herself to trying to make Stephen happy. Anna has found success making pottery, while Lily has sacrificed her academic career for her daughters. None of these younger women has had the same success that Alice Howard had in combining a career and marriage.
‘He shook his head. Zoe checked an impulse to speak. Once so impulsive, she was now very skilled at checking impulses.’
The relationships in this novel - between individuals, between those with power and those without can be both straightforward (when individuals have a clear idea about what they want) and complex (when individuals make choices without fully appreciating the consequences). And even clarity about the future can be obscured when an individual world view is based in ignorant naivety. Can any of the younger generation move beyond the barriers of class and power, beyond the expectations of others to find their own place in the world?
In this novel (and in fact) Australia is not as egalitarian as it pretends to be. And that is an uncomfortable truth which I’d like to ignore, but can’t. I enjoyed the way Ms Harrower constructed this story, and I wondered why the novel was withdrawn from publication after it was completed in 1971. In some ways, I think Australia has become even less egalitarian since then. I’ll be adding Ms Harrower’s other novels to my reading list.
‘It occurred to her that there might be nothing braver in the world than to allow yourself to be understood.’
Note: my thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this novel.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
November 6, 2021
"Nervozita a nevraživosť by sa dala krájať. Boli ako špióni pracujúci pre znepriatelené vlády. Hra sa skončila, obaja to vedeli, ale nikdy to nepriznali. Ďalej sa venovali svojim výpočtom, starostlivo sčítavali a odčítavali, pálili stopy, zbierali dôkazy do budúcich zvodiek."
Mohlo by sa zdať, že V istých kruhoch je vlastne ďalší príbeh nefunkčného vzťahu. Navyše napísaný trochu zvláštne. Možno aj preto nemá podľa mňa také vysoké hodnotenia, aké si zaslúži. Elizabeth Harrower totiž príbeh jednej rodiny vyrozprávala svojským a originálnym štýlom, zďaleka ale nejde o klišé v podobe oddanej ženy a príšerného chlapa. Elizabeth vidí za tú príšernosť i oddanosť. Čo tých ľudí do nich vyformovalo?
Keď sa Zoe a Russell stretnú so súrodencami Stephenom a Anne, kruhy, z ktorých pochádzajú, nemôžu byť rozdielnejšie. Bezstarostné sedemnásťročné dievča a jej brat vyrastali v dostatku, poznali iba prestíž a pekné stránky života. Kým Russell nezažil vojnu, bol zlatým chlapcom. Možno práve to, že sa pozrel za hranice istých kruhov, našiel súct a sympatie voči dvom sirotám, ktoré vyrástli u strýka a psychicky chorej tety, v dusivom, ťažkom prostredí bez lásky a porozumenia. Osudy týchto štyroch ľudí sa začnú prepletať a my sledujeme, ako plynú ich životy a ako sa pomaly, nenápadne, ukrytá medzi niekedy napohľad bezvýznamnými dialógmi rozvíja rodinná dráma. V každej časti rodiny iná - veď Tolstoj mal pravdu v tom, že každá nešťastná rodina je nešťastná iným spôsobom - ale všetky postupne vyvrcholia.
Zvláštnosť Elizbeth Harrower spočíva v tom, že vám nič nenaservíruje priamo. Veľa zostáva utajené v mysliach postáv, ktoré sa vám nezdôverujú, všetko podstatné akoby sa zakaždým udialo iba v zákulisí a na pódium pred oponu autorka postaví svojich hercov v už rozbehnutej dráme. Dostávame iba fragmenty, ktoré prinášajú znepokujujúce náznaky, že tu niečo už dlho nie je celkom v poriadku.
A tak si táto kniha vyžaduje trpezlivého a vnímavého čitateľa. Nielen vyžaduje - ona si ho aj zaslúži. Pretože keď hru Elizabeth Harrower prijmete a budete sa chcieť pozerať na všetko v širších súvislostiach, skladať si skutočný príbeh z toho, čo vidíte pred oponou i toho, čo tušíte za ňou, V istých kruhoch vám prinesie skvelý zážitok. Napokon, práve takto vie Harrower upozorniť na to, čo sami vo vzťahoch často nevidíme a nechápeme: že v každom z nás existuje tiež akási opona - alebo zavreté dvere?, za ktorú sa treba pozrieť (sami v sebe, ale aj v tom druhom), aby sme pochopili, čo nás formovalo a vyformovalo práve na takého partnera, akým sme. Druhá vec je, či aj pochopenie bude stačiť na to, aby sme pokračovali.
"Vytvorili sme si vlastné nešťastie, o ktoré sa musíme deliť. Je to puto. Ako víťazoslávna ceremónia Konráda Lorenza. No najzábavnejšie na tom je, že teraz, keď už vlastní smutnú verziu mojej osoby, nepáči sa mu."
Mohlo by sa zdať, že V istých kruhoch je vlastne ďalší príbeh nefunkčného vzťahu. Navyše napísaný trochu zvláštne. Možno aj preto nemá podľa mňa také vysoké hodnotenia, aké si zaslúži. Elizabeth Harrower totiž príbeh jednej rodiny vyrozprávala svojským a originálnym štýlom, zďaleka ale nejde o klišé v podobe oddanej ženy a príšerného chlapa. Elizabeth vidí za tú príšernosť i oddanosť. Čo tých ľudí do nich vyformovalo?
Keď sa Zoe a Russell stretnú so súrodencami Stephenom a Anne, kruhy, z ktorých pochádzajú, nemôžu byť rozdielnejšie. Bezstarostné sedemnásťročné dievča a jej brat vyrastali v dostatku, poznali iba prestíž a pekné stránky života. Kým Russell nezažil vojnu, bol zlatým chlapcom. Možno práve to, že sa pozrel za hranice istých kruhov, našiel súct a sympatie voči dvom sirotám, ktoré vyrástli u strýka a psychicky chorej tety, v dusivom, ťažkom prostredí bez lásky a porozumenia. Osudy týchto štyroch ľudí sa začnú prepletať a my sledujeme, ako plynú ich životy a ako sa pomaly, nenápadne, ukrytá medzi niekedy napohľad bezvýznamnými dialógmi rozvíja rodinná dráma. V každej časti rodiny iná - veď Tolstoj mal pravdu v tom, že každá nešťastná rodina je nešťastná iným spôsobom - ale všetky postupne vyvrcholia.
Zvláštnosť Elizbeth Harrower spočíva v tom, že vám nič nenaservíruje priamo. Veľa zostáva utajené v mysliach postáv, ktoré sa vám nezdôverujú, všetko podstatné akoby sa zakaždým udialo iba v zákulisí a na pódium pred oponu autorka postaví svojich hercov v už rozbehnutej dráme. Dostávame iba fragmenty, ktoré prinášajú znepokujujúce náznaky, že tu niečo už dlho nie je celkom v poriadku.
A tak si táto kniha vyžaduje trpezlivého a vnímavého čitateľa. Nielen vyžaduje - ona si ho aj zaslúži. Pretože keď hru Elizabeth Harrower prijmete a budete sa chcieť pozerať na všetko v širších súvislostiach, skladať si skutočný príbeh z toho, čo vidíte pred oponou i toho, čo tušíte za ňou, V istých kruhoch vám prinesie skvelý zážitok. Napokon, práve takto vie Harrower upozorniť na to, čo sami vo vzťahoch často nevidíme a nechápeme: že v každom z nás existuje tiež akási opona - alebo zavreté dvere?, za ktorú sa treba pozrieť (sami v sebe, ale aj v tom druhom), aby sme pochopili, čo nás formovalo a vyformovalo práve na takého partnera, akým sme. Druhá vec je, či aj pochopenie bude stačiť na to, aby sme pokračovali.
"Vytvorili sme si vlastné nešťastie, o ktoré sa musíme deliť. Je to puto. Ako víťazoslávna ceremónia Konráda Lorenza. No najzábavnejšie na tom je, že teraz, keď už vlastní smutnú verziu mojej osoby, nepáči sa mu."
October 17, 2016
3.5 tähteä
Tietyissä piireissä lähti liikkeelle lupaavasti ja aluksi luin sitä tosi mielelläni. Pidin kirjan vähän yllätyksellisestä ja keskittymistä vaativasta tekstistä, sekä tarinasta, joka oli samaan aikaan tuttu että vieras.
Kirjan loppu kuitenkin tuotti pettymyksen. Tavallaan se on palkitsevaa ja tyydyttävää, että loppu menee kuten lukija on uumoillutkin, mutta onhan se vähän tylsää. En tosin tiedä millainen loppu olisi ollut parempi. Nurisen siis, koska voin.
Kirja on kirjoitettu vuonna 71, mutta juuri ennen julkaisua kirjailija kieltäytyi kirjan julkaisemisesta. Olisi mielenkiintoista tietää miksi. Kirja saa jonkin verran anteeksi sillä, että se on jo yli 40 vuotta vanha tarinaltaan. Silloin hyväksytään turvallisemmatkin ratkaisut kirjailijalta.
Kirja ei ole huono, vaan suosittelen kyllä tähän tutustumista. Mutta tiedän jo nyt, vaikka kirjan vasta luin loppuun, ettei tämä jää pitkäksi aikaa mieleeni. Ja koska lopun lukeminen oli jopa vähän tylsää alun intooni verrattuna, niin se tekee hallaa kirjan kokonaisuudelle. Jos kirjan alku saisi kepeästi neljä tähteä minulta, niin loppu ansaitsee maksimissaan sen kolme. Siksi kirja saa nyt 3.5 tähteä.
Ihanaa, että Fabriikki Kustannus on alkanut kääntää erilaisia kirjoja. Vaatimattomasti olen ajatellut lukea kaikki heidän suomentamansa kaunokirjalliset teokset. Onneksi niitä on vasta pari.
Tietyissä piireissä lähti liikkeelle lupaavasti ja aluksi luin sitä tosi mielelläni. Pidin kirjan vähän yllätyksellisestä ja keskittymistä vaativasta tekstistä, sekä tarinasta, joka oli samaan aikaan tuttu että vieras.
Kirjan loppu kuitenkin tuotti pettymyksen. Tavallaan se on palkitsevaa ja tyydyttävää, että loppu menee kuten lukija on uumoillutkin, mutta onhan se vähän tylsää. En tosin tiedä millainen loppu olisi ollut parempi. Nurisen siis, koska voin.
Kirja on kirjoitettu vuonna 71, mutta juuri ennen julkaisua kirjailija kieltäytyi kirjan julkaisemisesta. Olisi mielenkiintoista tietää miksi. Kirja saa jonkin verran anteeksi sillä, että se on jo yli 40 vuotta vanha tarinaltaan. Silloin hyväksytään turvallisemmatkin ratkaisut kirjailijalta.
Kirja ei ole huono, vaan suosittelen kyllä tähän tutustumista. Mutta tiedän jo nyt, vaikka kirjan vasta luin loppuun, ettei tämä jää pitkäksi aikaa mieleeni. Ja koska lopun lukeminen oli jopa vähän tylsää alun intooni verrattuna, niin se tekee hallaa kirjan kokonaisuudelle. Jos kirjan alku saisi kepeästi neljä tähteä minulta, niin loppu ansaitsee maksimissaan sen kolme. Siksi kirja saa nyt 3.5 tähteä.
Ihanaa, että Fabriikki Kustannus on alkanut kääntää erilaisia kirjoja. Vaatimattomasti olen ajatellut lukea kaikki heidän suomentamansa kaunokirjalliset teokset. Onneksi niitä on vasta pari.
Read
February 5, 2015I sadly had to give up on this one. I adored 'The Watch Tower' but I tried for weeks and just couldn't get into this. It is very slow, melancholy and introspective. I found all the characters a bit confusing and hard to follow, there is a lot of dialogue but the narrative is disjointed. Very reminiscent of Virginia Woolf in fact. Not bad at all but I wasn't able to enjoy it unfortunately.
October 11, 2016
Boring, pretentious and unbelievably dull would be just some of the words I would use to describe this book!
January 4, 2015
I’d not heard of Elizabeth Harrower but read positive reviews of her other work and was intrigued by this novel – which she shelved for several decades before releasing.
I’d wondered why and had visions of her revealing the secrets of Sydney’s influential families or having second thoughts about confessing illicit tales of decadence and debauchery.
However, I discovered it was because she was given a grant to write this novel and believed it felt 'forced' and undermined her other work.
And well, sadly I agree. I’m not sure I would have used the word ‘forced’ to describe the writing… but the novel is a tad all over the place.
It starts with promise. 17 year old Zoe Howard is introduced to orphans Stephen and younger sister Anna Quale by her much-adored older brother Russell.
Soon the ‘orphans’ are essentially adopted by the wealthy and influential Howard family as a bit of a project. Their generosity is appreciated by Anna, but not the taciturn Stephen.
Zoe finds herself attracted to Stephen – and he’s certainly the first boy (man) not to worship at her feet and challenges her (somewhat) naïve thinking.
However, shortly after they meet Stephen moves from Sydney to Melbourne and disappears from her life.
Fast forward several years and a family tragedy brings Zoe home from Paris where she’s achieved some fame for her work in photography and on films. Russell, his wife and twins also return to Sydney and the group are reunited with Stephen and (widowed) Anna.
Zoe finds her feelings for Stephen unchanged and – although completely unsuited - the pair marry.
I guess the crux of the book is really what comes next.
In all honesty I found this novel incredibly depressing. I don’t usually mind depressing; Anita Brookner’s work is often slow and melancholy but it’s also beautiful. I’m afraid I can’t say the same about this novel, which is essentially about love and marriage and our expectations of each.
Interestingly – although written in 1975 - this book didn’t feel at all dated. However, it felt very disjointed and the plot and characters were inconsistent.
On marrying Zoe and Stephen are essentially happy. He’s changing for the better and loves her feisty attitude.
We suddenly move forward a chunk of time and Zoe finds herself much changed, having lost confidence and constantly belittled by the man who once adored her.
“Are there chapters missing?” I wondered.
Zoe's realisation seems sudden. Indeed her feelings and unhappiness were ‘revealed’ at the end of the novel to the witless Stephen, but I also felt cheated, as if Harrower changed her characters midway through on a whim and later had to explain (to her creations AND her readers) how and why.
As I said, this novel started with some potential. I felt it was going to say something about our not-so-classless society, and about privilege and perception. But… it didn’t quite get there. It gives credence to Harrower’s own assertion that the novel was not her finest work.
I’d wondered why and had visions of her revealing the secrets of Sydney’s influential families or having second thoughts about confessing illicit tales of decadence and debauchery.
However, I discovered it was because she was given a grant to write this novel and believed it felt 'forced' and undermined her other work.
And well, sadly I agree. I’m not sure I would have used the word ‘forced’ to describe the writing… but the novel is a tad all over the place.
It starts with promise. 17 year old Zoe Howard is introduced to orphans Stephen and younger sister Anna Quale by her much-adored older brother Russell.
Soon the ‘orphans’ are essentially adopted by the wealthy and influential Howard family as a bit of a project. Their generosity is appreciated by Anna, but not the taciturn Stephen.
Zoe finds herself attracted to Stephen – and he’s certainly the first boy (man) not to worship at her feet and challenges her (somewhat) naïve thinking.
However, shortly after they meet Stephen moves from Sydney to Melbourne and disappears from her life.
Fast forward several years and a family tragedy brings Zoe home from Paris where she’s achieved some fame for her work in photography and on films. Russell, his wife and twins also return to Sydney and the group are reunited with Stephen and (widowed) Anna.
Zoe finds her feelings for Stephen unchanged and – although completely unsuited - the pair marry.
I guess the crux of the book is really what comes next.
In all honesty I found this novel incredibly depressing. I don’t usually mind depressing; Anita Brookner’s work is often slow and melancholy but it’s also beautiful. I’m afraid I can’t say the same about this novel, which is essentially about love and marriage and our expectations of each.
Interestingly – although written in 1975 - this book didn’t feel at all dated. However, it felt very disjointed and the plot and characters were inconsistent.
On marrying Zoe and Stephen are essentially happy. He’s changing for the better and loves her feisty attitude.
We suddenly move forward a chunk of time and Zoe finds herself much changed, having lost confidence and constantly belittled by the man who once adored her.
“Are there chapters missing?” I wondered.
Zoe's realisation seems sudden. Indeed her feelings and unhappiness were ‘revealed’ at the end of the novel to the witless Stephen, but I also felt cheated, as if Harrower changed her characters midway through on a whim and later had to explain (to her creations AND her readers) how and why.
As I said, this novel started with some potential. I felt it was going to say something about our not-so-classless society, and about privilege and perception. But… it didn’t quite get there. It gives credence to Harrower’s own assertion that the novel was not her finest work.
July 24, 2025
A sluggish, desperately boring, pretentious, slack-jawed, glacially paced PIECE OF RUBBISH—written, it would seem, by Fitzgerald... post multiple strokes, or perhaps by Henry James... suffering from cerebral palsy. The characters are paper-thin, the dialogue faker than a Chinese Rolex, and the plot so childishly simplistic it would insult the intelligence of a kindergarten stage play.
With each paragraph, the reader groans in sheer tedium, their entire being screaming to shut the book forever. Every page is another Sisyphean stone—because, alas, there is yet another, and another still. The pathetically undercooked dialogue and laughably structured characters—whom one cannot even be bothered to like, let alone identify with—exist solely to fray the reader's nerves beyond repair.
And if defenders of this work claim that “the author dissects her characters like a surgeon,” I would retort: only if that surgeon were a drunken, disbarred ex-veterinarian, now working in a slaughterhouse to finance his next bottle of gin.
I read that the author initially withdrew it from publication—only for it to somehow crawl its way back onto our shelves decades later. What a pity. It ought to have been buried under tons of lime on a moonless night.
A truly BAD book—one so inept it fails even to put you to sleep, for it is not merely dull, but so pointlessly aggravating that it enrages you.
If you come across a glowing review, rest assured: either money changed hands or substances were involved.
With each paragraph, the reader groans in sheer tedium, their entire being screaming to shut the book forever. Every page is another Sisyphean stone—because, alas, there is yet another, and another still. The pathetically undercooked dialogue and laughably structured characters—whom one cannot even be bothered to like, let alone identify with—exist solely to fray the reader's nerves beyond repair.
And if defenders of this work claim that “the author dissects her characters like a surgeon,” I would retort: only if that surgeon were a drunken, disbarred ex-veterinarian, now working in a slaughterhouse to finance his next bottle of gin.
I read that the author initially withdrew it from publication—only for it to somehow crawl its way back onto our shelves decades later. What a pity. It ought to have been buried under tons of lime on a moonless night.
A truly BAD book—one so inept it fails even to put you to sleep, for it is not merely dull, but so pointlessly aggravating that it enrages you.
If you come across a glowing review, rest assured: either money changed hands or substances were involved.
February 28, 2015
From BBC Radio 4 - Book at Bedtime:
Internationally acclaimed Australian author Elizabeth Harrower's novel was written in 1971 and is published for the first time now.
This tale of love, class and freedom, set set among the grand houses and lush gardens of Sydney Harbour just after WWII, follows the lives of Zoe and Russell Howard. Charismatic and confident, the children of affluent and loving parents, they welcome into their circle, Stephen and Anna, two orphans, whose lives until now have been very different from those of the Howards. But despite this, these four will spend the rest of their lives moving in and out of each other's shadows.
Today: over a tennis match, the two orphans, Anna and Stephen, are welcomed into the rarified world of the Howard family.
'Harrower evokes the waste and futility of a decadent class with all the bite and poignancy of F Scott Fitzgerald,' Eimear McBride, New Statesman.
Internationally acclaimed Australian author Elizabeth Harrower's novel was written in 1971 and is published for the first time now.
This tale of love, class and freedom, set set among the grand houses and lush gardens of Sydney Harbour just after WWII, follows the lives of Zoe and Russell Howard. Charismatic and confident, the children of affluent and loving parents, they welcome into their circle, Stephen and Anna, two orphans, whose lives until now have been very different from those of the Howards. But despite this, these four will spend the rest of their lives moving in and out of each other's shadows.
Today: over a tennis match, the two orphans, Anna and Stephen, are welcomed into the rarified world of the Howard family.
'Harrower evokes the waste and futility of a decadent class with all the bite and poignancy of F Scott Fitzgerald,' Eimear McBride, New Statesman.
September 6, 2021
Velmi tazke citanie. Ja osobne moc nevyhladavam knihy, kde musím vyznam hľadať medzi riadkami, pri čítaní si chcem oddychnut, preto si dovolím povedat ze toto dielo nemusi sadnut kazdemu. Ustrednou temou tejto knihy su predsudky voči prislusnikom roznych spoločenských tried. Mlada Zoe sa neustale snazi prispôsobiť sa svojmu partnerovi z istych "inych kruhov" spoločnosti, pricom vo vztahu vobec nenachadza stastie. Stretávame sa tu aj s témami ako ľútosť, snaha o presadenie a hladanie vlastneho stastia.
April 26, 2015
This was an uncomfortable book. It explored the psychologies of entitlement and deprivation in the context of love. The insights are bitter around power, class and human perversity in the quest for personal fulfilment. I liked the capture of human behaviour but I did pick it up and put it down a few times.
June 19, 2020
Harrower’s language is quite elliptical thus making it hard to understand sometimes, but it definitely does not fall short on beautiful proses surrounding the emotions of the characters- on themes of family, power and privilege, love (or the lack thereof), abuse and suicide.
October 7, 2024
Intense . If you like a novel that reads like Jane Austin lost her sense of humour and fetched up in post war Sydney , Australia you'll enjoy this . I did. Despite the lack of humour .
There's the same exploration of the social manners of the wealthy , the same uninterrogated assumptions of women's roles and expectations and the spotlight on the pursuit of happiness through nurture and relationship but here Harrower picks up the baton thrown down by De Beauvoir in The Woman Destroyed to show how three women are brought down by the cage of Romance and Motherhood . and she's a much better novelist than De Beauvoir. Where Harrower builds on both is her exploration of the insidious impact of damaged people on others , a theme in her writing which I relish .
Her two female protagonists are from different classes and it's the shake up of WW2 that bring together their brothers on a train . Both male and female siblings become lifelong friends , neighbours and business partners and the women are opposites ; one the privileged and self satisfied extrovert the other the quiet but determined introvert . The love interest is as predictable as any Trollope novel but Harrower dilutes the familiar by stretching the timeline to several years and by stripping the action to a quick fire series of scenes with landscape and context becoming almost invisible .
Harrower is a writer who gifts her female protagonists with an almost genius level of insight into psychological dynamics which can come off as unbelievable and obsessive and is also pretty relentless . The trick is she shows how these insights only come with experience . The men less so . But she is part of the strong tradition of writers like Hazard , Elizabeth Taylor , Elizabeth Bowen and Rosamund Lehmann who interrogate the patriarchy with insightful , often flawed protagonists doing the necessary intellectual work while all the time keeping any direct sermonising out of sight . In this way , although the dialogue isn't always realistic , it remains compelling and challenging and , in this novel , a plot twist at the end brings the whole work to a glorious crescendo .
There's the same exploration of the social manners of the wealthy , the same uninterrogated assumptions of women's roles and expectations and the spotlight on the pursuit of happiness through nurture and relationship but here Harrower picks up the baton thrown down by De Beauvoir in The Woman Destroyed to show how three women are brought down by the cage of Romance and Motherhood . and she's a much better novelist than De Beauvoir. Where Harrower builds on both is her exploration of the insidious impact of damaged people on others , a theme in her writing which I relish .
Her two female protagonists are from different classes and it's the shake up of WW2 that bring together their brothers on a train . Both male and female siblings become lifelong friends , neighbours and business partners and the women are opposites ; one the privileged and self satisfied extrovert the other the quiet but determined introvert . The love interest is as predictable as any Trollope novel but Harrower dilutes the familiar by stretching the timeline to several years and by stripping the action to a quick fire series of scenes with landscape and context becoming almost invisible .
Harrower is a writer who gifts her female protagonists with an almost genius level of insight into psychological dynamics which can come off as unbelievable and obsessive and is also pretty relentless . The trick is she shows how these insights only come with experience . The men less so . But she is part of the strong tradition of writers like Hazard , Elizabeth Taylor , Elizabeth Bowen and Rosamund Lehmann who interrogate the patriarchy with insightful , often flawed protagonists doing the necessary intellectual work while all the time keeping any direct sermonising out of sight . In this way , although the dialogue isn't always realistic , it remains compelling and challenging and , in this novel , a plot twist at the end brings the whole work to a glorious crescendo .
October 6, 2023
Now and then you read a book that leaves you a bit speechless and after going in with low expectations given my latest reading form and the low average ratings on Goodreads, this was a bit of a sucker punch. On the surface it’s just a mannered look at the relationship between two sets of siblings - one rich and privileged, the other orphaned and living in a dysfunctional set-up with an aunt and uncle. At the beginning the story focuses on this and the ways in which class and/or access to privilege informs your view of the world, much as lack of privilege narrows and stifles it. As the book progresses however it becomes more about the toxic personalities and relationships that form as a result of these very different backgrounds.
Ultimately it is a searing and horribly accurate portrayal of human behaviour that isn’t afraid to highlight those things that none of us really want to have to face about ourselves or the people we love - and no character trait remains unscathed. Apart from a slightly out of place device near the end, there is very little drama or melodrama and I think that’s the bit that struck me most - how it’s the tiny inconsequential things done or left undone (or said or left unsaid) that can be just as damaging to ourselves and to others over a lifetime than any huge betrayals.
At this point I would normally say that I can’t I wait to read more of Harrower’s books, but given that plenty of reviewers have commented that this is much less malignant than some of her others, I may need to give myself some space before I tackle them... Either way, I will (at some point!) be reading more.
Ultimately it is a searing and horribly accurate portrayal of human behaviour that isn’t afraid to highlight those things that none of us really want to have to face about ourselves or the people we love - and no character trait remains unscathed. Apart from a slightly out of place device near the end, there is very little drama or melodrama and I think that’s the bit that struck me most - how it’s the tiny inconsequential things done or left undone (or said or left unsaid) that can be just as damaging to ourselves and to others over a lifetime than any huge betrayals.
At this point I would normally say that I can’t I wait to read more of Harrower’s books, but given that plenty of reviewers have commented that this is much less malignant than some of her others, I may need to give myself some space before I tackle them... Either way, I will (at some point!) be reading more.
September 23, 2020
I recently read an enthusiastic article in "The Weekend Australian" about Elizabeth Harrower and thought I had completely missed a great Australian author. I had to join a waiting list at the library, so I guess I was not alone. The story of the author withdrawing "In Certain Circles" from publication was also intriguing. Although, when I've recovered, I might give her another chance, I'm now unworried about her absence in my life, and think I know the reason for the withdrawal - it's just not a good novel.
The setting in post WW2 Sydney is convincing, but despite extensive, repetitive analysis and back-stories, the characters did not really make sense for me. Except for Anna's diary entries, and the elliptic dialogue, most were seen largely through Zoe's eyes and she was an unlikely mix of insight and self-destructive behaviour. Many important events, such as Anna and Russell's affair, happened "off-stage" and were annoyingly vaguely described. As a psychologist, I was impressed by Harrower's dissection of Zoe and Stephen's appalling relationship, but there were no happy relationships making it a bleak, distressing read. The partial tidying-up at the end, and suggestion of happiness for some, were also unconvincing.
The setting in post WW2 Sydney is convincing, but despite extensive, repetitive analysis and back-stories, the characters did not really make sense for me. Except for Anna's diary entries, and the elliptic dialogue, most were seen largely through Zoe's eyes and she was an unlikely mix of insight and self-destructive behaviour. Many important events, such as Anna and Russell's affair, happened "off-stage" and were annoyingly vaguely described. As a psychologist, I was impressed by Harrower's dissection of Zoe and Stephen's appalling relationship, but there were no happy relationships making it a bleak, distressing read. The partial tidying-up at the end, and suggestion of happiness for some, were also unconvincing.
November 11, 2018
Osasipas olla jotenkin pitkäveteisen puoleinen kirja eri taustoista tulevien ihmisten suhdeongelmista viime vuosisadan puolivälin Australiassa. Jotenkin en meinaan ihan hiffannut, miten ne erilaiset taustat nyt vaikuttivat tapahtumiin, vaikka ne olivat olevinaan kirjan pointti.
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February 6, 2020Tietyissä piireissä pysyi minulle hyvin etäisenä lukukokemuksena. Se tuntui tempoilevalta, vaikealta, sekavalta. Henkilöt käyttävät valtavasti aikaa toistensa kanssa ja toistensa ohi keskusteluun. En päässyt tarinan imuun, enkä jaksanut yrittääkään. Pettymys.
June 30, 2017
elizabeth harrower zor erkekleri anlatmakta çok usta. evlilik, değişim, kendini bulma üzerine bir roman ama kesinlikle "gözetleme kulesi"ni daha çok sevmiştim.
July 9, 2020
Θα το χαρακτήριζα αριστούργημα περιγραφής σχέσεων κ συναισθηματικων καταστάσεων. Ένα μικρό θριλερακι στο τέλος που θα μπορούσε να κάνει μια έκπληξη κ κάνει μία ανατροπή.
Εγώ ξεκίνησα για αλλού κ αλλού η ζωή με πάει.......
Εγώ ξεκίνησα για αλλού κ αλλού η ζωή με πάει.......
September 13, 2014
In Certain Circles by Elizabeth Harrower is a recommended historical novel that is an examination of both character and social class.
In Certain Circles open right after WWII in Sydney, Australia and we meet the Howard family and the two Quayle siblings. The Howard's are a wealthy family who live in a large stone house on the north side of Sydney Harbor. Both parents are biologists and well known. Their son, Russel, has returned from the war and their 17 year old daughter, Zoe believes she deserves the praise written about her.
"She and Russell were greatly taken notice of. Russell was never affected by the propaganda, having a life of his own from the start; Zoe took attention and praise for granted, as though they were part of the public utilities, like running water and electricity. She was quite sated with the interest turned on her, but did not think it unjustified. World-weary as any international success, so confident that few opinions could move her, fearless, seventeen..."
Stephen and Anna Quayle have lived dramatically different lives. After the death of their parents they have been brought up in Parramatta by an uncle who is overly preoccupied with caring for his neurotic wife. Now Stephen, a born pessimist, is a salesman, something Russell doesn't judge, but Zoe finds incredulous. Anna is still living with her uncle but is sure to wind up being "one of those clerks, working to eat." However, since Stephen is not immediately taken with Zoe and doesn't find her unfailingly charming at all, Zoe finds herself attracted to him.
The novel is divided up into three parts. The first part is after WWII, when we are introduced to the characters (above), the second opens 8 years later, and the third part is in the 1960s.The attitudes of most of the female characters is that they will certainly give up their lives to support their husbands in any way they possible. I think In Certain Circles will appeal to those who enjoy period pieces and novels that deal with social class differences.
This is a novel that was written to be published in 1971, but was never released until now. Fans of Harrower's other novels will want to read In Certain Circles. While the writing is excellent and the characters basically well developed with discernment regarding their motives and behaviors, I was unable to fully immerse myself in this novel. Perhaps this is because I never connected with the characters at the start, at which point I found Stephen a complete jerk and the younger Zoe an over-privileged jerk.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of the Text Publishing Company for review purposes.
In Certain Circles open right after WWII in Sydney, Australia and we meet the Howard family and the two Quayle siblings. The Howard's are a wealthy family who live in a large stone house on the north side of Sydney Harbor. Both parents are biologists and well known. Their son, Russel, has returned from the war and their 17 year old daughter, Zoe believes she deserves the praise written about her.
"She and Russell were greatly taken notice of. Russell was never affected by the propaganda, having a life of his own from the start; Zoe took attention and praise for granted, as though they were part of the public utilities, like running water and electricity. She was quite sated with the interest turned on her, but did not think it unjustified. World-weary as any international success, so confident that few opinions could move her, fearless, seventeen..."
Stephen and Anna Quayle have lived dramatically different lives. After the death of their parents they have been brought up in Parramatta by an uncle who is overly preoccupied with caring for his neurotic wife. Now Stephen, a born pessimist, is a salesman, something Russell doesn't judge, but Zoe finds incredulous. Anna is still living with her uncle but is sure to wind up being "one of those clerks, working to eat." However, since Stephen is not immediately taken with Zoe and doesn't find her unfailingly charming at all, Zoe finds herself attracted to him.
The novel is divided up into three parts. The first part is after WWII, when we are introduced to the characters (above), the second opens 8 years later, and the third part is in the 1960s.The attitudes of most of the female characters is that they will certainly give up their lives to support their husbands in any way they possible. I think In Certain Circles will appeal to those who enjoy period pieces and novels that deal with social class differences.
This is a novel that was written to be published in 1971, but was never released until now. Fans of Harrower's other novels will want to read In Certain Circles. While the writing is excellent and the characters basically well developed with discernment regarding their motives and behaviors, I was unable to fully immerse myself in this novel. Perhaps this is because I never connected with the characters at the start, at which point I found Stephen a complete jerk and the younger Zoe an over-privileged jerk.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of the Text Publishing Company for review purposes.
January 6, 2015
Given that James Wood has steered me in the right direction before (Elena Ferrante's The Days of Abandonment), I thought I'd follow up on another of his recommendations for one of his best books of 2014. This was not quite as on target for me as Ferrante's novel, but I still enjoyed elements. There's some exceedingly fine writing here, though it is occasionally a bit odd--somehow carefully and precisely constructed while remaining simultaneously vague. Confusingly, major events often take place off-screen; as Wood notes: "She alludes to them glancingly, the better to concentrate on the slow present. This can make her books feel stifling, and at times hermetic." It also makes for a strangely slippery reading experience that precipitated both a need to re-read several passages and a lag in engagement any time I picked the book up again after having set it down, as though my brain had to re-adjust to her idiosyncratic pattern of communication. Additionally, she doesn't spend a ton of time developing some of her characters to any depth, which makes it difficult to ever fully engage when they encounter hardships. That said, she's exploring gender and familial dynamics in an appealingly arch but never less than thoughtful fashion. Well worth the read, and I'm eager to investigate her work further.
September 14, 2024
Yazardan daha önce Gözetleme Kulesi adlı romanını okuyup bayılmıştım. Bu kitabı da aynı umutlarla okumaya başladım. Sınıf çatışması romanın asıl özünü oluşturuyor diyebiliriz. İki farklı çift özelinde bunu gösteriyor yazar bize. Zoe ve Stephen ile Russell ve Anna. İnsanın içinde yer almak istediği çevreye girmek için rol yapmasının bir süre sonra kişinin kendi benliğini unutmasını ve de boşlukta kalmasını anlatıyor. Bu saatten sonra istese de geri dönemez ya da olduğu yerde kalamaz. Tıpkı Gözetleme Kulesi'nde olduğu gibi burada da yine psikopat biri var. Stephen. Ancak bunun inşa sürecini göremedik. Bir anda oldu. Bu yüzden de hikayeye olan inanırlığımı yitirdim bu noktada.
Arka kapak yazısını okuyunca çok az bir benzerlik olsa da Jane Austen'ın Emma kitabını anımsamıştım. Buradaki Zoe adlı karakterimiz Emma'yı çağrıştırmıştı bana. Tıpkı Emma gibi diğer insanları yönlendiren bir karakter gibi gelmişti Zoe. Tabi sonra bunun yersiz bir benzetme olduğunu anladım.
Mekanın belirsiz olduğu ve sınırlı kişilerle geçen hikayelerden biriydi Kimi Muhitlerde. Normalde böyle kurgulara bayılırım ama kitapta sırıtan şey diyaloglar ile kişilerin bir araya gelmiyor olması. Çünkü bir bağ yok. Bu yüzden olaylar ve kişiler daldan dala atlıyor. Kafayı allak bullak yapıyor :)
Yazarla tanışma kitabınız olarak Gözetleme Kulesi daha iyi bir tercih olacaktır bana kalırsa.
Arka kapak yazısını okuyunca çok az bir benzerlik olsa da Jane Austen'ın Emma kitabını anımsamıştım. Buradaki Zoe adlı karakterimiz Emma'yı çağrıştırmıştı bana. Tıpkı Emma gibi diğer insanları yönlendiren bir karakter gibi gelmişti Zoe. Tabi sonra bunun yersiz bir benzetme olduğunu anladım.
Mekanın belirsiz olduğu ve sınırlı kişilerle geçen hikayelerden biriydi Kimi Muhitlerde. Normalde böyle kurgulara bayılırım ama kitapta sırıtan şey diyaloglar ile kişilerin bir araya gelmiyor olması. Çünkü bir bağ yok. Bu yüzden olaylar ve kişiler daldan dala atlıyor. Kafayı allak bullak yapıyor :)
Yazarla tanışma kitabınız olarak Gözetleme Kulesi daha iyi bir tercih olacaktır bana kalırsa.
April 14, 2022
3.5 stars. An engaging, character based novel about the lives of Howard siblings, Zoe and Russell, and the Quayle siblings, Stephen and Anna, who come from different social worlds, spending many years involved with one another. Set mainly in the 1960s, in Sydney, Australia. Russell and Stephen meet by accident on a train. Russell invites Stephen and his sister to spend time with Russell and his family. Zoe marries Stephen and Anna has a crush on Russell, however Russell is engaged, soon marries, and moves to Europe with his new bride, shortly after meeting the Quayle siblings.
Fifteen years later Zoe is having doubts about her love for Stephen. Russell and his family are back in Australia. Russell’s wife, Lily, suffers from depression and decides she wants to return to academia. Russell grows fond of Anna and Anna’s love for Russell is rekindled.
An interesting psychological drama about family, love and freedom.
This book was first completed in 1971 but was first published in 2014. The author’s first novel published in 48 years.
Readers new to Harrower should firstly read her critically acclaimed novel, ‘The Watch Tower’.
Fifteen years later Zoe is having doubts about her love for Stephen. Russell and his family are back in Australia. Russell’s wife, Lily, suffers from depression and decides she wants to return to academia. Russell grows fond of Anna and Anna’s love for Russell is rekindled.
An interesting psychological drama about family, love and freedom.
This book was first completed in 1971 but was first published in 2014. The author’s first novel published in 48 years.
Readers new to Harrower should firstly read her critically acclaimed novel, ‘The Watch Tower’.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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