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Heretics in Love
Heretics in Love is set in a house modelled on JLM's grandmother's, and takes incest as its theme.
212 pages, Hardcover
Published December 31, 1973
About the author
James Lees-Milne
80 books21 followersJames Lees-Milne (1908-1997) was an English writer and expert on country houses.
Biography
He was a noted biographer and historian, and is also considered one of the twentieth century's great diarists. He came from a family of landed gentry and grew up in Worcestershire. He attended Lockers Park Prep School, Eton and Oxford University. In 1936 he was appointed secretary of the Country House Committee of the National Trust, and he held that position until 1950 apart from a period of military service from 1939-1941. He was instrumental in the first large scale transfer of country houses from private ownership to the Trust. After resigning his full-time position in 1950 he continued his connection with the National Trust as a part time architectural consultant.
He resided on the Badminton Estate in Gloucestershire for most of his later years while working in William Thomas Beckford's library at Lansdown Crescent at Bath. He was a friend of many of the most prominent British intellectual and social figures of his day, including Nancy Mitford, Harold Nicolson (about whom he wrote a two-volume biography), and Cyril Connolly. He married Alvilde Chaplin, formerly Bridges, a prominent gardening and landscape expert, in 1951.
From 1947 Lees-Milne published a series of architectural works aimed primarily at the general reader. He was also a diarist, and his diaries were published in many volumes and were well received, in later years attracting a cult following. His other works included several biographies and an autobiographical novel.
Biography
He was a noted biographer and historian, and is also considered one of the twentieth century's great diarists. He came from a family of landed gentry and grew up in Worcestershire. He attended Lockers Park Prep School, Eton and Oxford University. In 1936 he was appointed secretary of the Country House Committee of the National Trust, and he held that position until 1950 apart from a period of military service from 1939-1941. He was instrumental in the first large scale transfer of country houses from private ownership to the Trust. After resigning his full-time position in 1950 he continued his connection with the National Trust as a part time architectural consultant.
He resided on the Badminton Estate in Gloucestershire for most of his later years while working in William Thomas Beckford's library at Lansdown Crescent at Bath. He was a friend of many of the most prominent British intellectual and social figures of his day, including Nancy Mitford, Harold Nicolson (about whom he wrote a two-volume biography), and Cyril Connolly. He married Alvilde Chaplin, formerly Bridges, a prominent gardening and landscape expert, in 1951.
From 1947 Lees-Milne published a series of architectural works aimed primarily at the general reader. He was also a diarist, and his diaries were published in many volumes and were well received, in later years attracting a cult following. His other works included several biographies and an autobiographical novel.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
September 28, 2013
2.5 - I found this book by chance at the library, having never heard of it, and I wondered why I could hardly find any information about it on Google. Now that I've read it, I suspect why.
There is nothing that you can really appreciate in the book: unlikable characters that you can't root for, excessive and boring details about genealogy and inheritance (in which the author shows off his expertise on county houses) and bland writing. Despite the scandalous theme of incest, this book can hardly be recommended as a shocking read.
Unsurprisingly, the incestuous twins Augustus and Augusta (Gus and Star, Gustar) are depicted as devilish children, inherently rotten and surrounded by decadent characters that are unable to nurture them in the right way; all against the backdrop of fervent Roman Catholicism. The way the story develops reminded me a bit of Wuthering Heights, with the female keeping a firm hold on her enthralled brother's psyche which surpasses the passage of time and death.
Besides the fantastic and Gothic feel, the story seems to have traces of a feminist message, at least to me. Star is a strong, ambitious girl who's more than aware of her brother's title and property inheritance, and she isn't concerned about morals when it comes to certain schemes. She shows more stamina during the war but unfortunately not all ends well, yet it is not the end of the story for Gus. While reading I thought "See what you get for binding a woman with misogynistic rules and impeding her independence? She'll curse and torment..." but that's hardly a feminist view. In any case, Star could have been considered a heroine, if only she was likeable.
There is nothing that you can really appreciate in the book: unlikable characters that you can't root for, excessive and boring details about genealogy and inheritance (in which the author shows off his expertise on county houses) and bland writing. Despite the scandalous theme of incest, this book can hardly be recommended as a shocking read.
Unsurprisingly, the incestuous twins Augustus and Augusta (Gus and Star, Gustar) are depicted as devilish children, inherently rotten and surrounded by decadent characters that are unable to nurture them in the right way; all against the backdrop of fervent Roman Catholicism. The way the story develops reminded me a bit of Wuthering Heights, with the female keeping a firm hold on her enthralled brother's psyche which surpasses the passage of time and death.
Besides the fantastic and Gothic feel, the story seems to have traces of a feminist message, at least to me. Star is a strong, ambitious girl who's more than aware of her brother's title and property inheritance, and she isn't concerned about morals when it comes to certain schemes. She shows more stamina during the war but unfortunately not all ends well, yet it is not the end of the story for Gus. While reading I thought "See what you get for binding a woman with misogynistic rules and impeding her independence? She'll curse and torment..." but that's hardly a feminist view. In any case, Star could have been considered a heroine, if only she was likeable.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review