Journeying Wave

by Richmal Crompton

When Viola learned of her husband Humphrey's affair, it seemed obvious that she must divorce him so he could be with the woman soon to bear him a child, but now she must deal with her highly-strung and sensitive son Hilary and her sister Frances' sudden move to London alone, without Humphrey's steadying presence. And while Humphrey tries to deal with the fact that his romantic choices have ended his marriage, his family is also living through numerous personal upheavals. His twin aunts Harriet and Hester are heading for a breakdown, with Harriet looking after all aspects of her sister's life while Hester is desperate for something to call her own, and Aggie, Humphrey's mild-mannered and absent minded sister-in-law, is a widowed mother to three children she doesn't Joey, hateful of his office job and eager for the freedom of farm work; solid, quiet Monica who spends her days not at Oxford reading and studying, and Elaine, desperate to leave Reddington behind and have control of her own life.Humphrey's sister Doreen and her daughter Bridget have a fraught relationship, with Bridget torn between her mother's desire for her to make a marriage that will increase their social standing and the affection she feels towards her best friend's brother, Terry.Will this family ever manage to find happiness and equilibrium? Journeying Wave by Richmal Crompton explores the changes sparked by Viola and Humphrey's divorce, letting us into the inner thoughts, feelings and dreams of an extended family. We visit numerous points of view, revealing just how rich and varied our internal lives truly are – and how there are many paths to happiness.

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1938

About the author

Richmal Crompton Lamburn was initially trained as a schoolmistress but later became a popular English writer, best known for her Just William series of books, humorous short stories, and to a lesser extent adult fiction books.

Crompton's fiction centres around family and social life, dwelling on the constraints that they place on individuals while also nurturing them. This is best seen in her depiction of children as puzzled onlookers of society's ways. Nevertheless, the children, particularly William and his Outlaws, almost always emerge triumphant.

Reviews

[Louise Culmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Viola was a widow with a young son she married Humphrey, a prosperous businessman who owns a flourishing department store in the small provincial town of Reddington. To their disappointment, they have had no children and for some years Viola has been increasingly dissatisfied with her life, Humphrey does not share her intellectual interests and she yearns for the more sophisticated life she had in London. But now, she finds that Humphrey has been having an affair, and he has got the girl pregnant. She decides she will divorce him so he can marry the mother of his child. The news of their proposed divorce sends shock waves through the family, Humphrey’s siblings, nephews and nieces, in laws and elderly aunts are all variously affected,even his stepson Hilary who has never been close to him is shaken by the news. People do things they would never have dreamt of doing before this news was made public. This is a very entertaining story with many interesting characters and it is great fun watching how all their stories develop.