A View of the Harbour

[Sara, Old School Classics]

I agree, Diane. I have read a few now and it is a feeling of eavesdropping on someone's life. I think that makes it more remarkable, because generally when I feel as if I am outside looking in, I don't enjoy the book that much, but Taylor manages to involve me, even as a spectator.

Candi--my next is going to be In a Summer Season...I've had it sitting here forever, but if you get to Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont later in the year, let's buddy read it.

[Antoinette]

I,too, can’t stop thinking of this one. It definitely left an impression on me. That ending for one. The people for another. I listen to a few podcasts- my favourite are Backlisted and Tea or Books- They both focus on older books. They both had episodes on Elizabeth Taylor. I had listened to both already, but went back and listened again after this book. Definitely worth checking out:)

[Terry]

I finished the novel last night. It reminded me of a reality TV, wherein the camera was on at all time, but without artificially induced or manipulated dramatics.

Having said that, I thought the writer’s use of language was quite exquisite at times, with their portraits lovingly drawn. She seemed to love all these characters, no matter how sad they seemed. I thought her portrayal of Stevie was particularly true to the sensibilities of a child.

Someone mentioned that they didn’t trust Bertram, but I actually quite liked him. He seemed a benevolent and gentle man. There is a certain elderly character actor whom I pictured in this role throughout my reading, whose name unfortunately has escaped me. Bertram, like the author, was looking through the windows, over the shape and texture of the town and it’s inhabitants, with an artist’s eye to capture the essence of this community, and in the end, it seemed he felt he was unable to successfully capture its likeness. I wonder how the author felt about her finished work. Perhaps she felt swept clean and empty, as Beth describes in one of the final paragraphs.

I did feel that the camera was turned off a bit abruptly.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

I enjoy Backlisted, Antoinette, and now you have made me go seek out Tea or Books. I swear I have got to figure out how to make more time...time is what I need. Perhaps I should read H.G. Wells more closely and see if that machine is a possibility.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Terry, I like your description of Bertram, although I was never quite able to see him that way. I didn't think him malevolent, just divorced from true feeling...I almost thought he chose Mrs. B to befriend because he knew she would not be around to aggravate him later in life.

I also couldn't help wondering if Taylor and Beth had a lot in common. The "swept clean and empty" might be exactly what Taylor was going for, for herself, in her writing. But there is also that feeling that nothing is really over when her books are over.

[Candi]

Sara, I would most definitely buddy read Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont later in the year!

Antoinette, I don't listen to podcasts but those two sound worth checking out for sure! Thanks for the tip :)

Terry, great comments on the book. I love having another take on Bertram! I'm still gathering my thoughts on him, because honestly, I'm kind of all over the place right now :D

[Antoinette]

If anyone does check podcasts out, I’d recommend Backlisted first. They talk to Carmen Calill, the original Virago person. She is hugely responsible for bringing Elizabeth Taylor back.
Love all the thoughts on this book and the people. Bertram is an anomaly to me. He likes to feel he is doing good, then likes to leave before he gets too involved. He initially befriended Lily, then moved on. Gossip starts about Lily thanks to Mrs Bracey. That scene towards the end of the book that he sees Lily going into her place and he shakes his head thinking how lucky he was not to have gotten closer. He never seemed to think that he as well had put her in an awkward position. Poor Lily- that gossip has now destroyed her reputation. I love how subtle Taylor is in addressing everyone’s fears and hopes.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

That is exactly the scene that stuck with me, Antoinette, and sort of defined Bertram. He is a complex character, but I would describe him as careless. He does what makes him feel "good" or "kind" and takes a little glory for it, but he never stops long enough to see the full impact of his actions or the long-term damage he has done.

Gossiping about Lily is another reason to dislike Mrs. Bracey!

[Diane]

I never warmed up to Bertram. For one thing, he had no idea what he wanted himself. He pretended to be an artist when, in fact, he wasn't, it was just a dream to be one. He proposed marriage on a whim, then didn't know how to get out of it. I liked Tory even less. All that mattered to her was her momentary pleasure, and she took the easy way out of her involvement with Beth's husband. Mrs. Bracey was at least true to herself, unpleasant as her gossip was.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Ah, Tory. I have a very difficult time with anyone who would cheat with their best friend's husband. And, she was willing to risk Beth's life happiness and that of the girls for a moment of lust for herself, because she was definitely NOT in love with Robert. Just slumming between husbands. Tory and Bertram almost deserve one another, because they are both mostly self-centered.

In the end, when she is saying goodbye to Beth, she is thinking of it as goodbye forever, and I was thinking how easily she was willing to give up a long friendship for nothing but a flirtation.

[Terry]

You guys are a tough crowd! I don’t think the author was quite that harsh with them.

[Antoinette]

I was reading an article in the New Yorker about Taylor and she is quarter as saying:
“ Jesus, I never can get over this- it is as bitter as gall- that I have got to choose. I know it is wrong that I have to....I don’t think anything enrages me as much as seeing in famous men’s autobiographies photographs of their studies, libraries, quiet places where they work. Then I think of Harriet Beecher Stowe with the yelling baby in one arm and a pen in the other hand. What happened to that baby? How did it fare?”

Of course after reading this, I wondered how much of Beth was the author. The author did have two children, born in 1937, 1941. Interestingly, she had a romantic involvement outside of her marriage that lasted 4 years, I think. I’m probably reading too much into this, but it did feel rather opportune.

This novel is really staying with me- a sure sign of excellence!

[Sara, Old School Classics]

This is very interesting, Antoinette. I try not the transfer too much of the author's personal life to their work, but you can bet traces of the person makes its way in, whether they want it to or not.

When a book won't get out of my head, I know it is well-written and sometimes more meaningful than I had originally realized. This one has a haunting aspect about it.

[Antoinette]

Reading that quote made me wonder if there is more meaning to Bertram’s surname- Hemingway.. I don’t think anyone has mentioned that.

[Marilyn]

Finished last night. (view spoiler)[ Taylor wrote the ambiguous ending with perfection. She set up the relationships to move to the next step but didn't resolve any of them. I highly suspect that Bertram did not go to London. (hide spoiler)]

Favorite character: Stevie

The ending: (view spoiler)[ Teddy was there with feelings of dread and delight. I wondered if Edward also found Teddy's new wife to be more fun than his mother. Was Teddy going to tell Tory that Edward wanted to live with him? (hide spoiler)] I'll never know.

All of Taylor's books went on the TBR.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Your last line made me smile, Marilyn, because I went and added all the ones I had not already put on my TBR too.

I love your musing about Edward and Teddy. Never occurred to me, and now I'm thinking....oooh. One of the things I love about Taylor's books is how they don't go away. I keep wondering about her characters long after reading her final words.

And, I would also love to know if Bertram (view spoiler)[made it to London. (hide spoiler)]

[Carolien]

I'm about halfway and am so glad I have discovered this author. I'll come back when I am done as the comments will make more sense then. Some really interesting thoughts here.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

I am so pleased that everyone is loving Taylor! Can't wait to have your thoughts, Carolien.

[Carolien]

Like Marilyn, all her books are now on my TBR.

I agree that the various characters are complex and very real persons with good and bad in all of them. I can definitely relate to Beth leaving the kids to themselves while she writes (I have spent hours this past year working at the dining room table hoping my daughters are actually doing homework and finding something to eat without having to get involved in the moment).

And the ending is definitely open-ended leaving the reader to figure out where they think this is going and being able to make up all kinds of possibilities. A book that will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you for the mention of Backlist, Antoinette. I enjoyed the episode very much.

[Antoinette]

Glad you liked it Carolien. They have inspired me to read so many authors I was unaware of.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

I could also relate to Beth shutting out everyone while she writes, Carolein. I have sometimes said to my very hungry husband, "What, you want food again? I fed you yesterday!"

[Kimberly]

Candi wrote: "I've been reading this off and on for the past couple of days. I was initially a bit confused about the introductions to the many different characters, but it's coming together for me nicely now. I..."

Elizabeth Taylor's writing style is consistently beautiful in all her books and she wrote many.

[Kimberly]

Candi wrote: "Thanks for those additional insights, Sara, particularly on Bertram and his paintings. It's something I've been thinking about for a couple of days now :)

Diane, interesting that you've felt simil..."

Mrs. Palfrey is one of my favorites......

[Michaela]

I only finished this a few days ago, and didn´t find it so good. The superficial boring life in the village isn´t something I need to read about, and I also don´t like the morals of some of these people. I had heard good things about Elizabeth Taylor, and I like her writing, but this (my first one) isn´t my favourite. Perhaps others of her books are better.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Sorry it didn't appeal to you, Michaela. Maybe next time.

[Brian E]

After recently reading Mrs. Palfrey, I found that I really admired Taylor's style and character insight so thought I'd read some more of her novels. I decided to read one Taylor from each decade she wrote and settled on these:
1940's - A View of the Harbour 1947
1950's - Angel 1957
1960's - The Soul of Kindness 1964 (or In a Summer Season - 1961)
1970's - Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont 1971

So I started with this one. Taylor's overall writing was again splendid and provided for an overall pleasant reading experience. Taylor’s insights and observations, both into and through her characters, were quite sharp and perceptive – she has great insight into how and what people think. Taylor also crafted a setting and characters that i don't normally run into and that I could easily visualize.
However, like others here, I had trouble at the beginning as the introduction of the characters had me a bit dizzy. While most of that is attributable to the sheer number of characters, I also thought Taylor’s could have been more distinguishing in her identification and descriptions.
Also, despite Taylor’s writing craft, character insights and setting creativity, I still found that the story she created out of all this was not quite satisfying. Maybe its that the subplots she set up were mainly left unresolved, though I normally accept this in slice of life stories. Perhaps, it's because I found the resolution of the main Beth/Tory plot both unsatisfying and unrealistic. I also thought that her portrait of Bertram left him still too much of a mysterious figure for me to understand and evaluate the Tory/Bertram relationship. While I ended the story feeling that things were unfinished, I was also not that interested in reading about what I expected to happen in the future to these characters.
I am currently pondering whether to rate this as 3 or 4 stars. I really like the style, the setting and the character insights but the story itself was not quite satisfying. It's definitely a tweener for me. On to Angel later this year.