What: With this semi-autobiographical novel, Rebecca West introduces the talented and eccentric Aubrey family. When the book opens, at the beginning of the twentieth century, Mr. Aubrey has once again vowed a fresh start, this time in the London suburbs. Mrs. Aubrey manages the constant flow of music, literature, and politics through the house, while stemming the tide of financial ruin. And the four children --- three daughters and a son --- they soak it all up.
Comparable to: Rebecca West presents the same kind of watchful, rich sweep of the early twentieth century in The Fountain Overflows as Rose Macaulay does in Told by an Idiot.
Opening lines: "There was such a long pause that I wondered whether my Mamma and my Papa were ever going to speak again. Not that I feared they had quarreled, only we children had quarrels, but they had each fallen into a dream. Then Papa said hesitantly, 'You know, I am very sorry about all this, my dear.'"
Representative quote: "Now, he told me, I could see what humanity was worth. It could form the conception of justice, but could not trust its flesh to provide judges. Whatever it started was likely to end in old men raving."
You might not like it if: All the discussions of innate musical ability make your tone-deaf self frantic with envy.
How to get it: Buy it or borrow it. Not currently Kindle-able.
Connection to previous Wreckage: As I mentioned above, Rose Macaulay's Told By an Idiot (Rec. #181) is a very similar sort of book. Rose Macaulay is funnier, though.
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