The Light Years: Amazon.ca: Elizabeth Jane Howard: Books

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Three generations of an English clan summer at their estate during 1937 and 1938, troubled by threats of war and less significant matters, including the chauffeur's sluggish driving and a treed cat. "Charming but unwieldy. . . . The fan of sagas full of slice-of-life detail may find the book too short, while the lover of catharsis will feel it stops short of its goal," said PW.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In 1937 the three Cazelet brothers gather their respective families and head for the family manse in the heart of Sussex for their annual summer holiday. Howard is expert at creating detailed physical environments for her characters, habitats that often reveal just as much about the Cazelets as their words or actions do. The publisher compares The Light Years to Rosamund Pilcher's recent best seller The Shell Seekers (LJ 1/88), but the characters on the whole lack the passion, warmth, and depth of feeling of Pilcher's. Howard's family saga is well written, however; she has considerable literary talent. A sequel concentrating on the interesting scions of the Cazelet dynasty would be welcome. Recommended.
- Lydia Bur ruel Johnson, Mesa P.L., Ariz.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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First Sentence
THE DAY BEGAN at five to seven when the alarm clock (given to Phyllis by her mother when she started service) went off and on and on and on until she quenched it. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

21 Reviews

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Author created an entire world, but too much detail, April 12 2002

By	lisatheratgirl "lisatheratgirl" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Light Years (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book and it made me want to read the others (after having been introduced to the series by Masterpiece Theatre). The author really did create a world here, and follows up with every character, rather than just presenting one main character's point of view. It gave me a feeling of getting to know each person over time, as though I were another guest in the household. Particularly interesting was the backdrop of international events and Chamberlain's appeasement of Hitler over Czechoslovakia. He is almost universally condemned for it today, with the benefit of hindsight. The reactions of the characters, and Britain's being so unprepared for war one doesnt hear about now. The one thing I didn't like was the author's compulsion to mention every single thing that happened, every move that everyone made, every bite at every meal. It got tedious after awhile; some things can be assumed. She should not mistake description of every breath taken for action.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Better than the Masterpiece Theatre series, Nov 25 2001

By	Darren in Kansas City "Darren in Kansas City" (Kansas City, MO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Light Years (Paperback)

Enjoyed the BBC production of this, so rushed out to get the books in the series. This is the first of four (so far). It takes you up to the summer of 1938, before the war. There's a tremendous amount about all the kids, which sometimes becomes tedious if you're more into the adults' world. But it's hard to not get caught up in the world that Elizabeth Jane Howard creates here - she delivers so much compelling detail that you feel like you're there.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Do we really need to know all this period detail?, Aug 26 2001

By	V. J. Vousden (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Light Years (Paperback)

I found this a tough book to finish and did not enjoy it. The wealth of presumably accurate period detail is certainly impressive and adds some verismo. However it is really only wallpaper and did not paper over the very significant dramatic cracks in the work. Events are in very short supply. We have inklings of adultery, incest and lesbianism but there is little true development of these themes beyond introduction and elaboration. One yearns for confrontations, conflicts and resolutions but there is only the cloudy malaise of pre-war England. Mrs Howard is clearly fascinated by the world of children and we have endless descriptions of their emotions and play. Actually the depiction of childish thought process is very well done. But at the end of the book little has happened other than the birth of a child.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Introduction to an English family

This is the first of a four-book series about the relatively wealthy family Cazalet, a large British family in pre-war England. Read more

Published on Jun 12 2001 by Joseph H Pierre

5.0 out of 5 stars Cawalet Chronicles or History 101: WWII
This series of three novels is not only superb summer reading for everyone from 16 years old on, but also the most comprehensive look into family life before, during and after... Read more

Published on Jun 11 2001 by Nicolas De Lavalette

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Characters
I have just finished reading this novel and I am already on the lookout for the other 3 volumes in this series. The character development in this book was wonderful. Read more

Published on May 30 2001 by amccullough

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Start to a Trilogy
I have just finished reading this first of three novels about the Cazalet family set on the eve of the Second World War. Read more