Margery Sharp - The Foolish Gentlewoman & Four Gardens

A while back, I put in a request that my library order a few books published by Dean Street Press. Now, I would love to own all of the books that Dean Street Press have published under their Furrowed Middlebrow imprint, but as I do not have unlimited funds in my book buying budget I am really excited that I can try a few titles through my library. I also like to think that I am single-handedly improving the shelves of my local library! Among the titles I requested were these two, The Foolish Gentlewoman (1948) and Four Gardens (1935). 

I was introduced to Margery Sharp through her book Rhododendron Pie (1930). Why did I choose to start with that one? I liked the title! And what good luck I did start there because I found it to be a delightful read, full of joy and humour. You can find my review of that book here.

Something Light (1960) was the next. It was similarly joyful, and like the title suggests, it was a light and sparkling book. It put me in mind of Doris Day films like, "Move Over Darling" and "Pillow Talk". I cannot actually remember how the character of Louisa is described, or even if she is, because after the first couple of pages I had cast Doris Day in the role and nothing would budge her image from my mind.

As a plus, Louisa is a photographer of dogs. Any book with plenty of scenes with doggies is a winner in my mind. (And yes, I am a grown woman who unashamedly refers to dogs as doggies!) My full review of Something Light can be found here.

Now, The Foolish Gentlewoman and Four Gardens are entirely different from Rhododendron Pie and Something Light. They are not without humour, but both of these books left me feeling... Sad, frankly.

Let's start with The Foolish Gentlewoman.

World War II has ended and Isabel Brocken has moved back into her family home in London. With plenty of room to spare, she opens her home to her friend and companion, Jacky, who has just left the Auxiliary Territorial Service, and Humphrey, Isabel's recently demobbed nephew. Then there is Simon, Isabel's lawyer brother-in-law, who needs a place to live while his bomb-damaged home is being repaired. Simon has no other option but to stay with Isabel, but he makes it clear he won't be a part of the household any longer than necessary. He has little patience for his sister-in-law, who he thinks of as being foolish. Then Isabel does something that feels drastic, and perhaps more than a little foolish. In a misguided attempt to right a mistake she made in her youth, Isabel invites her a relative, Tilly Cuff, to stay at her home and, here's the kicker, Isabel plans to give her home and everything she has to Tilly. Oh, and not leave her home to Tilly when she dies, no, she wants to give it to Tilly now. 

I found The Foolish Gentlewoman difficult to get into, that is, until Tilly arrives on the scene. If I'm remembering correctly, Tilly appears about a third of the way into the book. She is a poor relation of Isabel's, and as such it seems that Isabel is doing the right thing in at least opening her home to her, but Tilly is the kind of person that causes people to band together in their dislike. She is malicious and conniving, a thoroughly unlikeable person.

In a way, the premise of the unwanted houseguest or the unpleasant houseguest, reminded me of Miss Plum and Miss Penny by Dorothy Evelyn Smith, another book republished by Dean Street Press. But I enjoyed that book more than this one. (You can find my review here if you are interested.) 

I don't want to spoil the ending of The Foolish Gentlewoman, but I found it almost entirely unsatisfying. In my mind, only three characters got a happily ever after and only two of them were deserving of one! I felt a little like everyone else was cheated of -- if not happy ending -- than a satisfying one.

Needless to say, I really wanted the next book I picked up to be happy and light and uplifting. 

The back cover of Four Gardens refers to this book as the "most emotional and nostalgic of Margery Sharp's brilliant novels". Sounds great, right? Especially if you are in the mood for something nostalgic. As it would happen, I was not. But in classic Caro fashion, I didn't read the back cover until after I had already read the book.

Nostalgia is such a nice word, and there is often the tendency to infuse it with a positive meaning. But in the Merrian-Webster dictionary, nostalgia is defined as "a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition". A further definition calls it "the state of being homesick". It's a longing for a home that one cannot return to. Is it any wonder then that this book left me feeling sad and at a loss?

The story begins with Caroline as a young woman when she visits and tends the garden of an empty house. Later, when she marries, she is too busy to garden and their small plot of land lays mostly forgotten. When Caroline gets the kind of garden that dreams are made of, she is discouraged by the gardener in taking any part in its care or to even have a say in what is planted. She may visit the garden, but is made to feel like a guest there. Eventually, Caroline gets a garden of her very own. She has the time to both tend it and enjoy it, and no one else has any say in her outdoor space. Bliss!

Or is it? Because it isn't just a garden for which Caroline has spent her life yearning. If her and her husband could have had one open, honest conversation, he would have known that and they might have stood a chance of living a life where they were both happy and fulfilled. I felt both frustrated and sad by the end of this book. Even thinking about it now is bringing me down. It isn't that this book is not good. It is very good! But it made me feel sad because the marriage is all too believable. This couple has maybe a few moments of honesty and understanding across a lifetime together, and the rest of the time it is as though they are just plugging away at their own separate lives. 

There were two bright spots in this novel, for me. One is the later part of the children's trajectory. The second is Caroline's friendship with Lady Tregarthan, a woman Caroline dreads meeting, but who quickly becomes a firm friend. Without Lady Tregarthan, I think Caroline's life would have been unbearable. There are still moments of humour in this book, as one would expect from a Margery Sharp novel, but there wasn't enough to make up for the melancholic atmosphere that permeates this story.

If I had enjoyed reading this book more, I might have forgiven the fact that for a book with the word "garden" in the title there is precious time spent in a garden. I didn't make a note of the exact page count, but there was about 100 pages or so where no mention was even made of a garden and the edition I read is only 227 pages in its entirety. 

One could say that this book does have a happy ending for the heroine. But it's after a life of disappointments with a husband she barely sees and children who are brought up with much more privilege than Caroline herself was, so both parties struggle to relate to each other. I just found it sad and depressing.

Here's a photo of my best guy, Clark, to cheer us all up.

Now, just because I found both of these books to be melancholy, does not mean I don't think they are good books. The problem is, I went in expecting something different from what I got and was disappointed. These are great books! Margery Sharp is a stellar writer. The fact that I still feel sad and frustrated on Caroline's behalf and worried for Isabel's future, should tell you how much I believe in these characters. 

However, I think I will be turning to something cheerful and uncomplicated for my next read. And when I read these two again in the future it will be when the sun is shining outside and I am in an obnoxiously optimistic mood. 

Have you read either of these books? What are your thoughts on them? And if you have a favourite Margery Sharp book, please let me know!

Enjoyed this post? Stay up to date by subscribing here. This is a new feature I have added that I anticipate being more helpful to most people than the "Follow" option. By signing up with an email address you will be notified whenever a new post goes up. Fancy that!