Happy Returns

Angela Thirkell welcomes us back to the beloved precinct of Barsetshire in this novel set mid-century. Old friends and new faces join in the community conversation which ranges from Sir Cecil Waring’s plans for a home for boys of naval men killed in the war to the relocation of the Priory Preparatory School; from Charles Belton’s hesitant courtship and headlong marriage to the spoiled Clarissa Graham, and to Grace Grantley’s betrothment to Lord Lufton, with much discussion in between of gardens, dogs, and other country matters.

The older generation observes the younger with affection and concern while the younger settles into its own middle age, its prospects still shadowed by the war (“those six timeless years that were to be so many years of lost youth”) and its aftermath. Thirkell’s marshalling of story and style across the generations show—to quote her own praise of Lady Lufton—“all her excellent qualities to the best advantage.” Happy Returns is another welcome addition to this popular series of Angela Thirkell reissues, and will be eagerly greeted by her legion of devoted readers.