Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Elizabeth Taylor – The Blush

This was a charity shop find – one of a few Elizabeth Taylors that have snuck into my flat over the last couple of weeks despite a pledge not to buy any more of her books until I’d finished at least one of them. For some reason I can’t quite fathom I’ve never really got very far with Taylor despite the fact that I love the sound of her books, and have over the years acquired quite a handful of them. ‘The Blush’ is a collection of short stories - normally a format I really like but something I’ve not been in the mood for recently, but the cover was so pretty and the price so reasonable that I couldn’t leave the book behind.

Happily for me my pound was well spent; it seemed like a good candidate for lunchtime reading and once I started I had to have another story and another. I’m definitely looking out for the Taylor’s other short story collections now, and it’s just possible I’ll do something definite about reading a whole novel. (I might add that the blonde gave me a very old fashioned look when she spotted this, I'm going to have to make her more Ice cream...)

The great thing for me with short stories is that even if I can afford a couple of duds in a collection and still end up loving a book – a novel has to pull me in from the beginning and keep me in. For me the stand out gem was one called ‘Perhaps a family failing’ detailing a young couples wedding night. It’s a failure, a failure of such epic proportions that nothing prepared me for the end (a failure that has nothing to do with sex by the way – not that sort of story at all). Where the tale ends is also masterly – just before any explanations and reckonings have to be made which leaves the imagination to run riot with possibilities in the most satisfying way imaginable.

If there was a dud (and this is a strictly personal opinion) it was the opening story ‘The Ambush’ which I just totally failed to get the point off. I could see something was going on but couldn’t for the life of me work out what. I think this is more my fault than Taylor’s – I’ve mulled it over a few times, and will definitely return to it sometime to see if I have more luck, but I was on safer ground with things like ‘The Letter Writer’s’ a very bittersweet account of what happens when a couple who have spent a decade in communication finally meet face to face. That anxiety over meeting a well known correspondent for the first time is a familiar one (though so far I’ve been lucky and meetings have always been a joy).

If anyone has any tips for how to approach Taylor please tell me – she seems so exactly the sort of writer I should love that my general apathy towards her work upsets me, and after these short stories I feel like I’m on the brink of a great love affair if only I can find the right way in!

15 comments:

  1. How about reading some biographical literature about her? Would this give you pieces of character and history to hook on to and empathise with? This is what led me to Martha Gellhorn. I really felt that a woman as exciting as her and able to give Ernest Hemingway a run for his money must be worth investigating!

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  2. How lucky you are to have found that - I have not read any of her short stories yet, but I rampaged through her novels last year. I'm not sure how better to approrach her - have you tried Angel? Such a very strange book but absolutely excellent.

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  3. I'm not a great lover of short stories but I do love ET and these sound brilliant so maybe I will have a go. Like Verity I would suggest Angel for a starter, or Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont. Both great novels!

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  4. I have loads of her books but I've only read one - Angel - and The Devastating Boys, another short story collection. I'm not sure what to recommend, really - perhaps you need to find the right book to sink into before you'll find your passion for Taylor? Which did you start with? I really enjoyed Angel and I think you would too. It's an odd book as Verity says but strangely enjoyable.

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  5. In a Summer Season was exquisite, sensitive, and with an excellent twist in the tale. Also I would recommend At Mrs Lippincotes for it's war theme, women's roles in the 40's, and also references to the Brontes. However I was unable to finish A View of the Harbour - it was inutterably BORING! Angel is quite bleak. None of them are exactly cosy although the content is very domestic, they all generally deal with middle class life, they have loads of comment on women's roles, and the writing is finely carved - Austenesque...

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  6. I've tried Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont, and liked it whilst I was reading, but never picked it up again to finish, Angel sounds promising - I like odd, this collection of short stories just bowled me over so I'm not prepared to give up the fight yet.

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  7. It is a slight side track but have you read Nicola Beauman's biography of ET? It is very good...

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  8. Hannah, I haven't, I'm not much of a biography reader, not much of a non fiction reader really (with a lot of exceptions) and the Beauman biog had such mixed reviews it didn't really appeal, if I see a 2nd hand copy though I'll try it

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  9. You've tempted me to get down my copy of the Blush. I've read most of ET's novels but none of the stories yet. I'd recommend At Mrs Lippincote's of the novels. I didn't like Angel at all. Everyone says it's her masterpiece but Angel herself irritated me, I just found her silly. Like Madame Bovary, another silly heroine I just want to shake. I'm a very intolerant reader!

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  10. :) Madame Bovary has never much appealed to me either. I've settled for a cheap amazon purchase of another set of short stories and then will tackle a novel. I hope you do get this down, I would love to hear what you think, but if nothing else please please read 'Perhaps a Family Failing' - possibly the best short story I've ever read! (So no build up or pressure or anything there)

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  11. I've had a difficult relationship with Taylor, too One of her novels I loved - can't remember the name of it now - I quite liked Angel. Found Mrs P depressing and the others I've forgotten! I will read more, though.

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  12. I've just finished reading The Blush & I agree with you, it was wonderful. I'm going to review it on the blog tomorrow but just wanted to rereead your review as it was the reason I got the book down from the tbr shelves where it had been languishing since 1994! I agree with you about Family Failing, the ending was priceless but I just felt so sorry for the bride, reading women's magazines to try to work out how to behave to her husband. My favourite was Letter Writers though, so poignant, & you probably know it was based on a real life relationship ET had with a young man.

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  13. Ahh, just been reading this - lovely!

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  14. I wonder if you ever got any further with 'The Ambush' ? I, too, found it cryptic at first, but now I place it amongst the most subtle, knowing, and profound things she wrote. It is usually taken as a sensitive exploration of a girl's grief, but in fact it's primarily about Mrs Ingram and her son. Written for publication before 1951, it deals with matters that could not be openly discussed at that time. Vital information about the characters must be implied rather than plainly stated. Taylor's light skill in doing this and informing us that she _is_ doing this is breathtaking: "...virtuosity...allows one to see how clever he has been, and that should never be. I don't want to see the wheels go round ..." Marvellous a writer as she is, I don't think she ever wrote anything better or more defining of herself as an artist than this.

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    1. I remember reading the book but very little about it, I'm planning on getting the complete short stories so will read again. I really enjoyed this book (even if the details are vague) and look forward to more of her shorts (still to crack a full length novel though.

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