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The setting for The Priory is a large house somewhere in England, partly modelled on Newstead Abbey near Nottingham where Dorothy Whipple had a weekend cottage and partly on Parciau, the house on Anglesey where she stayed in 1934. And, as David Conville, who used to stay at Parciau as a child, writes in his Afterword: The Parciau inhabitants in The Priory were hardly disguised. At the beginning of the book we see Saunby Priory: its West Front, built in the thirteenth century for the service of God and the poor, towered above the house that had been raised alongside from its ruins, from its very stones. And because no light showed from any window here, the stranger, visiting Saunby at this hour, would have concluded that the house was empty. But he would have been wrong. There were many people within. The sentence is typical of the opening of a Dorothy Whipple novel. Gently, deceptively gently, but straightforwardly, it sets the scene and draws the reader in. We are shown the two Marwood girls, who are nearly grown-up, their father, the widower Major Marwood, and their aunt. Then, as soon as their lives have been evoked, we see the Major proposing marriage to a woman much younger than himself; and we understand how much will have to change. It is a classic plot (albeit the stepmother is more disinterested than wicked) and the book has many classic qualities; yet there are no clich� either in situation or outlook, just an extraordinarily well-written and absorbing novel by the writer who has been called the twentieth-century Mrs Gaskell. Above all, The Priory is a very subtle novel, so subtle that, as with all Dorothy Whipples books, it is very easy to miss what an excellent writer she is. As Books magazine wrote in August 1939: Because it is so unaffectedly and well-written, and because it conveys very effectively a sense of the old house and what it meant to be the various persons connected with it, The Priory carries a punch out of proportion to its otherwise artless-seeming content. And Forrest Reid, the Irish novelist and friend of EM Forster, described it in the Spectator as being brilliantly original and convincing. It is fresh, delightful, absorbing, and one accepts it with gratitude as one did the novels read in boyhood.… (more)
User reviews
The other part of the novel’s story concerns the servants: the indomitable Nurse Pye; Thompson, cricketer and womanizer; Betty; and Bertha. All live in Saunby Priory, a former priory turned country mansion.
Not a lot “happens” in this novel; most of the action centers around emotion. It’s all about subtlety here. The novel’s description on Amazon compares Whipple with Jane Austen; but really, I think she’s more like Barbara Pym in the way that she treats her characters, exposing people’s strength and weaknesses unashamedly. According to the note at the back of the book, The Priory was based on real people; so much so that the models for the Marwoods and others were not amused at the characterization.
There’s a sort of Upstairs Downstairs feel to the novel (it was written thirty years before the BBC show), but ultimately the story belongs to the Marwoods, from tragedies to triumphs. And despite the fact that the book was written, and takes place, on the eve of a major catastrophe, Whipple infuses her novel with a sense of hope. The Priory is a Persephone classic; the image shown in the Amazon link above is the end paper, while the cover is actually the classic Persephone grey with yellow text box. Highly recommended, though it may be a bit hard to find.
This book has a lot of strong points. It reads very well and the story keeps moving but the pace is never rushed. This is a story about family and about how times are changing for women, servants and the world. Even though the novel takes place on the brink of WWII, the author manages to leave readers feeling hopeful for the future of the family. The author creates the perfect blend of tragedy and triumph throughout the book. Also, Dorothy Whipple does such an excellent job with her characters because they are so well developed and all grow throughout the story that makes for very interesting reading. All of her characters are susceptible to human emotions such as jealousy, love, anger, lust, stubbornness and pride that create a bond between readers and the characters. The only plot line that I felt could have been better developed through the second half of the book was between Thompson, Betty and Bertha, which left me with little closure, even though it was realistic
Many people have compared her writing with that of Jane Austen and while I think Austen writing has more wit and sarcasm, Whipple is also a keen observer of human behavior and both writers are capable of taking simple domestic situations and infusing them with tragedy, sadness and hope.
I really enjoyed this book, I thought it was fantastic. This is the first novel that I have read by Dorothy Whipple and I will be looking to read more of her books in the future. I am so glad that Persephone Books decided to reprint this forgotten classic it is wonderful!
Dorothy Whipple is best known for highly character-driven novels, and The Priory is no exception. Besides Francis, Anthea, Christine and Penelope, the household also includes Francis’ unmarried sister Victoria, and a host of servants whose interactions among themselves and with the family enhance the novel. The book comes to a close as World War II threatens. The Major’s financial woes are solved in a way that is a bit too tidy, and the general optimism about avoiding war is jarring, leaving one wondering what happened to the family during the war years.
This is a plot-driven book that focuses on character and relationship development and I loved it. It was easy and fun to read but provided plenty to think about. It was published in 1939, and has a now unrealistic happy ending as the threat of war diminishes through diplomacy at the end of the book.
This is the first book by Dorothy Whipple that I've read and I'd definitely like to read more.
Set in a poorly managed estate: Major Marwood is hopelessly in debt, but shuts his mind to it and carries on blowing money on running cricket events. With him live his two isolated teenage daughters and his eccentric
Alongside this are the servants: chauffeur Thompson - likeable, a good cricketer ...and something of a womanizer...
Highly entertaiing read.