Review: Henrietta Sees it Through, by Joyce Dennys

Pages: 180

Original date of publication: 1940s

My edition: 2010 (Bloomsbury Group)

Why I decided to read: I’m trying to read all the books reprinted by the Bloomsbury Group

How I acquired my copy: Bookdepository, June 2010

Henrietta Sees it Through is a continuation of Henrietta’s War, taking Henrietta, her doctor husband, and their village up through WWII. Like the first book, the story is told through Henrietta’s eyes through a number of letters she writes to her childhood friend, Robert. Many of the same characters appear in this book, especially the indomitable Lady B.

I wasn’t quite as charned by Henrietta Sees it Through as I was by Henrietta’s War. This one just wasn’t as funny, especially since most of the book revolved around Henrietta’s friendship with Lady B—touching, at times, but I would have liked to have seen more from Mrs. Savernack, or the Conductor, or even Henrietta’s husband. But there are some truly touching moments in this novel, and even a happy ending for some, despite the gravity of the war. Everyone in the book seems to be a bit worn down by the war, and so Henrietta’s observations of her neighbors aren’t quite as sarcastic and biting. There’s a lot of whimsy to this novel, but it’s not quite as eccentric as it is in Henrietta’s War.

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Another giveaway

This time, the publicist at WW Norton sent me two copies of The Glass of Time , by Michael Cox--so I'm giving away the second copy. Cox is the author of The Meaning of Night, and this book is the follow-up to that. Leave a comment here to enter to win it! The deadline is next Sunday, 10/5/08.

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