Pages:
245
Original
date of publication: 1928
My
edition: 1986 (Virago)
Why
I decided to read: All Virago/All August
How
I acquired my copy: LT member, June 2012
Winter
Sonata revolves around the lives of several people in a small English village.
Arnold Nettle is a shy telegraph operator, disinclined towards conversation,
which nonetheless is invited to his neighbors, where he plays the cello for
them in the evenings. He falls in love with Olivia, the eldest daughter, a
smart, introspective young woman with good judgment about other people. Other
characters in the drama include Olivia’s teenage sister Eleanor, their cousin
George, his best friend Mr. Premiss, and Mr. Nettle’s landlady’s teenage
daughter, Pauline.
Although
the book claims to be a love story, it is mostly about the interactions between
the main characters. Although part of the group, Mr. Nettle is completely
detached from them, and it’s interesting to watch the difference between
Olivia, who’s in her twenties and has a head on her shoulders, and the two
teenage girls, who are both completely infatuated by Mr. Premiss—a roué who
thrives on the admiration of women if ever there was one. Olivia can see what a
pompous ass he is, and part of the fun of the book is watching her play around
with him. Dorothy Edwards depicts the differences between these girls and women
very well. There is also a subtle commentary on the stratification of social
class, seen in the difference between Mrs. Clark and Pauline, and the Nerans
and Curles.
Like
the eponymous season, this book is somewhat bleak in its aspects; there are
endless, repetitive references to the weather. In a sense, though, the weather
and the characters’ moods are very similar; there’s a sense of gloominess in
the tone of the book and the prose Edwards uses to describe her characters’
mental and emotional states. It’s maybe reflective of the author’s own state of
mind.
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