Customer Reviews

Consider the Lily

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This is a haunting and sad book...the writing is skilled and evocative, the characters are interesting. But it is SO evocative that I found myself depressed every time I entered the stark and dreary world that Buchan so skillfully creates. Even the gardening bits failed to offset the general miasma of gloom that permeates this book, at least for me. Buchan is a fine writer, but this book is hard going, albeit beautifully written. It has a Bronte-like feel, but without the passion. And the ghostly elements left me unmoved, which is unusual for me. Read it for the fine writing, but don't expect a quick or lighthearted experience.

Set in that strange neverland time between the two world wars, Consider the Lily Has an almost mystical charm about it. Aristocratic Kit Dysart is loved by two women, one being the upper class but penniless Daisy..beautiful but self willed and dangerously feckless, and the other, her cousin Mattie, rather plain, sickly and orphaned, but enormously wealthy. Kits' family fortunes have been badly eroded, shockingly mishandled by his stubborn, irascible father who returned from the battle fields of France after WW1, a broken and bitter man. Lack of money forces Kit to ignore his passion for Daisy and to accept Mattys' proposal of marriage, so even though the marriage is one of convenience, the fortune she brings with her restores the family home and standing. The story isn't as plebian as perhaps I've painted it as it is peopled by diverse charcters, broken ex-soldiers with broken spirits, and a new class emerging in this restless time between the wars. Elizabeth Buchan writes beautifully with an underlying tinge of melancholy which fits the feeling of the moment...a feeling of impermanence and shadows.

I found this book to be very moving and impressive. Buchan sets the mood wonderfully and the title 'Consider the Lily' is very apt. Her characters were interesting and sympathetic without being pushy. Should we sympathize with the lovers who cannot love? Or Mattie who is plain but rich? The ghost story was quite nice too, very gothic. All in all, a book worth re-reading!

I have to agree with Calyndula on this one--and more so. This book shows real talent in creating a sense of place and mood, but I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters enough to finish the story. With Perfect Love, her next book, Buchan found a more sympathetic voice--recommended.

I found this book to be very sad and moving, and read it quickly because I wanted to find out how it would end. It's a lot darker than the other books I have read by this author, but I don't think that's a bad thing. She shows a lot of depth as a writer and I thought the characters were well fleshed out and I was interested in their various stories. I would recommend this if you like books like Atonement or Brideshead Revisited.