Customer Reviews

Furze the Cruel (Valancourt Classics)

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I recently finished this novel, and, as I read it, I kept thinking back to two novels I loathe--"Sons and Lovers" and "Ruth Hall". Disagreeable memories of college literature courses would keep intruding upon me, and I found myself asking the question "Why are D.H. Lawrence and Fanny Fern worthy for canonical inclusion, but John Trevena isn't?" Paul Morel, callow, callous, and self-absorbed, and Ruth Hall, lachrymose, histrionic, and self-absorbed, are the kind of characters one wouldn't willingly invite into his living room. Yet, D.H. Lawrence and Fanny Fern are still in print while John Trevena doesn't rate much more than a Wikipedia entry.

Well, at least there is Valancourt Books--a press devoted to republishing lost authors. I've read, over the past two to three years, about twenty Valancourt publications. "Furze the Cruel" is the best I've come across. The novel depicts a year in the life of an early 20th century Dartmoor village, and the plot has multiple loose strands that interweave upon themselves (akin to a Robert Altman film). Mary and Peter Tavy are the first characters introduced. They are "savages" who provide much of the gentle humor found in the book. Their excursion to a local fair by train, their attempts to provide themselves with electricity, and Peter's foray into philosophical writing are funny and touching. Further characters quickly follow: the vile Pendoggat and his dupe Eli Pezzack; Brightly, the homeless wanderer, and Ju, his loyal mongrel dog; Thomasine, the victim of Pendoggat's seduction; Weevil, the idealist who is forever shocked by cruelty; Boodles, the foundling raised by Weevil; and Aubrey, the lover of Boodles. Their interactions amongst themselves form a web that ensnares all and leads to macabre and sad endings for some and happiness for others.

NB: This edition provides an excellent introduction and notes by Professor Monsman and several contemporary reviews. If you are as unfamiliar with Dartmoor geography as I am, I suggest searching for a map of the area (easily found on the internet). A useful website I found called Dartmoor Walks has pictures of many of the tors and cleaves mentioned by Trevena.