A sharp comedy of marriage, motherhood, and scandal, filled with mordant wit and moral philosophy. Its constituent novels The Clothes in the Wardrobe (1987), The Skeleton in the Cupboard (1988), and The Fly in the Ointment (1989) describe from three points of view the circumstances surrounding a wedding which, at the last minute, fortunately fails to take place. Basis for the 1993 film. With a new Afterword by Thomas Meagher.
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"A work of astonishing illumination and delight." -- Francine Prose, The New York Times Book Review
"[N]otable for its vivacity and elegance." -- Times Literary Supplement
"[N]otable for its vivacity and elegance." -- Times Literary Supplement
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Unique Commentary on Marriage, Motherhood & Secrets,
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This review is from: The Summer House: A Trilogy (Paperback)
Alice Thomas Ellis' "The Summerhouse Trilogy" proves true the old adage, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." Three interrelated novellas, "The Clothes In The Wardrobe," "The Skeleton In The Cupboard," and "The Fly In The Ointment" are each narrated by different characters and portray events leading up to a wedding. Three different woman with different points of view paint virtually the same scenes, and the same memories, viewed through different eyes. The reader only begins to see the whole picture when all the parts are combined and can be viewed as a whole.Ms. Ellis writes this penetrating character study with wit, irony and, at times, great poignancy. Margaret, a young English woman returns home after a dramatic and traumatic visit with family friends in Egypt. She finds herself suddenly, unhappily engaged to the man next door, Syl, who is twice her age. Margaret lives with her domineering mother whose husband abandoned her for another years ago. Syl lives with his mother, Mrs. Monro, a strong figure who also had difficulties in her marriage and is aware that death is not far off. Lili, an old friend of Margaret's mother, enters center stage, acting as a catalyst to stir up memories, secrets and events to come. Ms. Ellis insightfully explores the human drama and the various forms of love with sensitivity and a unique gentleness. Her character development is extraordinary. She creates three totally different women, interconnected through friendship, marriage and love, and gives them tremendous depth. I highly recommend this beautifully written trilogy.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Let Them Say It Themselves,
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This review is from: The Summer House: A Trilogy (Paperback)
Alice Thomas Ellis has written a book with three sensational women and their men in "The Summer House, A Trilogy". This story is told by three of the women involved from their own perspective. Margaret the young maiden about to be married; Mrs. Munro, the mother-in-law to be; and Lili, the other woman. This book is a masterpiece, subtle but provocative.Margaret is a young woman about to be married. She lives with her mother, Monica, a woman who was deceived and divorced from Margaret's father, Derek. Monica has lived her life through Margaret since the divorce, and Margaret is shrewd enough to note this. Monica is planning Margaret's wedding as she has planned her entire life. She does not listen nor does she want to understand Margaret. Margaret was sexually abused by her father as a very young child. This has never been spoken about but is the probable cause of Margaret's depressive state. She is too quiet, too good, too boring. Margaret is just back from spending time in Egypt with one of Monica's old school chums, Marie Claire. Margaret was homesick but had time to develop a crush on Marie Claire's son, Nour. That is, until she found Nour with the body of a dead woman. Once back, Margaret became unwittingly engaged to Syl, a contemporary of her mother's. How did this happen? He asked her to marry him, and she did not say no. She is very unhappy with this engagement, and everyone knows something is wrong. Life goes on, Margaret is too unhappy, too depressed to stand up for herself, it is not worth the torment her mother would put her through. Mrs. Munro is Syl's mother. He loves her, but everyone else thinks she is a sour puss,, and someone to be tolerated. Mrs. Munro lives with Syl and a dog named Dog, The dog is as troublesome as Mrs. Munro is. Syl has made an apartment just for her. She does not like the apartment; she wants her old home back. But she is old and this is also Syl's home. Mrs. Munro had a fairly happy life alone. She was married to Jack, Syl's father. Jack was a womanizer, and Mrs. Munro did not really like him, another tolerated soul. Mrs. Munro does not think that Margaret should marry Syl. She likes Margaret, but she too, understands that something is not quite right. Margaret does not love Syl. This wedding must not go on. One woman likes and understands Mrs. Munro and that is Lili. Lili visits everyday and the two form a friendship of sorts. Lili is also a school chum of Monica's. She is married to Robert, an artist. They have a marriage of convenience and maybe of love. Each of them has had affairs, which are not discussed. Robert makes Lili feel insecure and that was not a feeling she liked. She was a woman who was always in control and in charge. She was a beautiful woman with red, curly hair,lovely skin and a sense of style. Margaret liked and admired Lili. She would talk in little bits and pieces about her life and what she wanted. Lili listened and she knew she had to act. Someone had to help Margaret out of this mess she found herself in. Margaret wanted to be a nun, which certainly suits her more than a loveless marriage. Lili wanted a life of money and ease and had found neither, but now, someone was counting on her. And, so Lili danced. Dancing is Lili's way of solving problems and a synonym for sex. This elegant, entertaining book is reassuring in some ways. There are people in the world who understand their position, and are there to assist the downtrodden. This mismatched couple who have nothing in common except a planned wedding. Lili, the woman who will change things in a spectacular fashion! prisrob
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"The honeymoon will soon put the roses back in her cheeks.",
By
This review is from: The Summer House: A Trilogy (Paperback)
Alice Thomas Ellis skewers the attitudes and expectations which her characters bring to love and marriage, both as they live their own lives and as they judge the lives of others. But she is also an understanding author, recognizing that their foibles and limitations stem from their upbringing and experience, as they muddle along as best they can, aided by each other, and sometimes the church. This three-part novel concerns the imminent marriage of twenty-year-old Margaret to Syl, a man in his forties, and is told through three points of view: Margaret, who does not love Syl but intends to go through with the wedding; Syl's mother, the sensible Mrs. Monro, who, abandoned by her husband, does not want the marriage to take place; and Lili, a friend of Margaret's mother from school in Egypt, who arrives in a whirlwind, determined to upset the status quo.From Margaret we learn of her passionate first love and a shocking death that have occurred during the year she spent away at school in Egypt. Devoutly religious, Margaret is torn between the concepts of romantic and religious love, and she cannot seem to reconcile the church's teachings regarding love, sex, sin, and death. Mrs. Monro, an elderly lady for whom death is very real, if not imminent, is hiding secrets associated with her own past love life. For her, too, love is associated with death and God, though in ways vastly different from Margaret's experience. Into this mix comes Lili, half Egyptian, half English, a free spirit unconcerned with traditional, churchly definitions of sin, and sexually liberated in her own life. Lili is determined to save Margaret from the "pointless secular martyrdom" of marriage. A sensitive, philosophical exploration of love and sex, God and sin, and life and death, the novel is also an examination of the compromises people make, willingly or unwillingly, in order to find happiness during their lives and loves. Sparkling dialogue and thoughtful interior monologues reveal the sadness, loneliness, and confusion within many of the characters, while Ellis's sense of irony and ability to create absurd scenes lift the mood with cathartic comedy. Gently satirical and full of wise observations, this is an insightful and thoroughly entertaining study of several characters, interconnected by love and marriage, as they try to "muddle through." Mary Whipple
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