The Tortoise And The Hare (Virago Modern Classics)

Unlike others, I have no objection to the cover illustration; I fear the title is off-putting. However, readers would certainly miss out on one of the most outstanding novels of the post war period if they were influenced by either of these factors.My copy has an introduction by Hilary Mantel, which begins 'Apart from war, what could be more interesting than a marriage?' and ends with 'What the author offers us does not date; descriptive grace and narrative pulse, dry humour and moral discrimination, tempered elegance and emotional force'.I would like to say that although this is correct, it is also fair to add that by nature of the era and the subject matter (dissolution of a marriage in the fifties), the novel is still 'old fashioned' and slow paced - but I couldn't put it down!This is a sad but immensely powerful story of a submissive, gullible, upper class gentle lady who is slowly losing her successful husband to an older, stout, slightly uncouth but clever 'Tweedy' country woman. In fifties format, the husband's needs alter and the wife fails to recognize this or adapt. You truly feel like shaking her; especially as the woman he turns to changes from cringe-worthy to charasmatic before her very eyes!This book is superbly written; full of wit and unforgettable images. The characters are perceptually drawn and the child observations are outstanding. Elizabeth Jenkins' descriptions of the countryside are both colourful and exact. The Tortoise and the Hare is an excellent study of a society and its nuances relating to the English upper class and will appeal to many, especially Jane Austen fans. And as Hilary Mantel says, 'The surfaces of this story, as well as its depth, will give the reader much pleasure.

As 'Harriet', Elizabeth Jenkins' account of the Staunton murders, was a description of depersonalisation, so, in a different way is this. Far lusher and evocative in its story of a privileged upper-middleclass marriage in an 'idyllic' setting of a country house in rural Berkshire in the early 1950s, and beautifully written, the true ugliness of the situation soon shows through.Imogen, meek, eager, submissive and droopingly colourless despite her acknowledged beauty, is a lamb to the slaughter. The 'wolves' - in her case her husband, her young son and her husband's mistress, soon make short work of her, although, in the manner of human wolves, they have their fun with her first and leave her feeling as if she is to blame.However, there is a note of hope at the end; Imogen may have learned to think for herself, and has friends who care for her, as she does for them, notably the neglected child Tim. Her husband, it is sensed, has not progressed from arrogance and complacence, with potentially disastrous results if he gets up to his antics again ... karma may be waiting in the wings ... I do hope so.A really very good, satisfying, if harrowing read.

For me one of the most enviable skills of good writing is economy and the ability to paint a picture so well the reader will know the people, the places, can feel the atmosphere - without over description and waffle. A good writer never under estimates the intelligence of their reader. A fascinating study of relationships, naivety, selfishness and manners in an England now almost forgotten.

First published in 1954, this was the sixth, of twelve, novels written by Elizabeth Jenkins. She is somewhat forgotten now, with her books hard to get hold of and, I must admit, that I had not heard of her before. This novel was recommended by my friend, and fellow reviewer, Nigeyb, and I am pleased that he did so. It is, without doubt, a gem of a book and, undoubtedly, one to which I will return.Evelyn Gresham is a fifty two year old barrister. Competent, successful and self-assured, he lives with younger wife, Imogen and their son, Gavin, in the country. Imogen is beautiful, sensitive and kind. She tends to defer to Evelyn and is somewhat downtrodden by both her husband and son. Her needs are always secondary, she does all she can to create an easy, and harmonious, life for Evelyn and, of course, he doesn’t appreciate this one bit.Gradually, Evelyn falls under the spell of country neighbour, Blanche Silcox. While Imogen is all dreamy introspection, Blanche likes to get out and do things. She strides around, shooting birds, catching fish, riding, hiking, running every local organisation and, as she is older, and definitely less attractive than Imogen, the danger is not, at first, scented. Before long, though, Blanche is everywhere. She will pick Evelyn up in her car (Imogen does not drive), capably discuss his cases with him (Imogen suffers while waiting for news), organises his – and Gavin’s – life and insinuates herself into more and more of their lives, and Imogen’s, marriage.As well as the main characters, there are many other people who inhabit these pages; many of whom are in the unenviable position of having to pick sides. There are the local bohemian family, whose mother floats around, neglecting her children; including Gavin’s friend, Tim, who witnesses much of what happens in the Gresham household. There is also Blanches’s disagreeable stepsister, Marcia, Imogen’s friend, Paul Nugent, also unhappily married (and more than a little in love with her), and her close female friend, Cecil; as well as Hunter, who is a friend to both Evelyn and Imogen.This scenario does happen and people are left thinking, for example, Charles preferred Camilla to Diana, or John abandoned Cynthia, for Yoko, with varying degrees of shock, and surprise. Of course, attraction is not just physical and Blanche is both astute and determined. You feel she is a woman who has been overlooked, who suddenly blossoms under this new, female power. Where Jenkins is so clever is in showing that nowhere is the shock greater than with the woman whose husband looks elsewhere, and how it affects her self esteem. Imogen’s wounded self-pride shocks, as Jenkins bares her soul, for us to see. However, the human heart is a resilient one and, as the title suggests, there may be a twist in who is, ultimately, the tortoise and who is the hare?

This is an absolute winner! If there is such a thing as a perfect book The Tortoise and the Hare would have to come under that heading.A story of a domestic situation that goes awry in the most improbable way.Every page fills one with anticipation of the next and as Hilary Mantel, who writes the introduction, ( another of my very favourite British writers) says "who will put on the page a beautiful sentence, a sentence you will want to read twice". I found myself doing this many times throughout the book; such is the beauty of the prose.There is nothing about this book that can in any way be seen in a negative sense. The characters are full, the story line, although common enough with the straying husband, is compelling and the exquisite descriptions of place are quite incredible.Elizabeth Jenkins was quite prolific in both biographical and fictitious writing and as this is the first I have read I will be hunting down anything with her name on it.Jenkins was a close friend of Elizabeth Bowen and although there is some similarity in their writing I feel Jenkins has the superior skill.Highly recommended. This is a book that you will be sorry to finish and will never forget.

I'm not sure how to feel about this book. On the one hand, the author's amazing descriptions, the depth of her characterizations, her ability to draw us into her world, were absorbing. On the other hand, I don't think I've read a book that left me feeling more unsettled than this one did. The lack of resolution, the deliberate failure to tie everything up in a neat little bow, was frustrating, yet the ending was perfect for the book and the situation. This book took me far from where I expected to end up, but the journey was never less than amazing. I can't wait to find more by Elizabeth Jenkins.

How does this book not have more reviews? I found it through the 2010 PBS summer reading list and it was absolutely enchanting. I couldn't put it down. As a short description, I'd say it's like a 1950's version of a Jane Austen novel - uppercrust English society, beautiful prose, absorbing conversations, and descriptions of the English countryside. The images and scenes of the book stay with you long after you've put it down. Aside from that, it's also a moving story about a troubled marriage, and the gender roles of the mid-1950's that made men and women much more unalike than need be.

A bit of a period piece, I was furious with Imogene and not charmed by her husband - not much appealing about their child either! That left Blanche who was a boring opportunist. Sometimes humor would break through and the descriptions of the houses and the countryside were quite wonderful.

i am drawn to books written during another time. the sensibilities are different from now, as is the language and the method of developing a story. i was as much drawn into this book because of the way the book was written as because of what the book was about. on the outside, beautiful people with beautiful lives. on the inside track? not so much. personally this book was a story about feeling trapped with no way out until there was a way out. i'll want to read more of her work.