Another of my birthday 2020 books, this one from Ali, who has also read this fairly recently (read her review here), and by an author by whom I’ve read a fair few books over the years. Von Arnim is always pretty clear-eyed on human behaviour – maybe especially marriages – and makes a point of discussing the plights of those women who have to exist outside marriage, too, as she does here in this rather bold and brave book for 1929 which had drifted out of print until Persephone rescued it.
Elizabeth von Arnim – “Expiation”
(21 January 2020, from Ali)
Dove-like, plump and comfortable Milly has just lost her husband at the start of this engaging novel. The rather dreadful Botts gather around her in their prosperous South London suburb but then recoil with horror when the details of the will come out: her husband has disinherited her in favour of a charity for loose women, leaving her only £1,000 – and “she will know why”. And she DOES know why: she has been conducting an affair for the last decade or so, which has actually left her in a position to be a better wife, but of course that’s not really the common belief about such things.
The sad thing is that the affair, which did begin passionately, has slipped into a sort of second marriage, a comfortable state – All Passion Spent indeed.
They settled down, that is; settled down to sin. Too awful, she saw. But there it was. (p. 32)
So she needs expiation, she feels her state bitterly, and she tries to work out if it would be better to run away to her sister’s in Switzerland or stay and throw herself upon her lover’s mercy. That’s the sister who herself went off in disgrace as a young woman … and who has not represented her subsequent life that truthfully in the (forbidden) letters back to Milly. But then her sister returns from Switzerland to London and her lover returns from his holiday in Rome and each of them bears a story that is likely to throw a spanner in the works …
Milly starts to realise that the brave thing that would get her forgiven would have been not to run away in the first place – and run away she has – and she should steel herself to go back to the Botts, shouldn’t she? The Bott husbands are maybe more forgiving of her than their wives, and her presence in their households shows up in sharp relief the nature of those wives – it’s a pretty damning indictment of the institution of marriage as well as a slightly bitter musing on the perilous position of the unprotected woman, amongst the amusing descriptions of hypocritical wealthy London lives. Only one sensible character remains, knowing how time smooths out the bumps in life, but she has a side-part, too, and seems unlikely to prevail.
My heart was genuinely in my mouth at times as I read through this – you can’t see how Milly can manage and she seems both trapped and flying too free. It’s a very absorbing novel and one I would recommend. There’s an interesting introduction by Valerie Grove in this Persephone edition, which relates the book back to von Arnim’s own life, something that’s not entirely necessary for enjoying the book but does give it an added piquancy.
hopewellslibraryoflife
Apr 08, 2021 @ 14:26:20
Excellent review. I’m off to add it to my TBR.
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Liz Dexter
Apr 08, 2021 @ 14:47:58
Thank you – I do recommend it and hope you enjoy it when you get to it!
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Jane
Apr 08, 2021 @ 15:56:36
I haven’t read any von Arnim yet and definitely think I’m missing out, this one sounds very good!
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Liz Dexter
Apr 08, 2021 @ 17:07:19
I’ve honestly not read a dud by her so pick one and go for it!
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heavenali
Apr 08, 2021 @ 16:18:09
I really loved this one. It is really very compelling and I loved the character of Milly.
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Liz Dexter
Apr 08, 2021 @ 17:07:40
Yes, unputdownable and such a good heroine!
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kaggsysbookishramblings
Apr 08, 2021 @ 18:06:49
Von Arnim was so talented, wasn’t she? So much more to her than the garden books (though I love those). I’ll add this to wishlist!
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Liz Dexter
Apr 08, 2021 @ 18:37:11
She was. I think you’d like this one, with its pricking of pretensions and feminist leanings!
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JacquiWine
Apr 09, 2021 @ 08:31:48
You know, I was just thinking the other day that it’s high time I read another book by Elizabeth von Arnim. As Karen says above, there’s so much more to her than than The Enchanted April and the German Garden one. This sounds very good indeed. Have you read Vera? It’s actually a lot darker than some of her other big-hitters…
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Liz Dexter
Apr 09, 2021 @ 13:24:18
I think I have – but it’s not on my blog archive so maybe years ago from Virago. I can’t get into the A corner in my fiction shelves to see if I have it! She’s so good though, with everything.
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Grab the Lapels
Apr 09, 2021 @ 16:16:20
I’m trying to imagine how a woman would rebound in 1929 after being exposed for an affair in her husband’s will. Could she ever redeem herself in society’s eyes? Or is this far enough into the twentieth century that she could?
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Liz Dexter
Apr 09, 2021 @ 16:57:08
No, not at all, however it’s not made entirely clear that she did have an affair to her relatives. There is suspicion when all the husbands (brothers-in-law) are protective over her. However, E v A had quite an interesting life herself, with several marriages and long-term affairs, so while I don’t like applying the life of an author to their works you can see how she is able to present Milly in such a good light.
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Brona
Apr 09, 2021 @ 23:32:03
Sounds marvellous. I really must continue my EvA journey.
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Liz Dexter
Apr 10, 2021 @ 15:29:06
It’s really worth reading – not sure if you can get her books that easily over there?
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Brona
Apr 10, 2021 @ 22:50:18
Mostly as ePub on project Gutenberg, which is better than nothing.
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wadholloway
Apr 15, 2021 @ 01:35:00
I was slow getting to your review, bu quick to respond. Audible didn’t have Expiation, which I liked the sound of, so I purchased Love.
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Liz Dexter
Apr 15, 2021 @ 07:22:58
I have read Love but must have been Before the Blog! Also before my reading journals, so must have been a Virago. I’ve not found a dud of hers though so you’ll be on good ground. Well done, Audible!
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whisperinggums
Nov 20, 2022 @ 22:16:02
Well said about Indictment of marriage and the difficult position women can find themselves in. My heart wash my throat for a while there too.
And, re that, I wouldn’t quite say that “Milly starts to realise that the brave thing that would get her forgiven”would be to return to the Botts, because part of it was that she had little option. Also, I think she planned to get her jewellery, sell it, and leave again?
Enjoyed your post.
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Liz Dexter
Nov 21, 2022 @ 09:16:27
Sadly, I can’t remember the detail about the jewels from this distance. I do think she ran away then realised she should have stayed to face things, and that would have been easier than taking the very limited option of running away. But there are different ways to read her options, obviously. I do remember feeling very tense reading this, even 18 months later!
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