Green's 1945 published novel
is placed during World War Two. It sets of by describing the old
butler Eldon lying on his death bed, being nursed by the household's
first maid.
They both serve the widow of
an British gentleman with her daughter in law and her grandchildren
who reside in an Irish country castle. While the war has already
reached southern England, they stay in neutral Ireland, waiting for
the war to pass, the lady's son the only family member to serve in
the British forces.
Mostly, the novel is
constructed around two characters: the old butler's successor Chaley
Raunce and Edith, a housemaid. They take liking in each other but
don't call themselves a couple in love yet. Before the ultimately
leave the household to pursue their own happiness as a couple, the
novels develops around the two, their colleagues and their masters,
progressing slowly and providing for a careful and slow read, or a
number of reads. It is a book of small and beautiful details that are
knit into a story of love, war and intrigues. Green creates a big
picture out of small moments he describes beautifully.
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