Thursday, February 27, 2014

The Setons - O Douglas

Reading serendipity is a wonderful thing. I was halfway through reading The Setons by O Douglas (photo from here) when, into my inbox, popped a review of the book by heavenali. I hadn't realised that The Setons was one of the titles selected for the Librarything Great War theme read so there are probably quite a few bloggers reading it at the moment. Ali has written a lovely review which really says everything I wanted to say myself so I feel a little redundant. So, I'll just give a brief description of the plot & a few thoughts on the attractions of O Douglas's books for me.

The Setons are a manse family, living in Glasgow in 1913. James Seton is a well-loved minister to his congregation, a little remote but always practical & kind when help is needed. He's a widower & his daughter, Elizabeth, keeps house for him & his youngest son, David, known as Buff. Elizabeth has largely taken the place of her mother in the house & in the parish. She is attractive, kind, opinionated, funny & devoted to her father. There are two older brothers in India, Alan & Walter. The eldest son, Sandy, died while at Oxford & his mother followed him soon after. We meet Elizabeth's friends, the Thomsons & Kirsty Christie, also a daughter of the manse but less attractive than Elizabeth in looks or manners & less satisfied with her lot in life.

When Aunt Alice proposes that her husband's nephew, Arthur Townshend, should visit Glasgow, Elizabeth is dismayed by the prospect. She has missed meeting Arthur on the visits she made to her aunt & the picture she has of him is not an appealing one. She imagines him as very English, stuffy, self-important, used to the best of everything & likely to look down his nose at Glasgow & their family. Luckily, Arthur turns out to be a delightful man, interested in everything & everyone. He makes an immediate friend of Buff & is fascinated by manse life. He quickly becomes a close friend to Elizabeth &, by the time he leaves, their relationship has deepened into love, although unacknowledged. 

The story takes a serious turn in the final chapters as we reach 1914 & the outbreak of WWI. The Setons was published in 1917 so the outcome of the war was still unknown & this is evident in the apprehensive tone of the narrator. James Seton develops heart trouble & has to leave the ministry. The family moves to Etterick, their house in the country & they all adjust to a very different life. The book is very much of its time in the descriptions of young men going joyously to war in defence of their country. The constant fear & worry felt by those at home about loved ones serving in the war is beautifully described. These final chapters are very poignant & there is hope as well as sorrow as the book ends.

O Douglas was the sister of John Buchan. Her novels are all on similar themes - domestic stories about family & relationships with a lot of humour & always some gentle romance. Buff is another of the young boys who feature in all her novels & are based on a young brother who was killed in the war. Her books are comforting but not saccharine, always alive to the realities of life. O Douglas had very strong views on right & wrong, duty & responsibility & this is reflected in all her books as well as a melancholy that I find attractive. I love reading about a time & a place that seems so far away from our busy modern world yet is still recognisable, with characters who face the problems that everyone has to deal with, no matter where they live or at what time.

11 comments:

  1. I am really glad you liked it. I must read more of her work.

    (this is the umpeenth time of trying to submit a comment - fingers crossed it works)

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    1. I've read several of her other books & they're all very similar in theme but very enjoyable for the reasons I mentioned. I was amazed to see your review when I was in the middle of reading the book! Serendipity indeed.

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  2. I have loved her work and must revisit the books I have. I can still picture the interior of a room she described ... I discovered her when I was reading around John Buchan and then I used to hunt her books out in my favourite second hand book shops in Shrewsbury :0)

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    1. I've been reading John Buchan too these last few years & I enjoy their very different styles.

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  3. hello...and yes, I too have tried to comment many a time....Lyn, you introduced me to O Douglas and what joy I have had. And am presently so enjoying The Nebuly Coat.
    Thank you for that one as well....

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    1. I'm glad you're enjoying her. I find her books perfect when I want an involving story & I love her picture of the postwar world. I'm glad you're enjoying The Nebuly Coat as well. Not sure what's wrong with Blogger at the moment with regard to comments...

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  4. I love O Douglas and often re-read. The only ones I'm not keen on are Olivia in India and Ann and her Mother.
    I've never thought of them as war books but almost every one does have its wartime tragedy in the background. The stoicism with which her characters accept their losses is remarkable; she never wavered from her 'they went gaily and willingly to sacrifice all' POV.

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    1. I haven't read those two but have Olivia on my Kindle. I've just bought a copy of a book by Wendy Forrester, Anna Buchan & O Douglas, which I'm looking forward to reading. Seems to be a biography with a lot of details about her writing as well. I think she was one of those writers who write from their own circumstances & experiences which makes her stories ring so true.

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  5. Silly old Blogger wouldn't let me comment as a Live Journaller today so I appear under false pretences.

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  6. I enjoyed this one quite a while ago. I've read most of her books but as this one is set in Glasgow, my birthplace, it was nice to get a glimpse of the city and its inhabitants as they were then. Her autobiography Unforgettable, Unforgotten is worth reading too.

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    1. I'd love to read her autobiography, it's on my wishlist. Hopefully Greyladies will keep reprinting her books.

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