Violet Trefusis was most recently in fashion from 1973 to the 1990s due to the `outing' by Nigel Nicolson of her 1918-1920 affair with his mother Vita Sackville-West in his `Portrait of a Marriage' (1973). She is now out of fashion and Violet's novels, republished in the 1980's, are out of print again. This particular novel is the best that can be found in English (she wrote in French as well). It includes an excellent introduction by Lorna Sage and an afterword by Violet's literary executor John Phillips.

Violet writes deftly and sharply with a pen which probably had a diamond nib. Her comic, ironic, gently malicious eye sets out the English aristocratic protagonists as people who, though charming, are emotionally retarded by the decorum of mores and conventions that can turn the propensity for love into the safe passion of the collector. It is a comedy of errors about the perception of the importance of love. Only Caroline, married too young to the undemonstrative Sir Anthony Crome and the mother of a daughter, has thought about the importance of love and analysed her position; she longs to break through convention and even out of her class to achieve happiness through love (even though this is a woman who feels she has to keep her `brainy' pursuits secret and not flaunt her sportswoman skills she doesn't focus on these areas of suppression). But she has fallen in love with Nigel who is much older and less confident than she is and tied to the past including memories of his mother and a broken love affair. Although he is very much in love with Caroline, he is also a friend to Anthony. At the end of the book Caroline does her reckless best to incite Nigel to take reckless action.

I read this book to find out more about Violet. Sure enough Violet is written into Caroline and Nigel (and there are shades of Vita and Vita's husband Harold Nicolson elsewhere). She promotes her philosophy of love which was not the norm for her time and her class where a suitable marriage could be based on companionship and passion could be contained in acceptably discreet affairs (as demonstrated by and demanded of Violet by Violet's own mother, Alice Keppel). Divorce was possible but could be scandalous.

"I want to make sacrifices for you, Nigel. I want to throw everything away for your sake.........I wish we had to work, work hard. I wish I could have a child by you. You think that the lover has the romantic part. You're wrong: a lover, the sort of lover you'd be if I let you is a convention. But what is not a convention is a husband who is a lover. You would be that kind of husband. Oh, can't you see that it's your duty towards yourself, towards me, to run away with me and marry me". With some translation this quote from Caroline is right out of Violet's blighted relationship and her correspondence with Vita Sackville-West.

The book in itself is an enjoyable, elegant, concise novel. I loved the quality of her writing and her wit which made me chuckle and smile and read quickly until I got to the above, surprisingly serious, quote which bolted out in relief from the rest of the book. I realised that Violet wasn't that complicated. She was rich, young well connected and in the shadow of her mother. She wanted to be loved for herself, she wanted proven love that required sacrifice; to be fulfilled in an exclusive whole relationship - outside of societal constraints if necessary. In real life Violet depended on Vita to be her accomplice, in the book Caroline depends on Nigel. In the end, in Violet's real life, she would, as poor compensation for losing her struggle for her one 'true love', become a lover of things, houses, and places and would mock herself and the society she was resigned to be part of - as she does in this rather excellent novel.

Violet Trefusis was most recently in fashion from 1973 to the 1990s due to the `outing' by Nigel Nicolson of her 1918-1920 affair with his mother Vita Sackville-West in his `Portrait of a Marriage' (1973). She is now out of fashion and Violet's novels are out of print again. Luckily, I was able to track most of them down on Amazon. This particular novel is the best that can be found in English (she often wrote in French). It includes an excellent introduction by Lorna Sage and an afterword by Violet's literary executor John Phillips.

Violet writes deftly and sharply with a pen which probably had a diamond nib. Her comic, ironic, gently malicious eye sets out the English aristocratic protagonists as people who, though charming, are emotionally retarded by the decorum of mores and conventions that can turn the propensity for love into the safe passion of the collector. It is a comedy of errors about the perception of the importance of love. Only Caroline, married too young to the undemonstrative Sir Anthony Crome and the mother of a daughter, has thought about the importance of love and analysed her position; she longs to break through convention and even out of her class to achieve happiness through love (even though this is a woman who feels she has to keep her `brainy' pursuits secret and not flaunt her sportswoman skills she doesn't focus on these areas of suppression). But she has fallen in love with Nigel who is much older and less confident than she is and tied to the past including memories of his mother and a broken love affair. Although he is very much in love with Caroline, he is also a friend to Anthony. At the end of the book Caroline does her reckless best to incite Nigel to take reckless action.

I read this book to find out more about Violet. Sure enough Violet is written into Caroline and Nigel (and there are shades of Vita and Vita's husband Harold Nicolson elsewhere). She promotes her philosophy of love which was not the norm for her time and her class where a suitable marriage could be based on companionship and passion could be contained in acceptably discreet affairs (as demonstrated by and demanded of Violet by Violet's own mother, Alice Keppel). Divorce was possible but could be scandalous.

"I want to make sacrifices for you, Nigel. I want to throw everything away for your sake.........I wish we had to work, work hard. I wish I could have a child by you. You think that the lover has the romantic part. You're wrong: a lover, the sort of lover you'd be if I let you is a convention. But what is not a convention is a husband who is a lover. You would be that kind of husband. Oh, can't you see that it's your duty towards yourself, towards me, to run away with me and marry me". With some translation this quote from Caroline is right out of Violet's blighted relationship and her correspondence with Vita Sackville-West.

This is an enjoyable, elegant, concise novel. I loved the quality of writing and wit which made me chuckle and smile and read quickly until I got to the above, surprisingly serious, quote which bolted out in relief from the rest of the book. I realised that Violet wasn't that complicated. She was rich, young well connected and in the shadow of her mother. She wanted to be loved for herself, she wanted proven love that required sacrifice; to be fulfilled in an exclusive whole relationship - outside of societal constraints if necessary. In real life Violet depended on Vita to be her accomplice, in the book Caroline depends on Nigel. In the end, in Violet's real life, she would, as poor compensation for losing her struggle for her one 'true love', become a lover of things, houses, and places and would mock herself and the society she was resigned to be part of - as she does in this excellent novel.