Written by Elizabeth Jane Howard⭐ ⭐ ⭐
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Book Club choices are always interesting and often take me out of my comfort zone.
Falling is not a book I would have chosen for myself, so I'm grateful to the club for selecting this novel.
Falling is not a book I would have chosen for myself, so I'm grateful to the club for selecting this novel.
The blurb:
Harry Kent is a sensitive man in late middle age, a reader and a thinker, without means perhaps but not without charm.
Daisy has recovered from her unhappy past by learning to be self-sufficient, and viewing trust as a weakness. But there is still a part of her that yearns to be cared for once more.
It is this part that Henry sees, and with dedicated and calculated patience he works at her defences. So despite all attempts to resist his attentions, Daisy finds herself falling under Henry's spell . . .
Literary Saga
Romance
Classic Literary Fiction
My thoughts:
This is the book chosen by another book club member for discussion at our next meeting. It is not one which I would have picked for myself, and I have not previously read anything by Elizabeth Jane Howard.The main characters are Henry Kent and Daisy Langrish. The story alternates between the two so that the reader understands the plot from their two differing perspectives. The chapters headed "Henry" tell the story in the first person, whilst those headed "Daisy" are told in the third person.
Without any means of support, Henry is living rent-free in a friend's houseboat when he discovers that a cottage nearby has been bought by an author, one Daisy Langrish. He immediately determines to have her fall in love with him, so that they can marry and he will be financially set for life. Henry works on his plan to worm his way into her life and affections, and before very long, he has gone from being her gardener to her lover.
I found Falling hard to get into, and a little depressing. It was a slow starter, and the writing style did not appeal to me. This story is about a conman deceiving his way into the affections of his mark, and that made me feel very uncomfortable at times.
I took an instant dislike to Henry Kent - before I'd even finished the third paragraph in the first chapter. Throughout the book, he tells us how he is going to win Daisy's affections, and considers how his circumstances will improve once her has her ensnared. It is obvious from the outset that he cares only for himself and everyone else was of no consequence - he is a fraudster, a liar, a fantasist, a narcissist, and believes he is irresistible to the women he preys upon. Towards the end of the story, we learn that he is also violent when things don't go his way.
Daisy seemed a strong-minded, independent individual, so I was surprised when she allowed Henry to seduce and charm her so easily. She unquestioningly accepts everything he tells her, and quickly dismisses any little doubts she may have about him. I felt sorry for her, and at the same time, angry at her for being so blind to what he truly was.
The final chapters were a little disappointing, designed to tie up the story, although not very convincingly to my mind.
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