East Markham Book Club
The Camomile Lawn
by Mary Wesley
by Mary Wesley
Escape to the Cornish cliffs in the dizzying heat of August 1939, where five cousins are making the most of the last summer of their youth.
Oliver is just back from the Spanish Civil War and world-weary at only nineteen. Calypso is gorgeous, utterly selfish and determined to marry for money. Polly and Walter, brother and sister, play their cards close to their chests. Then there's little Sophie, who nobody loves. Soon the world will be swept into war again and the five cousins will enter a whirligig of sex, infidelity, love and loss, but for now they have one last, gaspingly hot summer at the house by the cliffs with the camomile lawn.
A beloved bestseller from an author ahead of her time, The Camomile Lawn is a waspishly witty, devil-may-care delight.
Next Meeting Sunday 30th April 2023 at 7.30pm
Club Opinion
April’s meeting was a cosy affair, but no less lively than usual for a discussion on Mary Wesley’s Camomile Lawn.
There was a fear that it wouldn’t have survived the test of time, but set in wartime Britain, the book captured the time well. Some themes were uncomfortable, but even today the same issues are grappled with. The writing flowed and made it an easy read (or listen).
Perhaps not to everyone’s taste, but it was the base for good conversation.
