This is the
final volume in Weldon’s trilogy set in the Edwardian era and featuring the
wealthy Dilberne family. In this go round, the King invites himself – along
with hiss wife, Queen Alexandra AND his mistress, Alice Keppel- to a shooting
weekend at the Dilberne’s country house, which creates a panic in Lady Isobel.
The country house is run down; the King – and his mistress- will be expecting
flush toilets, electric lights and heaters, and up to the minute décor. This
causes a hemorrhage of cash and a strain on the marriage. Meanwhile, their son
Arthur is having problems with his American heiress wife, Minnie- he’s more
interested in automobiles than in sex. Arthur’s socialistic sister has returned
from Australia a well to do widow, and is living with
a bohemian brother and sister duo and preparing to publish a book on the sex
habits of the Australian aborigines, which horrifies her family. It’s all
high-strung soap opera in a historical setting.
Although
supposed to be along the lines of ‘Upstairs, Downstairs’, showing the lives of
both the high class and the servants, only the first volume really featured the
downstairs. They do appear momentarily in this volume, but are not fully formed
characters.
I didn’t care
for this volume as much as I did the first two in the trilogy. I liked Lady
Isobel in the first two books; not so much this go-round, nor did I care much
for Robert this time. The characters seemed harsh, mean spirited, and self
centered. There is a rather bizarre little coda at the end, like a speculation
in the first person while the rest of the book is told in the third person. And,
sadly, the title gives away the event that I suspect was supposed to be a shock.
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