Tensions Part III

Julian realises that Mark and Pauline are growing close to each other. He asks her to help him with his estate work and she seems happy to do this. Gossip starts to fly around about them being in love. Lady Rossiter continues to make little digs about the friendship. Eventually, it begins to look like there really is something between them and people tend to blame Pauline for it. An idea arises of setting up new branches of the commercial college in England and possibly abroad. Julian finds that Pauline wants to give in her notice because she knows that she is being branded a scarlet woman and there is no future in her friendship with Mark. She says she can find another job. Lady Rossiter is triumphant that she has driven the girl out. Then Mr Fuller, one of the senior managers of the college reveals that he has asked Pauline to marry him and she has agreed. He is a good decent man and will look after her. So Julian feels it is best for her to go and marry him, and she will be safe and happier.

Tensions Part II

Miss Marchrose arrives at the college and Sir Julian takes a liking to her. She is pretty, and pleasant. Lady Rossiter keeps making digs at her. After a month or so it becomes clear that Mark very much likes Miss Marchrose and she seems good at her job and friendly to him. His children remain awful brats. Lady Rossiter continues to niggle.. They find that Pauline is the woman who broke off her engagement to Clarence. She tells Sir Julian that her family were left badly off, and she went to train as a secretary and found it difficult to adjust to life as an office worker. The other girls thought she was snobbish and that she was a lavish spender. She found herself being very lonely. When she met up with her own richer relatives, they introduced her to Clarence. He seemed to like her and she was flattered because she did not seem to attract young men. She was not sure if she really cared deeply for him however, and when he was injured, she felt that she could not sincerely offer him her support as his wife. So she broke off the engagement. Sir Julian did not think highly of Clarence and he understands that Pauline had good reasons for breaking off her engagement. He quite likes her and is annoyed by his wife insinuating that she is an immoral woman.

Tensions by EM Delafield Part I

This is a fairly short novel by Delafield, largely about the power of gossip. It starts with our being introduced to Sir Julian Rossiter and his wife Edna. He is a country gentleman and she is a stupid, selfish woman who thinks that she is wonderful. Like some of Delafield's male characters, she is constantly talking about herself and how democratic she is. Her husband has an interest in a Commercial college on his land, which trains young people to type, do shorthand, and learn about running a business or working in one. Sir Julian has an estate manager, Mark Easter who is a good friend of his. Lady Rossitter considers it her duty to "help" Mark and makes a fuss of him. He has a problem in that he is married, with 2 young children, and his wife has had to be put in a home for alcoholics.. so he is married but not married. The two children are brats and Lady Rossiter can't stand them but they are always coming over to her house. Mark is too busy to look after them much and has to rely on his housekeeper Sarah. The action starts when Sir Julian raises the issue of having a new female superintendant for the college. Lady Rossitter says that she knew of a girl with the same name, Pauline Marchrose, who was engaged to a cousin of hers. He was in an accident and for a time it looked like he would be semi paralysed. His fiancee threw him over. Clarence, the young man, recovered and has married, but Lady Rossitter continues to harp on how dreadful the girl was, to break her engagement. Sir Julian says that they dont know if she is the girl, and anyway it's none of their business. He is indifferent to his wife, but he is rather annoyed at her going on about this issue.

Anglican women novelists

Im reading a selection of essays on Anglican women novelists. Hope to blog about it later. One of the earliest of them is Charlotte Bronte. Others include the children's writer Noel Streatfeild, Rose Macaulay, who wrote Towers of Trebizond, Charlotte Yonge, who is a famous Anglo Catholic writer, and also the crime writer PD James. My old favourite Dorothy Sayers is in there, as she wrote about religious themes and was a lay theologian. Barbara Pym is well known for writing about "churchy ladies" who hang around the church and the vicar. Another one, whom I dont know well, is Elizabeth Goudge who was from the Channel Islands. I know a little about Evelyn Underhill, who wrote studies of mysticism in religion.. but I did not know she was a novelist as well. Ive read a couple of books by Monica Furlong, who wrote works on religious issues, including a biography of St Therese Martin. More will follow.

Tolka Row

Tolka Row was the first "soap" put out by RTE, the Irish Tv station in the 1960s. Like Coronation Street it was about a working class community and was set in North Dublin. The Tolka is a small river that runs in the area. It had an early acting role for the well known actress Brenda Fricker. It was written by Maura Laverty, who was a journalist and novelist. She wrote plays about working class Dublin and the serial grew out of the plays. She sympathised with the poor and was a very talented writer. I can remember it from childhood... but a few years later, RTE moved on to a rural "soap", called The Riordans. Tolka Row only ran for a few years, but the Riordans was more long lasting. I think the tapes of it have vanished as the station did not keep them, and often taped over them.

Gillian Bradshaw novels

Im reading a new novel by Gillian Bradshaw. I've read most of her books set in classical times and her Arthur trilogy... I haven't read her novels set in scientific life as yet. But there are two about the Civil war, focussing on Lucy, a young woman who sympathises with the Roundheads in the Civil war. She has a printing press and produces leaflets and papers supporting the anti Cavalier side. I hope to blog about the books soon

Jimmy O'Dea and Maureen Potter

I have just been reading a biography of Jimmy O'Dea, who was a comedian and actor in Ireland in during the 20th century. When I was a kid, my parents would take me every year to the Christmas pantomime, in the Gaiety Theatre. It was great fun, and the star of the show was Maureen Potter who had worked with Jimmy. He created a "dame" character, Mrs Mulligan, who was an old Dublin woman who sold vegetables at a street stall. He was very funny and topical as was Maureen Potter. We didn't get to the theatre much but my parents liked the comedy of the pantomime. As I grew older I began to go to the serious theatre, and dabbled in acting. But my first experiences were at those Christmas pantos. Jimmy died in 1964 and Maureen died some years ago