THE SEA CHANGE

by Elizabeth Jane Howard ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

A cosmopolitan, discreet and on the whole discerning novel centers around four people, moves from London to New York to an island in Greece, and permits each to record- in alternating sequences- a little of the past along with the present. Emmanuel Joyce, a well known playwright, indulged by the world as well as his rather self-centered inclinations, has almost exhausted experience; his latest secretary, Alberta, is childlike and as yet untouched; Lillian, his wife, is limited not only by the migratory life she must lead with Emmanuel, by a serious heart condition, but also by her withdrawal since the death of an only child; and Jimmy, Emmanuel's adopted protege and director, exists only in a subsidiary capacity- easing the way for both Emmanuel and Lillian. During the course of the weeks here, in which Emmanuel is interested in a new production of an old play, Alberta is at first unknowingly, and always unwittingly, the catalyst; Emmanuel falls in love- perhaps for the first time; Lillian, more threatened than ever before, sets aside her long perpetuated grief; and Jimmy finds an identity of his own... Elizabeth Howard, a pleasantly perceptive writer (The Beautiful Visit; The Long View) has created her characters with some care; she sometimes loses them in the fine detail which substitutes for sturdier, dramatic action and which the less patient reader will find attenuated, enervating.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harper

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1959

Categories: FICTION