A Separate Peace by John Knowles

Hailed in the blurb, on the paperback edition that I was reading, as an American classic this book was originally published in 1959. The novel is ostensibly about a friendship between two boys at a traditional American boys' boarding school in New England during the years prior to World War II. The boys in question are Gene, quiet, hard working and intelligent and Phineas, outgoing, popular,  and athletic. Phineas' ideas are always accepted by the group of boys of which he is the natural leader, which includes Gene. One such idea is the dangerous dare that involves jumping from a tree branch which projects over the river into the water beneath. Gene's inner resentment towards Phineas, supposedly his best friend, surfaces when he causes the branch on which Phineas is standing to move by rocking it. Phineas loses his balance sending him crashing to the bank beneath seriously fracturing his leg.
The novel depicts the strange atmosphere in the years leading up to the war, and the start of the war itself, on the boys' concerns over signing up as opposed to waiting for conscription. The boys in the school year in question are seen to be in their last idyllic summer before they have to face active service and possible death. The characters of the boys are well delineated which, together with intense boarding school life, serves to highlight the nature of their friendships and enmities. As the days progress, the characters have to face up to their inner demons and hopes of survival, leading to an unexpected climax.

Interlude

I am now about a third of the way through the pile of novels which are in the summer house which I determined to read rather than just get rid of them. They are all historical in nature but cover a variety of different time periods. I, myself, prefer the twentieth century, with perhaps a nod to the Victorian age, but the collection of books that I am reading cover all periods so I thought that I would give them a go - I know that almost the complete works of Helen Dunmore are there and look forward to reading those as she is one of my favourite writers and I thought that "The Lie" was one of the best novels that I have recently read. After reading, the books are being donated to friends or to local charity shops.

The House of Doctor Dee by Peter Ackroyd

Published in 1993, this novel describes stories in two time periods: the present in which the narrator is Matthew Palmer, a young man of 29, and the sixteenth century in which the narrator is John Dee, a philosopher, magician and practitioner of the dark arts. Matthew has been left the house of the title by his father and discovers that it was previously owned and inhabited by John Dee, with his wife and servants. The basement and the ground floor are sixteenth century, whilst the upper stories were built later.
The novel begins by alternating the narrators chapter by chapter, moving from the present to the sixteenth century and back again. As Matthew becomes interested in John Dee he starts to read as much as he can about him and his times and so realises that the house contains all time periods after John Dee's habitation and begins to see and hear its previous occupants. The sixteenth century chapters repay close reading as they are couched in the literary style of the age and utilise many philosophies and beliefs that John Dee was familiar with but which are alien to many of us. The city of London occupies a centre stage, almost as a character itself, as is the case of other of Ackroyd's novels, and the names of the streets are recorded as a relentless litany of place names and meanings.
This book may be off-putting to the general reader but as the stories progress and draw closer the reader who has persevered with the novel begins to realise what the conclusion will be.

Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant

In this novel by Sarah Dunant, her tenth published in 2006, the reader is drawn into the world of Renaissance Italy by the narrator, Buccino, a dwarf who is the partner and assistant to the beautiful courtesan of Rome, Fiammetta Bianchini. The story begins in 1527 when Rome is besieged by the troops of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, during which Fiammetta's sumptuous house is torched and destroyed by soldiers and the pair flee the City towards Venice. In the attack Fiammetta has incurred disfiguring injuries and her golden hair has been cruelly shorn. They manage to smuggle out jewels by swallowing the stones through which means they intend to salvage a life for themselves in Venice.
As Fiametta is beautiful so Buccino is deformed and the theme of Beauty and the Beast runs throughout the novel. When they arrive in Venice they enrol the help of La Draga, a blind and crippled healer called by some a witch. She prepares salves for Fiametta's injuries and weaves extensions to restore her hair thus preparing her to attract new clients. But La Draga is not what she appears.
The historical detail of Rome and Venice is meticulously researched. Venice, in particular, becomes a character in the novel and occupies the greater part of the story. The history, the streets, the canals, the water, the festivals and the powerful individuals are vividly brought to life for the reader. Whether or not the novel would normally be your cup of tea the character of Buccino draws the reader in and allows them to see the world of courtesans, artists, merchants and religious figures from the point of view of an outsider like himself where nothing is taken for granted. As outsiders ourselves we share his difficulties and the maneuverings of himself and Fiammetta as they endeavour to improve their position. An artist introduced almost incidentally is Tiziano (better known as Titian) and we learn that Fiammetta was the model for Titian's great work Venus of Urbino. In fact the origin of the model for Titian's painting is unknown.
Sarah Dunant is an acclaimed writer and, as I have not read any of her other works, I would certainly be tempted to try another.

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

Sarah Waters is a well known writer, perhaps particularly so after the dramatisations of her novels 'Fingersmith' and 'Tipping the Velvet'. This is her sixth novel published in 2014 which sympathetically describes the growing relationship between Frances and Lillian , two women thrown together in an ordinary household in 1922 post-war England. Frances and her mother have struggled to maintain the appearance of genteel middle class after the death of her two brothers in WWI and then her father who has left them in a financial mess. To make ends meet they decided to let some of the upstairs rooms to a young couple Leonard and Lillian Barber. The novel begins as the Barbers arrive and move in with their belongings, and the lives of Frances and her mother have to be reshaped to accommodate the guests. Their daily lives are described in detail, the grinding tasks that are undertaken by Frances after they can no longer afford a maid and the inconvenience of having a privy out in the back yard.
Gradually the reader learns of a previous relationship that Frances had with a young woman, Christina, which did not work out. As time goes on the relationship between Frances and Lillian becomes more than a friendship and their lives are transformed. The story takes an inevitable turn whilst the themes of courage and boldness, hypocrisy and the enclosed nature of marriage at that time are explored. The novel then moves onto a different level as the relationships and feelings break out. The quality of writing and description are very good if the plot is, ultimately, a little unlikely.