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The Editor's Wife
When aspiring novelist Christopher Flinders drops out of university to write his masterpiece (in between shifts as a fish delivery man and builder's mate), his family is sceptical.
But when he is taken up by the London editor Owen Goddard and his charming wife Diana it seems success is just around the corner. Christopher's life has so far been rather short of charm - growing up in an unlovely suburb, with unambitious parents and a semi-vagrant brother - and he is captivated by his generous and cultured mentors. However, on the brink of realising his dream, Christopher makes a desperate misjudgement which results in disaster for all involved. Shattered, he withdraws from London and buries himself in rural Yorkshire, embracing a career and a private life marked by mediocrity.
Twenty years on a young academic researching into Owen Goddard seeks him out, and Christopher is forced to exhume his past, setting him on a path to a life-changing discovery.
But when he is taken up by the London editor Owen Goddard and his charming wife Diana it seems success is just around the corner. Christopher's life has so far been rather short of charm - growing up in an unlovely suburb, with unambitious parents and a semi-vagrant brother - and he is captivated by his generous and cultured mentors. However, on the brink of realising his dream, Christopher makes a desperate misjudgement which results in disaster for all involved. Shattered, he withdraws from London and buries himself in rural Yorkshire, embracing a career and a private life marked by mediocrity.
Twenty years on a young academic researching into Owen Goddard seeks him out, and Christopher is forced to exhume his past, setting him on a path to a life-changing discovery.
391 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
About the author
Clare Chambers
15 books734 followersClare Chambers was born on 1966 in in Croydon, Surrey, England, UK, daughter of English teachers. She attended a school in Croydon. At 16, she met Peter, her future husband, a teacher 14 years old than her. She read English at Oxford. The marriage moved to New Zealand, where she wrote her first novel. She now lives in Kent with her husband and young family. In 1999, her novel Learning to Swim won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews
August 2, 2021
A republication.
Christopher Flinders has just lost his somewhat mundane job and has retreated to his North Yorkshire home while he surveys what the future may hold. He has an amicable relationship with ex-wife Carole and a rather frustrating one with his elder brother Gerald. A chance discovery of a letter at his deceased parents home plunges Chris back into the past. The story is told in three parts, the first gives context to the present day, Part Two focusses on his dropping out of university to write a novel and his meeting with Owen and Diana Canning (who is the Editors wife) and Part Three picks up the narrative from part one.
Although the first part is not as engaging as the rest, the stand out feature is the brilliant characterisation. Every character is well developed and acutely observed and their portrayal is therefore vivid and easy to picture. Most are extremely likeable and although Gerald initially baffles me you realise that he is marginalised and surviving as best he can and I like him more and more. This is a well novel, I really like the humour especially from Chris who even when things get quite dramatic and surprising, you laugh at his self deprecating wry understatements which are so funny! I thoroughly enjoy parts two and three, the Goddards liven up the pages and I like how it pans out in the final section with Chris’s ‘resurrection’ as it’s so obvious since meeting Owen and Diana his life has been on hold. Events take an unexpected turn towards the end and it’s riveting reading! The emotions are well conveyed, there’s everything from love to obsession to heartache, there’s shock, guilt and ultimately recovery. It’s extremely easy to read because it’s so well written and perceptive.
Overall, this is an engaging novel as you immerse yourself in the lives of a disparate bunch of characters linked by Chris.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House UK, Cornerstone, Arrow for the widget in return for an honest review.
Christopher Flinders has just lost his somewhat mundane job and has retreated to his North Yorkshire home while he surveys what the future may hold. He has an amicable relationship with ex-wife Carole and a rather frustrating one with his elder brother Gerald. A chance discovery of a letter at his deceased parents home plunges Chris back into the past. The story is told in three parts, the first gives context to the present day, Part Two focusses on his dropping out of university to write a novel and his meeting with Owen and Diana Canning (who is the Editors wife) and Part Three picks up the narrative from part one.
Although the first part is not as engaging as the rest, the stand out feature is the brilliant characterisation. Every character is well developed and acutely observed and their portrayal is therefore vivid and easy to picture. Most are extremely likeable and although Gerald initially baffles me you realise that he is marginalised and surviving as best he can and I like him more and more. This is a well novel, I really like the humour especially from Chris who even when things get quite dramatic and surprising, you laugh at his self deprecating wry understatements which are so funny! I thoroughly enjoy parts two and three, the Goddards liven up the pages and I like how it pans out in the final section with Chris’s ‘resurrection’ as it’s so obvious since meeting Owen and Diana his life has been on hold. Events take an unexpected turn towards the end and it’s riveting reading! The emotions are well conveyed, there’s everything from love to obsession to heartache, there’s shock, guilt and ultimately recovery. It’s extremely easy to read because it’s so well written and perceptive.
Overall, this is an engaging novel as you immerse yourself in the lives of a disparate bunch of characters linked by Chris.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House UK, Cornerstone, Arrow for the widget in return for an honest review.
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December 2, 2024Noping out due to the profoundly tiresome and unlikeable male narrator. I get that's the point and the author knows exactly what she's doing, so it's no fault in the book, I just don't wanna.
September 19, 2021
In this novel, the reader meets Christopher Flinders who has lost his job, and dispirited, he has decamped to North Yorkshire while he considers his future. Also a Univesity dropout he is pursuing his dream of becoming a writer and has an amicable relationship with ex-wife Carol who he met at Uni and they married after just 6 months. His brother, Gerald is living at his deceased parents home whilst Chris is renting a rustic little farmhouse - Hartslip Cottage. A letter arrives which throws everything into a spin and forces Chris to consider his past.
The Editor's Wife is told in 3 parts with parts 1 and 3 happening in the present, and part 2 is Chris telling his story. I very much liked this storytelling approach where the entirety of a flashback has its own slot rather than the more usual back and forth method. The Editor's Wife is set between rural Yorkshire (present-day) and London (flashback).
The noteworthy feature here is the brilliant characterisation from Clare Chambers. Every character is well developed and their portrayal is vivid and easy to picture. Most are extremely likeable, even Gerald. You realise he is doing the best he can and I grew to like him as the tale progressed. The humour is good especially from Chris with his wry understatements. The Goddards, Owen and Diana liven up matters and the comedic aspects and complexity are well balanced. A perceptive, riveting, very worthy and satisfying read.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Random House UK, Cornerstone via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.
The Editor's Wife is told in 3 parts with parts 1 and 3 happening in the present, and part 2 is Chris telling his story. I very much liked this storytelling approach where the entirety of a flashback has its own slot rather than the more usual back and forth method. The Editor's Wife is set between rural Yorkshire (present-day) and London (flashback).
The noteworthy feature here is the brilliant characterisation from Clare Chambers. Every character is well developed and their portrayal is vivid and easy to picture. Most are extremely likeable, even Gerald. You realise he is doing the best he can and I grew to like him as the tale progressed. The humour is good especially from Chris with his wry understatements. The Goddards, Owen and Diana liven up matters and the comedic aspects and complexity are well balanced. A perceptive, riveting, very worthy and satisfying read.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Random House UK, Cornerstone via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.
October 15, 2021
3.5 stars. I finished this book in one evening, so I definitely can't fault it for engagement. I just read Learning to Swim though, and The Editor's Wife fell a little short in comparison. Chris was a bit smug, and the author frequently has him "taking the hint" rather than simply providing what it is clear the other character needs- for example, a glass of water while eating an extremely spicy curry. This sounds like a petty complaint, but I find if a phrase jumps out at me like this, it takes me out of the story. The plot "twist" itself was quite far-fetched, and I also couldn't believe that Chris didn't put two and two together to establish who another character was. Saying that, the characters were largely very likable and funny, and it was a compelling love story, once disbelief was suspended. I very much enjoyed Chris' relationship with his brother. Definitely worth a read!
July 29, 2021
3.5 stars
I absolutely loved Small Pleasures,so was keen to read more of Chambers work.
Although this one didn't hit the high mark of the other book,it was still very good.
I could have read all day about strange Gerald,and all the other characters,and their interwoven relationships.
They were all so believable,and fairly normal (other than Gerald).
Taking the ordinary and making it shine a bit.
I think there's a few more books for me to hunt down now.
I absolutely loved Small Pleasures,so was keen to read more of Chambers work.
Although this one didn't hit the high mark of the other book,it was still very good.
I could have read all day about strange Gerald,and all the other characters,and their interwoven relationships.
They were all so believable,and fairly normal (other than Gerald).
Taking the ordinary and making it shine a bit.
I think there's a few more books for me to hunt down now.
November 6, 2021
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review, with thanks to the publisher.
Clare Chambers is perhaps best known for her book Small Pleasures and when I was offered an opportunity to read this book, I immediately accepted. I'm glad I did.
This book follows Christopher Flinders, a one time author, a one time husband, a one time son, navigating his life after his father passes away. Long dissatisfied with city life, Chris has moved further North, living in the York countryside and essentially minding his own business. This book follows his life from chess tournaments as a child, a complicated yet loving relationship with his parents, a complicated and not all that loving relationship with his brother, Gerald, and the secret shames of his past. When he is contacted by a researcher, looking into the life of Owen Goddard, an editor who supported Chris through the writing of his one and only novel. Chris doesn't want to originally admit to how close he was with Owen and his wife Diana and ultimately comes clean in a transcript depicting the life of a university dropout who is trying to pave their way in the literature world. He submits the beginnings of his book to Kenway and Luff. He meets Owen, a friendly older brother figure who supports him in every way, emotionally, financially and so on, and his wife Diana with whom he soon starts an affair. The affair burns fast and soon burns out when Owen finds out. Not only does he ultimately lose what he thinks is the love of his life, he also loses his closest ally and mentor. Spiralling for a while, he decides to travel, soon finding out that Owen and Diana have died in a car accident in Greece and he decides to put it all behind him and simply try to move on with his life. He goes back to university, gets married, gets divorced, settles for his mediocre life in York, and believes he is happy.
Coming back to the present day, after revealing all of this to the researcher, Alex, he soon finds out that life has other plans for him than his simple cottage living. Chris might just have another shot at happiness, another shot at what he has dreamed of for years, a better relationship with those in his life, even his vagrant brother.
This book is written with an air of something different. It's hard to explain, but it isn't the most dramatic book in the world, you aren't gripped by the hijinks of it all, more so the simple and almost airy way this book is written. It's beautiful, to the point and easy to follow. You really get a feel for these characters, their connections with one another and the impacts that their actions have on one another. Ultimately, my favourite dynamics ended up being the ones that should have been awkward, I loved seeing how Chris and Gerald interact. How they go from standoffish to actually kind of having a semblance of a brotherly relationship. I loved seeing Chris and Carol in their post-divorce unnatural friendship that worked in every way. I think this author writes about relationships very well. There's no sugarcoating to make them perfect, there are bumps and ugly parts, which ultimately makes it more relatable and easier to picture.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this read and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to read it.
Clare Chambers is perhaps best known for her book Small Pleasures and when I was offered an opportunity to read this book, I immediately accepted. I'm glad I did.
This book follows Christopher Flinders, a one time author, a one time husband, a one time son, navigating his life after his father passes away. Long dissatisfied with city life, Chris has moved further North, living in the York countryside and essentially minding his own business. This book follows his life from chess tournaments as a child, a complicated yet loving relationship with his parents, a complicated and not all that loving relationship with his brother, Gerald, and the secret shames of his past. When he is contacted by a researcher, looking into the life of Owen Goddard, an editor who supported Chris through the writing of his one and only novel. Chris doesn't want to originally admit to how close he was with Owen and his wife Diana and ultimately comes clean in a transcript depicting the life of a university dropout who is trying to pave their way in the literature world. He submits the beginnings of his book to Kenway and Luff. He meets Owen, a friendly older brother figure who supports him in every way, emotionally, financially and so on, and his wife Diana with whom he soon starts an affair. The affair burns fast and soon burns out when Owen finds out. Not only does he ultimately lose what he thinks is the love of his life, he also loses his closest ally and mentor. Spiralling for a while, he decides to travel, soon finding out that Owen and Diana have died in a car accident in Greece and he decides to put it all behind him and simply try to move on with his life. He goes back to university, gets married, gets divorced, settles for his mediocre life in York, and believes he is happy.
Coming back to the present day, after revealing all of this to the researcher, Alex, he soon finds out that life has other plans for him than his simple cottage living. Chris might just have another shot at happiness, another shot at what he has dreamed of for years, a better relationship with those in his life, even his vagrant brother.
This book is written with an air of something different. It's hard to explain, but it isn't the most dramatic book in the world, you aren't gripped by the hijinks of it all, more so the simple and almost airy way this book is written. It's beautiful, to the point and easy to follow. You really get a feel for these characters, their connections with one another and the impacts that their actions have on one another. Ultimately, my favourite dynamics ended up being the ones that should have been awkward, I loved seeing how Chris and Gerald interact. How they go from standoffish to actually kind of having a semblance of a brotherly relationship. I loved seeing Chris and Carol in their post-divorce unnatural friendship that worked in every way. I think this author writes about relationships very well. There's no sugarcoating to make them perfect, there are bumps and ugly parts, which ultimately makes it more relatable and easier to picture.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this read and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to read it.
July 22, 2022
Chris Flinders has just lost his job. He lives in rural North Yorkshire, has an amicible relationship with his ex-wife, a less than friendly one with his only sibling, Gerald and is wondering what the hell he's going to do next. When a very pregnant Alex turns up, looking for information on the late author Laurence Canning, Chris tells her a story that inadvertently kick-starts his eventual resurrection.
I loved this book. The characterisations are pitch perfect; especially the hapless Gerald, who I initially couldn't stand but grew to understand and care for as much as the others. It's told in three parts; one and three are set in the present, while part two brings us back to latter day London. I found Part One to be a bit slow but was utterly invested in the story from Part two onwards. Chambers writes beautifully. The story is tragic and dryly humourous and has a wonderfully redemptive finish that satisfied me no end.
It was my first Claire Chambers novel but it certainly won't be my last. Fans of Anne Tyler will definitely enjoy.
With thanks to the author, the publisher and @netgalley for the digital copy. The Editor's Wife was originally published in 2007.
I loved this book. The characterisations are pitch perfect; especially the hapless Gerald, who I initially couldn't stand but grew to understand and care for as much as the others. It's told in three parts; one and three are set in the present, while part two brings us back to latter day London. I found Part One to be a bit slow but was utterly invested in the story from Part two onwards. Chambers writes beautifully. The story is tragic and dryly humourous and has a wonderfully redemptive finish that satisfied me no end.
It was my first Claire Chambers novel but it certainly won't be my last. Fans of Anne Tyler will definitely enjoy.
With thanks to the author, the publisher and @netgalley for the digital copy. The Editor's Wife was originally published in 2007.
January 18, 2023
Förläggarens hustru av Clare Chambers handlar om Christoper som drömmer om att bli författare och som hoppar av universitetet för att satsa på författardrömmarna. Han tas upp i kretsarna kring den framgångsrika förläggaren Owen och hans hustru Diana, och hans framtid ser ljus ut. Christoper trivs i hans nya sammanhang, men någonting händer som gör att han slutar skriva och flyr från London för att istället flytta till Yorkshire och leva ett stillsamt liv. När en ung akademiker som forskar om Owen söker upp honom tjugo år senare tvingas Christoper möta sitt förflutna.
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Förläggarens hustru är en roman om drömmar och om olycklig kärlek. Första delen av boken är ganska långsam och det dröjde en stund innan jag kom in i handlingen, men när jag väl kommit in i boken var det svårt att inte bli engagerad i karaktärernas liv och känslor. Översättningen är mycket bra och språket är väldigt vackert vilket verkligen förhöjer läsningen och gör den mycket trivsam samtidigt som boken har en viss humoristisk underton. Trots att det tog ett tag för mig att komma in i boken var det definitivt rätt beslut att fortsätta läsa!
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Förläggarens hustru är en roman om drömmar och om olycklig kärlek. Första delen av boken är ganska långsam och det dröjde en stund innan jag kom in i handlingen, men när jag väl kommit in i boken var det svårt att inte bli engagerad i karaktärernas liv och känslor. Översättningen är mycket bra och språket är väldigt vackert vilket verkligen förhöjer läsningen och gör den mycket trivsam samtidigt som boken har en viss humoristisk underton. Trots att det tog ett tag för mig att komma in i boken var det definitivt rätt beslut att fortsätta läsa!
June 24, 2023
Tråååååååååååååkig
March 1, 2022
A thoroughly enjoyable read, with great characterization and a wonderfully understated wry sense of humour on the part of the protagonist, Chris. Here’s one example — “I withdrew like a wounded animal, shunning the outside world. (The outside world, it has to be said, remained entirely indifferent to this gesture.)”
November 7, 2021
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The writing style is dry, witty and lighthearted for the most, despite the dark and despairing moods the protagonist Chris often finds himself in.
Contrary to other reviews, I certainly didn’t see the twist near the end of the novel coming, which made it all the more enjoyable. I just wish there was a little more action between the two major twists/events within the book, hence the 4/5 review.
This was my first read by Clare Chambers and I shall look forward to reading more of her work in the near future.
*Thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
Contrary to other reviews, I certainly didn’t see the twist near the end of the novel coming, which made it all the more enjoyable. I just wish there was a little more action between the two major twists/events within the book, hence the 4/5 review.
This was my first read by Clare Chambers and I shall look forward to reading more of her work in the near future.
*Thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
February 21, 2022
The story:
Aspiring novelist Chris Flinders has dropped out of university in a fit of pique, and is struggling to make any progress with his writing. That is, until he meets supportive editor Owen Goddard, and his charming wife Diana. Taking Chris under their wing, he is full of inspiration and hope for the future. But when everything comes crashing down and Chris’s choices lead to disaster, he turns his back on London and writing for good…
Twenty years on, and a young academic researching the life of Owen Goddard comes across some old correspondence between Chris and his erstwhile editor, sparking a chain of events that leads Chris to revisit his past with the Goddards, his broken relationship with his brother, and even to potentially find resolution to what happened all those years ago.
My thoughts:
One of my favourite reads of last year was the novel “Small Pleasures” (2020) by Clare Chambers. I loved the careful, quiet details of the story, and I know it will be one I return to in the future. So I was delighted to find that this was the latest in a series of novels from the author, with “The Editor’s Wife” originally published in 2007, and now reissued with a beautiful new cover design.
The author creates a vivid picture of each of the characters in her story, which is beautifully written and by turns heart wrenching and hilarious — the exchanges between Chris and his hapless but somehow endearing brother Gerald in particular. The scene where Gerald thinks nothing of sprinting miles through the dark in the pouring rain to try and locate a phone signal, but baulks at the idea of actually using a mobile phone, sums up the strengths and flaws of his character perfectly.
Moving between Chris in the present day and his retelling of the events of twenty years ago that threw him into the path of Owen and Diana, it’s clear that he has never really recovered from the tragedy that occurred. The revelations that come at the end of the story are therefore hugely cathartic, and it’s satisfying as a reader to feel that everything is as it should be. I am now a confirmed Clare Chambers fan, and would unreservedly recommend this book to all fiction fans.
Aspiring novelist Chris Flinders has dropped out of university in a fit of pique, and is struggling to make any progress with his writing. That is, until he meets supportive editor Owen Goddard, and his charming wife Diana. Taking Chris under their wing, he is full of inspiration and hope for the future. But when everything comes crashing down and Chris’s choices lead to disaster, he turns his back on London and writing for good…
Twenty years on, and a young academic researching the life of Owen Goddard comes across some old correspondence between Chris and his erstwhile editor, sparking a chain of events that leads Chris to revisit his past with the Goddards, his broken relationship with his brother, and even to potentially find resolution to what happened all those years ago.
My thoughts:
One of my favourite reads of last year was the novel “Small Pleasures” (2020) by Clare Chambers. I loved the careful, quiet details of the story, and I know it will be one I return to in the future. So I was delighted to find that this was the latest in a series of novels from the author, with “The Editor’s Wife” originally published in 2007, and now reissued with a beautiful new cover design.
The author creates a vivid picture of each of the characters in her story, which is beautifully written and by turns heart wrenching and hilarious — the exchanges between Chris and his hapless but somehow endearing brother Gerald in particular. The scene where Gerald thinks nothing of sprinting miles through the dark in the pouring rain to try and locate a phone signal, but baulks at the idea of actually using a mobile phone, sums up the strengths and flaws of his character perfectly.
Moving between Chris in the present day and his retelling of the events of twenty years ago that threw him into the path of Owen and Diana, it’s clear that he has never really recovered from the tragedy that occurred. The revelations that come at the end of the story are therefore hugely cathartic, and it’s satisfying as a reader to feel that everything is as it should be. I am now a confirmed Clare Chambers fan, and would unreservedly recommend this book to all fiction fans.
May 16, 2008
I enjoyed this - light and witty and very readable. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, and I didn't think she really fitted into any genre - I suppose there's a romantic element to the plot, but I wouldn't really call it a romance. I was expecting someone like Joanna Trollope, but far from it - at times I was more reminded of Adrian Mole! The parts about publishing are by far the best, so no surprise to see that the writer has worked in publishing.
June 23, 2011
I loved this book, its so well written and a real page turner. Its in three parts and that works well with part 1 and 3 set in the present day and part 2 set in the past. The characters are all very believable although not always endearing. I thought that it was going to be your normal chick-lit fare but its so much better, and indeed I wouldn't know what category to put it in. I definitely want to read more by this author.
August 20, 2024
As with “Learning to Swim”, I really liked and became very involved with the main characters (especially Chris, the narrator). I also loved the period details (parts 1 and 3 in the 2000s, part 2 1980s) and admired the meticulous way every tiny detail of the story hung together with absolutely no loose ends or plot holes. Funny in places, in an understated way, and sad in others. It kept getting better and better as it went along.
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August 30, 2021This is only my second Clare Chambers novel, after Small Pleasures which I had loved when it was longlisted for the Women’s Prize. I imagine that, making the most of the publicity created by such a listing, the decision was made to re-publish this ten-plus year old predecessor.
And it is apparent that Chambers is drawn to a certain theme: her characters here, as in Small Pleasures, fall in love with people they probably shouldn’t, relationships which conflict with their other personal and or professional ties. In Small Pleasures, Jean Swinney fell for the husband of a woman she was writing a newspaper article on; here, Christoper Flinders falls for the wife of the man whom he wants to publish his novel. Will the emotional depth and authenticity of that novel be repeated here?
Unfortunately, not.
The novel opens in a contemporary world in which Christopher is living a somewhat secluded life in a rural Yorkshire farmhouse – served by a single road and prone to infrequent but severe floods. He has been offered a voluntary redundancy from his job at the Inland Revenue, his parents have died, his brother is somewhat estranged, his marriage has broken down. He does seem a rather resilient fellow, taking all these vicissitudes in his strides – although some of them were some distance in the past, to be fair – and fills his days with walking, riding, fishing and entertaining his ex-wife with whom he has managed to maintain a close friendship.
Somewhat lazily, the plot drifts for a few chapters as Chambers introduces us to Christopher’s relationship with Gerald, his brother, and his ex-wife. It is a meandering read at this point, but this was a novel where I liked these secondary characters more than the main one. Gerald, possibly with some form of learning difficulty, is semi-vagrant and semi-squatting in their father’s house after his death and delaying the inevitable sale of the property was a delight. And Carol, the ex-wife, was wonderfully self-obsessed – having left Christopher following an affair and marrying her lover, she proceeds to ask whether Christopher would donate sperm for her.
“We don’t have to have sex, if that’s what’s bothering you. You can jerk off into a beaker. That’s no problem”
“You make it sound so tempting.”
Eventually we are introduced to Alex Canning, investigating the life of Owen Goddard, the editor of the title, with whom Christopher was acquainted twenty years previously when he was writing his novel after quitting university. And whose wife, Diana, he fell in love with.
Chambers chose to use a particular device here – one which, thankfully, she rejected for Small Pleasures. Flinders had written out in longhand the events of his entanglement with the Goddards. 150 pages of it. Which he had kept for over a decade in his loft. And which he delivers to Canning; and which Chambers delivers to us. Lock, stock and barrel. Only once it is complete do we return to the present day to discover the aftermath of the love affair and of the issues raised with Gerald and Carol.
What didn’t work for me, in terms of plotting, was the management of these two strands. Flinders’ account of his love affair was rather peremptory and lacked the depth of emotion or worldbuilding that I had loved in Small Pleasures. And Flinders was a rather unlikeable narrator in this second section: naive at best in his introduction of literary London society in which he is wholly at sea, and in his assumption that visiting Diana with whom he readily accepted he had come to love was unproblematic:
The fact that I was falling in love with the wife of my mentor and friend, a man who had gone out of his way to help me, and shown me nothing but kindness, didn’t trouble my conscience at all.
His decision not to act on his feelings was lauded (by himself) as “the highest compliment”. But a compliment that evaporated extraordinarily quickly in the narrative. This was so different to the characters of Small Pleasures, so desperate not to act in a way which was “shabby” to one another and possibly a reflection of the time period – my recollection of the 1980s was that is lauded self-interest above self-sacrifice, perhaps.
In fact, the speed and pace of his falling in love, the development of the affair, the inevitable resolution and emotional trauma resultant on it was rather startling. These seismic events were dispatched rather quickly, and flatly and emotionlessly with none of the passion and the immediacy of feeling that I had enjoyed in Small Pleasures. This is, I suppose, consistent with the form here, being – a what? report? memoir? first draft of an autobiography? cathartic healing process? – a manuscript written in hindsight and from a distance, but it did distance me as a reader. There was none of the gorgeous evocative depiction of the time period – and perhaps 1985 inherently held less charm and appeal than the 1950s that still remembered the Blitz – nor as much social satire in this novel.
There was a rather sudden twist in the final part which I won’t dwell on or give any details about, but it was not quite as well handled as I would have liked – it felt that Chambers was shoe-horning in a happy ending without quite laying enough of a foundation. It became… insecure, even if I was ultimately glad that the characters did obtain their happy ending.
What I did love in the final part was the depiction of one memorable evening in Yorkshire when, despite being such a loner, Christopher is visited and is forced to house not only Gerald who arrives on a rain-sodden evening but also Carol who has rowed with her husband, and Alex Canning who, heavily pregnant, has arrived to collect the 150 page manuscript before being trapped by floodwaters over the ford as the telephone lines go down and mobile reception is non-existent. The evening of music, Trivial Pursuits, the weather forecast, communal cooking, bickering and reconciliation was lovely.
The novel suffers, I think in a split focus: is this the novel about the love between Christopher and Diana, or is it a novel about the Flinders family. In fact, Chambers is exquisite at those strained but still loving family relationships both here and in Small Pleasures – Jean Swinney and her mother were a wonderfully realised pair, as were Christopher and both Gerald and Carol.
It is perhaps unfair to compare the two novels so much – and re-reading this review I really have! – but they do explore very similar emotional landscapes that it feels inevitable. It was certainly not a bad book at all and I did enjoy reading it. It has, however, left me willing to read another Chambers if I come across one, not desperate to catch up on her back catalogue.
What I Liked
The secondary characters, Gerald and Carol, and Christopher’s relationships with them – some of the dialogue between them was wonderfully judged!
The setting in a literary world.
The flooded-in communal dinner in Part Three.
What Could Have Been Different
The plotting and pacing of the first part was very meandering and could have been tighter.
The use of the manuscript to narrate the love affair did not, to my mind, work as well as it could have!
The twist in the final part could have been more … credible and convincing.
https://bookloverssanctuary.com/2021/...
And it is apparent that Chambers is drawn to a certain theme: her characters here, as in Small Pleasures, fall in love with people they probably shouldn’t, relationships which conflict with their other personal and or professional ties. In Small Pleasures, Jean Swinney fell for the husband of a woman she was writing a newspaper article on; here, Christoper Flinders falls for the wife of the man whom he wants to publish his novel. Will the emotional depth and authenticity of that novel be repeated here?
Unfortunately, not.
The novel opens in a contemporary world in which Christopher is living a somewhat secluded life in a rural Yorkshire farmhouse – served by a single road and prone to infrequent but severe floods. He has been offered a voluntary redundancy from his job at the Inland Revenue, his parents have died, his brother is somewhat estranged, his marriage has broken down. He does seem a rather resilient fellow, taking all these vicissitudes in his strides – although some of them were some distance in the past, to be fair – and fills his days with walking, riding, fishing and entertaining his ex-wife with whom he has managed to maintain a close friendship.
Somewhat lazily, the plot drifts for a few chapters as Chambers introduces us to Christopher’s relationship with Gerald, his brother, and his ex-wife. It is a meandering read at this point, but this was a novel where I liked these secondary characters more than the main one. Gerald, possibly with some form of learning difficulty, is semi-vagrant and semi-squatting in their father’s house after his death and delaying the inevitable sale of the property was a delight. And Carol, the ex-wife, was wonderfully self-obsessed – having left Christopher following an affair and marrying her lover, she proceeds to ask whether Christopher would donate sperm for her.
“We don’t have to have sex, if that’s what’s bothering you. You can jerk off into a beaker. That’s no problem”
“You make it sound so tempting.”
Eventually we are introduced to Alex Canning, investigating the life of Owen Goddard, the editor of the title, with whom Christopher was acquainted twenty years previously when he was writing his novel after quitting university. And whose wife, Diana, he fell in love with.
Chambers chose to use a particular device here – one which, thankfully, she rejected for Small Pleasures. Flinders had written out in longhand the events of his entanglement with the Goddards. 150 pages of it. Which he had kept for over a decade in his loft. And which he delivers to Canning; and which Chambers delivers to us. Lock, stock and barrel. Only once it is complete do we return to the present day to discover the aftermath of the love affair and of the issues raised with Gerald and Carol.
What didn’t work for me, in terms of plotting, was the management of these two strands. Flinders’ account of his love affair was rather peremptory and lacked the depth of emotion or worldbuilding that I had loved in Small Pleasures. And Flinders was a rather unlikeable narrator in this second section: naive at best in his introduction of literary London society in which he is wholly at sea, and in his assumption that visiting Diana with whom he readily accepted he had come to love was unproblematic:
The fact that I was falling in love with the wife of my mentor and friend, a man who had gone out of his way to help me, and shown me nothing but kindness, didn’t trouble my conscience at all.
His decision not to act on his feelings was lauded (by himself) as “the highest compliment”. But a compliment that evaporated extraordinarily quickly in the narrative. This was so different to the characters of Small Pleasures, so desperate not to act in a way which was “shabby” to one another and possibly a reflection of the time period – my recollection of the 1980s was that is lauded self-interest above self-sacrifice, perhaps.
In fact, the speed and pace of his falling in love, the development of the affair, the inevitable resolution and emotional trauma resultant on it was rather startling. These seismic events were dispatched rather quickly, and flatly and emotionlessly with none of the passion and the immediacy of feeling that I had enjoyed in Small Pleasures. This is, I suppose, consistent with the form here, being – a what? report? memoir? first draft of an autobiography? cathartic healing process? – a manuscript written in hindsight and from a distance, but it did distance me as a reader. There was none of the gorgeous evocative depiction of the time period – and perhaps 1985 inherently held less charm and appeal than the 1950s that still remembered the Blitz – nor as much social satire in this novel.
There was a rather sudden twist in the final part which I won’t dwell on or give any details about, but it was not quite as well handled as I would have liked – it felt that Chambers was shoe-horning in a happy ending without quite laying enough of a foundation. It became… insecure, even if I was ultimately glad that the characters did obtain their happy ending.
What I did love in the final part was the depiction of one memorable evening in Yorkshire when, despite being such a loner, Christopher is visited and is forced to house not only Gerald who arrives on a rain-sodden evening but also Carol who has rowed with her husband, and Alex Canning who, heavily pregnant, has arrived to collect the 150 page manuscript before being trapped by floodwaters over the ford as the telephone lines go down and mobile reception is non-existent. The evening of music, Trivial Pursuits, the weather forecast, communal cooking, bickering and reconciliation was lovely.
The novel suffers, I think in a split focus: is this the novel about the love between Christopher and Diana, or is it a novel about the Flinders family. In fact, Chambers is exquisite at those strained but still loving family relationships both here and in Small Pleasures – Jean Swinney and her mother were a wonderfully realised pair, as were Christopher and both Gerald and Carol.
It is perhaps unfair to compare the two novels so much – and re-reading this review I really have! – but they do explore very similar emotional landscapes that it feels inevitable. It was certainly not a bad book at all and I did enjoy reading it. It has, however, left me willing to read another Chambers if I come across one, not desperate to catch up on her back catalogue.
What I Liked
The secondary characters, Gerald and Carol, and Christopher’s relationships with them – some of the dialogue between them was wonderfully judged!
The setting in a literary world.
The flooded-in communal dinner in Part Three.
What Could Have Been Different
The plotting and pacing of the first part was very meandering and could have been tighter.
The use of the manuscript to narrate the love affair did not, to my mind, work as well as it could have!
The twist in the final part could have been more … credible and convincing.
https://bookloverssanctuary.com/2021/...
September 16, 2021
How is this my first Clare Chambers book?? I was instantly intrigued by the synopsis so when I received a Netgalley of THE EDITOR'S WIFE, I dove right in!
We follow Christopher and his journey of becoming a writer. Along the way, he meets a publishing house editor, Owen and eventually Owen's wife, Diana. Thus begins a dance between friendship, lust, and love.
I'll be honest. Not a whole lot happens in this book but I was still so hooked that I looked forward to lights out every night so I could grab my Kindle and get sucked back into this world Chambers created. Her writing is so fluid and her characters so realistic. This is my first book by Chambers and it most certainly will not be my last!
We follow Christopher and his journey of becoming a writer. Along the way, he meets a publishing house editor, Owen and eventually Owen's wife, Diana. Thus begins a dance between friendship, lust, and love.
I'll be honest. Not a whole lot happens in this book but I was still so hooked that I looked forward to lights out every night so I could grab my Kindle and get sucked back into this world Chambers created. Her writing is so fluid and her characters so realistic. This is my first book by Chambers and it most certainly will not be my last!
October 26, 2021
Having read Small pleasures and really enjoyed it I thought I would try some other books by Clare . I enjoyed this one and loved the dry sense of houmour throughout the book. I found it an easy read and read it in a couple of days.
Christopher once was an aspiring author encouraged to finish a novel by Owen an Editor who took him under his wing along with his wife Diana they formed a friendship. The story is told in a series of flashbacks (20 years later) after someone contacts him wanting to know more about Owen as they were writing a piece on them.
Not a lot happens in the book but Clares' writing is mesmerising . A lovely story
Christopher once was an aspiring author encouraged to finish a novel by Owen an Editor who took him under his wing along with his wife Diana they formed a friendship. The story is told in a series of flashbacks (20 years later) after someone contacts him wanting to know more about Owen as they were writing a piece on them.
Not a lot happens in the book but Clares' writing is mesmerising . A lovely story
April 26, 2023
I love the author's writing style and was drawn into the lives of the characters whose personalities and interrelationships feel real and interesting.
Christopher is a maths student who drops out of university to write his novel, much to his family's dismay, but finds himself spending so much time trying to make ends meet through menial jobs that he has little time and inclination to write. Witnessing his struggles, editor Owen takes him under his wing, providing moral and financial support.
Now divorced and living in rural Yorkshire, Christopher is approached by an academic who is researching Owen, and this is how we come to learn the closely guarded secrets of that period and Christopher's life since.
An engaging and satisfying read.
Christopher is a maths student who drops out of university to write his novel, much to his family's dismay, but finds himself spending so much time trying to make ends meet through menial jobs that he has little time and inclination to write. Witnessing his struggles, editor Owen takes him under his wing, providing moral and financial support.
Now divorced and living in rural Yorkshire, Christopher is approached by an academic who is researching Owen, and this is how we come to learn the closely guarded secrets of that period and Christopher's life since.
An engaging and satisfying read.
August 17, 2021
I really enjoyed this gently comical novel about aspiring and slightly flawed novelist Christopher Flinders. It is witty and entertaining and, through different timelines in the protagonist���s life, the reader is introduced to a diverse bunch of characters and relives Chris’s many misadventures. Though there were times when I was wondering where the novel was going, it was ultimately a satisfying read.
November 5, 2021
I only read Clare Chambers or Anne Tyler now evidently and that's fine by me.
December 30, 2021
This was very enjoyable, although the storyline wouldn't work in these days of following acquaintances on social media. Gerald, the main protagonist's brother, was a fantastic character.
June 6, 2022
Underbart språk, vilka formuleringar! Jag läste svenska översättningen så vilken bra översättning gissar jag.
June 17, 2022
One of those books that is best read rather than listened to on audible as the presentation was simply awful - emphasis on all the wrong words, mispronunciation and horrible chuckling. Dreadful.
February 19, 2023
The perfect book to get me back into reading after a break and just not being in the mood to read. If I could give half a star I would give it 4.5 as at times I found it difficult to put down.
June 7, 2024
Stunning read, lovely characters and spontaneous childbirth which is so fun.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2023
I found this book easy to read and I wanted to see how the story would develop. I wasn’t a massive fan of Christopher even though he was the main character, I much preferred Gerald and would have liked for his character to develop further and to explore their relationship. Some parts of the story frustrated me and I didn’t like the ending as I felt it was too easy and a little cliche. That being said I would read other books by this author in the future.
November 3, 2023
3,5
A pleasant romance with well written characters
A pleasant romance with well written characters
October 22, 2024
I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to read another Clare Chambers book. What a treat, she has such a way of crafting charming and hilarious and real characters.
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