Lisa's Reviews > Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont

Many of us have heard that Bette Davis quote “Old age is not for Sissies,” pointing out that aging is not a straightforward journey. It requires a willingness and ability to acknowledge the inevitable challenges of advancing years and to change with the circumstances.

Taylor's last novel, Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont is an exquisitely written story of the narrowing of life as one ages. I am thoroughly impressed with the writing. Each word, each paragraph, each scene is masterfully put together and layered into a complete picture. She has enough humor in her tale to keep me from drowning in a morass of sadness.

I appreciate how Taylor sketches out all of her characters: the absurd Mr. Osmond, scribbling reactionary letters to newspapers; the jolly drunk Mrs. Burton, pressing the bell for whiskey; the domineering Mrs. Arbuthnot, who spitefully condoles Mrs. Palfrey when she has no visitors. I see how each character deals with their fear, their loneliness and their disappointments in life. Taylor is sympathetic with the different ways in which the Claremont's residents respond to loneliness, financial worries, and failing health and captures their foibles and fascination with other people’s lives.

Mrs. Palfrey handles her feelings a bit differently. I appreciate how she accepts the reality of her life--that her beloved husband has passed away, that she doesn't have a meaningful relationship with her only child or her grandson, that she isn't wealthy and that she does have enough means to get by at the Claremont, and that for now she is physically strong enough to get out and about.

I love her connection with Ludo, my other favorite character here, how they come to be friends and truly care for each other, and their abilities to fill a void in each other's lives. I value that this young man can see beneath the wrinkles and the gray hair to the intelligent, caring woman that Mrs. Palfrey is. What a loss for Mrs. Palfrey's family to not really know her!

Just a sample of Taylor's prose and a peek into Mrs. Palfrey's mind and heart:

"Mrs. Palfrey lay and listened to the murmur of a married couple in the next room. it was unrhythmical and intermittent, an exchange grown casual and homely over the years. She knew--looking back--how precious it could be, though not valued at the time. His low voice sometimes ran along with her lighter, more floating one, speaking at the same time, and then for minutes they fell silent, moved about the room, opened and shut drawers: things were put down, dropped; furniture pushed about. The two were settling in for the night peaceable, and at their accustomed pace; and Mrs. Palfrey, hearing them, felt lulled and comforted."

This quote taken from the Booker Prize's website sums up this novel perfectly: "Elizabeth Taylor’s ruthlessly observant study of eccentricity in old age is by turns savagely witty, joyfully funny and heartbreakingly sad."

Buddy Read with Jeannie.

Publication 1971