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A Book of Fragile Beauty.
This novel contains many moments of peace and beauty, but all of them are menaced in some way. It is in the nature of Victorian society that most people should go to Church and that “Christian” phraseology be widely used, even to justify abuse. Persons in authority ignoring the awful warning of Matthew 18.6 are commonplace throughout the story. Kindness, where shown, is not always accompanied by sufficient courage either. Probably, no matter what century you are in, the number of people going to church and dedicating their lives to “good works” in the name of Christ is a distinctly unreliable guide to the number of true Christians around at the time. Consciously or not, the author illustrates Matthew 18.6 almost perfectly.
Those characters who show both kindness and courage shine through, despite their flaws and sometimes ambiguous status in Victorian society. The author also does a very good job in presenting the importance of the performing arts in an era where life can be dreary and grim even for the wealthy. In our our lives of constant music and almost unending entertainment, we have lost this and I think it’s a loss that matters.
Lily: A Tale of Revenge by Rose Tremain is published by Vintage of the 11th of November 2021.
