William: An Englishman by Cicely Mary Hamilton
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Blurb
A naive couple, full of indignation at the state of Britain before the First World War, honeymoon in France and get overtaken by the onset of the war. It’s a rude awakening. The author served in France during the war, and wrote this whilst the war raged around her.
Review
I love Persephone Books and I have a dream that one day I will manage to read the entire collection! I suspect I won’t manage it but I live in hope.
I really enjoyed this book and I would have happily read it in just two or three sittings but it took me slightly longer because I read it during my daughters morning naps.
William is a social activist but he didn’t find this path by himself and sadly he only parrots the opinions of others and never comes up with anything like his own opinions. During his work he meets Griselda who is also a social activist and who has done several spells in prison fighting for women’s rights. However, Griselda is also like William and only parrots the options of others and never forms her own opinion. They believe themselves heroic and fighting for the good of many but they never sacrifice anything and only rant and rave in front of people who agree with them. Unexpectedly they find themselves in the middle of WWI and their worlds are turned upside down.
Hamilton gently makes fun of William and Griselda. She mocks their activism and their idealism in the beginning of the novel. However, as the book progresses you start to only feel sympathy for Griselda and William. They are victims of war and Hamilton shows anger towards the people who started it.
I enjoyed this book because it was a wonderful eye opener into what life was like during WWI but it was also a harrowing read and I was brought to tears quite a few times while reading it. I really enjoyed Hamilton’s writing style and I hope to read more of her work soon. I give this book 4 out of 5 Dragons.
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About the author
Cicely Mary Hamilton (born Hammill), was an English author and co-founder of the Women Writers’ Suffrage League.
She is best remembered for her plays which often included feminist themes. Hamilton’s World War I novel “William – An Englishman” was reprinted by Persephone Books in 1999.
She was a friend of EM Delafield and was portrayed as Emma Hay in “A Provincial Lady Goes Further.”
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