The Winds of Heaven

nice edition and clear, legible print

I am a fan of Persephone books, and this is one of my favorites. This story is about a widow, Louise, in 1940s England. Her husband died, leaving her penniless. She therefore splits her time between her three daughters, who are all condescending to her, and resent having to help their mother. She also goes to a friends inn on the Isle of Wight during the winters, paying a reduced rate. Louise feels like she is imposing on everybody, primarily because her family makes her feel that way. She has one son-in-law, a farmer, who actually enjoys her and is warm and loving to her. Louise makes friends with a bed salesmen in a department store, and their relationship eventually develops into her mainstay. Naturally, her family thinks hes beneath her. The character development in this book was outstanding. Louises husband had been a difficult, disrespectful, and deceptive husband, and all three daughters have grown up without a lot of character, all showing a lack of respect for their mother. Louise has no self-esteem, and would like to get a job to support herself, but the rest of the family believe that that is out of the question - shes too old, and their social status would be hurt. THe story is told with a lot of empathy, and the book held my interest until the end. I highly recommend it.

Louise, the heroine of this novel, is a widow who must rely on her adult daughters for shelter and food, because her husband left her penniless. Unfortunately, shes completely spineless, and her daughters are relentlessly selfish and mean-spirited. Though theres a bit of a romance in the book, theres not enough of it, and plowing through all those pages of people being nasty to each other--well, its not much of an escape from todays world!