Song of the skylark (by Erica James)

(Amazon UK link)

With a few exceptions, I like Erica James’ novels very much. I’m glad I decided to reread them over the past couple of years. The two I liked least first time around proved to be rather more interesting than I had thought. And those I enjoyed the first time have been every bit as readable and moving as they were the first time.

I first read ‘Song of the skylark’ in 2016, and had entirely forgotten both the characters and the storyline. But I did recall having liked the book. This time, it was compulsive reading; it’s not a short book, but I finished it in just three days. 

Lizzie is the main character, and she’s a very well-drawn one with plenty of faults. We first meet her when she’s feeling sorry for herself after losing her job. She’s aware that she hasn’t behaved well - an affair with one’s married boss is not generally recommended - but she still feels that she was treated badly. Her former boss, Curt, hasn’t lost his job and he’s said he’ll stay in touch. He has said he will leave his wife, and Lizzie trusts him implicitly. 

Meanwhile she’s gone to live with her parents temporarily, since she can no longer afford any rent. She’s applied for lots of other jobs in London, but with no luck. So her mother suggests she volunteer at a local care home, where they encourage visitors to chat to residents, and generally help out. Lizzie isn’t keen on this idea, but decides, with bad grace, to try it out. On the first day she meets Mrs Dalloway, who’s in her late 90s. Lizzie nearly tips Mrs Dalloway out of her wheelchair, but not quite. And they get talking. 

Lizzie’s former job was as a researcher, and she’s very good at asking basic leading questions. She’s also very good at listening. And Mrs Dalloway tells a good story. Her name is Clarissa, and she was born in the United States, although her mother was English. At 19, having lost both her parents, she decides to visit England and see if she can meet her estranged British grandparents. Her only relative in the US is her wealthy American grandmother. 

From this point, Lizzie’s story is interspersed with Clarissa’s, which is in stark contrast. She crosses the Atlantic in a luxury liner in the spring of 1939. There are rumours of war in Europe, but she doesn’t really believe it. She meets the film star Effie Chase and her two good friends, Ellis and Artie. For the first time in her life, she feels free, and is determined to be more confident and outgoing. 

Her visit to her English grandparents starts with a disaster, but gradually they become close… and she can no longer easily return to the US once war is declared. But she’s full of courage and determination. She persuades her grandparents to take in two German Jewish refugee boys, and she meets and falls in love with an airman… 

The story takes place over several visits, and in between we see Lizzie as she starts thinking about her life and what she might do long-term. She’s made a lot of mistakes and hurt a lot of people. But Mrs Dalloway’s story makes her feel rather humbled. 

There are other characters in the book: I liked Lizzie’s parents very much, and her young nephew Freddie, too. Lizzie has a twin brother Luke, who is far more laid-back and peaceloving than she is. Luke is married to the rather uptight Ingrid who likes her life to be organised and efficient, and who disapproves of Lizzie’s lifestyle. So there are family dynamics and stresses going on, covered in a realistic and mostly encouraging way.

When I read a dual-timeframe story, I sometimes skim the ‘past’ sections a bit, as I find the ‘now’ chapters more interesting. But in this book I was gripped by Clarissa’s story, which is full of war-related tragedy; nothing gratuitous but a lot that’s very moving. It makes Lizzie realise how her own problems are quite minor by comparison, and gives her the impetus to start being more positive about herself and her relationships.

There’s a bittersweet - but entirely expected - ending, and much that’s left open as far as Lizzie is concerned. But I didn’t mind that. She’s grown and changed in the course of just a few weeks, and the outcome for her is positive, whatever happens.

Definitely recommended if you like character-based women's fiction.

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