The Camomile Lawn

Five cousins gather at their Aunt Helena's and Uncle Richard's home on the Cornish coast as they have almost every summer in their relatively short, innocent lives. It is August, 1939, and while war looms, they are very much aware they may never meet again like this, all together, on their aunt's sweet-smelling camomile lawn. Author Mary Wesley uses the device of two intertwining narratives to tell her tale. The last summer days before WWII merge into life in war torn London and Cornwall, and the plot reflects the changes that take place in all the characters as the conflict and violence impact their lives. This storyline is intertwined with another, set in the mid-1980's, over a period of two days as the surviving members of the group gather for a funeral. The reminiscences of those gathered fill in the interval between the beginning of the war and the present. "The Camomile Lawn" is a well written, intricate soap opera, of sorts, which illustrates how the uncertainty of war and the heightened sense of one's mortality allow for unconventional behavior and impact the social mores of the times...sort of a "live each day as if it were the last" philosophy. I enjoyed the novel, especially the well drawn characters and highly recommend it. JANA

My very first Mary Wesley and I enjoyed it very much. The characters are somewhat unorthodox but I feel that it adds to the flavour of the book. It was a fun read and I certainly plan to read more of Mary Wesley. Highly recommended.

I found this to be a delightful story ,set firstly in just pre-war England,about a group of cousins and how they interact with each other as the war begins. I wonder if the sexual licenses taken were really a reflection of how young people felt at that time--live for all your worth today for tomorrow we'll probably be dead-- or would it have happened an any case.You really come to grips with these characters as the book is written by a woman in her 70's who HAS lived and obviously knows what she's writing about. Great read and I'll be looking for more by Mary Wesley--a woman after ny own heart.

..and I loved it. I particularly like English settings during World War II, and this wasn't a disappointment! The adventures and misadventures of a group of cousins during the war, the sexual tension and attraction between two of them, and the general soap opera atmosphere is told in flashbacks by the cousins' elderly aunt as she is on her way to a funeral, the funeral of her own wartime lover. The book itself reminded me of "The Cazalet Chronicles" series by Elizabeth Jane Howard, which I also highly recommend, though with racier language. This is the first of Mary Wesley's novels that I have read, but it certainly won't be the last.

Vividly paints a picture of wartime life in London and rural England, from the point of view of some unorthodox characters. It is one of my all-time favourite books - not because it is particularly 'literary' or a great classic, but because it is such an absorbing and touching read. All Mary Wesley's books are good, but this one is by far the best