Treasures Of Time

While one of Lively's earlier novels, "Treasures of Time" is beautifully written. Lively brings wit and intelligence to comments on culture and character, and is also equally adept at descriptions of nature and settings. The comments are made by her characters, and are consistent with who they are. Lively's characters are apt to switch their thoughts from the present to the past and back without notice, but also without awkwardness or confusion. What stood out in this novel was how major decisions may be built up by the slow accretion of experience and reflection. I am thinking primarily of Tom's decision to leave Kate, but also of his career change.

This book, from 1979, concerns the ramifications of the production of a TV program (okay, television programme) about Hugh Paxton, a 5 years dead archaeologist who had made a major discovery about ancient England. Hugh's daughter, Kate, and her fiance, Tom (who is an historian studying for his thesis a 17th century antiquarian/archaeologist) come down to Hugh's old home to visit Hugh's widow, Laura, and her crippled sister, Nellie. Laura turns out to be a truly awful woman, portrayed with catty gusto in a way which seems unique to women writers. (If a man wrote of Laura the way Lively does he would be called a raging misogynist.) Anyway, Laura is terrible to both Kate and Nellie, very controlling but also incredibly stupid, and a raging bore to boot. Kate is emotionally stunted, presumably partly due to Laura, while Tom is a bit vague and unfocussed. Nellie, it turns out, was another archaeologist, and in love with Hugh, and on the evidence Hugh probably (but we can't be quite sure) carried on an affair with her after his marriage to Laura soured. Over several months, the television programme production progresses, Tom works toward his degree, his relationship with Kate hits some rocks, while secrets about Hugh and Nellie and his discoveries seem ready to burst dangerously into the open. The resolution is emotionally sensible, though a bit understated -- it seemed to me that some guns shown on the mantel were left unfired. But it's a very nice book, and all the main characters come through very strongly, though I did think at times the portrait of Laura seemed almost of necessity a caricature. Certainly I will be reading more Lively.

A truely great work of understated beauty by a writer of grace and style.