The Light Years

By Elizabeth Jane Howard

Told with exceptional grace, The Light Years is a modern classic of twentieth-century English life and is the first novel in Elizabeth Jane Howard’s extraordinary, bestselling family saga, The Cazalet Chronicles.

'Compelling, moving, unputdownable . . . Maybe my favourite books ever' - Marian Keyes, bestselling author of My Favourite Mistake

1937. Every summer, the Cazalet brothers – Hugh, Edward and Rupert – return to the family home in the heart of the Sussex countryside with their wives and children. There, they are joined by their formidable parents and unmarried sister Rachel to enjoy two glorious months of picnics, games and sun-drenched excursions to the coast. But not even this idyllic setting can soothe the siblings’ fears and heartache.

Hugh, haunted by memories of the Great War, is terrified at the looming prospect of a second; Edward, charming and handsome, is torn between his wife and his latest infidelity; and Rupert, a talented painter, is in turmoil over his inability to please his demanding new wife. Meanwhile, Rachel’s unflinching loyalty to the family means risking her one chance at happiness . . .

'She helps us to do the necessary thing – open our eyes and our hearts' – Hilary Mantel, bestselling author of The Mirror and the Light

The Light Years is the first volume in the extraordinary Cazalet Chronicles. Continue the dazzling historical series with Marking Time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Release date: Mar 18, 2011
• ISBN: 9780330527262

Elizabeth Jane Howard

Elizabeth Jane Howard was the author of fifteen highly acclaimed novels. The Cazalet Chronicles – The Light Years, Marking Time, Confusion, Casting Off and All Change – have become established as modern classics and have been adapted for a major BBC television series and for BBC Radio 4. In 2002 Macmillan published Elizabeth Jane Howard's autobiography, Slipstream. In that same year she was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. She died, aged 90, at home in Suffolk on 2 January 2014.

Reviews for The Light Years

[elliem_31 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This easy to read chronicle (there are 4 parts) was hugely enjoyable and according to my mother (who lived through The england of those years as a young adult) pretty authentic. Five out of five stars

[lara335 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Impressive period detail of a privileged family in the 1930's.

[wassilissa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Die Cazelet-Chroniken sind das bekannteste Werk von Elizabeth Jane Howard. Dieses Buch ist der erste Band. Titel und Aufmachung lassen an ein recht kitschiges Werk denken. Tatsächlich ist das Buch aber sehr klug geschrieben, die Charaktere glaubhaft und ausgezeichnet dargestellt. Es geht um eine Großfamilie aus der englischen oberen Mittel- oder unteren Oberschicht kurz vor dem Ausbruch des zweiten Weltkrieges. Jahr für Jahr kommt der ganze Clan im Sommer auf dem Landsitz der Familie in Sussex zusammen. E gibt die Großeltern, die „der Brig“ und „die Duchy“ genannt werden, sowie zwei Söhne, die beide in der Firma des Vaters arbeiten. Hugh ist kriegsversehrt und glücklich mit Sibyl verheiratet. Obwohl Hugh als Person nicht wirklich unbeschwert sein kann, ist sein Familienleben doch harmonisch und alle Beteiligten, die Gattin Sibyl, die Kinder Polly und Simon sowie dann der neugeborene Will, sind ausgesprochen positive Figuren. Edward hingegen ist ein notorischer Fremdgeher. Er ist mit Villy verheiratet, die für ihn ihre Karriere als Ballerina aufgegeben hat. Sie hadert durchaus mit ihrer Situation und auch die Kinder sind anspruchsvolle und vielschichtige Charaktere. Rupert, der jüngste Sohn, ist Maler und arbeitet als Lehrer. Als seine erste Frau und Mutter der beiden Kinder starb, heiratet er später die sehr junge und mittellose Zoe, deren Schönheit und Unbedarftheit ihn anzog. In dieser Familie ist die Situation etwas schwierig, da Zoe von niemandem sehr geschätzt wird und es im Familienclan nicht leicht hat. Beim zweiten Landaufenthalt kommen noch Villys Schwester Jesica mit ihren Kindern Angela (eine wunderschöne Neunzehnjährige, die sich in Rupert verliebt), Christopher (der Kriegsdienst ablehnt), Nora (die Nonne werden möchte) und Judy dazu. Außerdem ist da noch die siebenunddreißigjährige Schwester Rachel, die unverheiratet ist, aber sehr herzlich befreundet mit der Musikerin Sid. Rachel ist in unendlich selbstloses und freundliches Wesen, ihre Liebe zu Sid, die aber von ihrer Seite aus rein platonisch ist, ist ihr größtes Glück. Hinzu kommen Dienstboten, die Hauslehrerin usw.Dieser ganze Familienclan ist anfangs sehr unübersichtlich und selbst am Ende musste ich noch manchmal im Glossar nachschlagen. Doch es gelingt der Autorin ganz ausgezeichnet, jedem einzelnen eine eigene unverwechselbare Persönlichkeit zu geben und auch die Zusammenhänge zwischen den Personen plausibel darzustellen. Ganz große Klasse! Ich würde am liebsten sofort die anderen Bände lesen. Auch Elizabeth Jane Howard hatte ein sehr aufregendes Leben, das wohl in jungen Jahren diesem Buch etwas entspricht.

[fliss88_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this, and even though I'd seen the first volume dramatised as a television series before reading the book, I still enjoyed the reading! This is the sort of novel I really like, full of lots of characters, mostly from the same big sprawling British family, set around the time just prior to the second World War. The Cazalet family have made their money in the timber industry, and as war becomes an ever increasing possibility, the threat to their business and to the family, are the main concerns of Mr. Cazalet senior and his sons. The women in the family all have their own secret worries which they struggle with alone, all in the name of keeping up appearances. Can't wait to read the other four books in this series.

[timjones_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A beautifully written and very engrossing novel which introduces the members of the upper-middle-class English Cazalet family in the years just before World War II. Elizabeth Jane Howard does a brilliant job of delineating the various characters, especially the girls and women.The threat of war looms behind this novel. Many characters in "The Light Years" are looking for something to change their lives, something to open up new possibilities: I look forward to reading in the remaining volumes of The Cazalet Chronicles how these characters react to the new possibilities, whether terrible or enticing, that World War II opens up for them.

[rosalita_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Cazalets are a trio of brothers — Hugh, Edward, and Rupert — along with their various wives and children. Hugh and Edward work in the family lumber business, while Rupert struggles to make ends meet as a schoolteacher and erstwhile painter. True to Tolstoy's famous words, each of their at least somewhat unhappy family units is unhappy in its own unique way. Hugh and his wife Sybil love each other deeply but are utterly incapable of telling the truth to each other, thus doomed to forever be doing things neither of them wants to do because each of them thinks the other does. Edward is a cad, a hound, who never met a woman he didn't want to bed, while his wife Viola (completely oblivious to Edward's dalliances) wonders why she gave up her life as a professional dancer for domestic drudgery. Rupert's still mourning his first wife, who died giving birth to their youngest, and trying to keep his children and his very young, very beautiful, very shallow second wife happy. And then there's Rachel, the unmarried sister who keeps house for their still-living parents.The next generation of Cazalets have their own problems, from thwarted dreams of theatrical fame to bullying at public school to dealing with a stepmother who wishes you would just disappear. And lest we forget the elders, Cazalet Sr. and his wife are finding life tough going as well, as all of this family drama plays out against the faint drumbeats of the impending Second World War.Whew! There is a lot going on here, and I didn't even mention the various intrigues and dramas that surround the servants. And yet, it never seemed too much and I found myself equally absorbed by nearly every character's storyline, which is rare. As you might expect in the first of five connected novels, there's a fair bit of scene-setting and character exposition to plow through, but the family tree and cast of characters at the front of the book got a good workout from me until I could finally keep them all straight.With the combination of upstairs and downstairs stories along with the early 20th century setting, I couldn't help comparing the Cazalets to the Granthams of Downton Abbey, although a bit lower down on the social scale. The best thing I can think of to say about it is that all of the characters seemed like real people, with real joys and real concerns. I didn't like them all, but I understood them and recognized them for what they are. I will certainly be continuing with the series.

[alisonb60 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Much ado about nothing.

[clue_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Cazalet Chronicles is a series of five novels that follow the lives of an affluent English family from 1937 through 1947. The series was dramatized on the BBC and PBS in 2001. [The Light Years], the first in the series, takes place in 1937 and 1938. The Cazalet family includes Hugh and Kitty and their four grown children and young grandchildren. Most of the book takes place on the family estate although three of the adult children live in London. The three sons are all married with children and the one daughter is single and lives with her parents. As time has gone by she has assumed more and more responsibility for running the home and farm. Unknown to the family, she is having an affair with another woman. Howard captures the time leading up to WWII through conversations among the family members. At first there is little concern but by 1938 most of the family is beginning to realize England could be invaded. Plans are hurriedly being made to provide additional living quarters so the children, their tutor and a few other relatives could live on the estate if London comes under siege. Some members of the Cazalet family are thought to be based on Howard's own family and difficult childhood. She touches on several serious issues including parental jealousy and what may be the start of an incestuous relationship.

[pokarekareana · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book reminds me of a soap opera for several reasons. There are a lot of characters - each has their own role to play but I spent the first half of the book flipping back to the family tree at the beginning. Some of the characters were lovely, and others did and said things so ridiculous I wanted to hit them with the book. Howard is very good at creating tension, which is happily resolved in the end, but anyone with an ounce of historical knowledge knows that this is bound to be short-lived. My fellow Brits will know what I mean when I say that I could almost hear the EastEnders "doof-doofs" as I read the last few pages. My bugbear for this book was that a few events were left unresolved, and I really hope these are picked up again in the next three books, because this family has a lot of secrets and I'd be disappointed if they never got to air their dirty laundry!I'd definitely recommend this book - I stayed up very late two nights in a row to finish it!

[welsh_eileen2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I hadn't read any Cazalet chronicles,but of course had heard of the stories, so was looking forward to reading this.I was not disappointed.The narrative is strong as are the characters.I look forward to reading more volumes.I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Open Road Integrated Media via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.

[sianpr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

1st part of family saga set just before the start of WW11. Howard tells a good story.

[arielfl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I picked this up because I read an article about the author, Elizabeth Jane Howard, who recently passed away. This book series was compared to Downton Abbey and Elizabeth was described as a forerunner to Julian Fellowes. After reading this book I can say it was very Downton in that it described the coming and goings of the upstairs and downstairs residents on an English estate on the eve of WWII. It also made me appreciate what a tight story Julian tells. On Downton a scene is never wasted and so much occurs in an hour show. The book on the other hand had some draggy parts. The story centers on three brothers, their wives, assorted children, and the help. As a wife of one of three brothers (the middle) I could appreciate the sister in laws story the most. The novel unfolds over the course of two summers and you get to learn a lot about the characters. Some you like and some you really don't. Although parts of the story were slow, whenever I was about to give up there would be some shocking revelation that would capture my attention again. Homosexuality, adultery, child sexual abuse, and pet murder all plague the Cazalet family. This was more of a 3.5 read for me but I am bumping it up to 4 because I am interested in reading the next novel in the series. For me this book suffered from a lot of set up and get to know the characters. Now that I know who's who I think the story can be followed more easily.

[erin.patel · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I really wanted to like this book, the first in a saga following a family in England just prior to the Second World War. It had some really strong characters, all with their own internal conflicts, and the themes were interesting too. That is, it sounded interesting. Its just that the story (or the plot) lacked...plot!? The book just went on and on and yes, the characters experienced some growth, there were horrible things that happened, such as a still born baby and sexual abuse by a philandering father...terrible, terrible things which should have made me feel more, but the writing didn't allow me to. It was like the incessant rambling of an old grandmother than everyone has stopped listening to long ago (although I listen to everything my nonna says!). The chapters were really long, which I don't like and although big things supposedly happened, they were surrounded with little things that were just boring. I read to about halfway, decided I didn't really care what happened and then stopped reading.

[gogglemiss · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first of the Cazalet Chronicles, and I really enjoyed it.I especially liked reading about the younger members of the families, funny and poignent.So very British and politeness personified, beautifully written, I really can't wait to read the next instalment.

[smiler69 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book of the Cazalet Chronicles, a family saga about the Cazalet family clan living very comfortably thanks to a family business—this prompting me to think of them henceforward as another set of Forsytes (see The Forsyte Saga), another British family clan living comfortably from the fruit of their trade. It starts in the late 1930s while Europe is on the brink of WWII. Most of the actions takes place during two consecutive summer family vacations, when the whole clan and extended members are gathered at their Sussex family home. There are three generations of Cazalets, with spouses and their families plus the servants and various employees to keep track of, and while I usually have quite a bit of trouble remembering who is who when there are more than a handful of characters, this was more or less easily done here, as each of the characters is very well drawn and has a unique individual story. The children are busy at their games and worries; about going back to school and attendant bullying for the boys, while the girls are dreaming up their future career options given the minimal education they are offered; acting, being a nun, nursing are a few options. Their elderly impoverished teacher with a face like a toad and a heart of gold was a personal favourite. Their fathers, three Cazalet siblings, are all veterans from WWI. The eldest is badly affected by his war wounds and suffers from debilitating headaches (how I empathized with him!), the second is an inveterate womanizer who descends into downright disgusting lechery, while the third and youngest (and comparatively poor) brother has married a very young girl who seems to offer nothing but her beauty after tragically losing his first wife, and badly failing to establish his painting career. Their unmarried sister meanwhile is charged with caring for her elderly father who is slowly losing his eyesight but not ready to relinquish his post of command, while she is also involved in a chaste love affair more or less sanctioned by the family. These are innocent times, when the menace of oncoming war seems more like a fictional possibility than a real threat, though by the second summer, in 1938, when the German annexation of Czechoslovakia seems inevitable and before the signing of the Munich agreement, preparations for an assault are underway at the Cazalet compound just in case Chamberlain's meeting with Hitler doesn't go so well and London must be evacuated. All in all, a very satisfying piece of historical fiction seen through a modern writer's eye, so that things which would have been left unsaid by a contemporary writer are here fully revealed. This very much brought to mind another favourite female British author's work, The Camomile Lawn by Mary Wesley, which was also written in the late 20th century; it too is about a large family clan with the story beginning during innocent pre-war summer holidays, here taking place in Cornwall. The fifth book in the Cazalet Chronicles was published recently and I will almost certainly make my way to it with time. Thanks to Suzanne and Heather for strongly recommending this series of novels. I should also mention that the narration by Jill Balcon was delightful.

[annejacinta · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a very nice easy read. Main characters are clearly developed, with lots of threads from the past and links to those around them. Behaviour is suitably mixed for a wealthy family in pre war England. There is satisfying complexity produced by Howard, cleverly done considering we know the general plot. Nothing is too black and white, there is suspense but the pace is slow and things eventuate more realistically than in some similar TV series.

[paradiseporch · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This wonderful book is the first the series known as the Cazalet Chronicles.The Cazalet family: Hugh, Edward, Rupert & unmarried sister Rachel all return each summer to their parents' home in Sussex for two months of games and relaxation (although Hugh & Edward work in London during the week.)The cousins go on small adventures, we begin to know and understand the individual families & their members, as well as the family as a whole. (I used the provided family tree a lot for this first book.) Not a lot happens, but so much does. I loved this gentle story. My dilemma: to read the rest of the set immediately, or string them out to make them last? (The author is deceased so there will be no more.)Thanks so much to Joules Barnham at Northern Reader who drew my attention to this saga.

[jnwelch_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In 1937, there are fears in England of a war with Germany to come, although most dismiss it as unthinkable after the widespread suffering from the first World War. In The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard, the first of a four book series, the extended Cazalet family meets at their Sussex estate presided over by pater familias the Brig, and the Duchy, Kitty, his wife. We quickly come to know the three married sons, handsome and philandering Edward, who nonetheless loves his wife, the dissatisfied former dancer Villy; Hugh, honest to the bone and badly wounded in the Great War, married to pregnant Sybil, who is dedicated to making him happy; Rupert, infatuated with his young and self-centered bride Zoe; and their sister, Rachel, unmarried and attracted to her best gal pal. In addition, there are many well-drawn children who apparently move more to center stage in the later books, including the bonded-together cousins Louise, Polly and Clary. There also are a multitude of servants with significant roles. Luckily a character tree of "The Cazalets and their Households" is provided at the beginning of the book. I found myself turning back to it many times before I comfortably remembered each without it.The writing is smooth and engaging throughout. The reader quickly gets enticed into the setting and into caring about the family."Most of Rupert's and Zoe's day was very good. They drove to Rye, quite slowly . . . They drove past fields of wheat with poppies and fields of hops that were nearly ripe, through woods of oak and Spanish chestnut and lanes whose high banks, thick with wild strawberries and stitchwort and ferns, and hedges decorated by the last of the dog-roses bleached nearly white by the sun, through villages with white clinker-built cottages with their gardens blazing with hollyhocks and phlox and roses and small gray churches with yew and lichen-covered tombstones and sometimes a pond with white ducks, past fields of early hay, steaming manure and brown and white chickens finding things to eat. Sometimes they stopped, because Rupert wanted to look properly at things, and Zoe, although she didn't really know why he wanted to, sat contentedly watching him. She loved his throat with the large Adam's apple, and the way his dark blue eyes narrowed when he was staring at things and the small half apologetic smile he gave her when he had looked long enough, let in the clutch and resumed driving."Rupert has talent as a painter, but can't spend much time on it because of the need to support Zoe. Zoe was one of my favorite characters, as she starts out very young, pretty and self-indulgent, but learns enough from her mistakes that she begins to change and mature by the end of the novel. Each of the characters is skillfully given full individuality, and that, and the absorbing details of place and time, are the strengths of the novel. The reader comes to understand the various family members and their effect on each other and the local populace. Always hovering in the background is the impending war that most fervently hope will never become reality. One character remembers his four years in France during the last war, when "he had always been wet and nearly always frightened, when he had seen things done to men that he wouldn't stand seeing done to an animal, when the land had been nothing but rats and lice and mud and blood . . ."They pin their hopes on Neville Chamberlain, and we all know how that turns out. Hugh's young daughter Polly is rightly terrified of what is to come, and he talks to her honestly about contingency plans being made, while reassuring her they are only that. Afterwards, he thinks, "Good God, what a conversation to have with your thirteen year old daughter." The honest portrayal of the multi-faceted Cazalet family in pre-war England makes for a topnotch read. I'll be continuing on to the remaining three.

[northern_light-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first in the series telling the story of the Cazalet family and their servants. In this first book we are introduced to the Brig and the Duchy, their four children and spouses and the grandchildren. As such it at first is very confusing trying to work out who is related to who and how, I found myself constantly checking the family information at the beginning of the book.

As time went on the story develops and it doesn't always seem important to know the intracacies of the relationships. Set mainly in the countryside ring the summer holidays the tension of the upcoming war is never far away. Two of the sons served in WWI and so fear what will happen if war comes again especially as Hugh was injured and is still dealing with the consequences.

The women are shown to be almost trapped by what is expected of them, to be wives and mothers with little left of themselves. This is a problem in particular for the wife of the youngest son Rupert as Zoe struggles with being a second wife and step-mother and younger than her sisters-in-law. The only daughter Rachel still lives with her parents and appears to be the maiden aunt loved by all her nieces and nephews but has a secret life which she cannot share with them.

We also have an insight into the lives of the servants and my favourite character was the aging governess Miss Milliment who lives a very lonely life and lives for the children she teaches. What is it in her past that has made her as she now is.

The ending was both poignant and beautiful and I can't wait to see how their lives develop in the coming books.

For fans of Remains of the Day and Downton Abbey

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Better than I expected. This is the story of the extended Cazalet family. Every summer the three brothers, Hugh, Edward and Rupert, take their families home to their childhood home in the heart of Sussex. This is the tale of two summers; 1937 and 1938 and the interwoven stories of their lives and loves.The story is told from the point of view of the pivotal character in the scene. It head-hops like crazy and it's sometimes a bit jarring to work out who is the character but after a while I got into the rhythm of the story and it flowed well for me.I like the characters, I cared for (most of) them, this is a book from an era I enjoy reading about, having grown up reading John Creasey and and Leslie Charteris among others and I was surprised to see that this was published in 1990, it felt pitch perfect.I was surprised how much I enjoyed this read, I wasn't expecting it.

[adonisguilfoyle · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Between this and Shirley, I didn't think I was ever going to finish reading a book again! Still, I shall probably plough on with the rest of the series. The Cazalet Chronicles reminds me a lot of The Camomile Lawn - a rather middle class family facing the advent of World War Two - only with less sex and a lot more pages. I don't quite believe in any of the characters, but they are fun to read about (and read and read and read). The only shocking part of the novel was the German maid's somewhat stereotypical (and unnecessary) revenge against her employers!