{"id":1440,"date":"2016-06-03T10:52:46","date_gmt":"2016-06-03T05:22:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fableandi.com\/?p=1440"},"modified":"2020-02-23T19:44:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-23T14:14:00","slug":"south-riding-by-winifred-holtby-old-yorkshire-life-and-reforms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebooksatchel.com\/south-riding-by-winifred-holtby-old-yorkshire-life-and-reforms\/","title":{"rendered":"South Riding by Winifred Holtby – Old Yorkshire life and Reforms"},"content":{"rendered":"
South Riding <\/em> is a sprawling portrait of provincial life in England between the wars. It is impossible to write in a few words what the book is about. This is a book that deviates from the strict structure of a novel and branches out into chapters dealing with the life of different country folks. The character list is huge and I was skeptical about how the novel would hold together. But let me assure you Winifred Holtby has managed the huge cast of characters brilliantly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The hero of\u00a0the novel (a bit more mentioned that the other folks) is a hardworking proud farmer Robert Carne \u2013 an alderman struck with a crumbling financial situation wedded to a wife from a wealthy family, now admitted in a mental asylum. Carne refuses to be pitied and works to better the living conditions of those who elected him while his counterpart Snaith is a greedy councilor who puts personal benefit over social service. Presiding over these political (and personal) games is the kind hearted Mrs. Beddows who wants the best for the villagers. Added to this are a variety of characters- Lydia Holly (voracious reader who had to drop out of school to take care of her seven siblings after her mother\u2019s death), Huggins (who had a love affair with Bessie and is now subject to blackmail), Madame Hubbard (who teaches girls ballet with ridiculous songs), Sawdon family (with the wife having a big secret), and so many more that it is impossible to note down all here. Last but not the least is Sarah Burton, our fiery heroine (if one may call her so) and the new school headmistress\u00a0who has many modern ideals in mind for the school and yet falls hopelessly in love with one of her fiercest opponents. There is an undercurrent of the fear of war throughout because all have lost something valuable because of the war and still nurse unhealed wounds.<\/p>\n