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Passing Bells #1
The Passing Bells
From the well-kept lawns, rich woodlands, and gracious halls of Abingdon Pryory, from the elegant charm of summer in London's Park Lane to the devastation of Ypres and the horror of Gallipoli, this is the story of the Grevilles - two generations of a titled British family and their servants - men and women who knew their place, upstairs and down, until England went to war and the whole fabric of British society began to unravel and change.
527 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
179 people are currently reading
3397 people want to read
About the author
Phillip Rock
18 books29 followersPhillip George Rock was born in Los Angeles on 30 July 1927. He grew up in Beverly Hills and England, returned to America in 1940, and served in the U.S. Navy towards the end of World War II.
His first on-screen credit was for Escape from Fort Bravo (1953), directed by John Sturges and starring William Holden and Eleanor Parker. Rock then concentrated on writing novels and, in 1967, published his first: The Extraordinary Seaman.
MGM adapted The Extraordinary Seaman to the big screen in 1969. The film was poorly received and Rock is said to have vowed never to have another of his books made into a movie. Instead, Rock reversed the process and wrote a number of film novelizations for Popular Library and Bantam before turning again to writing novels.
Rock wrote a trilogy of novels — The Passing Bells, Circles of Time, and A Future Arrived — which followed the lives of the Stanmores of Abbingdo, an English family whose history Rock charted from the days of World War I to the Jazz era. The first novel was a Book of the Month Club alternate selection.
Rock died in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, on 3 April 2004, aged 76, of complications from cancer. He was survived by his son, Kevin, and two grandchildren.
His first on-screen credit was for Escape from Fort Bravo (1953), directed by John Sturges and starring William Holden and Eleanor Parker. Rock then concentrated on writing novels and, in 1967, published his first: The Extraordinary Seaman.
MGM adapted The Extraordinary Seaman to the big screen in 1969. The film was poorly received and Rock is said to have vowed never to have another of his books made into a movie. Instead, Rock reversed the process and wrote a number of film novelizations for Popular Library and Bantam before turning again to writing novels.
Rock wrote a trilogy of novels — The Passing Bells, Circles of Time, and A Future Arrived — which followed the lives of the Stanmores of Abbingdo, an English family whose history Rock charted from the days of World War I to the Jazz era. The first novel was a Book of the Month Club alternate selection.
Rock died in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, on 3 April 2004, aged 76, of complications from cancer. He was survived by his son, Kevin, and two grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 311 reviews
April 19, 2014
I love a good mystery. I just didn’t know that I would be so personally engaged in one for over thirty years.
In 1980, a read a book about an aristocratic English family during WWI that I absolutely adored. I was so enthusiastic about it that I promptly loaned it to my best friend who never thought of it again until about a year later when I asked for it back. She had no idea where my copy was. I was devastated. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to write down the title or author. I could only remember that bell was in the title.
Decades passed and the book never left my list of “to find titles.” When Internet search engines and online used book stores became available to me I searched again to no avail. Last month I was perusing the new release table at Barnes & Noble and a book title jumped out at me. The Passing Bells sounded vaguely familiar so I read the back description and checked the copyright date. “Originally published in 1978.” I stood and stared at the cover in stunned silence. I had found it again. It was a book miracle.
I immediately download a copy to my NOOK and commenced reading. After a long and unyielding quest I wondered if time had romanticized my memory. Had The Passing Bells become my Holy Book Grail?
The summer of 1914 will mark the last days of a privileged way of life for many English aristocrats and the working class who served them. Political unrest is looming on the continent, but at Abingdon Pryory, the palatial grand manor house of the Greville family in Surrey, the pleasures of the ruling class continue as parties, dances and romances are in full swing. The lord of the manor, Anthony Greville, 9th earl of Stanmore rides his favorite hunter Jupiter through his vast estate while his wife Hanna Rilke Greville, Countess Stanmore, plans the debut season in London of their beautiful young daughter Alexandria and worries about her eldest son Charles, whose studies at Cambridge and determination to marry Lydia Foxe, a wealthy local girl with no family connections are foremost on her mind. Up for a weekend in the country are family friends Captain Fenton Wood-Lacy of the Coldstream Guards, hard up for cash and seeking a bride, and the eccentric wife of the Marquees of Dexford and her dowdy youngest daughter Winifred hoping to spark a romance with the heir. Interestingly, Hanna’s American nephew Martin Rilke, a young journalist from Chicago, arrives for a summer holiday and we see this truly English family from a new perspective.
Downstairs there is an army of servants maintaining the ancient estate and the lives of their upstairs employer in grand style. A new maid Ivy Thaxton is learning the ropes in the hierarchy of the servant class while chauffeur Jamie Ross tinkers with Rolls Royce engines and dreams of submitting patents of his designs.
The tug and pull of the family dynamics soon expands to a wider field with the outbreak of WWI. We travel to northern France with Captain Wood-Lacy with his battalion and Martin Rilke as a newspaper reporter and witness the chaotic beginnings of the war and the devastating losses at Ypres. At home, the Greville’s neighbor, wealthy businessman Archie Foxe, uses his food empire and knowledge of distribution to aid the war effort becoming even wealthier. As all the young men are enlisted for King and Country, and the young women are employed in the cities, the staff at Abingdon Pryory dwindles down to a skeleton crew. The ladies do their part and daughter Alexandria and housemaid Ivy enlist in the women’s nursing units.
The narrative covers between 1914-1920, and we are witness to more warfare with the soldier Charles Greville and reporter Martin Rilke who witness the massive military blunders and tragic loss of thousands of lives at Gallipoli in Turkey and through the balance of the war. The effect on the home front by those who must bear the devastating personal losses and changes to a way of aristocratic life that will never be again is equally as compelling and heart wrenching. Even with all the destruction of life, family and country there is hope and romance for a few of the main characters.
Philip Rock is a fabulous writer. His screenwriting skills are wholly apparent on every page. He moves the story swiftly on with a directorial eye by including just enough fact and emotion to keep you glued to the page and engaged at every moment without looking back. Even though there are many characters and plot lines running concurrently I was able to keep up and enjoy all the great historical detail and the amazing characters that he developed. My favorites were Fenton and Martin; both men of honor and integrity who represented outsiders to the Greville family whose objective perspectives were similar to narrator Charles Ryder in Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited.
I am happy to say that my melancholy sentiments might have clouded my judgment just a tad while re-reading, but after 30 plus years, it was all that I remembered and more—a book to cherish and read again. Intriguing and intoxicating, The Passing Bells is a future American classic that I encourage anyone interested in historical fiction and first rate storytelling to read immediately. I am looking forward to the next two books in this trilogy: Circles of Time and A Future Arrived.
Laurel Ann, Austenprose
In 1980, a read a book about an aristocratic English family during WWI that I absolutely adored. I was so enthusiastic about it that I promptly loaned it to my best friend who never thought of it again until about a year later when I asked for it back. She had no idea where my copy was. I was devastated. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to write down the title or author. I could only remember that bell was in the title.
Decades passed and the book never left my list of “to find titles.” When Internet search engines and online used book stores became available to me I searched again to no avail. Last month I was perusing the new release table at Barnes & Noble and a book title jumped out at me. The Passing Bells sounded vaguely familiar so I read the back description and checked the copyright date. “Originally published in 1978.” I stood and stared at the cover in stunned silence. I had found it again. It was a book miracle.
I immediately download a copy to my NOOK and commenced reading. After a long and unyielding quest I wondered if time had romanticized my memory. Had The Passing Bells become my Holy Book Grail?
The summer of 1914 will mark the last days of a privileged way of life for many English aristocrats and the working class who served them. Political unrest is looming on the continent, but at Abingdon Pryory, the palatial grand manor house of the Greville family in Surrey, the pleasures of the ruling class continue as parties, dances and romances are in full swing. The lord of the manor, Anthony Greville, 9th earl of Stanmore rides his favorite hunter Jupiter through his vast estate while his wife Hanna Rilke Greville, Countess Stanmore, plans the debut season in London of their beautiful young daughter Alexandria and worries about her eldest son Charles, whose studies at Cambridge and determination to marry Lydia Foxe, a wealthy local girl with no family connections are foremost on her mind. Up for a weekend in the country are family friends Captain Fenton Wood-Lacy of the Coldstream Guards, hard up for cash and seeking a bride, and the eccentric wife of the Marquees of Dexford and her dowdy youngest daughter Winifred hoping to spark a romance with the heir. Interestingly, Hanna’s American nephew Martin Rilke, a young journalist from Chicago, arrives for a summer holiday and we see this truly English family from a new perspective.
Downstairs there is an army of servants maintaining the ancient estate and the lives of their upstairs employer in grand style. A new maid Ivy Thaxton is learning the ropes in the hierarchy of the servant class while chauffeur Jamie Ross tinkers with Rolls Royce engines and dreams of submitting patents of his designs.
The tug and pull of the family dynamics soon expands to a wider field with the outbreak of WWI. We travel to northern France with Captain Wood-Lacy with his battalion and Martin Rilke as a newspaper reporter and witness the chaotic beginnings of the war and the devastating losses at Ypres. At home, the Greville’s neighbor, wealthy businessman Archie Foxe, uses his food empire and knowledge of distribution to aid the war effort becoming even wealthier. As all the young men are enlisted for King and Country, and the young women are employed in the cities, the staff at Abingdon Pryory dwindles down to a skeleton crew. The ladies do their part and daughter Alexandria and housemaid Ivy enlist in the women’s nursing units.
The narrative covers between 1914-1920, and we are witness to more warfare with the soldier Charles Greville and reporter Martin Rilke who witness the massive military blunders and tragic loss of thousands of lives at Gallipoli in Turkey and through the balance of the war. The effect on the home front by those who must bear the devastating personal losses and changes to a way of aristocratic life that will never be again is equally as compelling and heart wrenching. Even with all the destruction of life, family and country there is hope and romance for a few of the main characters.
Philip Rock is a fabulous writer. His screenwriting skills are wholly apparent on every page. He moves the story swiftly on with a directorial eye by including just enough fact and emotion to keep you glued to the page and engaged at every moment without looking back. Even though there are many characters and plot lines running concurrently I was able to keep up and enjoy all the great historical detail and the amazing characters that he developed. My favorites were Fenton and Martin; both men of honor and integrity who represented outsiders to the Greville family whose objective perspectives were similar to narrator Charles Ryder in Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited.
I am happy to say that my melancholy sentiments might have clouded my judgment just a tad while re-reading, but after 30 plus years, it was all that I remembered and more—a book to cherish and read again. Intriguing and intoxicating, The Passing Bells is a future American classic that I encourage anyone interested in historical fiction and first rate storytelling to read immediately. I am looking forward to the next two books in this trilogy: Circles of Time and A Future Arrived.
Laurel Ann, Austenprose
December 9, 2012
England, 1914. The world is slowly changing, but not so much for the residents of Abingdon Pryory. Anthony Greville, 9th earl of Stanmore, married a rich American heiress to wife to keep the estate and his lifestyle as tradition demands. Their eldest son is in love with the wrong sort of woman (her father’s in trade!), but otherwise things run as they always have – both upstairs and down. But, the sabers are rattling in Germany and everything begins to change, and the walls between the haves and the have-nots slowly crumble.
“A door’s been slammed shut and it will never open again.”
And that’s pretty much all the outline I care to give, read it for yourself – but be warned, this is not a pretty war and if you’re looking for a light and fluffy read with a picture perfect HEA ending, I suggest you pass this one by. War is definitely hell, and you’ll see it on the battlefield, in a field hospital (those who remember M.A.S.H. should have an idea), and in the mental hospitals where many of the soldiers ended when their minds couldn’t copy any longer with the horror.
The author has a good blend of characters, and uses them to full advantage, showing the reader how the war affected all walks of life. I especially liked the addition of the Greville’s American nephew-in-law as a war correspondent, giving a fresh prospective from a neutral observer (well, mostly neutral since the US eventually enters the war. This book is the first in a trilogy originally published in the 1980s, and has been dusted off and republished for the Downton Abbey train. Have tissue handy for the last 100 or so pages.
“Let there be rung the passing bells to call the living, to mourn the dead.”
Oh, sniff. War is hell.
“A door’s been slammed shut and it will never open again.”
And that’s pretty much all the outline I care to give, read it for yourself – but be warned, this is not a pretty war and if you’re looking for a light and fluffy read with a picture perfect HEA ending, I suggest you pass this one by. War is definitely hell, and you’ll see it on the battlefield, in a field hospital (those who remember M.A.S.H. should have an idea), and in the mental hospitals where many of the soldiers ended when their minds couldn’t copy any longer with the horror.
The author has a good blend of characters, and uses them to full advantage, showing the reader how the war affected all walks of life. I especially liked the addition of the Greville’s American nephew-in-law as a war correspondent, giving a fresh prospective from a neutral observer (well, mostly neutral since the US eventually enters the war. This book is the first in a trilogy originally published in the 1980s, and has been dusted off and republished for the Downton Abbey train. Have tissue handy for the last 100 or so pages.
“Let there be rung the passing bells to call the living, to mourn the dead.”
Oh, sniff. War is hell.
March 30, 2017
My rating on this book is mixed- 4 stars for the similarity to Downton Abbey Season 1; which I thoroughly enjoyed and 3 stars for the gritty horrors of the Great War; which was just a bit more than I cared for although it was extremely well written.
May 14, 2014
I know a lot of people love this book but it just wasn't for me.
I found it rather slow and choppy and the characters cardboard. I really didn't care what happened to them and when its WW1 and people might die and that's your reaction, well, there's really no point in continuing.
But because I absolutely looooove the cover art (theres sound reasoning for you :) I fully intended to slog through it regardless, but the third F bomb sealed it for me (and for those who care, the profanity is moderately strong throughout : D, H, B, S, C, GD so the F bombs were just the icing on the cake)
I made it to page 226.
I found it rather slow and choppy and the characters cardboard. I really didn't care what happened to them and when its WW1 and people might die and that's your reaction, well, there's really no point in continuing.
But because I absolutely looooove the cover art (theres sound reasoning for you :) I fully intended to slog through it regardless, but the third F bomb sealed it for me (and for those who care, the profanity is moderately strong throughout : D, H, B, S, C, GD so the F bombs were just the icing on the cake)
I made it to page 226.
March 2, 2013
I am just now discovering that this novel and its sequels are more than 30 years old... long before Downton Abbey and WWI came into vogue. Nonetheless, it is one of the best written, most vivid novels I have ever read. Mr. Rock's deep characterizations, political insights and sad, bitter truthes are beyond classic. As a DA fan, a reader of Fall of Giants by Ken Follett and re-reader of Barbara Tugman's Guns of August recently I found this sadly honest and completely disarming. I cannot recall when I have cared more about characters, felt their pain and joy more and shared their miseries and frustrations so deeply on a personal basis. The Earl and Hanna, Charles, Alex, Lydia, Fenton, Winifred, Ivy and Martin live in my mind as if they were close friends. The blind adherence to the "old way", the terrifying experience of the trenches and the calculating manipulation of those in power is portayed exquisitely, recalling images not only of Downton, but "Paths of Glory" and even more recent anti-war exhibits such as Mash. Anyone with an eye to history, a sense of humanity and a desire to read something you will regret closing at night MUST read this. I eagerly await "Circles of Time"... Volume II and consider this a classic to compete with the best novels of the 20th Century!
March 17, 2013
First in a trilogy set in England just before and during World War I, depicting an aristocratic family and those below stairs who serve them.
http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/201...
Readers seeking other Downton Abbey-like books can check out my list here: http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/201...
http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/201...
Readers seeking other Downton Abbey-like books can check out my list here: http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/201...
July 8, 2014
An excellent read, why did I wait so long to read it?
July 24, 2020
In the summer of 1914, the people of England had no idea that their way of life was about to be shattered irrevocably. This book follows a group of people from prewar splendor through the cultural cataclysm of World War I. Which of the old morals and manners will they keep, which will they tcast aside? Who will survive, not only physically but mentally, emotionally, or socially?
February 19, 2017
A really good WWI book. Sometimes, the war scenes were so long and complex that I got a little bogged down, but I loved the characters and their different stories. This is a plot-driven book, too, so it didn't hit me on an emotional level, but it was entertaining and interesting throughout.
January 14, 2013
First published in 1978, The Passing Bells has gotten a new lease on life, thanks to the popularity of the BBC show Downton Abbey. As you can see from the description, this book is being marketed as similar to Downton, and, thankfully, there is some truth in that. However, the focus in The Passing Bells is much more on history than on romantic drama. The Passing Bells reads more like Herman Wouk's Winds of War in a Downton-like setting.
The Passing Bells gets off to a rather slow start, introducing the myriad characters, but not delving too deeply to any one of them. This portion before the war is most reminiscent of Downton Abbey, but was also my least favorite part, because it lacked drama to pull me in and I did not yet know the characters well enough to be more than mildly interested in them. Given the 500+ pages in the book, I feared I might regret my decision to be on the tour for all three novels in this series, but, thankfully, the novel picked up for me about 150 pages in.
In Downton Abbey, WWI happens largely off-screen, and it's over quite quickly. The show races through history, but Rock lingers. He does not gloss over the war or keep the perspective more on the romances. He also shows off more of the dark side of war, which may have been his goal in composing the series. Rock highlights this time period as the turning point in England from the time of the landed estates to a more modern sensibility.
The Passing Bells encompasses the whole of WWII, with an emphasis on the first couple years of the conflict. The characters in The Passing Bells have roles in the war that range from soldier to nurse to doctor to journalist to living a slightly reduced life back in England. There's a great scope of British experiences during the war, all done very well. If you love historical fiction about World War I, The Passing Bells is a must read.
Rock develops a good cast of characters, some of whom are even reminiscent of characters in Downton Abbey, like Lydia who reminds me a lot of Lady Mary at her most scheming. I do wish there were more of an even focus on the female characters. The men receive a lot more attention than the women, who mostly appear only in relation to the male characters. The book does pass the Bechdel test, but only just barely.
Rock's The Passing Bells is a family drama of large scope that poses serious questions about the nature of modern warfare. History fans will not want to miss this. I am looking forward to reading the next installment of the trilogy quite soon.
The Passing Bells gets off to a rather slow start, introducing the myriad characters, but not delving too deeply to any one of them. This portion before the war is most reminiscent of Downton Abbey, but was also my least favorite part, because it lacked drama to pull me in and I did not yet know the characters well enough to be more than mildly interested in them. Given the 500+ pages in the book, I feared I might regret my decision to be on the tour for all three novels in this series, but, thankfully, the novel picked up for me about 150 pages in.
In Downton Abbey, WWI happens largely off-screen, and it's over quite quickly. The show races through history, but Rock lingers. He does not gloss over the war or keep the perspective more on the romances. He also shows off more of the dark side of war, which may have been his goal in composing the series. Rock highlights this time period as the turning point in England from the time of the landed estates to a more modern sensibility.
The Passing Bells encompasses the whole of WWII, with an emphasis on the first couple years of the conflict. The characters in The Passing Bells have roles in the war that range from soldier to nurse to doctor to journalist to living a slightly reduced life back in England. There's a great scope of British experiences during the war, all done very well. If you love historical fiction about World War I, The Passing Bells is a must read.
Rock develops a good cast of characters, some of whom are even reminiscent of characters in Downton Abbey, like Lydia who reminds me a lot of Lady Mary at her most scheming. I do wish there were more of an even focus on the female characters. The men receive a lot more attention than the women, who mostly appear only in relation to the male characters. The book does pass the Bechdel test, but only just barely.
Rock's The Passing Bells is a family drama of large scope that poses serious questions about the nature of modern warfare. History fans will not want to miss this. I am looking forward to reading the next installment of the trilogy quite soon.
November 8, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2022
This was the *epitome* of Downton Abbey reading and I loved it. The story was interesting and the characters were all so different but memorable. I especially loved the character arch of Alexandria and her romance with the swoony doctor. I could’ve done with less war descriptions and journal entries though. I will definitely continue in the series, this was fun.
August 10, 2021
#1 in The Passing Bells Trilogy. Rated 4 stars. Compelling historical fiction set during WWI. First published in 1978 and possibly the inspiration for Downton Abbey. The writing style is very similar to one of my favorite authors R F Delderfield.
April 22, 2013
I didn't know quite what to expect from "The Passing Bells." The comparisons to Downton Abbey drew me in but the potboiler description on Amazon and the cheesy covers from the original 1970s release almost kept me from requesting it for Christmas. I thought I might be getting myself into a John Jakes-type saga with thin historical value. Fortunately, I did request it - "The Passing Bells" is one of the best novels I've read about the Edwardian Era/WWI. I'm certain that almost all readers will find something to love in this well-written and surprisingly moving novel.
The first 150 or so pages are pure Downton Abbey territory - so much so that I found myself wondering if Julian Fellowes has read the book. There's the noble Lord Stanmore, who follows the old ways and keeps his emotions in check; his beloved American wife, the Countess and their eldest daughter Lady Alexandra who is concerned with gowns, parties and finding a husband but who will develop much more depth and character as the story progresses. Book One introduces all the main characters, including the Countess' American cousin, Martin who has traveled to Europe to make his name as a writer.
The pace is slow, suited to the way life was lived in the summer of 1914 and, like Downton Abbey, we move between upstairs and downstairs, seeing the very clear class differences. Rock does an admirable job of working the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand into conversations, allowing the reader to understand how the people of 1914 viewed far-off foreign events without the benefit of hindsight. In one of my favorite scenes in the book, we follow two main characters through London as war is declared - it's a sweeping, emotional moment that captures the excitement of the young who didn't know how the war would change their world.
Book Two focuses on the war experiences of several main characters and makes for an abrupt shift in tone. The battle scenes are intense and graphic - in clear contrast to the leisurely pace of Book One. For a time, it was difficult to keep track of all the different storylines and locations. I felt as though I was reading two completely different novels set next to each other. Book Three starts in 1916 and begins to unify the tone of the novel. Rock never really settles on one lead character - his style is intensely cinematic, like a camera lens moving in and out to focus on particular moments during the war.
I did find myself far more interested in his male characters than in his female characters - the women aren't as interesting and well-developed - and his handling of the three central romances in the book could be described as somewhat juvenile. The scenes dealing with relationships stray close into embarassing romance-novel level prose.
That said, I was always engaged in the story and raced through the last half of the book in about a day. The tone of the characters' speech, the period details, the progression of their emotions as the war worsens always felt true to life and the close of the novel is absolutely devastating. I immediately went over to Amazon and ordered the next book "Circles of Time" so that I can find out what happens to the characters in the 1920s and will be hard-pressed to wait until February 5th when the final book in the trilogy "A Future Arrived" is released.
The first 150 or so pages are pure Downton Abbey territory - so much so that I found myself wondering if Julian Fellowes has read the book. There's the noble Lord Stanmore, who follows the old ways and keeps his emotions in check; his beloved American wife, the Countess and their eldest daughter Lady Alexandra who is concerned with gowns, parties and finding a husband but who will develop much more depth and character as the story progresses. Book One introduces all the main characters, including the Countess' American cousin, Martin who has traveled to Europe to make his name as a writer.
The pace is slow, suited to the way life was lived in the summer of 1914 and, like Downton Abbey, we move between upstairs and downstairs, seeing the very clear class differences. Rock does an admirable job of working the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand into conversations, allowing the reader to understand how the people of 1914 viewed far-off foreign events without the benefit of hindsight. In one of my favorite scenes in the book, we follow two main characters through London as war is declared - it's a sweeping, emotional moment that captures the excitement of the young who didn't know how the war would change their world.
Book Two focuses on the war experiences of several main characters and makes for an abrupt shift in tone. The battle scenes are intense and graphic - in clear contrast to the leisurely pace of Book One. For a time, it was difficult to keep track of all the different storylines and locations. I felt as though I was reading two completely different novels set next to each other. Book Three starts in 1916 and begins to unify the tone of the novel. Rock never really settles on one lead character - his style is intensely cinematic, like a camera lens moving in and out to focus on particular moments during the war.
I did find myself far more interested in his male characters than in his female characters - the women aren't as interesting and well-developed - and his handling of the three central romances in the book could be described as somewhat juvenile. The scenes dealing with relationships stray close into embarassing romance-novel level prose.
That said, I was always engaged in the story and raced through the last half of the book in about a day. The tone of the characters' speech, the period details, the progression of their emotions as the war worsens always felt true to life and the close of the novel is absolutely devastating. I immediately went over to Amazon and ordered the next book "Circles of Time" so that I can find out what happens to the characters in the 1920s and will be hard-pressed to wait until February 5th when the final book in the trilogy "A Future Arrived" is released.
June 29, 2023
4.5⭐️
Downton Abby with a lot of grit. Ordered the next two in series.
Highly recommend!
Downton Abby with a lot of grit. Ordered the next two in series.
Highly recommend!
March 18, 2015
I have mixed feelings about this book!
I really liked the historical/World War I element. I learned more about the frustrations with the way the war was 'managed' rather than fought strategically and the huge losses that resulted. However, the characters themselves did not become 'real' to me and I couldn't engage with them (on the whole).
The author attempts to show how the world war changed Europe and much of the world not only politically and geographically, but socially and culturally.
The women in this book were not portrayed in a sympathetic or admirable manner (which causes me to question how well the author knew women...)
"Hanna listened to the stuttering roar of a car engine as the machine receded down the driveway toward the Abingdon road a mile away. That would be Lydia and Alexandra leaving for London, she reasoned correctly, refilling her coffee cup from a silver pot. She did not entirely approve of women driving cars, although more and more of them were doing so these days... Alexandra had begged that she be given driving lessons, but the countess had refused to allow it."
Ivy Thaxton, a servant who becomes a nurse to serve in France, is contrasted with Alexandra Greville, an earl's daughter whose sheltered life predisposes her to fainting when she also signs up for nursing the wounded. Lydia Foxe, a prosperous heiress, is manipulative and unfaithful, a character no one would want to emulate.
The book is written from the perspective of several of the main characters, switching back and forth between life in England, life as a war-correspondent-journalist, and life as an officer in the trenches.
"The lord's fist came down on the stack of journals like a hammer.
"We will win. We'll win because if we do not, we cease to exist as a nation, let alone as an empire. The man in the street wants this war to be won. There is firm resolve on that point, and neither this newspaper nor any other will print stories that serve to undermine that determination by castigating our military leadership and eroding the people's faith in the army to win through...eventually."
Martin smiled wryly and took from his pocket the tiny white feather and let it drift to the table.
"Part of that resolve you're talking about, I suppose. It was shoved into my hand outside Waterloo Station by a very pretty girl."
"It's symptomatic, yes. I can't say that I approve of that kind of badgering, but it does reveal what the civilian population feels about this war. They want an all-out effort - every young man of fighting age in uniform, the Boche and the Turk on the run, no matter what it takes. They read the casualty lists ... no one draws the wool over their eyes on that bloody score. They know how many lads died at Aubers Ridge ... Neuve-Chapelle... and are dying now in the Dardanelles, and they would hang any newspaperman in effigy who told them that those men died for nothing."
Martin (an American journalist) became my favorite character, but his personal life could have been better illustrated. The end of the book has a surprise for the reader that would have been much more interesting had we been given more details to help the reader identify with Martin's tragic circumstances.
I do want to read the next book in the series, despite the fact that this novel at times for me, was a bit hard to swallow. Although there were some scenes that were too graphic for me (scenes I was able to skip over), it kept my interest and I found that I want to learn more about the battles fought in World War I.
I really liked the historical/World War I element. I learned more about the frustrations with the way the war was 'managed' rather than fought strategically and the huge losses that resulted. However, the characters themselves did not become 'real' to me and I couldn't engage with them (on the whole).
The author attempts to show how the world war changed Europe and much of the world not only politically and geographically, but socially and culturally.
The women in this book were not portrayed in a sympathetic or admirable manner (which causes me to question how well the author knew women...)
"Hanna listened to the stuttering roar of a car engine as the machine receded down the driveway toward the Abingdon road a mile away. That would be Lydia and Alexandra leaving for London, she reasoned correctly, refilling her coffee cup from a silver pot. She did not entirely approve of women driving cars, although more and more of them were doing so these days... Alexandra had begged that she be given driving lessons, but the countess had refused to allow it."
Ivy Thaxton, a servant who becomes a nurse to serve in France, is contrasted with Alexandra Greville, an earl's daughter whose sheltered life predisposes her to fainting when she also signs up for nursing the wounded. Lydia Foxe, a prosperous heiress, is manipulative and unfaithful, a character no one would want to emulate.
The book is written from the perspective of several of the main characters, switching back and forth between life in England, life as a war-correspondent-journalist, and life as an officer in the trenches.
"The lord's fist came down on the stack of journals like a hammer.
"We will win. We'll win because if we do not, we cease to exist as a nation, let alone as an empire. The man in the street wants this war to be won. There is firm resolve on that point, and neither this newspaper nor any other will print stories that serve to undermine that determination by castigating our military leadership and eroding the people's faith in the army to win through...eventually."
Martin smiled wryly and took from his pocket the tiny white feather and let it drift to the table.
"Part of that resolve you're talking about, I suppose. It was shoved into my hand outside Waterloo Station by a very pretty girl."
"It's symptomatic, yes. I can't say that I approve of that kind of badgering, but it does reveal what the civilian population feels about this war. They want an all-out effort - every young man of fighting age in uniform, the Boche and the Turk on the run, no matter what it takes. They read the casualty lists ... no one draws the wool over their eyes on that bloody score. They know how many lads died at Aubers Ridge ... Neuve-Chapelle... and are dying now in the Dardanelles, and they would hang any newspaperman in effigy who told them that those men died for nothing."
Martin (an American journalist) became my favorite character, but his personal life could have been better illustrated. The end of the book has a surprise for the reader that would have been much more interesting had we been given more details to help the reader identify with Martin's tragic circumstances.
I do want to read the next book in the series, despite the fact that this novel at times for me, was a bit hard to swallow. Although there were some scenes that were too graphic for me (scenes I was able to skip over), it kept my interest and I found that I want to learn more about the battles fought in World War I.
January 1, 2016
This book has repeatedly been recommended to Downton Abbey fans; also the front cover of the new edition says: "Before Downton Abbey, there was Abingdon Pryory..." As I am a hardcore Downton Abbey fan and upon reading Laurel Ann's review, I knew I must read this trilogy. And, I ordered all three books without hesitation, because I prefer reading all parts of a series, even if it's very likely that I won't love all parts equally. Anyway, I am currently reading the third instalment; so, I don't have an opinion of the whole series yet. Nevertheless, I wanted to share my thoughts about the first part as soon as possible. Also, I thought that this review would be just perfect for me to return to my neglected blog and to you.
First of all and most important, I must warn you that if you're expecting a Downton Abbeyish experience, you will be disappointed. This book differs in many ways from Downton Abbey, even though it seems rather obvious that Julian Fellowes, the screenwriter of Downton Abbey must have read this trilogy and it must have inspired him. However, in my humble opinion, Phillip Rock's The Passing Bells clearly surpasses Downton Abbey. [Continue reading]
First of all and most important, I must warn you that if you're expecting a Downton Abbeyish experience, you will be disappointed. This book differs in many ways from Downton Abbey, even though it seems rather obvious that Julian Fellowes, the screenwriter of Downton Abbey must have read this trilogy and it must have inspired him. However, in my humble opinion, Phillip Rock's The Passing Bells clearly surpasses Downton Abbey. [Continue reading]
October 30, 2015
No spoilers.
Along with my love of fantasy and sci-fi I read a good deal of historical novels, however, I have not come across many these days that i have an interest in reading. Unfortunately, nothing is being produced by Wouk, Jakes, and of course writers such as Michener and, Clavell are gone. Other writers pit out books every few years if you are lucky.
Anyway I read a blurb on this series which is more than 30 years old. Picking up the first volume, and going to page 100, I though that most of Downton Abbey's script came from this book, however, once the WWI begins the book takes quite a turn and really delves into the ineptness of military leadership, the carnage and senseless loss of life, while exploring the character development.
The book ends just after the war and several twists in the final pages. This book is no Winds of War, and War and Remembrance, although does a fine job with presenting the First World War in fictional form, I wish it could have been longer.
Off to the next volume.
Along with my love of fantasy and sci-fi I read a good deal of historical novels, however, I have not come across many these days that i have an interest in reading. Unfortunately, nothing is being produced by Wouk, Jakes, and of course writers such as Michener and, Clavell are gone. Other writers pit out books every few years if you are lucky.
Anyway I read a blurb on this series which is more than 30 years old. Picking up the first volume, and going to page 100, I though that most of Downton Abbey's script came from this book, however, once the WWI begins the book takes quite a turn and really delves into the ineptness of military leadership, the carnage and senseless loss of life, while exploring the character development.
The book ends just after the war and several twists in the final pages. This book is no Winds of War, and War and Remembrance, although does a fine job with presenting the First World War in fictional form, I wish it could have been longer.
Off to the next volume.
January 19, 2013
In the summer of 1914, Europe stands poised on the brink of any abyss, rumors of war poised to become a reality. But in England, the aristocratic Greville family is thoroughly occupied with more mundane, familial matters -- the romantic entanglements of the heir, Charles, and the upcoming social season that will see the debut of only daughter Alexandra. Fenton Wood-Lacy, eldest son of the architect responsible for restoring Abingdon Pryory, faces losing his commission in the Coldstream Guards and financial ruin unless he can marry money, and quickly. Lydia Foxe, only daughter and heiress of the bourgeois Archie, the business genius responsible for White Manor Tea Shops, enjoys the attentions of the dashing Fenton but is determined to legitimize her family's fortune by marrying into the peerage, and her target of choice is the lovelorn Charles. Into this rarefied world of privilege come to unlikely outsiders -- Ivy Thaxton, an impressionable Norfolk girl working as Abingdon's newest maid, and American newspaperman Martin Rilke, nephew to Hanna Greville, a "poor cousin" determined to make the most of his English sojourn. While welcomed into the Greville family's world, both Ivy and Martin are starkly aware of their status as outsiders in a glittering social sphere bound by sacred honor and steadfast tradition.
The advent of war following the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand brings the effect of far-flung European conflict home to English shores, with everyone from the highest echelons of society to the lowest members of the serving class eager to "do their bit" for king and country. For the Greville family, the full, widespread impact of the war's ability to shatter class boundaries and rewrite the rules of society is temporarily lost in their patriotic fervor. Before the horrors of trench warfare become a reality, transforming the world's very concept of conflict into a bloody war of attrition, Charles and Fenton become just two of many who view the war as a lark, a glorious adventure giving them the opportunity to make their mark on the world and strike a blow against the tenets of an older generation seeking to see the world continue to be "remade" in their image. But it is Martin, as an outsider, who with his keen intellect and razor-sharp insight into the foibles of human nature is among the first to see the war clearly, and bear witness through his writing to the conflict's irrevocable rending of the very fabric of society. As an entire generation's blood saturates the ground of France, every member of the Greville family and their acquaintance will find themselves transformed for good or ill in the crucible of war.
First published in 1978, in the wake of the now-classic Masterpiece series Upstairs Downstairs, The Passing Bells is poised to find new life in a world that has become captivated by the new "upstairs downstairs" drama of Downton Abbey, the short-lived Upstairs Downstairs re-boot, and the enduring popularity manners-driven period dramas inspired by the likes of Austen and Dickens. And for that, I am so thankful. This book is a period drama in novel form, a heady mix of fact and fiction and history, brimming with unforgettable characters, romance, scandal, and intrigue. I say this without reservation -- this is, without a doubt, the best historical novel I've read in years. From page one I was captivated by Rock's introduction into the world of the Grevilles and those family and servants who call Abingdon Pryory home. From the proud, tradition-bound patriarch Anthony, 9th earl of Stanmore, to his devil-may-care chauffeur, Jaimie Ross, an untapped mechanical wizard, each and every member of Rock's sprawling cast of characters is gloriously realized, true to their place in history and equally, genuinely susceptible to the forces of change that cut through society like a whirlwind at the beginning of the twentieth century.
This is historical fiction at its finest, richly atmospheric and saturated with period detail -- but Rock never overwhelms the narrative with raw data. Rather, the novel's sense of time and place is established through the careful meting out of fact relevant to the characters' experiences and overall narrative, resulting in a gloriously immersive, addictive page-turner. Rock's judicious marriage of fact and fiction brings the period of the Great War to life like no other novel (or film, for that matter) in my experience -- a richly rewarding, oft-times raw (Rock pens some of the most brutally honest war scenes in my reading experience), always unforgettable, read. And his characters -- oh! they will steal your heart. He possesses a seemingly effortless knack for bringing to life the privileged point-of-view of an earl while bringing to life -- equally creditably -- the perspective of a sheltered country girl experiencing the wealth of riches offered by aristocratic living for the first time. My favorite characters are by far Martin, with his passion for the truth and clear-eyed, journalistic integrity, and Ivy, the country girl who makes good and discovers her passion and purpose through her wartime efforts. Their love story -- oh, it will steal your breath with its heart and poignancy! They are followed closely by Fenton and Winifred -- Fenton's character arc was a wonderful surprise, and Winifred's clear-eyed perspective and insight are a refreshing change from the seemingly inherent artifice her peers possess. Each and every character is so well-drawn, their triumphs and heartbreak, eccentricities and passions beautifully articulated, flesh and blood characters that will capture your imagination.
For all I've stated here, I've only begun to touch on how much I adore this book. Rock's first installment in the lives of the Greville family during one of the twentieth-century's most devastating, transformative periods is an epic in every sense of the term. At once both an epic chronicle of a society's most trying hour, and an intimate look into the triumphs and tragedies of a group of characters so heart-breakingly real and authentic, one is loathe to turn the final page, The Passing Bells is, for me, a literary triumph. This is a book worth savoring, one whose world I'm thrilled to have at long last discovered. This book -- this book, I will never, ever get over this book. A story positively, gloriously breath-taking in its scope and vision. Thank goodness there are sequels!
The advent of war following the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand brings the effect of far-flung European conflict home to English shores, with everyone from the highest echelons of society to the lowest members of the serving class eager to "do their bit" for king and country. For the Greville family, the full, widespread impact of the war's ability to shatter class boundaries and rewrite the rules of society is temporarily lost in their patriotic fervor. Before the horrors of trench warfare become a reality, transforming the world's very concept of conflict into a bloody war of attrition, Charles and Fenton become just two of many who view the war as a lark, a glorious adventure giving them the opportunity to make their mark on the world and strike a blow against the tenets of an older generation seeking to see the world continue to be "remade" in their image. But it is Martin, as an outsider, who with his keen intellect and razor-sharp insight into the foibles of human nature is among the first to see the war clearly, and bear witness through his writing to the conflict's irrevocable rending of the very fabric of society. As an entire generation's blood saturates the ground of France, every member of the Greville family and their acquaintance will find themselves transformed for good or ill in the crucible of war.
First published in 1978, in the wake of the now-classic Masterpiece series Upstairs Downstairs, The Passing Bells is poised to find new life in a world that has become captivated by the new "upstairs downstairs" drama of Downton Abbey, the short-lived Upstairs Downstairs re-boot, and the enduring popularity manners-driven period dramas inspired by the likes of Austen and Dickens. And for that, I am so thankful. This book is a period drama in novel form, a heady mix of fact and fiction and history, brimming with unforgettable characters, romance, scandal, and intrigue. I say this without reservation -- this is, without a doubt, the best historical novel I've read in years. From page one I was captivated by Rock's introduction into the world of the Grevilles and those family and servants who call Abingdon Pryory home. From the proud, tradition-bound patriarch Anthony, 9th earl of Stanmore, to his devil-may-care chauffeur, Jaimie Ross, an untapped mechanical wizard, each and every member of Rock's sprawling cast of characters is gloriously realized, true to their place in history and equally, genuinely susceptible to the forces of change that cut through society like a whirlwind at the beginning of the twentieth century.
This is historical fiction at its finest, richly atmospheric and saturated with period detail -- but Rock never overwhelms the narrative with raw data. Rather, the novel's sense of time and place is established through the careful meting out of fact relevant to the characters' experiences and overall narrative, resulting in a gloriously immersive, addictive page-turner. Rock's judicious marriage of fact and fiction brings the period of the Great War to life like no other novel (or film, for that matter) in my experience -- a richly rewarding, oft-times raw (Rock pens some of the most brutally honest war scenes in my reading experience), always unforgettable, read. And his characters -- oh! they will steal your heart. He possesses a seemingly effortless knack for bringing to life the privileged point-of-view of an earl while bringing to life -- equally creditably -- the perspective of a sheltered country girl experiencing the wealth of riches offered by aristocratic living for the first time. My favorite characters are by far Martin, with his passion for the truth and clear-eyed, journalistic integrity, and Ivy, the country girl who makes good and discovers her passion and purpose through her wartime efforts. Their love story -- oh, it will steal your breath with its heart and poignancy! They are followed closely by Fenton and Winifred -- Fenton's character arc was a wonderful surprise, and Winifred's clear-eyed perspective and insight are a refreshing change from the seemingly inherent artifice her peers possess. Each and every character is so well-drawn, their triumphs and heartbreak, eccentricities and passions beautifully articulated, flesh and blood characters that will capture your imagination.
For all I've stated here, I've only begun to touch on how much I adore this book. Rock's first installment in the lives of the Greville family during one of the twentieth-century's most devastating, transformative periods is an epic in every sense of the term. At once both an epic chronicle of a society's most trying hour, and an intimate look into the triumphs and tragedies of a group of characters so heart-breakingly real and authentic, one is loathe to turn the final page, The Passing Bells is, for me, a literary triumph. This is a book worth savoring, one whose world I'm thrilled to have at long last discovered. This book -- this book, I will never, ever get over this book. A story positively, gloriously breath-taking in its scope and vision. Thank goodness there are sequels!
September 3, 2018
The class system of 1914 England faces an upheaval as war comes, and the lives of the main characters are forever altered by what the war brings and takes. It was a sad story, because World War 1 was a sad story of horrendous loss. I didn’t particularly like most of the characters (except for Winnifred, Martin and Ivy...the last two were my favourites), but nonetheless it was a very good novel. The writing style reminded me of Vera Brittain’s “A Testament of Youth”, and like that book this was a book that made you think about the costs.
FYI, a content warning for those interested: a few sex scenes, a couple of affairs, some swearing throughout, and vivid descriptions of war casualties (though it wasn’t gory for the sake of being gory).
FYI, a content warning for those interested: a few sex scenes, a couple of affairs, some swearing throughout, and vivid descriptions of war casualties (though it wasn’t gory for the sake of being gory).
August 17, 2014
My book club chose this book to read because a lot of us are fans of Downton Abbey and we had heard this book was similar. There definitely are similarities between the popular show and this book.... but I wouldn't say they are alike. Where as Downton Abbey spends most of its time talking about the the people on the estate, The Passing Bells, spends much more time on the horrors of the war.
Don't get me wrong... this was a very good book. There were quite a few main characters and the author seemed to seamlessly follow each one. We begin before the start of WWI and follow these characters and how their lives and their world changes throughout the course of the war. Once noble women leave their safe homes to become nurses beside the women who used to work as servants in their houses. Men of all walks of life go to war and lose their lives. Everything changes. Titles are no longer as important as they once were. And, of course, there are those who are desperately trying to hold on to the way things were.
There was very little story line of the characters outside of the war. I guess that was the part that got me - the way this novel was touted in the description made me think there was going to be more play between nobility and servants at the estate. That is not the case.
If you like the time period of WWI, I think this would be a very enjoyable read. I learned a lot about the war and all the propaganda sent out to keep it going and keep everyone in support of it. It's pretty deep - and dark. Lots of war scenes. Luckily, I like history pieces regardless, so once I got over my original expectations, I enjoyed it.
Don't get me wrong... this was a very good book. There were quite a few main characters and the author seemed to seamlessly follow each one. We begin before the start of WWI and follow these characters and how their lives and their world changes throughout the course of the war. Once noble women leave their safe homes to become nurses beside the women who used to work as servants in their houses. Men of all walks of life go to war and lose their lives. Everything changes. Titles are no longer as important as they once were. And, of course, there are those who are desperately trying to hold on to the way things were.
There was very little story line of the characters outside of the war. I guess that was the part that got me - the way this novel was touted in the description made me think there was going to be more play between nobility and servants at the estate. That is not the case.
If you like the time period of WWI, I think this would be a very enjoyable read. I learned a lot about the war and all the propaganda sent out to keep it going and keep everyone in support of it. It's pretty deep - and dark. Lots of war scenes. Luckily, I like history pieces regardless, so once I got over my original expectations, I enjoyed it.
February 6, 2014
A historical saga centered around a household on an English estate in the months leading up to WWI and the difficult years of the war itself, when no member of the household above or below stairs goes unaffected. 1978.
See the full review at Another look book
Well, I pretty much devoured that...and it's not a short book, either! I wasn't expecting the book to take place mostly during war time, but I think it was actually a better, more meaningful read for how it depicted the horrific losses of the Great War. It also humanized the loss and the social change that it brought. I enjoyed (if that's the right word) witnessing the changes that the characters underwent as a result of what they went through. Also, I loved that I never knew what would happen next, let alone which character we would be following next. A thoroughly engaging and worthwhile read.
And yes, it is a good read for fans of "Downton Abbey" and "Upstairs/Downstairs," although The Passing Bells follows much more war activity and goes much deeper. For the realism of characters and the downstairs staff playing a role in the story: yes, very much recommended.
See the full review at Another look book
Well, I pretty much devoured that...and it's not a short book, either! I wasn't expecting the book to take place mostly during war time, but I think it was actually a better, more meaningful read for how it depicted the horrific losses of the Great War. It also humanized the loss and the social change that it brought. I enjoyed (if that's the right word) witnessing the changes that the characters underwent as a result of what they went through. Also, I loved that I never knew what would happen next, let alone which character we would be following next. A thoroughly engaging and worthwhile read.
And yes, it is a good read for fans of "Downton Abbey" and "Upstairs/Downstairs," although The Passing Bells follows much more war activity and goes much deeper. For the realism of characters and the downstairs staff playing a role in the story: yes, very much recommended.
August 5, 2017
This is not a "great" book, but as is clear from my five stars I really loved it. It is about three young men in England right before World War I, and goes halfway through World War I, describing their war experiences and their love relationships. There was something terribly moving to me about these youths on the precipice of the disaster that was World War I, soon to be caught up in the dreadful maw of trench warfare and be forever changed by it. The effect of war on one of the boys, a young, somewhat feckless aristocrat, was particularly well rendered, but I enjoyed all the stories. It's one of those books that I can open any time, curl up and reread with great enjoyment -- and sadness, because, like GONE WITH THE WIND, it catalogues not only individual stories but the passing of an era. In the case of GWTW it is a good thing the era passed, but I still feel nostalgic about the upstairs downstairs days of the great English country houses and their gracious lifestyle.
July 15, 2014
Very affecting novel about the effects of World War I on a microcosm of the British upper classes, both aristocratic and military. Touches all bases: the "last summer" of 1914, the Great Retreat in the face of the German advance into France later that year, the catastrophe of Gallipoli, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, shell shock, and the horrors of wartime nursing; Alexandra Greville's experiences in a field hospital near Saint-Omer are graphically conveyed. Goodreads user CLM (http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/201...) puts her finger on what doesn't quite work. Nonetheless, I'm glad to have read this and plan to read the other books in the series. Many thanks Stephanie!
November 5, 2010
A great book by Phillip Rock. Thanks Gabriele for this great recommendation.
August 5, 2020
Hot damn! Sorry for the language but this book was soo good that’s the first thing I could think to say about it. I wasn’t too sure about it when I started reading it but it drew me right in. Was a great choice to borrow from the library. People should really this one out. You’ll be very pleasantly surprised!
December 11, 2022
If anyone reads this, am I the only one upset at the ending? Ivy is dead but the loathsome Lydia remains alive? I’m so upset :(
I enjoyed this overall and it was nice reading a book about WWI instead of WWII
I enjoyed this overall and it was nice reading a book about WWI instead of WWII
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 24, 2024
I read this book over 40 years ago and loved it. I loved it just as much the second time. It is a beautifully written rebuke of war contained within a fascinating family saga!
April 20, 2017
"Oh damn," he whispered fervently, tossing his cigarette into a weed-choked drainage ditch.
...
There were times when he despised the uselessness of his profession in an age when war was a virtual impossibility.
On June 28th 1914, the Archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated; an event which soon plunged the Western world into 'the war to end all wars'. This war was catastrophic, a Total War which ended the lives of many millions and touched the lives of everyone who lived in a nation involved. In his novel The Passing Bells, Phillip Rock explores how the Great War affected people from all classes of English society.
passingbellsIn the beginning we meet the Grevilles, a noble family who live in the country house Abingdon Pryory- Tony, Earl of Stanmore; Charles, his son and heir; Alexandra, the Earl's daughter who is about to make her debut on the London season; Hanna, the Earl's American bride and William, a younger son. Ivy is from downstairs, who is struggling with her new duties at Abingdon Pryory; Fenton is a soldier and friend of Charles; Lydia is a rich yet untitled woman with whom Charles is deeply in love and Martin is Hanna's cousin, a journalist from Chicago.
The Passing Bells weaves the stories of all of these people into the narrative wonderfully, giving a full perspective of the War for people from all walks of life. It certainly doesn't shirk on detail; war is horrendous and some of the scenes certainly show us that there is death, destruction, shell shock, cowardice and real trauma every single day when a nation is at war. At the same time, however, there is love, tenderness and opportunity for some. We move from the early days of the war, when young men were excitedly signing up to serve king and country to the Somme, where men were dying in scores and the war stopped being an adventure and onwards to 1917, when people began to question if it was really worth it. We end our journey in 1920, when the full cost of the war is finally realised.
This novel is rich, detailed and an extremely satisfying read, beautifully written and really well developed. Rock's characters grow and change as the war goes on and on- his characterisation the best I've read for a long time. Women becoming nurses, men becoming soldiers, an everyday journalist becoming a war correspondent, earls having to give up their country residences- "war touches everyone". The scene development and description was all terrific, although I did feel frustrated a few times when scenes were suddenly left open; we always found out what happened, though as a recap a few pages later rather than seeing a whole scene play out in front of us.
This book is not an easy read and not always a comfortable one. I started reading it before my study leave and during my revision time had to put it down; however picking it up again was easy and I was soon sucked back in. It is an epic, perfect for a long weekend, and I highly recommend it. I am so pleased the ITV series Downton Abbey proved a success; without it, this novel from the late '70s might not have been reprinted.
"Let there be rung the passing bells
to call the living, to mourn the dead."
...
There were times when he despised the uselessness of his profession in an age when war was a virtual impossibility.
On June 28th 1914, the Archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated; an event which soon plunged the Western world into 'the war to end all wars'. This war was catastrophic, a Total War which ended the lives of many millions and touched the lives of everyone who lived in a nation involved. In his novel The Passing Bells, Phillip Rock explores how the Great War affected people from all classes of English society.
passingbellsIn the beginning we meet the Grevilles, a noble family who live in the country house Abingdon Pryory- Tony, Earl of Stanmore; Charles, his son and heir; Alexandra, the Earl's daughter who is about to make her debut on the London season; Hanna, the Earl's American bride and William, a younger son. Ivy is from downstairs, who is struggling with her new duties at Abingdon Pryory; Fenton is a soldier and friend of Charles; Lydia is a rich yet untitled woman with whom Charles is deeply in love and Martin is Hanna's cousin, a journalist from Chicago.
The Passing Bells weaves the stories of all of these people into the narrative wonderfully, giving a full perspective of the War for people from all walks of life. It certainly doesn't shirk on detail; war is horrendous and some of the scenes certainly show us that there is death, destruction, shell shock, cowardice and real trauma every single day when a nation is at war. At the same time, however, there is love, tenderness and opportunity for some. We move from the early days of the war, when young men were excitedly signing up to serve king and country to the Somme, where men were dying in scores and the war stopped being an adventure and onwards to 1917, when people began to question if it was really worth it. We end our journey in 1920, when the full cost of the war is finally realised.
This novel is rich, detailed and an extremely satisfying read, beautifully written and really well developed. Rock's characters grow and change as the war goes on and on- his characterisation the best I've read for a long time. Women becoming nurses, men becoming soldiers, an everyday journalist becoming a war correspondent, earls having to give up their country residences- "war touches everyone". The scene development and description was all terrific, although I did feel frustrated a few times when scenes were suddenly left open; we always found out what happened, though as a recap a few pages later rather than seeing a whole scene play out in front of us.
This book is not an easy read and not always a comfortable one. I started reading it before my study leave and during my revision time had to put it down; however picking it up again was easy and I was soon sucked back in. It is an epic, perfect for a long weekend, and I highly recommend it. I am so pleased the ITV series Downton Abbey proved a success; without it, this novel from the late '70s might not have been reprinted.
"Let there be rung the passing bells
to call the living, to mourn the dead."
September 5, 2013
"Before there was Downton Abbey, there was Abingdon Pryory..."
I found this book in Chapters and was naturally drawn by that proclamation on front cover. Yes, I should have realized that this book was just making useless claims, but being drawn to all things Downtonesque (yes, I just invented that word), I decided to give this novel a chance.
So this wasn't that bad of a book. I thought it was a newly written work due to the reference to Downton Abbey, but instead I discovered that it was written in the 70s, republished December 2012.
The story introduces us to the Greville family and surrounding friends and family who are intrinsically linked to their lives. Britain is standing on the brink of WWI and changes are come for the inhabitants of Abingdon Pryory, including the Earl of Stanmore, head of Abingdon.
There is of course a mish mash of countries including Germany, Britain, America, Canada, Balkan countries, etc. We see a varied and general point-of-view of communism, socialism, the precipitation of the war, the upper and lower classes in Britain, the beginning of feminism and so on.
Truthfully, Rock tries his hardest to encompass the entire era, but there is simply TOO MUCH going on for him to properly. I suppose the reference to Downtown Abbey is in regard to the servant's stories and the upper class life, but mostly I felt the novel had nothing to do with that comparison. I was surprised at how UNLIKE Downtown Abbey the novel really was.
Rock also brings in the entrance of the radio that forever changed the course of print history. It was most intriguing to read about how newspapers were written and information passed along. There were trite little love affairs during WWI and other such tomfooleries.
In his attempt to recreate what life was like during that time, Rock throws all these random occurrences in and loses the point of his story several times. Instead of having a climax or anything of substance happen, the novel meanders along through different people's lives. I can attribute that to it being part of a trilogy, but I still found it frustrating.
Another that really set me against the book was the discussions/long heavy paragraphs about WWI all in military talk. Who understands what type of lingo?? I certainly didn't. Half the time I skimmed through those paragraphs because I could never truly grasp what was going on.
Despite my issues with the pace of the novel, the characters are interesting enough. They could have been better developed if more time had been spent on them, but in his attempt to encompass so many issues in one medium sized book, Rock loses the quality of his characters and dialogue.
Sometimes while reading the book the dialogue and language felt a little forced and strange. Later I glanced at Phillip Rock's biography. Apparently he was originally from England but lived quite a while in America...which explained why he sounded like someone trying to sound British. I'm not sure if I'm articulating myself clearly here, but there was something off about his descriptions and dialogue.
Anyway, it's still a decent read. I gave it 3/5 stars, mainly because at times I slogged through it and considered putting it down.
I found this book in Chapters and was naturally drawn by that proclamation on front cover. Yes, I should have realized that this book was just making useless claims, but being drawn to all things Downtonesque (yes, I just invented that word), I decided to give this novel a chance.
So this wasn't that bad of a book. I thought it was a newly written work due to the reference to Downton Abbey, but instead I discovered that it was written in the 70s, republished December 2012.
The story introduces us to the Greville family and surrounding friends and family who are intrinsically linked to their lives. Britain is standing on the brink of WWI and changes are come for the inhabitants of Abingdon Pryory, including the Earl of Stanmore, head of Abingdon.
There is of course a mish mash of countries including Germany, Britain, America, Canada, Balkan countries, etc. We see a varied and general point-of-view of communism, socialism, the precipitation of the war, the upper and lower classes in Britain, the beginning of feminism and so on.
Truthfully, Rock tries his hardest to encompass the entire era, but there is simply TOO MUCH going on for him to properly. I suppose the reference to Downtown Abbey is in regard to the servant's stories and the upper class life, but mostly I felt the novel had nothing to do with that comparison. I was surprised at how UNLIKE Downtown Abbey the novel really was.
Rock also brings in the entrance of the radio that forever changed the course of print history. It was most intriguing to read about how newspapers were written and information passed along. There were trite little love affairs during WWI and other such tomfooleries.
In his attempt to recreate what life was like during that time, Rock throws all these random occurrences in and loses the point of his story several times. Instead of having a climax or anything of substance happen, the novel meanders along through different people's lives. I can attribute that to it being part of a trilogy, but I still found it frustrating.
Another that really set me against the book was the discussions/long heavy paragraphs about WWI all in military talk. Who understands what type of lingo?? I certainly didn't. Half the time I skimmed through those paragraphs because I could never truly grasp what was going on.
Despite my issues with the pace of the novel, the characters are interesting enough. They could have been better developed if more time had been spent on them, but in his attempt to encompass so many issues in one medium sized book, Rock loses the quality of his characters and dialogue.
Sometimes while reading the book the dialogue and language felt a little forced and strange. Later I glanced at Phillip Rock's biography. Apparently he was originally from England but lived quite a while in America...which explained why he sounded like someone trying to sound British. I'm not sure if I'm articulating myself clearly here, but there was something off about his descriptions and dialogue.
Anyway, it's still a decent read. I gave it 3/5 stars, mainly because at times I slogged through it and considered putting it down.
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