Golden Lads and Girls Book

There are two kinds of romantic novel: the strictly formulaic supermarket read that soothes (but never ruffles) the reader and the serious, involving novel of character. There are enough of the latter around to give a measure of respectability to the genre, and Lambert is undoubtedly one of the most witty and stylish practitioners. As in the novels of William Trevor, she is concerned with how love can change over the years, and how sexual desire and consummation and are not the only aspects of a deep commitment. In 1911, a boy of 12 and a girl of 9 live in the great houses of adjoining estates, and spend two remarkable summers together. Capulet/Montague-style, they are separated by their parents and spend many years apart. But when they find each other again, the girl, Hermione, has lived a life blighted by loneliness and the responsibilities of wealth, while Sandy (on the surface at least) has experienced a successful marriage. Needless to say, however, they are obliged to come to terms with the commitment that their childhood selves made many years ago. Lambert is particularly good on the complexities of character and the changes that the years bring. We are sympathetically drawn into the lives of the protagonists, and this is one of the most intelligent and elegantly written romantic novels published in some considerable time.-- Barry Forshaw, Amazon.co.ukRead More