From the blurb:At a meeting of republican sympathisers in London, Brian Botsford, a young middle-class writer and Cambridge graduate, meets Edward Phelan, an idealistic, self-educated London Underground worker. They share a mutual attraction. Across the divisions of class they begin an affair in secrecy.But Edward posesses “an unproblematic capacity to accept” Brian and the love that dare not speak its name, whereas Brian is more cautious and under family pressure agrees to be set up with a suitable young woman. Pushed to the point of crisis Edward threatens to volunteer to fight Franco in Spain.There are (to my perception, at least) a few inaccuracies in the blurb, but I won’t quibble over them. This is an excellent book which I devoured in two sittings.It has a readability that draws the eye, and the narrator’s voice is completely convincing. It’s written in first person, there is a faux prologue “written” in 1978 where Brian explains that he’s now living in America and considers himself to be an American and an epilogue which looks back at 1938 from that fifty year gap. Both of these devices go far to convince that the book was written by Brian and not by David Leavitt.Like “As Meat Loves Salt” (although not to the same extent) Brian is not a likeable or attractive character. A product of his class, he coasts through life, unlike Edward who takes what he wants with more enthusiasm, facing what he is face on. Brian still thinks that being homosexual is just something one did at school and that he would get over it, although it’s obvious he’s deluding himself. He’s a playwright, and he plays at it, having no drive to support himself; he sponges off his Aunt Constance (or “Inconstance” as he cruelly calls her, as she doesn’t pay him regularly enough for him to depend on her support. He mumps off his friends and generally won’t commit to one thing or another, which leads to the crisis event in the book – one which he will regret, and will haunt him for the rest of his life.I found it to be tremendously absorbing, like the best of historicals, it immersed me in the era without info dumping. As I’ve said before, if a book reads like it was written in the time, rather than about the time, it earns big kudos from me. The class divide might be hard for non-Brits to grasp – but pre-war it was still more relevant than people would suppose. I felt ashamed of Brian’s inability to admit his affair to his own friends, but then found it perfectly acceptable to talk to Edward’s sister about it. I wanted to smack him with the clue-by-four several times in the book – but that’s ok – that meant that the author was doing his job.It also brings the situation in Europe at that time into sharp relief, there’s a lovely sub-plot with a friend of Brian’s who is attempting to get a friend out of Europe which breaks your heart, and you, as the reader, knowing what is going to happen in a few short years, hold your breath and weep at the hopeless cause and loss of life that is the Spanish Civil War.If you prefer to like your protagonists, then this book might not be for you, but if you want a meaty and rich story that takes you so viscerally into the period that you can smell the steam engines and feel the bubble of the champagne of the Fast Set, then you’ll enjoy this as much as I did. A definite keeper.
A remarkable exploration of the human condition during the obvious political and social turbulence of the 1940s in England. Not exactly a thrilling page-turner, clearly not a reissued shitlicker written by James Patterson. Although much of the plot seems drab and clouded with boring disillusionment, the novel is a very complex work which details changes in the modern psyche of a relationship and of the interactions between sex and love and passion and romance and friendship, etc. This increasing complexity parallels the modernization of the urban experience and demonstrates how the interconnectedness of people--esp. in a dense city--affects social behaviors and trends and relations.The gay sex scenes are graphic and frankly, unapologetically pornographic but always suit the situation and relationship between the people involved. It almost feels autobiographical (Burroughs-esque?) but certainly isn't (although I guess I do not know much about David Leavitt). I do not know why this book struck me as so genius and well-crafted; I think it may be due to my love of studying novels that deal with the role of the the city in shaping lives and relationships. This topic is so entwined in the fantasy of free market interactions, indicated by uninhibited intercourse between all different types of people from different backgrounds, places, etc. But the peculiar thing here is how this novel accentuates class differences in the city and how that can inhibit true freedom. Another layer to everything going on is the inevitability of wartime complicating the social world. The warlike atmosphere helps to thematize the inherent relation between love and (necessary?) conflict. Overall, Leavitt put a lot of effort into making everything work smoothly despite the tumult of the content and the plot. This is something I wish I would have written but do not think I know enough about human relationships to so accurately capture such intimate but complex experiences.
What do You think about While England Sleeps (1998)?
This was an intriguing read for me, I love this period, Laurie Lees As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morningis one of my favourite books, and there are similarities (which is a good thing)I also like the casual way that sex was sometimes dealt with in the 1930's, at times.This started off so well, it was funny, there is scene where an elderly relative writes a letter praising the way that he's dealing with Germany, where I spat water out. Brian and Edwards romance starts off gloriously, and I was seduced by romance reading into imagining this would be at the very least HFN. Edward's family are touching and funny and Edward himself is a beautifully realised character.Then Brian, a total product of his upper class breeding; where its ok to fuck boys, but one day you will fall in love with a woman and get married, reverts back to type. The way the relationship flounders and Edward feels the distance between them was achingly sad and real.The way the book ended was not totally satisfactory for me, bu the writing was grand
—Karen Wellsbury
Initial reaction:Argh, my heart.Actual review:Sometimes, when I finish a book, I loved it so much that I have to write a review right away, However, sometimes, a book affects me so, that I need a few days to decompress. This is the latter. While England Sleeps takes place in 1930s Europe. It's told from the point of view of Brian Botsford, an upper class amateur writer, and tells of the relationship he has with Edward Phelan, a working class boy and Communist. That's all you're getting out of me as far as a summary, because this is a book one needs to experience with only the vaguest of preconceived notions. Because nothing can prepare you for getting your heart ripped out and stomped on. Ok, I'm being over dramatic, but when I finished and closed the book, that's what I felt happened to me. Oh, the author is a cruel person for doing this to me, I thought. I couldn't stop sobbing at one point. I get it, though. While England Sleeps is incredibly realistic and those are stories that get me emotional – the ones that could quite possibly have happened. In the days following my finishing this book, I found the story popping back into my head at random times. I've had to tell myself not to get all choked up again. Cripes, I have to keep telling myself that this damn book was fiction. I checked this book out from the library, but now I have to buy my own copy, so I can randomly open it and torture myself at odd times. Damn this book.
—Christy B
While England Sleeps was many things: a political book, a regretful story of love lost, a class study, a tragedy, but I felt the main theme that shined through in the narrator was selfishness. True, the novel itself was incredibly ambitious, sometimes overwrought and dramatic, but the narrator was self-aware and a trust-worthy reporter, especially as the story is told by the narrator many years later, looking back.The time and setting were relatively faithful, the novel itself was reminiscent of E.M.Forster's Maurice with similar themes of homosexual repression, self-denial, and love between two disparate classes. As the two take place in the same era these comparisons are natural but Maurice, a frankly superior and more realistic novel, was actually written within the time period whereas While England Sleeps is a modern attempt at invoking the Edwardian era.The author has definitely done his homework, subconsciously threading together a novel that tells an interesting story with colorful and vivid characters but also runs through a list of other great queer literature works: the homosexual repression and self loathing of Maurice, the war torn love and turmoil of At Swim, Two Boys, the visceral promiscuity and rebellion of Dancer From the Dance, the list goes on and on, making this a lovely gem but by no means a standout in the riffle of queer literature.My first problem with the novel is in the details. Many times the characters act or speak out of period, using modern slang or acting outside of their class. This is acceptable to a degree, however the emphasis on rebellion only fills in the holes so much. Sometimes I was taken completely out of the novel by certain actions or words.Secondly, the first and second halves have very little in common. The first half reads like a novel right out of time, detailing social drama and the lives of the upper classes in a believable way. Ramping up to the climax was convincingly emotional and dotted with some dramatic but beautiful lines but what started as a class novel suddenly became a desperate adventure novel with the narrator tracking his lover across the landscape, visiting exotic locales, and taking part in a daring rescue. It all happened so quickly that I had problems feeling as emotionally attached throughout the last half. There were too many surprise cameos and deus ex machina moments for me to let myself be taken away with it.Overall, the novel was a relaxing, interesting read and there were many times I laughed at the self-serious prose but still appreciated the elegance of a description. I went back and forth between feeling as if I were reading sometime very important or if I were reading a well-written guilty pleasure.
—Hey-You
