Confusion

By: Elizabeth Jane Howard

Narrated by: Jill Balcon

This, the third volume of the best-selling The Cazalet Chronicles, takes up the story of the Cazalet family in the spring of 1942 and follows them through the war to VE Day. Polly and Clary have left Home Place for London where Archie Lestrange keeps a close eye on them; Louise, surprisingly, has married; Polly makes a painful discovery; Zoe, despairing of Rupert's return, stumbles on solace; and Edward's duplicity demands a reckoning.©1993 Elizabeth Jane Howard (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Lush, sprawling escapist fiction of the first order....Howard creates a nearly palpable world, peopled with the sort of well-conceived characters that linger long in the reader's mind." (Publishers Weekly)

Delicious to listen to....

The narrator is absolutely terrific. I am loving this chronicle of the Cazulets and will feel bereft when I've finished the whole set!

Reads like a real biography

enjoyed the book very much.Memories of an important time in life,and how each character reacts.

Takes Me Home

Would you listen to Confusion again? Why?

The reading is extraordinary. Jill Balcom is a fine actress; I watched her on the BBC when I was growing up in London. She manages to differentiate between characters with just slight inflections and changes to her voice. She gets the accents and intonations SO well.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I don't have a favorite character. They are all so finely drawn and developed from the first of the chronicles and grow up or age wonderfully.

What does Jill Balcon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I mentioned this attribute in the first section: her ability to give each character a personality. One gets to know the people by their voices.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

So much of the series reminds me of my growing up in London during the 50s, and from what my mother told me, of life during the war in England. So many of the things in the book, from food to specifically British things like Harrington squares (terry cloth outer diapers) bring back my childhood. Even the streets where they lived are in my neighborhood! And musicians are mentioned that I knew. Extraordinary.

Wonderful

This is one of those books it is far better to listen to than to read. The narrator adds so much. Ms. Howard writes about children with so much understanding and yet also gets into the minds of the cook and the wonderful elderly governess and the stately yet broadminded matriarch. Fans of Downton Abbey will heartily enjoy this series.

Exquisite prose, exquisite performance!

The Cazalet series is one of the best audio experiences I’ve ever had. The narrator was one of Britain’s finest actresses, as well as the mother of the actor, DanielDay Lewis and close friend of the novelist. A tremendously moving and detailed World War II novel about the family at home,filled with love and loss.

Another extraordinary book

These books enthrall me. The only reason I’ve docked a star for this one is that the reader’s rendering of an American accent is (unintentionally) hilarious. Otherwise, everything is superb.

Just so very good

The stunning 3rd volume of the series by this much under-appreciated writer packs a massive emotional punch. The understated artistry of the writing is the driving force here, and is marvellously served by a very fine narrator.