Talk to me about the Cazalets

[JemimaMuddledUp]

I keep seeing the series recommended on MN book threads, but never hear anyone outside MN talk about them.

What are they like?

Sorry, RL Cazalets...

I've been pronouncing Cazalet in my head the way Venice says but wasn't sure if I was right :) An unusual surname, possibly French origins?

I'm into the last hundred pages of All Change and am getting increasingly irritated at the way she's changed the characters.

------

SPOILER - don't read if you haven't read All Change - what on earth happened to Simon, Hugh's son? He was at Oxford in Casting Off, a confident self-assured well educated young man, wanting a career in politics. Now ten years later he's working as a gardener for his sister, having failed at Cazalets and at being a photographer's assistant working for his cousin Neville (who has been turned into someone deeply unpleasant). I wonder whether she mixed up Simon with Christopher (Villy's sister's son) who became a monk? And he is also now gay, which I didn't think was mentioned before - thought that was Richard, Nora's husband? All Change seems an apt title as so much has been changed. Diana was never a selfish bitch, and yet she is here. Am actually feeling quite cross at the way EJH altered the ending and wish I had left it at Casting Off now.

I am re reading the whole series

I really read the last one first as it was on my kindle and have re started the paperbacks . The second one is my favourite and I live the depiction of how they ate and smoked and drank I sometimes wish I lived in those simpler days

I agree that I don't like how people turn out in #5

VIlly I hoped for better for her , it's sad
Same for Louise and why did she forgive the horrible Edward ?
DIana turns into a complete bitch
LYdia disappears for some reason
VIlly sister just fucks off and deserts her

And more !

but a fantastic series of books overall

Love the Cazalets, but agree the final book is the weakest. A lot of the characters do seem to have had personality transplants - and what was with the bizarre Neville/Juliet storyline? I fear she should have stopped at four books.

If you like the Cazalet series I can also recommend Elizabeth Jane Howard's autobiography, which shows how closely based on her own life the novels were. She put aspects of herself into Louise, Clary and to a lesser extent Polly.