New Cazalet books to be written

[ChessieFL]

I’ve just seen that Elizabeth Jane Howard’s niece, Louisa Young, is going to write three further Cazalet books, covering two decades from 1962.

I can’t decide how I feel about this. The Cazalet Chronicles are among my absolute favourite books. On the one hand I’m pleased to be getting more of the family. On the other hand - what if they’re not good? I know others didn’t like the fifth book in the series - I did like it although admit it isn’t as good as the others. What if these new ones ruin things?

The first (sixth?) will be published in 2026 so we’ve got a while to wait!

amp.theguardian.com/books/2024/nov/15/elizabeth-jane-howard-niece-louisa-young-cazalet-chronicles-books

I had no idea Louisa Young was EJH's niece! I really liked her WWI books so excited about this...

I'm intrigued enough to give them a go when they're published. Louise Young is a good writer, so I think it's in safe hands.

Also, I had no idea she was EJH's niece. Small world in publishing sometimes.

I'm abit twitchy on this. These books have been my comfort read for many years.

I love the cazalet chronicles up until the last later book All Change which really annoyed me.
I will have a sniff at the new books and hope they are more in keeping with the first four.

I wonder how the controversial parts of the latter books would be dealt with? Bit of a poser!

Yes, this is how I feel. I wish people would just leave the classics alone. The problem is, new readers will be drawn to the re-writes and re-makes and not bother with the original. Or, as time goes by, they will all blur into one work. I believe Charlie Higson wrote some 'new' James Bond books. Fifty years from now, will people bother to check whether the Bond they are reading was an original by Ian Fleming? I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone has written 'new' Sherlock Holmes stories as well.

Still, so long as no one tampers with the original, I can put up with it. I am bracing myself for new editions of classic works that have been butchered and re-written to suit a modern audience. It was done to Roald Dahl. Even now I still can't believe that happened. How long before new, 'correct' editions of Jane Austen and George Eliot and Virginia Woolf are published? I know it's coming. I strongly advise anyone with an original copy of a much-loved classic to take good care of it. Twenty years from now you may find it hard to lay your hands on an un-edited version.

I’m not very happy about this. The last book written by EJH was poor compared to the others and I prefer not to view it as canon. Any sequels will presumably follow on from this book so I’m not sure I’d want to read them. The first four books are so perfect I’d rather let the story end there.