Will I love The Light Years?

One of English literature’s great family sagas, this epic quintet follows three generations of the Cazalet family (plus various relatives, friends and servants) before, during and after the Second World War.

At its heart is Home Place, the sprawling family home in the Sussex countryside. Initially where the extended family gathers for idyllic summer holidays – all teas in the garden, playing with cousins, and dressing for dinner – it becomes a refuge as war closes in. The lives of the vast cast of characters are full of frustration, unhappiness and tragedy, but spending time with them is a joy.

These are five books about one English family over the course of World War Two and beyond. I read the whole series over the course of one glorious summer! There is a large cast of characters, yet each one is perfectly drawn by Howard, so much so that I still feel that all of them are people I once knew well, rather than imaginary constructs. It was fascinating to see how different each family member’s experience of war could be, mostly focusing on the home front and their emotional lives, rather than the war itself. It was the perfect inspiration… show more.

Opening in the second half of the 1930s, this is the first in a five-book saga chronicling the extended Cazalet family living under the shadow of World War Two, based loosely on the author’s own life. We hear from a whole cast of characters, their loves, fears, and foibles: the children’s excitable, misguided take on war, and the adult’s version, when they know only too well. The different voices are distinct and relatable; the writing is a lesson in storytelling. Immersed in the almost-century old world of London and the Sussex countryside, I devoured the whole series, finishing one book… show more.