Moonshine

I have nearly finished Victoria Clayton's 'Moonshine'. This is a mammoth effort as the book is almost 700 pages long. It is well written - could almost qualify as literary fiction - and is full of memorable characters.

Bobbie - Roberta to her parents - has an affair with married MP, Burgo Latimer, which is exposed in the press after nearly a year. So far so ordinary. Bobbie decides to escape and gets herself a job in Ireland as housekeeper at a castle. At first she wonders whether she's done the right thing, especially after a pleasant journey through Ireland with Kit, a literary agent she meets on the ferry, she is met at a deserted bus station by someone who appears to be a tramp. There follows a wet trip through deserted countryside in an open horse and cart.

The castle is run down, and in need of costly repairs. Bobbie at first is not universally welcomed. Constance is the owner's sister and is wholly in favour of Bobbie staying as her own cooking skills are in danger of poisoning the household. Then there are the three children - Flurry (short for Florence), a slightly autistic boy who is building a steam engine; Flavia - who is growing up fast and always reads at the dining table and dislikes sad books; Liddy - Phylidda - a former anorexic teenager.

Violet - the owner's wife is in her 30s but is confined to bed as a virtual vegetable after a stroke - is the mother of the three children. She can hardly speak and is fed only fluids. (the mad woman in the attic ). Then there is Maud - Violet's mother and Finn - the owner of the castle who is also a member of the Senate. There is also Sissy who always dresses as though appearing on stage, and who used to be a member of a circus - she is reputed to be Finn's mistress but no one really knows. The final member of the household is Eugene, a poet, who was stood up at the altar and still wears the same clothes he was wearing then. He came to dinner because people felt sorry for him, and is still there a year later. There are also 3 servants - two women and a man - all of whom are usually drunk from the illegally distilled whiskey brewed by Timsy in the apple store.

Bobbie finds solace in the domestic tasks and enjoys cooking. The household gradually warms to her because at last the food is edible. She starts to clean and re-decorate the castle as well as planting fruit and vegetables in the walled garden which has been allowed to go to seed. Everyone gets involved. She persuades Flurry to eat other things apart from sausages, and manages to help Violet to regain consciousness and her speech, with the help of a physiotherapist and speech therapist.

Finn, the owner, does not appear until about half way through the book and is not at all sure at first that he likes the improvements, but gradually gets used to them as nearly the whole household is involved and enthusiastic. Bobbie finds by this time she has recovered from her broken heart, and is faced with several possible suitors including Kit, but she realises - as Violet is recovering her senses - that it is Finn she loves.

The characters are eccentric and lovable and the descriptions of country living are enjoyable. One reviewer on Amazon mentioned she was a little fed up with a heroine who succeeds at everything she tries, but I feel this is a little unjust. She has to work hard for her success and starts off at a disadvantage. Maybe that reader had forgotten that she had been running her parents' large house before she went to Ireland and would have had most of the skills required.

The relationships between the characters are complex and intriguing though ultimately satisfying from the the reader's point of view. I am thoroughly enjoying it and will be sorry when I finish it.