Unfortunately disappointing

Having listened to all of the previous books following the Cazalet family, and thoroughly enjoyed them, I was looking forward to this final instalment to see how everything was tied up. I can only say I wish I had never listened to it!

There seemed to be some personality changes in the characters. I felt as though Archie and Clary acted out of character and Edward too seems changed becoming meek and obsequious where Diana was concerned (who herself has lost all sympathy). The Neville storyline was completely ludicrous. Although he was always a bit of a strange child he was sympathetic and quite funny. I just can't accept this is the adult he grew into. Simon too is almost a different character, he seems to have become Christopher 2.0.

Louise and Teddy are even more unsympathetic than they were previously, there is barely a mention of her son, Sebastian, who must be a teenager by now. It might have been interesting to explore their strained relationship, although I suppose we are to assume they do not have a relationship at all it was a strange and disappointing omission.

Speaking of forgotten characters there is barely a mention of Jessica and her family. Christopher's story had run it's course but what of Angela in America and Nora with poor Richard? Also, what about Wills? He strangely gets barely a passing mention.

In contrast I felt there was too much focus on the many new children and I kept forgetting which child belonged to who. I didn't think they warranted such focus as they were just re-hashes of their parents and frankly I wasn't interested in their stories.

The paragraphs are short which gives a choppy feel. There are some errors in continuity (especially where Simon is concerned, it was Wills who had a twin that died not Simon). I suppose we can forgive the author given her age when writing the novel.

Overall, I almost feel as though this volume was an unnecessary addition. The author clearly wanted to re-visit the Cazalets again before she died but seems to struggle with what to do with them. "Casting Off" was the perfect end to the series for me, satisfyingly rounding off the storylines and leaving me feeling uplifted. Although it was lovely to re-visit the family and see how they are getting on, "All Change" left me feeling unsatisfied and slightly depressed.

6 people found this helpful

A Sort of an Ending

First, I was, as ever seems to be the case with me and 'trends', a very late arrival to the EJH fan club. But once I found them, I loved and devoured all the other books. This one was written very much later and is set a little later than the others which run pretty much consecutively from just before WW2 to just after its end. Now, in this final volume, we jump forwards by quite a few years.

So I was anxious about whether the book would grip me as the others did, especially the first two in the saga. Some reviews were unfavorable but I went ahead because I really did want to know what happened next.

And it was fine. A different narrator but beautifully read. It is not quite as sharp as the earlier books but it nonetheless diligently deals with most of the characters (not the one who went off to be a monk; he gets left out really) in order and follows the formula for the other books of visiting each family or person in turn.

We get helpful asides to make sure we know what year we are in - the Suez Crisis, telly being around (for the servants, of course) and so on. And so I felt it worked rather well. Things do move on for everyone, and in some cases it's sad, in others it's just 'normal' life.

I won't spoil it, but I was 75% satisfied with the end. I wish it had been a bit different, but the main reason I was not wholly happy was that still, it left unfinished business, but I suppose it had to stop somewhere. There is a sense of some story lines being hastily tied up and others being perhaps too complicated to deal with fully - much like real life. But this is as far from 'real' as you can get. That's fine with me.

I will really miss my many weeks spent with these characters. Largely because of the era it evoked, rather than fondness for them all. I do love the author's complete obsession with food!

3 people found this helpful

Intelligent, stylish storyline.

Would you listen to All Change again? Why?

Most definitely!

What other book might you compare All Change to, and why?

All the previous books in the Cazelet series, a fabulous continuation.

What does Penelope Wilton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

She captures the very essence of all the characters in the the family, so evocative of their times. Her diction is perfect, never overblown and her accents are subtle.

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

Both! The storylines epitomise the world that the family lived in. I laughed at the the absurdity of some of their actions and cried at their tragedies. I became absorbed 'into' the family.

Any additional comments?

Please can we have more of the same high standard of writing and narration.

3 people found this helpful

Such a let down

I have loved the first four of the Cazelet Chronicles but this one is a huge let down.
The story seems forced and not of the same quality as the first four as though someone else had written it
The narrative rambles on and seemed forced Some of the charecters in the book seem to have undergone a complete personality change and one story in particular is ridiculous!.
but by far the very worse thing is Penelope Wiltons reading it is nothing short of awful the previous books were sublimely read by Jill Balkham but this reading by Ms Wilton is terrible!
If it wasnt for the fact that I wanted to hear the end I'd have given up
Penelope Wilton is quite annoying as Mrs Crawley is Downton Abbey but she should really stick to that

2 people found this helpful

A Slow Start, but Worth Persevering

All of the Cazalet Chronicles are incredibly good. The only reason I have not included here the same review as I did for the others is that this deserves separate consideration. I found the early stages of the book not quite as compelling as the previous four volumes. For me, the characters did too much looking back to early events, so it was a bit “tell, not show” (the opposite of what writing should generally do). However, it does mean that the book can stand alone, which is perhaps the point, and it quickly shook off being too reflective to move the story forward to a satisfying conclusion. It is still worthy to stand alongside the earlier four books, and has a pleasing “closure” for those of us who have enjoyed the Chronicles so much. I am perhaps being harsh to give the excellent narrator, Penelope Wilton, an actress whom I have always much admired, only four stars, but I think that her predecessor in these books (Jill Balcon) was so extraordinarily suited that it was almost impossible to meet her consistent five stars. That said, if not jill Balcon (who I believe was dead by the time this was written), Penelope Wilton was the perfect choice. As I said in my earlier reviews, I cannot recommend these books highly enough. I will not be reading much more of Elizabeth Jane Howard.

1 person found this helpful

Epic

It's probably twice as long as it should be, but it is an epic tale about largely vacuous people who don't deserve the easy lives that fate dealt them. However, it's like a warm blanket on a frosty morning... V agreeable

1 person found this helpful

Hard times, but not much left to care about

What did you like most about All Change?

Narration excellent, as per the BBC radio 4 adaptations. I enjoyed meeting old characters such as Clary and Rachel from the previous books. Rachel and Diana's charactesr were very convincingly portrayed. Villy is redeemed from her self loathing and self pitying stance. Social history details in the background added interest.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Most interesting: the relationship between Sid and Rachel, and the timber firm, Cazalet's progress. We were told more about the day to day running of a timber firm than in previous novels.

What about Penelope Wilton’s performance did you like?

It's crisp, pace does not lag, accent is suited to the characters

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

Mainly I was bored, and annoyed at the way the plot kept jumping from one set of characters to another, with very short chapters. I was also amazed at the description of every single meal anyone ever ate. Too much of a good thing can be as dull as poached chicken.

Any additional comments?

There were far too many minor characters (grandchildren and great-granchildren) to care about them all. I had to keep referring to the printed family tree in the previous books.
Disturbing lack of continuity between this fifth volume and the previous four; for example, in the fourth volume, Simon seems set to become a doctor, but in the fifth book he seems to have no ambition or career ideas. There is also a glaring error about the identity of the twin who died earlier on in the quintet.The characters are, with notable exceptions, thinly drawn and seem more like stereotypes of upper class English people than real ones. Makes me wonder why EJH bothered to write this: low bank balance, perhaps?

1 person found this helpful

Bitter sweet

I have so enjoyed all the Cazelet books with each one surpassing the previous ones. I feel so sad I've finished them but I'm sure I'll read them all again.

The narration wasn't as good as Jill Balcon but still very good.

I shall miss the whole Cazelet family!

The end of an era

Having just listened to all the Cazelet Chronicles again for the third time, it is like catching up with old friends. Jill Balcon is an excellent narrator of the first four books, and although Penelope Wilton was an able replacement for the last one, I don’t feel that her voices for the different characters was quite as good. I missed Archie’s slight stutter, and he very slight changes of inflection between Villy, Sybil, Rachel and the Dutchy.
Book no 5 All Change was written 17 years later, and felt like an add on. It was lovely to catch up with the older three generations, but I would have like to know more about Polly, Louise, and Clary and what had happened to them in the intervening years. Not so interested in all the new youngsters, who all seemed to be quite spoilt and indulged! Good to know that the family will go on though. I also noticed a number of discrepancies in the plot. Sybil had lost Wills’ twin sister, not Simon’s. At one point Louise states that she and her friend Stella are rubbish cooks, but they met at cookery school and Louise was previously described as being quite good. A few other discrepancies flew out at me as I listened again.
Overall I loved the series. It is a wonderful study of the role of women in society and life in the mid 20th Century, and how they adapted as the result of two world wars. I will be listening again in a few years time.

Wonderful

Didn’t want this final instalment to end as have been immersed in all 5 books for weeks now.