A snapshot of pre-WW2 upper middle class life

As the first in a quartet of novels I really enjoyed this book. The writing was excellent and drew me in quickly to the lives of the well-to-do Cazelet family, with their individual London homes as well as their large family home in Sussex. The individual characters in the story are all interesting, with the aging Brig and Duchy as heads of the family, plus their 3 children and their spouses, all in their 30s when this saga opens. It was well read by Jill Balcon who was a friend of the author. Two warnings, though. Firstly there are so many characters in the novel (20+) and the story switches so frequently from one family set to another, that I finally resorted to sketching out a family tree so I could keep track! Also, if you enjoyed listening to this book, don't make the same mistake I did of purchasing all 3 of the remaining volumes at once. My enjoyment rapidly diminished as the focus of the saga moved from the 2nd generation featured in this book to their children in the remaining novels.

45 people found this helpful

A magnificent listening experience

A not to be missed listening experience. Jill Balcon's reading is faultless in accent, tone and rhythm. She brings all the characters to life and you just don't want to stop listening. I had already read the book when it was published and loved it, but coming again to the series through audio was an even better experience. Despite the many books available about life during the second world war, this is one of the most vivid and realistic. In some cases it is painful, but mostly it brilliantly describes the borningness of life without being boring itself and you are swept along as you follow the hopes and fears of Louise, Polly, Edward, Diana and the others - and there are four books - bliss.

18 people found this helpful

Endearing

An introduction to the Cazalets and their, as yet, unremarkable lives. Lives lived in southern Britain in the late 1930s, a cocooned, safe, upper-middle class existence that seemed at times to invoke an Edwardian lifestyle rather than a modern one. A world where servants pandered, food was plentiful and excessive, the family dressed for dinner and children were obedient and deferential. Despite the comforts, life was simple for the young. A strangely hypnotic novel, splendid in its detail and sense of place.

17 people found this helpful

Seriously addictive

I'm not normally into 'sweeping family sagas' but had heard some of the abridged Cazelet series acted out on the radio, and wanted to hear the full version. Jill Balcon is a wonderful reader, her characterisations are so unique to each person that one forgets one is listening to a single narrator. Since listening to The Light Years I am eagerly looking forward to hearing the remaining three volumes.

17 people found this helpful

Enjoyable upmarket soap-opera

Though there are so many characters such that I wasn't always sure who was whom, I did enjoy this family saga set between the two World Wars. Jill Balcon does a fine job of narration injecting the characters with real life. The book admirably evokes the era coloured by the traumas of the First WW and the hopes that there wouldn't be another war in Europe.

11 people found this helpful

A Story To Entrance You

Absolutely wonderful! This first episode of The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard deals with the years just approaching the Second World War. I t is a delightful period piece with a wonderful, varied, cast of characters. The story deals with the children of the family as well as the adults, and this makes the novel well rounded. You focus on different family members, each coping - or trying to cope - with their own problems, some serious, some apparently trivial. Jill Balcon is the perfect narrator for this novel, her wide range and talent gives a believable voice for each character. I cannot praise The Light Years highly enough!

9 people found this helpful

Great story and beautifully read.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I loved this book and have gone on to read the other volumes. Jill Balcon is a superb narrator who acts out the book giving the characters different voices and accents etc. so it's like listening to a radio play than a book reading.

It's quite a gentle story with a few shocking moments in it that take you by surprise.

I liked the way Elizabeth Jane Howard explores all the different characters so you begin to understand them and can see how the family fits together. I felt transported back in time and found the way that people then conducted their relationships very interesting. I wished my grandmother was still alive to discuss it with as she would have been about 20 at the time this book was set.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Impossible to choose as there are so many great characters. Possibly Christopher. I liked his conscientious objector views and the continuous debate in his head as he challenged his opinions on life and war etc. I could pick almost any character though.

Which character – as performed by Jill Balcon – was your favourite?

Again, very hard to choose. Perhaps Sid? I loved the way Jill deepened her voice slightly for her character. Jill was also great at reading all the child parts.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Hugh was rushing to get to Home Farm for the birth of the twins. I felt quite panicked listening to that and very shocked about the cat. I was surprised that Radio 4 hadn't included this scene in their radio dramatisation.

Any additional comments?

I also have the paper copy of the book which has a family tree at the start of it which was very useful as I would have struggled to work out how all the characters fitted together without it.

9 people found this helpful

Old fashioned

My mother loved this series but I found it slow and mostly uninteresting.

8 people found this helpful

Family life

What made the experience of listening to The Light Years the most enjoyable?

The subject matter, life before the war

What did you like best about this story?

The Characters, each slowly developing

Have you listened to any of Jill Balcon’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No I haven't

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No...this is best kept to relaxation and listened to in chapters. There is alot to digest

Any additional comments?

A really good insight into the middle class family situation before the war. The begining can seem complicated but as you get familiar with the family it comes together well once the story gets under way. I loved the atmosphere the book delivered. An absorbing peek into a family that seems to have it all. Loved the narrator.

5 people found this helpful

Evocation of a Lost England

If you could sum up The Light Years in three words, what would they be?

1930s-50s Family Saga

What other book might you compare The Light Years to, and why?

Mary Wesley's and Joanna Trollope's novels, but infinitely better - what those others ought to be

Have you listened to any of Jill Balcon’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I haven't, but I will - her performance is perfect for these books and marvellously nuanced, I really admire her.

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

I became very involved with all the characters

Any additional comments?

This does not on the face of it seem a terribly exciting story but the depth of perception about humanity and the excellence of characterisation, combined with the rich period detail and poignance of many of the story threads make it absolutely superb. I wanted to listen to it all the time. An astonishing work of imagination. The best thing I've heard from Audible so far (with The Goldfinch running a close second)

5 people found this helpful