Romance with a Sting

No doubt, Graham Swift is a gifted story teller. His prose is far from stylish and ornamental, but precise and descriptive and the pictures he creates are simply stunning and leave deep impressions. Mothering Sunday describes one day in the life of Jane Fairchild, an old lady now and a famous author. It is not a full day, just an afternoon, but it will change her life forever.

The story is set in Berkshire, England, 1924, on Mothering Sunday, when the servants and staff are free to visit their parents. Jane, a young woman then, is a maid to an upper-class family, but as an orphan she does not have anywhere to go. Jane will spend this sunny Sunday afternoon with her wealthy neighbor Paul Sheringham, with whom she has an affair for several years now. Since he will be married soon, he wants to give her a special treat and invites her to his bedroom, the first and only time. Of course, this is only possible, because all the servants are gone for the day. There does not seem to be much more than plain and simple sex, but time passes slowly and Paul does not seem to be in a hurry to leave to meet with his future wife.

Jane may be a simple servant girl, but she already has the mind and observation of the future writer. This becomes very evident, when she walks through the house after Paul left, naked and in deep thought.

It is hard to call Jane' and Paul's relationship a “love” affair. Initially Paul paid for Jane’s services and they only met in secrecy and mostly in rather sordid places. It is painful to watch, how Paul in his aristocratic arrogance is unable to show affection beyond the mere carnal attraction, while Jane drinks in every moment of this last meeting to burn it deeply into her memory.

Some reviews find love and romance in this last meeting, but if it is romance, it is a very bitter one. It is a great story and there is a lot more to it than simple romance.

1 Person fand das hilfreich

Incredibly beautifully told

A real joy and celebration of storytelling! Somehow "ruined" by the reader, who seems to have been in an extreme hurry (which fortunatelly can be fixed in the speed settings in the app).

A little jewel

a moving story - beautifully written- wonderful to listen to a real work of art