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Illyrian Spring
Grace Kilmichael, the well-known painter, is running away. She’s escaping her husband, and his wandering eye, her bullying grown-up children, and the tiresomeness of being herself.
En route to Split and Dubrovnik, Grace travels through Paris and Venice, and to the glories of Torcello. Here she meets Nicholas � fascinating, rebellious, completely unsuitable (and half her age). Thrown into turmoil by their relationship, it is not until Grace arrives in the remote, unspoilt beauty of the Illyrian coast, among the wildflowers and peaceful villages, that she can truly begin to find enlightenment.
Both farcically funny and full of wisdom, this is a classic novel of escape and rediscovery, set against the glorious Illyrian spring.
En route to Split and Dubrovnik, Grace travels through Paris and Venice, and to the glories of Torcello. Here she meets Nicholas � fascinating, rebellious, completely unsuitable (and half her age). Thrown into turmoil by their relationship, it is not until Grace arrives in the remote, unspoilt beauty of the Illyrian coast, among the wildflowers and peaceful villages, that she can truly begin to find enlightenment.
Both farcically funny and full of wisdom, this is a classic novel of escape and rediscovery, set against the glorious Illyrian spring.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1935
31 people are currently reading
920 people want to read
About the author
Ann Bridge
85books24followersMid twentieth-century novelist [real name, Mary Anne O'Malley] who began by exploiting the milieu of the British Foreign Office community in Peking, China, where she lived for two years with her diplomat husband. Her novels combine courtship plots with vividly-realised settings and demure social satire.
She went on to write novels which take as the background of their protagonists' emotional lives a serious investigation of modern historical developments (such as the leap by which Turkey progressed from a feudal-style government to become a modern republic in which women enjoyed equality of rights and equality of opportunity).
Ann Bridge also wrote thrillers centred on a female amateur detective, travel books, and family memoirs.
She went on to write novels which take as the background of their protagonists' emotional lives a serious investigation of modern historical developments (such as the leap by which Turkey progressed from a feudal-style government to become a modern republic in which women enjoyed equality of rights and equality of opportunity).
Ann Bridge also wrote thrillers centred on a female amateur detective, travel books, and family memoirs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
September 20, 2022
I have had to figure out why this book didn't work as well for me as the other books I've read by the author.
So, first of all, who are the Illyrians?
"The Illyrians (Ancient Greek: Ἰλλυριο�, Illyrioi; Latin: Illyrii) were a group of Indo-European-speaking peoples who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo-Balkan populations, along with the Thracians and Greeks."
This story plays out primarily on the breathtakingly beautiful Dalmatian Coast, i.e. in Croatia. I know of its beauty because I have been there and seen with my own eyes of what the author speaks. She describes Venice too.
In this novel Ann Bridge gives the reader a fictional story and what might be classified as a travelogue.
The central character, Grace, is a well-known artist in her forties, married and the mother of college-age twins and a daughter in her late teens. Her marriage has lost its spark. Her husband is perhaps on the brink of beginning an affair. She and her daughter are also at odds. Although successful in her field, she is not happy. The book analyzes what is the cause. She takes a trip. Alone. Will she come back with a smile on her face? Her marriage, will it crumble?
We travel alongside Grace from London through France, Italy and then to Croatia. It is in this way that the book reads as a travelogue. Descriptions of what is to be seen in the various cities along the route are detailed. Venice is atmospherically drawn. Torcello, in northeastern Italy, is visited. In Croatia, Split and Dubrovnik follow. Much time is spent in Dubrovnik. In my view, the ambiance of Venice comes through stronger than that of the Croatian towns. Although there is a lot of description detailing things that can be seen—monuments, fountains, paintings in churches, ancient stone etchings and such-- the atmosphere of the Croatian towns is not palpable. I was not engulfed by the impressions that engulfed me when I was there.
I find the solution to Grace’s familial problems to be bland, unsurprising, obvious. What is shown is that basically, to be happy, to be content and satisfied with life, one must have a sense of . There is a focus upon how society views women versus men. This is back in the 1930s. The message conveyed although still valid is dated by the circumstances of which the story is woven. Love intrigues are tame. I want a love attraction to sparkle, sizzle and crackle. You don’t get that here.
I listened to the book translated into Swedish. It was my only available option. The Swedish was a bit of a jolt, having listened to Bridge’s other books untranslated and in their original English. The prose feels too “Swedish�--every language has a particular style! Furthermore, the Croatian names of cities are not used. There are notes that state the Croatian names. They are more easily recognizable. Carl-Ivar Nilsson narrates the audiobook. The narration is good but not super. Too often he mumbles, and I had to listen several times to catch the exact words spoken. Three stars for the narration.
Neither the message of the tale nor the descriptive writing won me over. Usually, Ann Bridge’s books are more interesting, typically brimming over with new, fascinating information. I missed this here, or let’s just say, I got it to a lesser extent.
I enjoy writing reviews. I enjoy analyzing what exactly lessens versus increases my appreciation of a book. I do this for myself. I post them here on GR in the hope that my reviews will help others find books that will fit them! Each of us looks for different things. A review must therefore be specific and clear.
*
* 4 stars
* 4 stars
* 4 stars
* 4 stars
* 3 stars
* TBR
Julia Probyn Series :
*1. 4 stars
*2. TBR
*3. TBR
*4, TBR
*5. TBR
*6. TBR
*7. TBR
*8. TBR
So, first of all, who are the Illyrians?
"The Illyrians (Ancient Greek: Ἰλλυριο�, Illyrioi; Latin: Illyrii) were a group of Indo-European-speaking peoples who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo-Balkan populations, along with the Thracians and Greeks."
This story plays out primarily on the breathtakingly beautiful Dalmatian Coast, i.e. in Croatia. I know of its beauty because I have been there and seen with my own eyes of what the author speaks. She describes Venice too.
In this novel Ann Bridge gives the reader a fictional story and what might be classified as a travelogue.
The central character, Grace, is a well-known artist in her forties, married and the mother of college-age twins and a daughter in her late teens. Her marriage has lost its spark. Her husband is perhaps on the brink of beginning an affair. She and her daughter are also at odds. Although successful in her field, she is not happy. The book analyzes what is the cause. She takes a trip. Alone. Will she come back with a smile on her face? Her marriage, will it crumble?
We travel alongside Grace from London through France, Italy and then to Croatia. It is in this way that the book reads as a travelogue. Descriptions of what is to be seen in the various cities along the route are detailed. Venice is atmospherically drawn. Torcello, in northeastern Italy, is visited. In Croatia, Split and Dubrovnik follow. Much time is spent in Dubrovnik. In my view, the ambiance of Venice comes through stronger than that of the Croatian towns. Although there is a lot of description detailing things that can be seen—monuments, fountains, paintings in churches, ancient stone etchings and such-- the atmosphere of the Croatian towns is not palpable. I was not engulfed by the impressions that engulfed me when I was there.
I find the solution to Grace’s familial problems to be bland, unsurprising, obvious. What is shown is that basically, to be happy, to be content and satisfied with life, one must have a sense of . There is a focus upon how society views women versus men. This is back in the 1930s. The message conveyed although still valid is dated by the circumstances of which the story is woven. Love intrigues are tame. I want a love attraction to sparkle, sizzle and crackle. You don’t get that here.
I listened to the book translated into Swedish. It was my only available option. The Swedish was a bit of a jolt, having listened to Bridge’s other books untranslated and in their original English. The prose feels too “Swedish�--every language has a particular style! Furthermore, the Croatian names of cities are not used. There are notes that state the Croatian names. They are more easily recognizable. Carl-Ivar Nilsson narrates the audiobook. The narration is good but not super. Too often he mumbles, and I had to listen several times to catch the exact words spoken. Three stars for the narration.
Neither the message of the tale nor the descriptive writing won me over. Usually, Ann Bridge’s books are more interesting, typically brimming over with new, fascinating information. I missed this here, or let’s just say, I got it to a lesser extent.
I enjoy writing reviews. I enjoy analyzing what exactly lessens versus increases my appreciation of a book. I do this for myself. I post them here on GR in the hope that my reviews will help others find books that will fit them! Each of us looks for different things. A review must therefore be specific and clear.
*
* 4 stars
* 4 stars
* 4 stars
* 4 stars
* 3 stars
* TBR
Julia Probyn Series :
*1. 4 stars
*2. TBR
*3. TBR
*4, TBR
*5. TBR
*6. TBR
*7. TBR
*8. TBR
June 18, 2012
As a member of the Virago group on LibraryThing � much mentioned on this and other blogs of late, I would often hear, of the incredible difficulty in getting hold of a green copy of Illyrian Spring by Ann Bridge. Green edition or not though � I really wanted to read it, and so was delighted to learn recently of a new edition being published by Daunt books. I ordered it immediately, and was impressed upon its arrival with the attractive high quality of this lovely new edition. In fact when I was with Virago reading friends over this last weekend I showed my copy off � and they pronounced it gorgeous and some of them pledged to buy it. Thankfully the contents are every bit as wonderful as I had been expecting and I enjoyed it hugely.
Lady Grace Kilmichael is a well-known painter, she is also a 40 something wife and mother. However she is now running away. Often feeling harried by her daughter and unappreciated by her husband, whose friendship with another woman is some cause for concern, Grace seeks an escape. The Europe, through which Grace travels, is a different place � geographically from the Europe of today � but Ann Bridge’s descriptions of the landscape are breath-taking. En route to Split and Dubrovnik, Grace travels through Paris, Venice and Torcello � where she meets a young man half her age, an aspiring painter in need of help and guidance. However when Grace arrives on the spectacular Dalmatian coast she finds the peace and tranquillity she requires to start and answer the questions at the heart of her flight.
Nicholas and Grace strike up a friendship that allows Grace to help him with his painting, but Grace is soon made aware that Nicholas’s feeling for her may have become a little more complicated, and in turn must face up to her own changing emotions.
I have no experience of the area of Europe that the book talks about � having never really been anywhere outside the UK. However Ann Bridge’s amazing sense of place allowed me to encounter the landscape of 1930’s Europe, with its colourful peasant peoples herding goats through ancient ruins, works of art, small unspoilt communities untouched by the modern world.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read –and I envy those who still have it to look forward to. I can now understand fully why so many people enthuse over this book. It certainly deserves to be read and read, and I am so glad Daunt books re issued it for us.
Lady Grace Kilmichael is a well-known painter, she is also a 40 something wife and mother. However she is now running away. Often feeling harried by her daughter and unappreciated by her husband, whose friendship with another woman is some cause for concern, Grace seeks an escape. The Europe, through which Grace travels, is a different place � geographically from the Europe of today � but Ann Bridge’s descriptions of the landscape are breath-taking. En route to Split and Dubrovnik, Grace travels through Paris, Venice and Torcello � where she meets a young man half her age, an aspiring painter in need of help and guidance. However when Grace arrives on the spectacular Dalmatian coast she finds the peace and tranquillity she requires to start and answer the questions at the heart of her flight.
Nicholas and Grace strike up a friendship that allows Grace to help him with his painting, but Grace is soon made aware that Nicholas’s feeling for her may have become a little more complicated, and in turn must face up to her own changing emotions.
I have no experience of the area of Europe that the book talks about � having never really been anywhere outside the UK. However Ann Bridge’s amazing sense of place allowed me to encounter the landscape of 1930’s Europe, with its colourful peasant peoples herding goats through ancient ruins, works of art, small unspoilt communities untouched by the modern world.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read –and I envy those who still have it to look forward to. I can now understand fully why so many people enthuse over this book. It certainly deserves to be read and read, and I am so glad Daunt books re issued it for us.
May 27, 2020
Married women so often become more an institution than a person - to their own families a wife or a mother, to other people the wife or the mother of somebody else.
The French phrase amour propre is used quite a lot in this book, appropriately so, because more than anything else the book is about a middle-aged woman’s flight away from her family in order to recover a sense of her own worth again. Although the book is an adventure story and a travelogue, it is also a classic ‘journey� story in the sense that the discovery of new terrain parallels the protagonist’s journey into greater self-knowledge, self-understanding and self-respect.
At the beginning of the book, Lady Kilmichael is feeling low about herself and unappreciated by her family. She feels cowed by her husband’s and her daughter’s disdain and disinterest; their irritation and impatience with her has slowly eaten away at her confidence and self-esteem. She feels very ‘stupid� - a word that she repeats over and over, but it’s not so much stupidity in the intellectual but the emotional sense she feels. As she explains to her husband Walter, after much self-reflection:
You see I was always spreading out all the things I did for you and the children - like goods on a tray in a shop window - only you didn’t want any of them! Nobody would buy.
One of the things that differentiates this book from other stories in the ‘unappreciated wife� vein is that Lady Kilmichael (also known as Grace Stanway) is also an artist of some renown. When she decides to run away from her family and her ‘correct� life, at least for a break, she has something very specific to occupy her: her art, and specifically, a commercial contract. Her first stop is in Venice, and there she meets a young man - Nicholas - who aspires to be an artist. When they find themselves thrown together again - this time because they have both decided to travel to the Dalmatian Coast - they become involved in an adventure that involves art, friendship and just enough romantic feeling to develop a confidence in which they both were lacking.
The struggles of the protagonist were ones with which I could readily identify. As the mother of daughters, I could particularly understand how ‘Lady K� (as Nicholas refers to her) was often crushed by her daughter’s emotional distance, or even worse, her slight contempt.
Youth nowadays had many weapons in the armoury with which to defeat middle age.
At the beginning of their friendship, Nicholas helps Lady K to understand that she has to loosen the reins and stop ‘fussing� over her children. As they paint together, she becomes aware of just how important it is ’to respect a person’s individual vision�. But she has much to teach Nicholas as well, particularly in terms of how to stand up to his own father and develop his own vision.
The beautiful descriptions of the Croatian coast and countryside made me feel quite desperate to travel . . . especially as I was reading this novel during the Coronavirus lockdown . . . but in other respects this novel ‘spoke� to me in quite a personal way. I don’t think I gave my best reading effort to this book, having read it in stops and starts over a period of a few weeks, but I was completely in tune with it by the end.
June 23, 2020
I learned about this book from Simon and Rachel on the Tea or Books? podcast and immediately wanted to read it. I put the order in at Powell's and four weeks later, I finished it. I'm so thankful Daunt Books republished it since I hear it was really hard to find previously.
I entered so fully into the world Ann Bridge creates. Venice and the Dalmatian coast are foreign to me. I only have vague images in my mind as to what they look like, so I was able to go along with Grace, soaking in the sights and sounds, remembering what it's like to be in a foreign country...the serendipities, the inconveniences, the surprising places that one feels connected and at home, the unfamiliar and strange, the intensity. The travel/nature writing in this was lovely, and I already look forward to returning to it and soaking in the sense of place, especially the little town of Komolac where Grace has her enchanting room: "It was with something of the sense of slipping into clear water that she woke, in the mornings, in her bare room, seeing from one window the long shadows of the cypresses cutting across the shafts of early light...she lay in bed watching them, her lovely empty day spread out ahead of her wide and still as a lake..." (158).
Grace's literal room reminded me of Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own", but the metaphor is so apt for the story...not only does Grace, wife of a famous economist and mother of three college-age children, finally have her own literal space after years of crowding, but she also fills up the space her own mind, body, and soul take up in the world instead of shrinking into the shadows of Walter's voluble intelligence, her teenage daughter's youthful scorn, and her twin sons' enthusiasms. This transformation takes the whole book and it's so subtly and masterfully handled. A crisis precipitates her trip, and Grace is honest and introspective enough to look squarely at her own faults, but she also begins to find again her own worth. It's lovely to see how Nicholas and the Professor help her in this process.
And Nicholas is great, too (though Grace is my real favorite). His transformation in the story is more about his outward life--his pursuit of painting instead of architecture and his familial struggles--but Grace's example sets him on the road to maturing emotionally in a wonderful way, too. Grace has such emotional intelligence and it's sad that she denigrates herself because her intelligence isn't like Walter's or the Professor's or even Nicholas's. But they all come to realize her own way of being intelligent by the end. (Also, she somehow speaks like five languages--German, Latin, Italian, French, and English...so how is that stupid?)
At first, I was uncomfortable with the romance theme in the latter half of the book, but I let the book be on its own terms, and I am so glad I did. The romance and its effects on Nicholas, Grace, Linnet, Walter and the Professor is explored so interestingly and provides a good foil for the married love that we see Grace and Walter renew at the end of the novel. And the sparks of interest and devotion from Nicholas are important for setting Grace on her path to renewed self-worth. It also proves Grace's moral center as she sets up boundaries with Nicholas while still caring for him. I can't remember reading a storyline like this where there was an adulterous line flirted with, but ultimately not transgressed emotionally or physically. It was really refreshing in this day and age of free love that lacks an understanding of the nuance between duty and desire. (Funny to read this on the heels of The End of the Affair.)
The last sixth of the book could be seen as too coincidental, but I thought it worked well and tied up all the loose ends of the book in a very satisfactory way. Not too squeaky clean, but clean enough that we know our beloved Grace and Nicholas are on a good path forward. Also, I thought the last line was perfect...such a good blend of irony and sincerity. I look forward to reading this again.
I entered so fully into the world Ann Bridge creates. Venice and the Dalmatian coast are foreign to me. I only have vague images in my mind as to what they look like, so I was able to go along with Grace, soaking in the sights and sounds, remembering what it's like to be in a foreign country...the serendipities, the inconveniences, the surprising places that one feels connected and at home, the unfamiliar and strange, the intensity. The travel/nature writing in this was lovely, and I already look forward to returning to it and soaking in the sense of place, especially the little town of Komolac where Grace has her enchanting room: "It was with something of the sense of slipping into clear water that she woke, in the mornings, in her bare room, seeing from one window the long shadows of the cypresses cutting across the shafts of early light...she lay in bed watching them, her lovely empty day spread out ahead of her wide and still as a lake..." (158).
Grace's literal room reminded me of Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own", but the metaphor is so apt for the story...not only does Grace, wife of a famous economist and mother of three college-age children, finally have her own literal space after years of crowding, but she also fills up the space her own mind, body, and soul take up in the world instead of shrinking into the shadows of Walter's voluble intelligence, her teenage daughter's youthful scorn, and her twin sons' enthusiasms. This transformation takes the whole book and it's so subtly and masterfully handled. A crisis precipitates her trip, and Grace is honest and introspective enough to look squarely at her own faults, but she also begins to find again her own worth. It's lovely to see how Nicholas and the Professor help her in this process.
And Nicholas is great, too (though Grace is my real favorite). His transformation in the story is more about his outward life--his pursuit of painting instead of architecture and his familial struggles--but Grace's example sets him on the road to maturing emotionally in a wonderful way, too. Grace has such emotional intelligence and it's sad that she denigrates herself because her intelligence isn't like Walter's or the Professor's or even Nicholas's. But they all come to realize her own way of being intelligent by the end. (Also, she somehow speaks like five languages--German, Latin, Italian, French, and English...so how is that stupid?)
At first, I was uncomfortable with the romance theme in the latter half of the book, but I let the book be on its own terms, and I am so glad I did. The romance and its effects on Nicholas, Grace, Linnet, Walter and the Professor is explored so interestingly and provides a good foil for the married love that we see Grace and Walter renew at the end of the novel. And the sparks of interest and devotion from Nicholas are important for setting Grace on her path to renewed self-worth. It also proves Grace's moral center as she sets up boundaries with Nicholas while still caring for him. I can't remember reading a storyline like this where there was an adulterous line flirted with, but ultimately not transgressed emotionally or physically. It was really refreshing in this day and age of free love that lacks an understanding of the nuance between duty and desire. (Funny to read this on the heels of The End of the Affair.)
The last sixth of the book could be seen as too coincidental, but I thought it worked well and tied up all the loose ends of the book in a very satisfactory way. Not too squeaky clean, but clean enough that we know our beloved Grace and Nicholas are on a good path forward. Also, I thought the last line was perfect...such a good blend of irony and sincerity. I look forward to reading this again.
April 26, 2021
Another one to savour.
Lady Kilmichael has run away from her family; her husband doesn't appreciate her, and may be about to embark on an affair. Her sons are away at uni, and she has a tricky relationship with her daughter; neither of them understand each other. Despite the fact that she is a very successful artist, the family don't take her career seriously, (unless they want a new car). She heads of to the Dalmation Coast to paint and to figure out what she wants in her life, here she comes across Nicholas who is also out of step with his family, they want him to become an architect but he wants to be a painter. the two of them form a close friendship, when Lady K offers Nicholas some guidance in his painting. Their discussions help the two of them to reach a better understanding of their own situations within their families, but things start to get a bit complicated.
I kept thinking of , not that the storylines were that similar, but both invoke a similar atmosphere. The writing was beautiful and the scenery described made me want to go and visit the Dalmation Coast, preferably in the 1930's'' as I believe it is now a very crowded tourist destination because some of 'Game of Thrones' was filmed there.
Lady Kilmichael has run away from her family; her husband doesn't appreciate her, and may be about to embark on an affair. Her sons are away at uni, and she has a tricky relationship with her daughter; neither of them understand each other. Despite the fact that she is a very successful artist, the family don't take her career seriously, (unless they want a new car). She heads of to the Dalmation Coast to paint and to figure out what she wants in her life, here she comes across Nicholas who is also out of step with his family, they want him to become an architect but he wants to be a painter. the two of them form a close friendship, when Lady K offers Nicholas some guidance in his painting. Their discussions help the two of them to reach a better understanding of their own situations within their families, but things start to get a bit complicated.
I kept thinking of , not that the storylines were that similar, but both invoke a similar atmosphere. The writing was beautiful and the scenery described made me want to go and visit the Dalmation Coast, preferably in the 1930's'' as I believe it is now a very crowded tourist destination because some of 'Game of Thrones' was filmed there.
November 30, 2015
This book is a part travelogue, part love story set in 1930’s Croatia, along the picturesque Dalmatian Coast. World-renowned artist, thirty-eight year old Lady Kilmachael, the wife of an eminent economist and mother to three grown-up children, leaves her family and all that she holds dear and escapes to Venice and Croatia’s remote Dalmatian Coast. She fears for her marriage, suspecting her husband of embarking on a possible affair and also is saddened by the strained relationship she has with her daughter. In Venice she meets a disillusioned young man, Nicholas, a man on the verge of being coerced into an architectural career by his parents but desperately yearning to paint. By chance, Grace and Nicholas find themselves on the same cruise to the Dalmatian Coast. Grace is persuaded to guide and train Nicholas in his artistic endeavours and together they spend several idyllic weeks together painting and enjoying each other’s company. However, when young Nicholas falls in love with Grace, she finds she must choose between following her better judgement or her heart.
July 12, 2015
It was all so lovely and promising (at one point it seemed like there might be a flower-filled-field kiss, a la ) but then all the coincidences at the end piled up and got a little too convenient and cliched :( Does make me want to go to Croatia, though!
Shelved as 'wish-list'
March 6, 2014to find
January 23, 2021
I don't know what ending I wanted, but it was... not quite that one. I have great respect for the dear characters of Grace and Nicholas, however.
Side note: this book had some musings on personal freedom and how we let those we love hurt us, which I found thought-provoking and perhaps a bit personally relevant (though I'm not a middle-aged mother).
Side note: this book had some musings on personal freedom and how we let those we love hurt us, which I found thought-provoking and perhaps a bit personally relevant (though I'm not a middle-aged mother).
June 9, 2022
“Women in the early forties who have been wives and mothers for over twenty years are liable to suffer from a slight sense of guilt whenever they embark on any purely self-regarding activity; but Lady Kilmichael had better reasons than this for her desire to avoid the eyes of acquaintances on her journey. She was leaving her home, her husband and her family —possibly for good.�
Grace Kilmichael pertenece a una familia acomodada, vive en Londres con su marido Walter y sus hijos, los gemelos y la pequeña Linnet. Ha llegado a ese momento de la vida en que sus dos hijos mayores están en la universidad y la pequeña ya tiene 19 años y le resulta completamente ajena. Además sospecha que el siempre ocupado Walter la menosprecia cada vez más a menudo y que para agravar las cosas tiene una aventura con una colega economista. Sin embargo Grace es una gran pintora que estudió en Francia, que es bien considerada en el mundillo por su prestigio y que no ha llegado a más porque sus quehaceres familiares la han frenado un poco. Pero eso ya queda atrás cuando la buena señora agarra sus bártulos y la maleta, se sube al Orient Express y viaja, primero a París y luego a Venecia.
En Venecia su camino se cruza con el del joven Nicholas Humphries, quien a sus 20 años, ha escapado de su familia ahogado por la sensación de que han dejado el camino marcado para él, tiene que estudiar arquitectura y con esa excusa ha viajado a Italia, pero en realidad quiere ser pintor. Tras ver algunos bocetos del joven y caerse bien, Grace toma al joven bajo su ala y éste se convierte en su discípulo. Juntos viajan por la costa veneciana circundando el Adriático y llegando hasta una isla en Dalmacia (Croacia).
Aunque lo he resumido mucho, debo señalar que este libro tiene muchísimo más. El valor del mismo es doble dado que, por una parte tenemos la historia de nuestros dos protagonistas y por otro el viaje y la estancia. Pero además el viaje también resulta ser doble ya que ambos personajes se encuentran consigo mismos en esta aventura, aclaran sus ideas, asientan sus personalidades, sus deseos y sus aspiraciones a la par que conocemos los diferentes paisajes por los que se mueven. Tanto Grace como Nicholas se ocultan a los demás, una adoptando el papel de una mujer dócil y apocada por su marido y el otro fingiendo que lo que desea su familia para él coincide con sus propios deseos. No son son así en absoluto y el viaje más que cambiarles, les revela como realmente son.
También la relación entre ellos evoluciona y se hace fuerte. A pesar de que hay momentos de duda y confusión, la suya es una amistad verdadera, no va más allá de lo puramente platónico. Ambos se quieren pero aunque se insinue que es algo más romántico, en realidad son como una madre y su hijo favorito. Este acercamiento en realidad se produce, sobre todo, porque Grace necesita que la necesiten y Nicholas está confuso y necesita una guía, alguien que le muestre el camino a seguir. Así y todo, esta novela en su día causó cierto escándalo en la sociedad, que, por otra parte la tomó como una guía de viajes.
Y al fin y al cabo esos es lo que es, un cuaderno de viajes. Si apartamos la historia de Grace y Nicholas y sus problemas familiares, lo que queda es Venecia y Dalmacia. El mediterráneo, la costa, la arquitectura, el arte, los pueblos, la cultura, las diferentes gentes, las diferencias con Inglaterra, el proceso creativo y un cierto espíritu tradicional y pintoresco de los pueblos de las islas croatas. Y aquí es donde Ann Bridge despliega todo su poder creando escenas y paisajes tan vívidos que resultan casi fotografías y postales tomadas por un ojo experto. Es este aspecto lo que convierte “Illyrian Spring� en una joya, en una delicia de lectura. Recomendadísimo.
Grace Kilmichael pertenece a una familia acomodada, vive en Londres con su marido Walter y sus hijos, los gemelos y la pequeña Linnet. Ha llegado a ese momento de la vida en que sus dos hijos mayores están en la universidad y la pequeña ya tiene 19 años y le resulta completamente ajena. Además sospecha que el siempre ocupado Walter la menosprecia cada vez más a menudo y que para agravar las cosas tiene una aventura con una colega economista. Sin embargo Grace es una gran pintora que estudió en Francia, que es bien considerada en el mundillo por su prestigio y que no ha llegado a más porque sus quehaceres familiares la han frenado un poco. Pero eso ya queda atrás cuando la buena señora agarra sus bártulos y la maleta, se sube al Orient Express y viaja, primero a París y luego a Venecia.
En Venecia su camino se cruza con el del joven Nicholas Humphries, quien a sus 20 años, ha escapado de su familia ahogado por la sensación de que han dejado el camino marcado para él, tiene que estudiar arquitectura y con esa excusa ha viajado a Italia, pero en realidad quiere ser pintor. Tras ver algunos bocetos del joven y caerse bien, Grace toma al joven bajo su ala y éste se convierte en su discípulo. Juntos viajan por la costa veneciana circundando el Adriático y llegando hasta una isla en Dalmacia (Croacia).
Aunque lo he resumido mucho, debo señalar que este libro tiene muchísimo más. El valor del mismo es doble dado que, por una parte tenemos la historia de nuestros dos protagonistas y por otro el viaje y la estancia. Pero además el viaje también resulta ser doble ya que ambos personajes se encuentran consigo mismos en esta aventura, aclaran sus ideas, asientan sus personalidades, sus deseos y sus aspiraciones a la par que conocemos los diferentes paisajes por los que se mueven. Tanto Grace como Nicholas se ocultan a los demás, una adoptando el papel de una mujer dócil y apocada por su marido y el otro fingiendo que lo que desea su familia para él coincide con sus propios deseos. No son son así en absoluto y el viaje más que cambiarles, les revela como realmente son.
También la relación entre ellos evoluciona y se hace fuerte. A pesar de que hay momentos de duda y confusión, la suya es una amistad verdadera, no va más allá de lo puramente platónico. Ambos se quieren pero aunque se insinue que es algo más romántico, en realidad son como una madre y su hijo favorito. Este acercamiento en realidad se produce, sobre todo, porque Grace necesita que la necesiten y Nicholas está confuso y necesita una guía, alguien que le muestre el camino a seguir. Así y todo, esta novela en su día causó cierto escándalo en la sociedad, que, por otra parte la tomó como una guía de viajes.
Y al fin y al cabo esos es lo que es, un cuaderno de viajes. Si apartamos la historia de Grace y Nicholas y sus problemas familiares, lo que queda es Venecia y Dalmacia. El mediterráneo, la costa, la arquitectura, el arte, los pueblos, la cultura, las diferentes gentes, las diferencias con Inglaterra, el proceso creativo y un cierto espíritu tradicional y pintoresco de los pueblos de las islas croatas. Y aquí es donde Ann Bridge despliega todo su poder creando escenas y paisajes tan vívidos que resultan casi fotografías y postales tomadas por un ojo experto. Es este aspecto lo que convierte “Illyrian Spring� en una joya, en una delicia de lectura. Recomendadísimo.
September 15, 2015
It's a funny one, it really is. I mean, on the one hand it's a complete fantasy - a mother, feeling unappreciated, goes off on a painting trip (oh yes, she's a successful painter too) without telling her family where she's going. She wanders around Venice, looking at art and running into a young man who also happens to paint and who joins her in traveling and painting and understands her like her family never has...
All of which is fun to read, but not a bit like real life.
On the other hand, this woman, Grace, is so relatable - she's spent her life being a wife and raising her kids, and now the kids are older, and frankly, she irritates everyone and knows it. She can't seem to do anything right for them and it has undermined her confidence. She feels stupid and unappreciated, and she doesn't have a life outside them except for painting, and this they have no understanding of whatsoever, and joke about. She decides to get out from under these feelings. And we find out that the story isn't about painting at all. Its about how friendship can crack open a window in otherwise oppressive circumstances, about learning to like and respect one's self, and that this, in fact, is the way to earn others respect.
Such a strange mix of fantasy and everyday realism I never did see. I'm shaking my head. I liked it. I needed it, in fact. I know what it's like to be so immersed in family life that the individual I am seems merely a ghost, thin and see-through, and yes, haunting. I spend so much time doing things I am actually not very good at, I've forgotten that I know something else very well. I've forgotten that I'm not stupid. I've also experienced what a relief it is to discover that person with whom I can talk to about the things I truly love (which my family has no interest in).
So even though it's an odd one, I recommend it.
"You must be content with what you are. See - you speak of freedom, but freedom, gnadige Frau, is within...It consists of two things: To know each his own limitations and to accept them - that is the same as to know oneself, and to accept oneself as one is, without fear, or envy, or distaste; and to recognize the conditions under which one lives, also without fear or envy or distaste."
All of which is fun to read, but not a bit like real life.
On the other hand, this woman, Grace, is so relatable - she's spent her life being a wife and raising her kids, and now the kids are older, and frankly, she irritates everyone and knows it. She can't seem to do anything right for them and it has undermined her confidence. She feels stupid and unappreciated, and she doesn't have a life outside them except for painting, and this they have no understanding of whatsoever, and joke about. She decides to get out from under these feelings. And we find out that the story isn't about painting at all. Its about how friendship can crack open a window in otherwise oppressive circumstances, about learning to like and respect one's self, and that this, in fact, is the way to earn others respect.
Such a strange mix of fantasy and everyday realism I never did see. I'm shaking my head. I liked it. I needed it, in fact. I know what it's like to be so immersed in family life that the individual I am seems merely a ghost, thin and see-through, and yes, haunting. I spend so much time doing things I am actually not very good at, I've forgotten that I know something else very well. I've forgotten that I'm not stupid. I've also experienced what a relief it is to discover that person with whom I can talk to about the things I truly love (which my family has no interest in).
So even though it's an odd one, I recommend it.
"You must be content with what you are. See - you speak of freedom, but freedom, gnadige Frau, is within...It consists of two things: To know each his own limitations and to accept them - that is the same as to know oneself, and to accept oneself as one is, without fear, or envy, or distaste; and to recognize the conditions under which one lives, also without fear or envy or distaste."
November 14, 2016
This is a delicious 1930s novel about a 40-something aristocratic painter, Lady Grace Kilmichael, who escapes her inattentive husband and ungrateful grown children for a break in Dalmatia (present-day Croatia.) En route via Venice, she meets another would-be painter on the island of Torcello, an Englishman named Nicholas, who is in his early 20s. The two embark unwittingly on a romantic relationship as 'Lady K' acts as the young man's mentor.
The insights in this story about middle-aged married relationships, and those between parents and almost-grown offspring, feel fresh and certainly not 80 years old. Grace feels as if 'no one really needed her any more.' Her husband, Walter, reacts to her by telling her 'not to get worked up' and a typical attitude from her children is 'Buck up and finish the old picture, Mums darling - I want a new car.' I am sure there are plenty of middle-aged women today who can identify with that!
There's plenty of humour in the story, in a social-observation Mitford-type style, even if some of this is very much of its time. For example, in a very stiff-upper-lip manner, an attempted rape is brushed off as a 'tiresome episode.' But how about this observation in the light of the recent referendum? 'Like many English people, she tended unconsciously, in her heart of hearts, to think of Europe, taking it by and large, as a Dark Continent, full of foreigners ...'
I found the ending a little too convenient and somewhat trite, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book, which also contains some glorious descriptions of the landscape and flora around Dubrovnik.
I was also thrilled to discover that Ann Bridge was none other than Cottie Sanders, who I'd read about in a biography of George Mallory. Ann/Mary/Cottie was a mountaineer and climbing companion of Mallory while in her late teens and early twenties, but whether there was also a romance between them is not known.
The insights in this story about middle-aged married relationships, and those between parents and almost-grown offspring, feel fresh and certainly not 80 years old. Grace feels as if 'no one really needed her any more.' Her husband, Walter, reacts to her by telling her 'not to get worked up' and a typical attitude from her children is 'Buck up and finish the old picture, Mums darling - I want a new car.' I am sure there are plenty of middle-aged women today who can identify with that!
There's plenty of humour in the story, in a social-observation Mitford-type style, even if some of this is very much of its time. For example, in a very stiff-upper-lip manner, an attempted rape is brushed off as a 'tiresome episode.' But how about this observation in the light of the recent referendum? 'Like many English people, she tended unconsciously, in her heart of hearts, to think of Europe, taking it by and large, as a Dark Continent, full of foreigners ...'
I found the ending a little too convenient and somewhat trite, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book, which also contains some glorious descriptions of the landscape and flora around Dubrovnik.
I was also thrilled to discover that Ann Bridge was none other than Cottie Sanders, who I'd read about in a biography of George Mallory. Ann/Mary/Cottie was a mountaineer and climbing companion of Mallory while in her late teens and early twenties, but whether there was also a romance between them is not known.
August 26, 2016
Charming...like a warm bath and with scented oil...
Look, this is of its age. But this writer was a best seller in her day. Lady K leaves husband and child because she feels unwanted and useless - oh, and all those servants too, you have to overlook that - and yet she is a famous painter in her own right.
She flees to the Dalmatian coast -like you do - where she meets a young man, her own class of course, and he is grumpy and wants to paint and you can guess the rest - as she is still lovely in her forties. of course.
The travel writing is sublime, luscious, read it just for that. We know he'll fall for her but I won't say anymore except that she finds herself and learns to be liked as she is - in a white evening dress and silver accessories.
Do read it. It really is a joyous read. But read it with the period in mind.
Look, this is of its age. But this writer was a best seller in her day. Lady K leaves husband and child because she feels unwanted and useless - oh, and all those servants too, you have to overlook that - and yet she is a famous painter in her own right.
She flees to the Dalmatian coast -like you do - where she meets a young man, her own class of course, and he is grumpy and wants to paint and you can guess the rest - as she is still lovely in her forties. of course.
The travel writing is sublime, luscious, read it just for that. We know he'll fall for her but I won't say anymore except that she finds herself and learns to be liked as she is - in a white evening dress and silver accessories.
Do read it. It really is a joyous read. But read it with the period in mind.
October 22, 2014
This was a delight to read. It was especially pleasurable coming on the heels of Joyce Carey's much less happy and well-adjusted painter. Two normal, fairly happy artists; I think I prefer this vision of art.
The plot, of course, is ridiculous, but it doesn't matter and it's not the point. The point is something about happiness and freedom and self-confidence (not to be confused with the damaging pride). It's also one of those great books about something that doesn't happen instead of something that does. All in all, a terrific way to spend the last little bits of vacation.
The plot, of course, is ridiculous, but it doesn't matter and it's not the point. The point is something about happiness and freedom and self-confidence (not to be confused with the damaging pride). It's also one of those great books about something that doesn't happen instead of something that does. All in all, a terrific way to spend the last little bits of vacation.
January 3, 2017
An utterly charming book: the romance is threaded with strands of femimism, punctuated with gorgeous descriptions of Dalmatia, and capped with a comedy of errors. The story and prose reminded me of my time in college, when I read a lot of novels by British women writers. I only needed the green-bound Virago edition to complete the memory.
August 24, 2020
[1935] (notes to self�) Absolutely delightful. Really a 4.5 stars. Best book you’ve never heard of. How does it only have 235 ŷ ratings??? Reminds me of The Enchanted April. Escape to the gorgeous Adriatic coast, to the beautiful cities of Split and Trogir and Dubrovnik (our 2015 vacation) with two painters and accidental travel companions - 42 year old Lady Grace Kilmichael and 22 year old Nicholas Humphries. Fall a little in love with each of them and watch as they rediscover themselves through the places they go and the people they meet.
So many little truths:
“They were getting to know not only the details of each other’s lives, but getting to know one another - a different thing.� (pg 105)
“To share fear is to share a new form of intimacy.� (pg 200)
“One must learn what one was like, and then be what one ought, independently of the opinion of other people, whether good or ill.� (pg 252)
“But he was a person of sufficient sensibility to recognize freely that pain beyond a certain point is a reason, if not a justification, for almost anything.� (pg 299)
So many little truths:
“They were getting to know not only the details of each other’s lives, but getting to know one another - a different thing.� (pg 105)
“To share fear is to share a new form of intimacy.� (pg 200)
“One must learn what one was like, and then be what one ought, independently of the opinion of other people, whether good or ill.� (pg 252)
“But he was a person of sufficient sensibility to recognize freely that pain beyond a certain point is a reason, if not a justification, for almost anything.� (pg 299)
December 3, 2020
DNF. Must have been quite original and ground-breaking when it first came out, but today it feels a bit old-fashioned and very slow. The subtlety of the motherly/sexual attraction of the main character to the young man she meets feels strange today, as it seems that the author is doing its best to circumvent the sexual element. What you get is VERY long descriptions of how they are both enthralled by signs they find on stones, architecture and art. The sexual attraction transferred into an intellectual one. Bridge is trying to show us a woman who feels tired of standing at the family's service all the time and is fond of her husband but feels taken for granted and may also be sexually unsatisfied who decides to take her life into her own hands and lead it instead of continuously being led by others. I appreciate the sentiment and I believe it's still relevant today, but the pace and the avoidance of sensitive and risque issues have made it impossible for me to enjoy this novel.
November 26, 2017
Lady Grace Kilmichael the heroine of the book is a 45 years old married lady who feels underappreciated by her husband and grown up children. She escapes to Europe where she encounters a kindred spirit Nicholas Humphries a young man who wants to become a painter while his family objects. She already a well renown painter helps him gain confidence and independance and he in turn helps her. The romance here is very chaste, rather like courtly love, a meeting of like minds or spirits. Plus the book is very reflective and introspective, Lady Kilmichael uses the distance to diagnose where things went wrong in her family life. Accompanying this meditative mood are long descriptions of views, plants and architecture. Be warned that the most dramatic thing to happen in the book is food poisoning. I liked the book very much accept for the ending which seemed a little too pat.
October 24, 2011
When I read fiction, it's normally of the romance or sword & sorcery varieties, so when a friend recommended I try this, I was a bit dubious. A middle-aged coming-of-age story / fictional travelogue, really? But, I decided to trust her and - oh, I'm so glad I did! This is such a lovely book.
The descriptions of Grace's travels are beautifully, crisply done and the characters themselves are all quite charming. The perspective of the writer/narrator displays such grace, maturity, and unexpected humor that, as soon as I finished this book, I began to look for the next of hers to try.
The descriptions of Grace's travels are beautifully, crisply done and the characters themselves are all quite charming. The perspective of the writer/narrator displays such grace, maturity, and unexpected humor that, as soon as I finished this book, I began to look for the next of hers to try.
December 17, 2012
A middle-aged English woman who is also a part-time artist, at odds with her family, escapes on a working vacation to draw and paint on the Dalmatia coast and befriends a young man who is also struggling with his life. The places, people and landscapes are so well described, it's like taking a vacation of your own, and the main characters's struggles with their life problems and relationships are realistically and sensitively portrayed. Charming, but also serious. Very much of its time (1935) in the solutions to the heroine's dilemmas.
May 29, 2013
Written in 1935, this is the story of a well-born English woman fleeing her unappreciative family who take her for granted and constantly belittle her. She takes off for Illyria (Dalmation Coast/Yugoslavia) to paint without telling anyone where she is going and where she has plenty of adventures. Lyrical descriptions of the coast. I must go see this area. I wonder if it's still as idyllic as she depicts it.
May 18, 2018
Loved this. Recommended to me for a walking holiday in Montenegro and Croatia taking in Dubrovnik where a large portion of the action takes place. Lady Kilmichael is a sort of rich 1930s Shirley Valentine and is terribly elegant and endearing as she slowly comes back to believing in herself. The right book at the right time in more ways than one.
July 17, 2018
An unexpectedly wonderful read. One of those stories that makes you feel nostalgic for a long-ago time. The love story is one thing but the description of the travels and the wonderful Croatian landscape took it to a whole other level.
I'd be interested to see what other books by Ann Bridge are like to see if she manages to transport the reader in the same way.
I'd be interested to see what other books by Ann Bridge are like to see if she manages to transport the reader in the same way.
January 1, 2014
Though written in the 30's this novel still has lots of relevance. I enjoyed it for the insight it gave me into how far women have come...and how far we still have to go. Plus it's a lovely travel fantasy; nothing wrong with that!
October 2, 2016
An absolutely beautiful book that I thoroughly enjoyed. If you, like me, love books like Enchanted April you will love this.
Read
October 29, 2020DNF
This was an oldie. Slow and dreamy, definitely old-fashioned, but sort-of charming, until I got tired of its sluggish pace and non-existent plot and abandoned the book about half-way in.
It is a story about a middle-aged female artist, Lady Grace Kilmichael, unappreciated by her family. She runs away from her wealthy husband and teenage children, first to Venice, and then to Illyria, while struggling to find herself as an artist and a woman. It’s also a bit of a travelogue, describing all the heroine sees, nature and art, in loving and colorful details. The descriptions of people and places and the protagonist’s thoughts seem to be the prevailing mode of narrative.
The novel is deeply poignant too, especially considering the year of the publication � 1935. A few years later, everything the author described, the entire way of life, its beauty and uniqueness, turned to ashes under the Nazi’s war machine.
The quote below is horrible, both Antisemitic and disdainful of women, but it reflects the times and the author’s British origins.
This was an oldie. Slow and dreamy, definitely old-fashioned, but sort-of charming, until I got tired of its sluggish pace and non-existent plot and abandoned the book about half-way in.
It is a story about a middle-aged female artist, Lady Grace Kilmichael, unappreciated by her family. She runs away from her wealthy husband and teenage children, first to Venice, and then to Illyria, while struggling to find herself as an artist and a woman. It’s also a bit of a travelogue, describing all the heroine sees, nature and art, in loving and colorful details. The descriptions of people and places and the protagonist’s thoughts seem to be the prevailing mode of narrative.
The novel is deeply poignant too, especially considering the year of the publication � 1935. A few years later, everything the author described, the entire way of life, its beauty and uniqueness, turned to ashes under the Nazi’s war machine.
The quote below is horrible, both Antisemitic and disdainful of women, but it reflects the times and the author’s British origins.
... Walter had once said that Mrs. Barum’s brain was a phenomenon in a woman � she wasn’t a Jewess; only married to a Jew. That was the worst of being an economist, Lady Kilmichael thought � Jews sort of cropped up all round you.
August 19, 2024
A beautiful book! Illyrian Spring’s protagonist, Grace Kilmichael, is first seen boarding a train that will take her out of the country to Venice - she’s running away from her husband and daughter, for feeling like an unappreciated failure. She also happens to be a rather famous painter but her principal role in life is mother/wife; therefore she feels lessened by troubles with her family and plans to leave and paint abroad where she can sort out her troubled mind in solitude. Grace does a lot of soul searching while exploring parts of Italy and Croatia - and she also picks up a young man on her travels who is also rather lost, vowing to help him with his painting ambitions they begin travelling together almost by accident and become friends. Grace is puzzled by this friendship with a boy from the generation of her children - but as she puzzles over this and other experiences while travelling the coastline, she begins to understand more truths about herself and her relationships with others. This is very much a philosophical journey of discovery and it’s so lovely to read it while the descriptions are all of sunsoaked vistas and languid days of painting. Really felt like an almost perfect book! There is also always a rather quaint and old fashioned aspect to Ann Bridge’s novels, but this would have been quite a shocking read for the time it was written as it’s also in many ways quite modern in outlook.
September 18, 2020
This book would make an excellent Merchant Ivory film and it's a shame it never was. I envisioned Jane Seymour in the role of Grace Stanway throughout the whole book. I am not quite sure who I would have play Nicholas, though. Any suggestions? For what it is worth it is not often that I immediately start thinking about actors to play roles in books!
This was a delightful, descriptive, lush book, very reflective of its time and the society of the 30s althoughit did make me quite irritated with the men in her life. So meddlesome and paternal! And the various descriptions of the communication methods women needed to use ("soft remonstrances") actually made me a bit batty given that I am a pretty directperson and it drives me crazy that men would have to be softly wheedled into agreeing with you. In a few places in the book she was earnestly talking about how stupid she was and I thought, girl, what the hell. Know your power!
In the end our protagonist seemed happyand satisfied so all's well that ends well. I am glad she took her journey and it led to her emotional journey and re-discovering her strengths.
I have spent quite a bit of time in Venice and also one visit to Croatia (both Spalato/Split and Ragusa/Dubronik) and I enjoyed bringing those adventures back to mind and especially now, during this time of COVID. I enjoyed her usage of the old Italian place names for the locations. I also had Instagram at hand to plug in the names of all the flowers to see what she was describing.
I had never heard of the author before this book and in looking her up I found her life story to be utterly fascinating. I plan to read more about her and more of her books as well.
This was a delightful, descriptive, lush book, very reflective of its time and the society of the 30s althoughit did make me quite irritated with the men in her life. So meddlesome and paternal! And the various descriptions of the communication methods women needed to use ("soft remonstrances") actually made me a bit batty given that I am a pretty directperson and it drives me crazy that men would have to be softly wheedled into agreeing with you. In a few places in the book she was earnestly talking about how stupid she was and I thought, girl, what the hell. Know your power!
In the end our protagonist seemed happyand satisfied so all's well that ends well. I am glad she took her journey and it led to her emotional journey and re-discovering her strengths.
I have spent quite a bit of time in Venice and also one visit to Croatia (both Spalato/Split and Ragusa/Dubronik) and I enjoyed bringing those adventures back to mind and especially now, during this time of COVID. I enjoyed her usage of the old Italian place names for the locations. I also had Instagram at hand to plug in the names of all the flowers to see what she was describing.
I had never heard of the author before this book and in looking her up I found her life story to be utterly fascinating. I plan to read more about her and more of her books as well.
June 10, 2023
כתוב ברגישות ומשכנע. תיאורי נוף משולבים בתיאור פסיכולוגי. למרות שהספר נכתב לפני 100 שנה עדכניתו נשמרה
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