What do you think?
Rate this book
It Ends with Revelations
During a summer festival in an English spa town Miles Quentin, a distinguished actor, and his devoted wife Jill, become friendly with the local member of Parliament, Geoffrey Thornton, and his young daughters, Robin and Kit. All these attractive, intelligent and fully occupied people are seemingly untroubled. But the surface of their lives is deceptive.
All, even the lively teenagers, have unusual problems which are only brought fully to light after the Quentins return to the London theatre world and the Thorntons to their Westminster house. Then the story becomes a far from conventional love story in which loyalty may prove more important than love; or it could be described as a story of different kinds of love. Few readers of its early sunny chapters will foresee its dramatic development, the outcome of which is uncertain until the very end.
All, even the lively teenagers, have unusual problems which are only brought fully to light after the Quentins return to the London theatre world and the Thorntons to their Westminster house. Then the story becomes a far from conventional love story in which loyalty may prove more important than love; or it could be described as a story of different kinds of love. Few readers of its early sunny chapters will foresee its dramatic development, the outcome of which is uncertain until the very end.
280 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1967
7 people are currently reading
506 people want to read
About the author
Dodie Smith
91books1,178followersBorn Dorothy Gladys Smith in Lancashire, England, Dodie Smith was raised in Manchester (her memoir is titled A Childhood in Manchester). She was just an infant when her father died, and she grew up fatherless until age 14, when her mother remarried and the family moved to London. There she studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and tried for a career as an actress, but with little success. She finally wound up taking a job as a toy buyer for a furniture store to make ends meet. Giving up dreams of an acting career, she turned to writing plays, and in 1931 her first play, Autumn Crocus, was published (under the pseudonym “C.L. Anthony�). It was a success, and her story � from failed actress to furniture store employee to successful writer � captured the imagination of the public and she was featured in papers all over the country. Although she could now afford to move to a London townhouse, she didn't get caught up in the “literary� scene � she married a man who was a fellow employee at the furniture store.
During World War II she and her husband moved to the United States, mostly because of his stand as a conscientious objector and the social and legal difficulties that entailed. She was still homesick for England, though, as reflected in her first novel, I Capture the Castle (1948). During her stay she formed close friendships with such authors as Christopher Isherwood and John Van Druten, and was aided in her literary endeavors by writer A.J. Cronin.
She is perhaps best known for her novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, a hugely popular childrens book that has been made into a string of very successful animated films by Walt Disney. She died in 1990.
During World War II she and her husband moved to the United States, mostly because of his stand as a conscientious objector and the social and legal difficulties that entailed. She was still homesick for England, though, as reflected in her first novel, I Capture the Castle (1948). During her stay she formed close friendships with such authors as Christopher Isherwood and John Van Druten, and was aided in her literary endeavors by writer A.J. Cronin.
She is perhaps best known for her novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, a hugely popular childrens book that has been made into a string of very successful animated films by Walt Disney. She died in 1990.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
April 11, 2020
The central premise of Dodie Smith's It Ends with Revelations isn't even mentioned until over halfway through the novel: its heroine, Jill, is knowingly married to a gay man. There's no scandal to it—no shocking discovery, nothing that the heroine didn't know before she entered into the arrangement. It's all very genteel, as are most of the relationships in Smith's works—as is the follow-up plot, in which an MP and his family conspire to un-marry Jill from her husband and take her over for their own.
Smith's doing some subtle and sympathetic writing on a delicate topic, here. The latter is perhaps not unexpected; Smith was great friends with Christopher Isherwood during the height of his writing career, after all. She manages to address what was still a shocking subject with great sensitivity and aplomb.
What's disappointing, somewhat, is that the novel's plotting might be too subtle for most readers to appreciate. Most of the fighting Jill's husband does to keep her takes place in the book's earliest pages, long before the average reader would have picked up on the book's central struggle. Also, among all of Smith's heroines, Jill is the most frustratingly passive. Even at the book's climax, she's allowing the men in her life to negotiate with each other for who gets her in his life; she never seems to make an actual choice of her own. She's less a person than a utility to be annexed.
Worse still, the book's shockingly old-fashioned. A casual reader picking up this tale of arranged marriages and homosexual blackmail for the first time might well assume it was written during the mid-century time period of I Capture the Castle. Yet It Ends with Revelations was published almost a solid two decades later, in 1968; to consider that it came out in the year famous for the Summer of Love betrays how very much out of touch Smith's writing was with current events. Mere months later, the Stonewall riots would make this quaint and genteel novel look like an archaeological relic.
Still, for its sweet insight into the workings of the English theater, the book's a pleasant enough read. And Dodie Smith's characteristic charm counts for a lot. Fans of I Capture the Castle and The Town in Bloom will enjoy another volume in the author's sweet re-creation of a lost and respectable age.
Smith's doing some subtle and sympathetic writing on a delicate topic, here. The latter is perhaps not unexpected; Smith was great friends with Christopher Isherwood during the height of his writing career, after all. She manages to address what was still a shocking subject with great sensitivity and aplomb.
What's disappointing, somewhat, is that the novel's plotting might be too subtle for most readers to appreciate. Most of the fighting Jill's husband does to keep her takes place in the book's earliest pages, long before the average reader would have picked up on the book's central struggle. Also, among all of Smith's heroines, Jill is the most frustratingly passive. Even at the book's climax, she's allowing the men in her life to negotiate with each other for who gets her in his life; she never seems to make an actual choice of her own. She's less a person than a utility to be annexed.
Worse still, the book's shockingly old-fashioned. A casual reader picking up this tale of arranged marriages and homosexual blackmail for the first time might well assume it was written during the mid-century time period of I Capture the Castle. Yet It Ends with Revelations was published almost a solid two decades later, in 1968; to consider that it came out in the year famous for the Summer of Love betrays how very much out of touch Smith's writing was with current events. Mere months later, the Stonewall riots would make this quaint and genteel novel look like an archaeological relic.
Still, for its sweet insight into the workings of the English theater, the book's a pleasant enough read. And Dodie Smith's characteristic charm counts for a lot. Fans of I Capture the Castle and The Town in Bloom will enjoy another volume in the author's sweet re-creation of a lost and respectable age.
June 6, 2012
I'm a great reader of vintage fiction, always try to read in context, and in principle I love Dodie Smith - but this is a shocker. So wrong on so many levels, as they say, and wildly implausible to boot. Published in 1967, I have no doubt it was taking a very 'advanced' line on homosexuality for its time, but . The whole premise is constructed on amorality and bad faith. Normally, I love Dodie Smith's feisty young girl characters, but the two teenagers in this novel are beyond irritating. They are impudent and precocious, and instead of putting them straight, the adults seem to swallow their warped values - I kept waiting in vain for someone to set them right. Finally, the ending, which could have gone one of two ways, is 180 degrees wrong, in my humble opinion.
This is such a stinking review that I'm sure it will tempt anyone who sees it to read this novel to see what I'm warbling on about - I'd love to hear more opinions!
This is such a stinking review that I'm sure it will tempt anyone who sees it to read this novel to see what I'm warbling on about - I'd love to hear more opinions!
March 25, 2016
I bought this book only because she wrote 101 dalmations and i capture the castle,but what happened here? Nothing happened until halfway through the book , and then not much later. The characters were so unbelievable with two of the most obnoxious children in literature. Very contrived storybook ending .....bah
June 2, 2013
Creepiest, most horrible children in the whole of fiction.
February 15, 2014
the more I thought about his book the more I realized it is like a Shirley Jackson story, not a romantic novel. the family that seems to be saving her is really steamrolling her into their lives to give them what they never had, a normal family. they also have the added bonus of getting to save her as they couldn't have their wife and mother. they arrange everything before she has a chance to know what she really wants and she seems to be powerless to refuse them anything. it was an interesting but slightly creepy story.
June 14, 2020
Short version: Well intentioned, but ultimately a failure as a novel.
published this novel in 1967. In it, an impoverished, emotionally battered young woman is rescued in her darkest hour by a saintly gay man who marries her. For awhile she finds contentment in the moderately wealthy life & very fond friendship the two share. But in her 30s, she meets a widower who immediately falls in love with her & whom she loves back. The action of the novel is how all these issues get resolved.
Smith worked in the theatre first as an actress & later as a successful playwright, & was friends with Christopher Isherwood. So she had an opportunity to know gay men in a more reality-grounded way than those who thought they knew no gay people, even if they had met some passing as straight. That she wanted to write a book that conveyed some of her better understanding to a bigoted world is respect-worthy. However, her prejudice-fighting instincts distorted her art.
Miles, the gay husband, is (yawn) noble, generous, empathetic, & a gifted actor and director. His 2-dimensional characterization isn't as distracting as you might predict because although he is the pivot around whom the action turns, he is actually a secondary character. Readers don't spend much time in the room with him -- we hear about him from others, principally his wife Jill. Jill is the protagonist, which is the reader's good luck, because she is the most developed character in the book -- she has faults, she has passion, & her character matures in the course of the tale.
Her suitor, Geoffrey, is far more implausible than Miles. My guess is that Smith wanted him to be Miles's equal in virtue, but also someone who inspires a woman's passion, & that's the circle she does not square. We are meant to think of him as a strong personality, successful as a barrister and politician. But once you see what he allows or even encourages his children do, it's hard to accept that characterization.
I note one other ŷ reviewer called the "children" (really older teens/young adults) the "creepiest, most horrible...in the whole of fiction." I see her point. The problem, though, isn't with the kids, who merely fill a vacuum created by their father's behavior. What kind of man holds a family council with his adult (or nearly so) children to determine how they en masse can persuade an already married woman to leave her husband? Who delegates his courting to his daughters? At one point, Miles is accused of pedophilia by someone who wants to blackmail him. Jill seeks Geoffrey's advice partially because she trusts him but mostly because he's a barrister -- she's asking for legal advice. She assumes as she consults him that he will keep the matter confidential, & then she explictly states that she expects confidentiality. Instead, he replies that he of course will tell his kids; naturally she must see that he should tell his children.
This was the point that I wholly lost my already diminished ability to immerse myself in the story. In some other parts of the book, when the characters were expounding their theories of homosexuality, I started a kind of running dialog with myself along the lines of "Remember, it's 1967, attitudes were different then, you liked well enough. Read on." But I cannot imagine an era in which a compelling, plausible romantic lead would have so little sense of appropriate boundaries between parents and progeny, nor one in which such a character would be so self-righteously dismissive of the legitimate demands of professional ethics. & what kind of mature male assumes the best way to keep a secret is to blab it to 2 teenagers? Had anyone but Smith written the book, I would have chucked it then.
& while it's clear what the actions/characters of the kids do to distort the story, it's much harder to see what they add. Geoffrey could have pursued Jill without any help from his daughters. The central conflict between Jill's sense of loyalty to Miles and her desire for Geoffrey (who, like Anne Boylen, disdains the role of lover & holds out for marriage) is resolved by the actions of one of the kids, and the blackmail issue is resolved by another. But both those resolutions have a kind of deus ex machina feel -- the plot would have worked better if the adults had done the work.
I continue to respect Smith as a writer. Even a fantasy like was deftly written enough to allow me to enter into the world of the story & not leave until it ended. No one can always be successful, & I fear she was not in this particular story. I recommend her other works far more heartily.
published this novel in 1967. In it, an impoverished, emotionally battered young woman is rescued in her darkest hour by a saintly gay man who marries her. For awhile she finds contentment in the moderately wealthy life & very fond friendship the two share. But in her 30s, she meets a widower who immediately falls in love with her & whom she loves back. The action of the novel is how all these issues get resolved.
Smith worked in the theatre first as an actress & later as a successful playwright, & was friends with Christopher Isherwood. So she had an opportunity to know gay men in a more reality-grounded way than those who thought they knew no gay people, even if they had met some passing as straight. That she wanted to write a book that conveyed some of her better understanding to a bigoted world is respect-worthy. However, her prejudice-fighting instincts distorted her art.
Miles, the gay husband, is (yawn) noble, generous, empathetic, & a gifted actor and director. His 2-dimensional characterization isn't as distracting as you might predict because although he is the pivot around whom the action turns, he is actually a secondary character. Readers don't spend much time in the room with him -- we hear about him from others, principally his wife Jill. Jill is the protagonist, which is the reader's good luck, because she is the most developed character in the book -- she has faults, she has passion, & her character matures in the course of the tale.
Her suitor, Geoffrey, is far more implausible than Miles. My guess is that Smith wanted him to be Miles's equal in virtue, but also someone who inspires a woman's passion, & that's the circle she does not square. We are meant to think of him as a strong personality, successful as a barrister and politician. But once you see what he allows or even encourages his children do, it's hard to accept that characterization.
I note one other ŷ reviewer called the "children" (really older teens/young adults) the "creepiest, most horrible...in the whole of fiction." I see her point. The problem, though, isn't with the kids, who merely fill a vacuum created by their father's behavior. What kind of man holds a family council with his adult (or nearly so) children to determine how they en masse can persuade an already married woman to leave her husband? Who delegates his courting to his daughters? At one point, Miles is accused of pedophilia by someone who wants to blackmail him. Jill seeks Geoffrey's advice partially because she trusts him but mostly because he's a barrister -- she's asking for legal advice. She assumes as she consults him that he will keep the matter confidential, & then she explictly states that she expects confidentiality. Instead, he replies that he of course will tell his kids; naturally she must see that he should tell his children.
This was the point that I wholly lost my already diminished ability to immerse myself in the story. In some other parts of the book, when the characters were expounding their theories of homosexuality, I started a kind of running dialog with myself along the lines of "Remember, it's 1967, attitudes were different then, you liked well enough. Read on." But I cannot imagine an era in which a compelling, plausible romantic lead would have so little sense of appropriate boundaries between parents and progeny, nor one in which such a character would be so self-righteously dismissive of the legitimate demands of professional ethics. & what kind of mature male assumes the best way to keep a secret is to blab it to 2 teenagers? Had anyone but Smith written the book, I would have chucked it then.
& while it's clear what the actions/characters of the kids do to distort the story, it's much harder to see what they add. Geoffrey could have pursued Jill without any help from his daughters. The central conflict between Jill's sense of loyalty to Miles and her desire for Geoffrey (who, like Anne Boylen, disdains the role of lover & holds out for marriage) is resolved by the actions of one of the kids, and the blackmail issue is resolved by another. But both those resolutions have a kind of deus ex machina feel -- the plot would have worked better if the adults had done the work.
I continue to respect Smith as a writer. Even a fantasy like was deftly written enough to allow me to enter into the world of the story & not leave until it ended. No one can always be successful, & I fear she was not in this particular story. I recommend her other works far more heartily.
October 11, 2007
Like Casablanca and Now Voyager,, this book is about a woman who is torn between following her heart and being loyal. Dodie Smith always has an interesting take on love. She's sort of like a Charlotte Bronte in reverse. While tipping her hat to the idea of self-sacrifice, Smith generally comes down on the side of personal happiness. She somehow manages to do this without making the reader feel contempt for her characters. At least, I don't...I always sympathize with Dodie's heroines, and think I would regardless of their final choices, because the characters are so thoughtful, complex, and well-rounded.
This book offers plenty of food for thought, and I often return to it when faced with moral dilemmas.
This book offers plenty of food for thought, and I often return to it when faced with moral dilemmas.
October 25, 2012
This is an odd book, and I guess some of my issues with it can be explained because it was published in 1967. I can't really say what my problem was without spoiling a plot point in the book, but I'll just say I disagree with the descriptions of some people as "normal" and therefore implying that others are not normal. In the first half of the book nothing really happens and then bam -- weird thing happens. I also found the daughters in the book to be creepy. I've never read this author before but I'd heard good things about I Capture the Castle, so I probably should have read that one instead.
November 17, 2014
Very strange book. Her writing is beautiful, but I think Dodie Smith must have had an odd sex life as she has a really weird take on sexual matters that isn't explained away just by the fact her books were written decades ago.
I liked the book in a way, but I found the daughters and their father creepy and boundary-less! I kept wanting the main character to tell them to back the hell off!
I found Miles to be nicely written and the treatment of homosexuality in this book was probably somewhat progressive for its time, but strikes an odd note today.
what a weird book!
I liked the book in a way, but I found the daughters and their father creepy and boundary-less! I kept wanting the main character to tell them to back the hell off!
I found Miles to be nicely written and the treatment of homosexuality in this book was probably somewhat progressive for its time, but strikes an odd note today.
what a weird book!
July 25, 2013
This is quite a startling book. I realise that 45 years ago things were very dfferent, but for two teenage girls to
SPOILER
effectively abduct someone from their sexless but nevertheless happy marriage?! good grief
SPOILER
effectively abduct someone from their sexless but nevertheless happy marriage?! good grief
April 11, 2016
I was hoping for more of the spellbinding narration that Smith offers in *I Capture the Castle*. This is a very different book, one that focuses on the compromised lives of frustrated adults. Most of the book is taken over by the "revelations" included in the title, to the point that the entire book can feel something like the resolution of a melodrama. This is doubly ironic, doubly unsatisfying, because the title is a quote from Oscar Wilde, mocking the melodramatic conclusions of stereotyped plots.
Many years ago, Miles, a famous actor, agreed to marry Jill. This was a gesture of kindness, to rescue not only himself, but the both of them, from a life of dreary, impoverished loneliness. Now, Miles stars in a regional play production, gearing up for a London show. While Miles is thus occupied, a trio of teenagers - in particular, two precocious sisters - enchant Jill into spending more and more time with their father, a widower. Secrets spill out, love becomes unavoidable, hard choices must be made.
While the novel explores relationships that have a trendy currency - unconventional marriages, redefined families - it doesn't particularly dramatize the conflict. Instead, there are layers of people telling you what happened in their past. Most of the action, most of the shaping of their perspectives, lies in the past, and these characters are essentially living out the stately, quiet afternoons laid out by their choices, some years before the book. Only at the very end, in a stunning emotional reversal, does Dodie Smith suggest something is not all right. The love story that has propelled the novel turns out to be something almost entirely destructive. And, chillingly, Jill ends by putting on a mask, and becoming an actor herself.
Many years ago, Miles, a famous actor, agreed to marry Jill. This was a gesture of kindness, to rescue not only himself, but the both of them, from a life of dreary, impoverished loneliness. Now, Miles stars in a regional play production, gearing up for a London show. While Miles is thus occupied, a trio of teenagers - in particular, two precocious sisters - enchant Jill into spending more and more time with their father, a widower. Secrets spill out, love becomes unavoidable, hard choices must be made.
While the novel explores relationships that have a trendy currency - unconventional marriages, redefined families - it doesn't particularly dramatize the conflict. Instead, there are layers of people telling you what happened in their past. Most of the action, most of the shaping of their perspectives, lies in the past, and these characters are essentially living out the stately, quiet afternoons laid out by their choices, some years before the book. Only at the very end, in a stunning emotional reversal, does Dodie Smith suggest something is not all right. The love story that has propelled the novel turns out to be something almost entirely destructive. And, chillingly, Jill ends by putting on a mask, and becoming an actor herself.
June 16, 2024
Jill is very happily married to Miles Quentin, a successful famous actor. They enjoy close companionship and are very content with each other. While staying in a spa town where Miles’s new play is to open, she meets Geoffrey Thornton, a handsome widower, and his two precocious but likeable teenage daughters, Robyn and Kit. As she gets to know the Thorntons,and spend more time with them, she is more and more drawn to them, and they to her. I enjoyed Jill’s story,and sympathised with her dilemma, both the life she has and the life she is offered have their attractions. And I could quite understand how she felt about Miles. The story might seem old fashioned to modern readers, but it was very topical when the novel was published.
February 6, 2017
Dodie Smith's slim but well paced novel about the complicated lives of an actor, his wife, and her lover, must have been fairly shocking when it was first published and its frank discussion of sex, both homosexual and heterosexual, will probably still shock fans who know her best for her children's novels. Still, a charmingly written book packed with many ideas, what first appears to be a romance becomes a social novel about the quiet tragedy of lives lived in secret- both the heroine's husband, who must hide his homosexuality, and the heroine herself, who has spent most of her life having her decisions made for her by various men- almost of all of whom have been kind, but more inclined to tell her what she wants rather than let her decide for herself. The ending, which is sudden and ambiguous, is gut wrenching when you realize that Jill might not have much personality- and that which she has, will always be squelched, by herself, convinced as she is of her own lack of worthiness, and readers might mistakenly believe that Smith is condemning her leading lady when in fact, I believe, she is hoping you'll scream for her to have faith in her own worthwhile, if flawed, humanity. An interesting, thought provoking read, that feels ahead of its time, some out-dated language aside, worthy of a more prominent place in the author's canon.
September 19, 2013
I wavered between three and four stars and went with four. This isn't as good as "I Capture the Castle" -- really, IS there any book as good as "I Capture the Castle"? -- but I found that the story and characters stayed with me for quite a while after reading it.
I can't say much for fear of spoilers, but I ended up being very moved by the Miles/Jill relationship. Dodie Smith seemed pretty brave in tackling this story, especially given the time period, and I appreciate that. There are chapters toward the end of the book where Jill is remembering past times with Miles -- the Austrian meadow/restaurant scenes come to mind -- and I could feel the dynamics between the couple, in all their messy ambiguity. There was such a sense of "this could have been different had we made a different choice," which strikes me as being the story of all of our lives, really. There was such a respect and loyalty and affection between the two characters ... I found it quite touching. (That said, I agree with the reviewers who thought the two daughters were downright odd. I didn't like the scenes with them nearly as much as I did the Miles/Jill ones.)
Anyhow, I'm glad I read this book, and there are scenes that have stayed with me for a long time. I think that says something.
I can't say much for fear of spoilers, but I ended up being very moved by the Miles/Jill relationship. Dodie Smith seemed pretty brave in tackling this story, especially given the time period, and I appreciate that. There are chapters toward the end of the book where Jill is remembering past times with Miles -- the Austrian meadow/restaurant scenes come to mind -- and I could feel the dynamics between the couple, in all their messy ambiguity. There was such a sense of "this could have been different had we made a different choice," which strikes me as being the story of all of our lives, really. There was such a respect and loyalty and affection between the two characters ... I found it quite touching. (That said, I agree with the reviewers who thought the two daughters were downright odd. I didn't like the scenes with them nearly as much as I did the Miles/Jill ones.)
Anyhow, I'm glad I read this book, and there are scenes that have stayed with me for a long time. I think that says something.
April 13, 2011
2.5 Jill Quentin is the happily devoted wife of Miles Quentin, a master of the British stage and screen. But when Jill falls for another man and his two daughters, it gradually becomes apparent that her marriage to Miles is one of friendship and that he is gay. Smith manages some of the charm of her writing in I Conquer the Castle, though with much more melodrama, and her depiction of the world of the stage is fun and believable. The marriage between Miles and Jill is also well done and nuanced, though Smith's exploration of the homophobia of her time is very dated and what may have been progressive in 1967 reads very poorly now.
August 28, 2019
was quite disappointed. As a child 101 dalmations was my all time favorite book re-read countless times. As an adult I loved I capture the castle, so when I found this in a second hand book sale I was looking forward to reading it. I think it has not aged well since it was written in the 1960's. It seems very dated now. the characters did not come alive for me and in particular Kit and Robin did not seem believable teenage girls.
March 25, 2020
Review written in 2012.
The author of It Ends With Revelations is most widely recognised for her coming-of-age novel I Capture the Castle and The 101 Dalmatians, which was adapted into a Disney film in both 1961 and 1996. Dodie Smith, however, has written many more books which deserve wider recognition. Corsair’s wonderful reprints of three of her novels � It Ends With Revelations, The New Moon With the Old and The Town in Bloom � have recently been published with beautiful cover designs.
It Ends With Revelations was first published in 1967. The novel takes its fitting title from a line in Oscar Wilde’s A Woman of No Importance. It opens with the character of Jill, a former assistant stage manager and wife of renowned actor Miles Quentin. Jill and Miles are London residents who find themselves in Spa Town for a summer festival in which Miles is participating. The festival has been organised in order to celebrate the opening of the town’s rejuvenated theatre.
Whilst Miles is rehearsing, Jill soon meets Geoffrey Thornton, a local Member of Parliament. Geoffrey, a widower, and his daughters, ‘very determined helpers� Robin and Kit, become an intrinsic part of the story as soon as they are introduced. All of these characters bring a dimension of vivacity to the novel. Kit is an intelligent, spirited girl, ‘a prodigy of general intelligence�, and it is clear that Robin is overshadowed by her younger sister throughout.
The plot of the novel revolves around the theatre in many ways. A lot of the characters introduced are involved in the stage production which Miles is acting in, or are viewing its opening night. After the play’s run has finished, the story moves back to London where all of the characters reside. The families continue to see one another and relationships grow accordingly. The Thorntons take Jill under their wing and become set on showing her things which she has been missing out on in life. Undercurrents of what might happen are formed in the reader’s mind.
Characters seem alive from the moment Smith focuses her attention upon them, and her descriptions of them are superb. Jill describes herself as ‘so excessively plain as a girl that I’ve never got used to being just a little less plain. I seemed to improve when my hair turned grey.� Miles is ‘wonderfully tall and wide�, Geoffrey ‘quite good looking but in a most unspectacular way�, fifteen-year-old Kit ‘something of a laggard� and seventeen-year-old Robin, whose ‘white boots give her such confidence�. Although all of these characters feature heavily throughout the novel, the emphasis is still placed upon Jill. Smith focuses upon her reactions to certain situations, and her thoughts and feelings take prominence all the way through.
The third person narrative perspective works very well with the story. The majority of the dialogue is amusing. Smith makes every situation, even those in which one or more of her characters are uncertain, have rather a comic edge, merely by relaying what is said by other characters around them. The descriptions are wonderful throughout and appear to be rather original in places. Characters ‘eeled� their way out of the theatre, the play was built upon ‘old bones�, and the trees compared to shaving brushes.
It Ends With Revelations is vivid from the outset with a wonderfully intriguing opening line: ‘After she had unpacked in the old hotel bedroom, Jill leaned out of one of its two tall windows and came face to face with a lion�. Each chapter in the novel has been given a wonderful title, some amusing � ‘A Double Row of Shaving Brushes� and ‘A Teddy Bear and the Kama Sutra�, some romantic � ‘A House Stained by Sunset� and ‘Snow on a Warm August Afternoon�, and some whimsical � ‘Birth of a Teeterer� and ‘Three Children on a Doorstep�.
Elements of romance are included in the novel, but is untrue to say that It Ends With Revelations is merely a romance novel. It is far more than that. It contains many twists and turns, none of which are expected, and the narrative works so well that the reader is genuinely surprised at what happens next. We find out surprising elements about each of the characters as the novel progresses.
It Ends With Revelations is a novel of growth and sexuality, of discovery and friendship, of scandals and kindnesses galore. It feels more grown up than I Capture the Castle. It is an incredibly enjoyable story which certainly deserves to be back in print.
The author of It Ends With Revelations is most widely recognised for her coming-of-age novel I Capture the Castle and The 101 Dalmatians, which was adapted into a Disney film in both 1961 and 1996. Dodie Smith, however, has written many more books which deserve wider recognition. Corsair’s wonderful reprints of three of her novels � It Ends With Revelations, The New Moon With the Old and The Town in Bloom � have recently been published with beautiful cover designs.
It Ends With Revelations was first published in 1967. The novel takes its fitting title from a line in Oscar Wilde’s A Woman of No Importance. It opens with the character of Jill, a former assistant stage manager and wife of renowned actor Miles Quentin. Jill and Miles are London residents who find themselves in Spa Town for a summer festival in which Miles is participating. The festival has been organised in order to celebrate the opening of the town’s rejuvenated theatre.
Whilst Miles is rehearsing, Jill soon meets Geoffrey Thornton, a local Member of Parliament. Geoffrey, a widower, and his daughters, ‘very determined helpers� Robin and Kit, become an intrinsic part of the story as soon as they are introduced. All of these characters bring a dimension of vivacity to the novel. Kit is an intelligent, spirited girl, ‘a prodigy of general intelligence�, and it is clear that Robin is overshadowed by her younger sister throughout.
The plot of the novel revolves around the theatre in many ways. A lot of the characters introduced are involved in the stage production which Miles is acting in, or are viewing its opening night. After the play’s run has finished, the story moves back to London where all of the characters reside. The families continue to see one another and relationships grow accordingly. The Thorntons take Jill under their wing and become set on showing her things which she has been missing out on in life. Undercurrents of what might happen are formed in the reader’s mind.
Characters seem alive from the moment Smith focuses her attention upon them, and her descriptions of them are superb. Jill describes herself as ‘so excessively plain as a girl that I’ve never got used to being just a little less plain. I seemed to improve when my hair turned grey.� Miles is ‘wonderfully tall and wide�, Geoffrey ‘quite good looking but in a most unspectacular way�, fifteen-year-old Kit ‘something of a laggard� and seventeen-year-old Robin, whose ‘white boots give her such confidence�. Although all of these characters feature heavily throughout the novel, the emphasis is still placed upon Jill. Smith focuses upon her reactions to certain situations, and her thoughts and feelings take prominence all the way through.
The third person narrative perspective works very well with the story. The majority of the dialogue is amusing. Smith makes every situation, even those in which one or more of her characters are uncertain, have rather a comic edge, merely by relaying what is said by other characters around them. The descriptions are wonderful throughout and appear to be rather original in places. Characters ‘eeled� their way out of the theatre, the play was built upon ‘old bones�, and the trees compared to shaving brushes.
It Ends With Revelations is vivid from the outset with a wonderfully intriguing opening line: ‘After she had unpacked in the old hotel bedroom, Jill leaned out of one of its two tall windows and came face to face with a lion�. Each chapter in the novel has been given a wonderful title, some amusing � ‘A Double Row of Shaving Brushes� and ‘A Teddy Bear and the Kama Sutra�, some romantic � ‘A House Stained by Sunset� and ‘Snow on a Warm August Afternoon�, and some whimsical � ‘Birth of a Teeterer� and ‘Three Children on a Doorstep�.
Elements of romance are included in the novel, but is untrue to say that It Ends With Revelations is merely a romance novel. It is far more than that. It contains many twists and turns, none of which are expected, and the narrative works so well that the reader is genuinely surprised at what happens next. We find out surprising elements about each of the characters as the novel progresses.
It Ends With Revelations is a novel of growth and sexuality, of discovery and friendship, of scandals and kindnesses galore. It feels more grown up than I Capture the Castle. It is an incredibly enjoyable story which certainly deserves to be back in print.
June 29, 2015
Non posso credere di non aver ancora scritto la recensione di questo romanzo! Nella mia testa, ci ho provato svariate volte. Premetto che Dodie Smith è la scrittrice di I Capture the Castle (Ho un castello nel cuore nella traduzione italiana, romanzo che qui da noi non è molto noto ma in Inghilterra (e in generale, per tutti gli anglofili) è piuttosto famoso. E' anche l'autrice di The Hundred and One Dalmatians (La carica dei 101) poi adattato dalla Disney nel suo famosissimo cartone.
Qualche anno fa ho acquistato tutti i romanzi della Smith disponibili per Kindle, complice una promozione. Questo è l'ultimo e, a dire il vero, sono piuttosto contenta di averli finiti. Mi pare che da I Capture the Castle (molto bello) ci sia stato un costante calo, o forse sono io che pian piano mi sono stufata di questa autrice. Questo è l'unico che davvero mi sono pentita di aver letto perché mi è parso davvero assurdo.
Il romanzo parla di Jill, una donna sposata con un attore di teatro di successo, Miles Quentin. Jill è molto devota al marito e vive in funzione delle sue esigenze e della sua carriera. I due sono visibilmente molto legati, anche se si capisce fin da subito che nel loro rapporto c'è qualcosa di anomalo. Durante un soggiorno in una località termale inglese, dovuto all'inaugurazione di una nuova commedia in cui recita Miles, Jill conosce un membro del parlamento locale, Geoffrey Thornton (vedovo) e le sue due figlie, Robin e Kit, molto precoci e addirittura inquietanti.
Il romanzo inizia come una gentile comedy of manners, ma pian piano scopriamo i melodrammatici retroscena della vita dei personaggi: Miles in realtà è omosessuale e poiché Geoffrey è molto attratto da Jill (ricambiato) lui e le sue figlie cercano di convincere Jill a divorziare da lui e a sposare Geoffrey. Il problema è che Jill non ha sposato Miles solo per forma, i due si vogliono veramente molto bene e si sono sposati in un periodo in cui entrambi avevano vissuto un grande trauma, aiutandosi vicendevolmente (Jill era squattrinata e incinta di un suo amante sposato e ora emigrato in Australia con la sua famiglia, Miles era vedovo del suo compagno, morto in un incidente in macchina dovuto alla nebbia, nel quale lui era il guidatore - anche se senza colpe). Nel frattempo scopriamo che anche Geoffrey ha avuto un matrimonio irto di difficoltà a causa della moglie alcolista e ninfomane.
Onestamente ho trovato la trama eccessiva, la trama romantica assurda (il fatto che l'amore tra Jill e Geoffrey poi venga attivamente agevolato dalle sue due figlie adolescenti è terribile) e in generale il metodo dell'autrice di fare dimenticare/ricordare varie cose a Jill fastidioso. Senza parole poi di fronte all'insistenza sulla natura sensuale di Jill (anche da parte delle figlie di Geoffrey!), che quindi non può rimanere sposata con Miles; alla conclusione finale che Jill praticamente non sa cosa vuole (!!); alla conclusione che gli omosessuali non sono propriamente normali (!!!). Nel complesso capisco che questo romanzo, scritto e ambientato negli anni Sessanta, sia coraggioso ma non ho ben capito che cosa volesse combinare l'autrice...
Qualche anno fa ho acquistato tutti i romanzi della Smith disponibili per Kindle, complice una promozione. Questo è l'ultimo e, a dire il vero, sono piuttosto contenta di averli finiti. Mi pare che da I Capture the Castle (molto bello) ci sia stato un costante calo, o forse sono io che pian piano mi sono stufata di questa autrice. Questo è l'unico che davvero mi sono pentita di aver letto perché mi è parso davvero assurdo.
Il romanzo parla di Jill, una donna sposata con un attore di teatro di successo, Miles Quentin. Jill è molto devota al marito e vive in funzione delle sue esigenze e della sua carriera. I due sono visibilmente molto legati, anche se si capisce fin da subito che nel loro rapporto c'è qualcosa di anomalo. Durante un soggiorno in una località termale inglese, dovuto all'inaugurazione di una nuova commedia in cui recita Miles, Jill conosce un membro del parlamento locale, Geoffrey Thornton (vedovo) e le sue due figlie, Robin e Kit, molto precoci e addirittura inquietanti.
Il romanzo inizia come una gentile comedy of manners, ma pian piano scopriamo i melodrammatici retroscena della vita dei personaggi: Miles in realtà è omosessuale e poiché Geoffrey è molto attratto da Jill (ricambiato) lui e le sue figlie cercano di convincere Jill a divorziare da lui e a sposare Geoffrey. Il problema è che Jill non ha sposato Miles solo per forma, i due si vogliono veramente molto bene e si sono sposati in un periodo in cui entrambi avevano vissuto un grande trauma, aiutandosi vicendevolmente (Jill era squattrinata e incinta di un suo amante sposato e ora emigrato in Australia con la sua famiglia, Miles era vedovo del suo compagno, morto in un incidente in macchina dovuto alla nebbia, nel quale lui era il guidatore - anche se senza colpe). Nel frattempo scopriamo che anche Geoffrey ha avuto un matrimonio irto di difficoltà a causa della moglie alcolista e ninfomane.
Onestamente ho trovato la trama eccessiva, la trama romantica assurda (il fatto che l'amore tra Jill e Geoffrey poi venga attivamente agevolato dalle sue due figlie adolescenti è terribile) e in generale il metodo dell'autrice di fare dimenticare/ricordare varie cose a Jill fastidioso. Senza parole poi di fronte all'insistenza sulla natura sensuale di Jill (anche da parte delle figlie di Geoffrey!), che quindi non può rimanere sposata con Miles; alla conclusione finale che Jill praticamente non sa cosa vuole (!!); alla conclusione che gli omosessuali non sono propriamente normali (!!!). Nel complesso capisco che questo romanzo, scritto e ambientato negli anni Sessanta, sia coraggioso ma non ho ben capito che cosa volesse combinare l'autrice...
June 30, 2013
This is my favourite of her novels so far, although it is an odd book.
The writing itself is competent, nothing more. If some of the genre fiction I read is pizza, this is... something a step up, maybe a solid casserole. Yes.
The writing itself is competent, nothing more. If some of the genre fiction I read is pizza, this is... something a step up, maybe a solid casserole. Yes.
July 4, 2011
The writing was engaging and engrossing, and I did like a lot of the characters, but I was really not invested in the intended romance, and it seemed like the poor woman was getting the boot out of her happy if non-sexual marriage and ending up with an unattractive politician with two overbearing daughters. There were a lot of scenes where I was worried the daughters were going to gang up on her and have her for themselves. Which... I probably would have enjoyed. But it was a little odd that i felt there was more sexual tension between the woman and the daughters than their father whom she was supposed to have fallen for.
I also felt there was a rather distasteful message of the 'get off, you unnecessary homosexuals. Maybe you save us when we need saving, but it's only for your own corrupt devices, or possibly pity.' I couldn't tell whether it was subtly anti-gay, or idealizing the gays all the way up to celibacy. Neither were really positive. Everyone was pretty creepy underneath.
I also felt there was a rather distasteful message of the 'get off, you unnecessary homosexuals. Maybe you save us when we need saving, but it's only for your own corrupt devices, or possibly pity.' I couldn't tell whether it was subtly anti-gay, or idealizing the gays all the way up to celibacy. Neither were really positive. Everyone was pretty creepy underneath.
August 13, 2014
Hmmmm. What to say? I am a devoted fan of "I Capture the Castle" and was eager to read more by Ms. Smith. It Ends with Revelations has sort of the same feel to Castle and it was interesting to read and full of complex characters and an intriguing plot. It examines what happens when a marriage of convenience that has emotional love but no physical love is threatened by outside forces. I would say a good read but not a great one. Read more below if you don't mind hearing the plot in full.
***SPOILER ALERT
This was written at a time when homosexuality was still against the law in England and that is the reasoning for the marriage of convenience. The pacing of the book was strange. The first half is all about their marriage and it is lovingly told and you really like and understand this couple. Then the man who has fallen in love with the wife decides that they have to get married and she must leave her gay husband and all this endless dialogue happens and lots of crying and it felt WEIRD. I liked the idea of this book more than the execution in the end.
***SPOILER ALERT
This was written at a time when homosexuality was still against the law in England and that is the reasoning for the marriage of convenience. The pacing of the book was strange. The first half is all about their marriage and it is lovingly told and you really like and understand this couple. Then the man who has fallen in love with the wife decides that they have to get married and she must leave her gay husband and all this endless dialogue happens and lots of crying and it felt WEIRD. I liked the idea of this book more than the execution in the end.
August 31, 2014
While I enjoyed reading it (as it was a Dodie Smith I hadn't read before) I didn't quite know what to make of it at times. It was a sort of parade of different genres. It started off as quite frothy and light, and then took a turn for the dramatic, and then ended on a note that was faintly sinister. The brilliance of Smith at times is that her books often ended with a bit of ambiguity and allowance for the reader to make up their own mind about what might have happened next with the characters. In this case, I am not sure if I want to know.
The other thing that struck me was how modern and oddly progressive the novel was. It was written at a time when there was a fair amount of social upheaval but one particular subject was still taboo (and in many cases is still debated about today.) and this book throws around a number of opinions that still seem quite modern and thoughtful.
The other thing that struck me was how modern and oddly progressive the novel was. It was written at a time when there was a fair amount of social upheaval but one particular subject was still taboo (and in many cases is still debated about today.) and this book throws around a number of opinions that still seem quite modern and thoughtful.
August 22, 2018
I've only just started it, but thanks to your reviews I already know Secret No. 1.
Why is famous actor Miles so keen to do a rather terrible play in a provincial town? Why has child actor Cyril, who claimed to be 15 but looks younger, produced a birth certificate with a different first name, showing that he's 18?
Oh dear, oh dear, this is not going to end well.
The horrible girls wear very 60s clothes, while Jill, the heroine, yearns for the elegant sweeping gowns and picture hats of the past.
Why is famous actor Miles so keen to do a rather terrible play in a provincial town? Why has child actor Cyril, who claimed to be 15 but looks younger, produced a birth certificate with a different first name, showing that he's 18?
Oh dear, oh dear, this is not going to end well.
The horrible girls wear very 60s clothes, while Jill, the heroine, yearns for the elegant sweeping gowns and picture hats of the past.
November 11, 2013
Didn't finish the book, it started out well but became very boring.
August 29, 2014
Charming, and a rather compelling read, and so very much of a particular historical date - 1967 and the attitudes and implications of impending legislation re homosexuality absolutely spot on.
June 29, 2018
I have a lot of thoughts (mostly negative) about this book. It's unfortunate, because I usually really enjoy Dodie Smith's writing. For some reason, I always think of her work as a few decades older than the actual publication dates - this one was in the 60s, but I can't help mentally placing it in the 20s or 30s. That's worth noting, because I tend to see her as slightly ahead of her time in terms of her social outlook, but that may not actually be true.
This is also a case of not being sure how much is the author's voice and how much is simply the characters' attitudes. Because a lot of it was really, really offensive.
I probably wouldn't have read this to begin with if I'd realized that the entire thing pretty much centers around infidelity. At least it takes a different angle than the well-worn and tired "everyone cheats, it's just a guarantee of any longstanding relationship" view that I despise in literature.
In this case, we gradually discover that the gentle, affectionate marriage between Miles and Jill isn't all that it seems. Although they make each other happy, there's something missing between them - because Miles is gay. When Jill meets a handsome single father, she begins to feel long-withheld stirrings of physical interest and is torn between newfound "love" and deep-rooted loyalty to her husband.
I put love in quotation marks because I am absolutely not convinced that's what this relationship is. I loved Miles, generally liked Jill (despite her spinelessness), and absolutely hated Geoffrey Thornton. What a selfish, homophobic (but vaguely "tolerant"), patronizing prig.
The entire story is from Jill's point of view and takes time to show the meandering routine of her days, the brightness that enters her life when she meets the Thorntons, and the ways in which Miles has been an exceptional husband.
I think the idea on its own was an interesting one. Is love and romance limited to relationships that include sex? Miles tells Jill that he's had two loves in his life - his partner, whom he'd lost in a car accident, and Jill, whom he truly and fully loved in all ways but one. What makes that a less real relationship? Why is that something that Jill needs to be rescued from, as Thornton and his daughters quickly decide and actively bully her into?
Breaking off or opening up their relationship certainly might allow both of them to find more fully compatible partners, but it's clear that Miles (having lost the only real partner he'd ever want) has no desire for this. He removes himself from the equation solely to let Jill find happiness. It's noble. And I think it simply proves how he's ten times more of a man and a husband than Geoffrey will ever be.
Geoffrey talks down to Jill. He thinks she's pretty and likes how well she gets along with his daughters, but I can't remember a single instance where he admired the quality of her mind. He decides he knows what's best for her, tricks her into intimate situations, shares her secrets with his absurdly intrusive daughters against her will, and pressures her until she finally gives into the divorce he insists upon.
This is one of the areas where I'm not sure what Smith herself felt of Jill's actions. Right at the end, in the final paragraph, Jill's attitude is described as "resentful" when she opens the door to the Thorntons and gives into their demands to become a part of their family. She's merely trading off one relationship for another that I feel gives her far less agency than she'd had with Miles.
The other part I can't figure out is how unconsciously homophobic Smith is (while patting herself on the back for her forward thinking), because all of her characters are, and it's horrible. At the same time, Miles himself is absolutely wonderful. He's flawed in his own ways, so he's not some unrealistic angel of a character, but he stands head and shoulders above everyone else in his levels of sensitivity, kindness, and genuine selflessness.
Everyone else, including Jill, Miles's agent of many years, and Thornton, simply tolerates his sexuality. With Thornton, it at least makes some sense - although he has a gay son, he's still adjusting to figuring out what that means, and he's jealous of the place Miles holds in Jill's life. But Jill and Miles's agent continually referring to him as not "normal" and agreeing it's a shame that he is the way that he is, and believing the most horrendous blackmail simply because he's attracted to men so there's no way of knowing what kinds of things he's capable of...it was awful to read. Plus, while I was briefly happy to see the word "bisexual" in print - that's a rarity! - it was immediately turned into an idea of bisexual men "taking turns" with their demure wives and a succession of male lovers. Badly done, Smith. Very, very badly done.
I know these aren't real people, but I hope that Miles finds someone else to truly love him and lives blissfully past the pages of this book. Jill will, after the first flush of physical excitement passes, discover that she's far more miserable than she ever would've been in her quiet, contented life with Miles.
This is also a case of not being sure how much is the author's voice and how much is simply the characters' attitudes. Because a lot of it was really, really offensive.
I probably wouldn't have read this to begin with if I'd realized that the entire thing pretty much centers around infidelity. At least it takes a different angle than the well-worn and tired "everyone cheats, it's just a guarantee of any longstanding relationship" view that I despise in literature.
In this case, we gradually discover that the gentle, affectionate marriage between Miles and Jill isn't all that it seems. Although they make each other happy, there's something missing between them - because Miles is gay. When Jill meets a handsome single father, she begins to feel long-withheld stirrings of physical interest and is torn between newfound "love" and deep-rooted loyalty to her husband.
I put love in quotation marks because I am absolutely not convinced that's what this relationship is. I loved Miles, generally liked Jill (despite her spinelessness), and absolutely hated Geoffrey Thornton. What a selfish, homophobic (but vaguely "tolerant"), patronizing prig.
The entire story is from Jill's point of view and takes time to show the meandering routine of her days, the brightness that enters her life when she meets the Thorntons, and the ways in which Miles has been an exceptional husband.
I think the idea on its own was an interesting one. Is love and romance limited to relationships that include sex? Miles tells Jill that he's had two loves in his life - his partner, whom he'd lost in a car accident, and Jill, whom he truly and fully loved in all ways but one. What makes that a less real relationship? Why is that something that Jill needs to be rescued from, as Thornton and his daughters quickly decide and actively bully her into?
Breaking off or opening up their relationship certainly might allow both of them to find more fully compatible partners, but it's clear that Miles (having lost the only real partner he'd ever want) has no desire for this. He removes himself from the equation solely to let Jill find happiness. It's noble. And I think it simply proves how he's ten times more of a man and a husband than Geoffrey will ever be.
Geoffrey talks down to Jill. He thinks she's pretty and likes how well she gets along with his daughters, but I can't remember a single instance where he admired the quality of her mind. He decides he knows what's best for her, tricks her into intimate situations, shares her secrets with his absurdly intrusive daughters against her will, and pressures her until she finally gives into the divorce he insists upon.
This is one of the areas where I'm not sure what Smith herself felt of Jill's actions. Right at the end, in the final paragraph, Jill's attitude is described as "resentful" when she opens the door to the Thorntons and gives into their demands to become a part of their family. She's merely trading off one relationship for another that I feel gives her far less agency than she'd had with Miles.
The other part I can't figure out is how unconsciously homophobic Smith is (while patting herself on the back for her forward thinking), because all of her characters are, and it's horrible. At the same time, Miles himself is absolutely wonderful. He's flawed in his own ways, so he's not some unrealistic angel of a character, but he stands head and shoulders above everyone else in his levels of sensitivity, kindness, and genuine selflessness.
Everyone else, including Jill, Miles's agent of many years, and Thornton, simply tolerates his sexuality. With Thornton, it at least makes some sense - although he has a gay son, he's still adjusting to figuring out what that means, and he's jealous of the place Miles holds in Jill's life. But Jill and Miles's agent continually referring to him as not "normal" and agreeing it's a shame that he is the way that he is, and believing the most horrendous blackmail simply because he's attracted to men so there's no way of knowing what kinds of things he's capable of...it was awful to read. Plus, while I was briefly happy to see the word "bisexual" in print - that's a rarity! - it was immediately turned into an idea of bisexual men "taking turns" with their demure wives and a succession of male lovers. Badly done, Smith. Very, very badly done.
I know these aren't real people, but I hope that Miles finds someone else to truly love him and lives blissfully past the pages of this book. Jill will, after the first flush of physical excitement passes, discover that she's far more miserable than she ever would've been in her quiet, contented life with Miles.
September 25, 2021
I finished reading 'It Ends With Revelations' by Dodie Smith late last night and boy, what a ride!
You will probably be most familiar with Dodie Smith as the author of '101 Dalmatians' and 'I Capture The Castle', I'm also a huge fan of her trippy sequel to '101 Dalmatians','The Starlight Barking',(seriously if you haven't read it I recommend, it's thoroughly weird in a good way).
Dodie Smith only wrote a few novels for adults and they're all slightly unusual, humorous, upper middle class domestic tales set around the world of English theatre, fallen 'gentlefolk', and complicated love affairs.
'It Ends With Revelations' is no exception. It's hard to say much about the story without including spoilers but I will say this.
One thing I love about Dodie Smith are her thoroughly modern views for her era. Possibly due to her own theatre roots? Written in the 1960s this novel revolves around LGBTQ issues of the day. Although the language is dated, the overarching theme is of inclusivity.
I also love how Dodie Smith managed to weave a hint of magic into what could be mundane every day occurrences in the hands of a lesser writer.
In this novel she combines both for an incredibly moving, poignant tale of the multifaceted kaleidoscope that is love.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 stars
You will probably be most familiar with Dodie Smith as the author of '101 Dalmatians' and 'I Capture The Castle', I'm also a huge fan of her trippy sequel to '101 Dalmatians','The Starlight Barking',(seriously if you haven't read it I recommend, it's thoroughly weird in a good way).
Dodie Smith only wrote a few novels for adults and they're all slightly unusual, humorous, upper middle class domestic tales set around the world of English theatre, fallen 'gentlefolk', and complicated love affairs.
'It Ends With Revelations' is no exception. It's hard to say much about the story without including spoilers but I will say this.
One thing I love about Dodie Smith are her thoroughly modern views for her era. Possibly due to her own theatre roots? Written in the 1960s this novel revolves around LGBTQ issues of the day. Although the language is dated, the overarching theme is of inclusivity.
I also love how Dodie Smith managed to weave a hint of magic into what could be mundane every day occurrences in the hands of a lesser writer.
In this novel she combines both for an incredibly moving, poignant tale of the multifaceted kaleidoscope that is love.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 stars
May 19, 2021
I started out really enjoying this book and then later became rather irritated with it. I thought the main character, Jill, was well-written on the whole, and her relationship with her husband Miles is interesting in that it shows how a woman's character can be overshadowed by a (very) demanding man. The story of their lives in the theatre was very well done.
The arrival of her would-be lover Geoffrey is a bit of a disaster though, and the book goes swiftly downhill from there. Geoffrey is just very dull, and has the two most annoying daughters in the history of fiction - I hated them! So - to me - the ending, though obvious, was very disappointing. Poor Miles, LOL!
The arrival of her would-be lover Geoffrey is a bit of a disaster though, and the book goes swiftly downhill from there. Geoffrey is just very dull, and has the two most annoying daughters in the history of fiction - I hated them! So - to me - the ending, though obvious, was very disappointing. Poor Miles, LOL!
August 6, 2024
I think a lot of reviews miss the point in the ending of the book. True, I didn’t care for the book, but the ending was (in my humble opinion) somewhat redeeming.
Jill is drawn away from a happy marriage by an overbearing family and her own lust. In the end, she pays the consequences by basically giving her life over to this family.
I feel sad for poor Miles. He was the best character of the book, and the ending is unfortunate. His kindness is taken for granted throughout the book, and thrown back in his face in the last several chapters.
Dodie Smith writes well, but this book was a little too melodramatic for my tastes.
Jill is drawn away from a happy marriage by an overbearing family and her own lust. In the end, she pays the consequences by basically giving her life over to this family.
I feel sad for poor Miles. He was the best character of the book, and the ending is unfortunate. His kindness is taken for granted throughout the book, and thrown back in his face in the last several chapters.
Dodie Smith writes well, but this book was a little too melodramatic for my tastes.
May 9, 2021
I think how strangely the attitudes to homosexuality in this read to modern eyes is heartening - we've come a long way! But it's interesting as a queer reader to see some depth given to attitudes of the past, to see some detailed imaginings of how people really viewed being gay at a time when it was still criminalised. Of course the attitudes shown are alien to us, because the people are living in another world.
The evocation of that world is absorbing, and Jill feels very real. I enjoyed following her story.
The evocation of that world is absorbing, and Jill feels very real. I enjoyed following her story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.