The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald
Back to Russians, I’m afraid; though not actually a Russian author, but instead a novel set in 1913 Moscow by the acclaimed novelist Penelope Fitzgerald. I’ve heard nothing but good about her books, and was very keen to read this one – so it was a bonus when it finally turned up in the Samaritans Book Cave a couple of weeks ago!
Fitzgerald didn’t start writing until her late fifties and went on to win the Booker Prize and write a series of acclaimed novels. “The Beginning of Spring” was published in 1988 and centres around the family of Frank Reid, a businessman of British descent but who was born in Moscow, returned there when an adult to run the family printing firm and who seems to understand the Russians quite well. The book opens with Frank’s wife Nellie leaving him without warning, taking their three children and throwing his life into confusion.
The children are sent back by train in a basket(!) and Frank, struggling to understand why Nellie has left him, looks back on his life and how they met and married. Meanwhile, the life of the print works continues; Selwyn Crane, Frank’s sidekick and a Tolstoyan, publishes his poetry book; Frank tries to sell a giant white elephant of a printing press and tussles with a rival; and Selwyn finds a young peasant women, Lisa Ivanovna, to look after the children. The whole community, English and Russian, seem to know that Frank’s wife has left and rally around in their different ways. Then there is a break-in at the print works; a young student takes a pot shot at Frank and destroys the print equipment of the head typesetter who is mortified; Frank’s brother-in-law Charlie visits; and Frank becomes entranced by Lisa.
There is resolution of a kind; but in the back of the reader’s mind is the fact that Frank and the works are ready to pack up at a moment’s notice to leave Russia if the unrest in the country develops any further. And we know what happened after 1913…
There was much to love about “The Beginning of Spring”: Fitzgerald’s writing is lovely, very evocative, and her descriptions of old Moscow and the surrounding countryside bring the world to life convincingly. And her portrayal of the Russian way of life, the procrastination and the bribes and the complexities of dealing with another culture is masterly. But…. I’m afraid there is a but. I loved this book a lot less than I had hoped for a number of reasons, one of the strongest of which was the characterisation. Mostly, it just didn’t convince – I found that very few of main protagonists took on a 3-D existence; there was a kind of vagueness or lack of definition about them so that I didn’t really get to know them and the consequence that what should have been surprising revelations didn’t really affect me. And this filtered through to the plot, that in actual fact became quite inconsequential and subsidiary to the effect of the description and atmosphere. It felt thin, in the end – with not really enough made clear or developed. And there was much potential – Selwyn was one of the characters I liked most and he could have flourished into a really strong protagonist, much more memorably than he actually ended up being. Frank’s eldest child Dolly was also one of the better characters, but in many ways wasted.The events could have been more dramatic and more impressive had they been given that chance to grow.
One thing I did take from the book was that Frank Reid, the main character, was certainly mistaken in thinking that he knew and understood the Russian people (and indeed his own kind) because he certainly didn’t; he moves through most of the book having no real idea of what is happening and why people are behaving as they do. Maybe Fitzgerald was trying to make the point that we can never really understand other cultures or other people’s motives – I’m not sure, if I’m honest.
If this sounds unduly negative, that’s a shame; I did enjoy reading the book, mainly for Fitzgerald’s prose; but in the end I felt it never really went anywhere and that it had potential which wasn’t fulfilled. However, I will try more of Fitzgerald’s work in the future as I’d like to see how she handles other subjects.
May 20, 2015 @ 07:40:13
A very fair review, I think – but that is a shame, as it’s right in your area of interest and you must have been thrilled to find it. Was it odd reading about “your” Russia written by someone British?
May 20, 2015 @ 08:35:31
I tried not to be too critical, because I enjoyed Fitzgerald’s writing – but I wanted to love it more and couldn’t because it didn’t develop enough for me. Maybe I’ve read too many Russians writing about Russia to be able to appreciate a British author doing the same – though I’m happy enough with British non-fiction books on the country! 🙂
May 20, 2015 @ 10:21:54
It’s very interesting to read your thoughts about this novel…sorry to hear that you found it a bit of a mixed experience. I liked it very much, but there is something rather elusive about Frank and Nellie (and the nature of their relationship), so I can see why you found it somewhat frustrating on that front. Dolly is a rather eerie little girl, isn’t she? Wise beyond her years…
May 20, 2015 @ 10:45:32
Yes, elusive is a good word for it – and underdeveloped, I felt. Dolly is a good case in point as so much more could have been made of her (and Selwyn too – I rather liked Selwyn!)
May 20, 2015 @ 12:51:21
Oh it’s horrible to be disappointed. I have read a few Penelope Fitzgerald and on the whole liked them a lot but she can be hard to engage with. One of her novels I read (can’t quite remember the title something abouy a gate) was particularly hard to engage with, the characters left no impression on me.
May 20, 2015 @ 13:21:34
I agree – I hate reading anything I don’t engage with, and I did find it frustrating that I felt this could be so much better.
May 20, 2015 @ 18:37:06
I have this one. Shame about the but, but at least I’m forewarned in case I have a similar reaction. I plan to read her The Bookshop first.
On an unrelated note though, I do love your blog theme. The yellow lined paper, the floral wallpaper, it’s rather inspired and quite lovely.
May 20, 2015 @ 18:39:56
Thank you! It’s one of WordPress’s basic designs tweaked a little – I like flowery and I like stationery (I *love* stationery!) so it seemed to work nicely.
As for Fitzgerald, I’d still like to read some of her other books – this one just didn’t do it for me, and maybe my high expectations were an issue – or maybe just reading too many deep and involving Russian novels! 🙂
May 20, 2015 @ 18:41:20
It’s actually one of the nicer designs I’ve seen. I really like it.
I’ve reviewed her Offshore at mine. You might like that, but the child characters aren’t terribly convincing and as unconvincing characters was an issue I don’t know…
May 20, 2015 @ 18:46:35
Ah, I’ll have a look. I’m probably drawn to The Bookshop most. Characters *are* important – I need to connect to them in some way, even if I don’t like them! But here they were just a bit too flimsy for me.
May 20, 2015 @ 19:56:39
Hmm, as you started describing this I thought it looked right up my street but then when I got to your critique I changed my mind! perhaps I’ll read it if I come across it but not go out of my way!
May 20, 2015 @ 21:00:36
It should have been up my street too – but do give it a try, it might work better for you than it did for me!
May 20, 2015 @ 20:24:58
That is disappointing. I’ve not read Penelope Fitzgerald but I know that she is much admired, so the combination of author and setting must have looked so promising.
May 20, 2015 @ 21:00:06
It sounded as if it would be perfect for me – and Fitzgerald’s writing is very evocative. But it may be that I’ve just read too many actual Russian novels to believe in this one, and it was too insubstantial for me in the end.
May 20, 2015 @ 21:50:40
I haven’t read any of PF’s historical fiction, and have only read three (I think) of her others – loved The Bookshop and At Freddie’s, but not Human Voices (which – as with your experience here – just didn’t connect with me at all).
I’m intrigued – did you feel the characters were thin because she was unsuccessful, or did you feel they were meant to be thin? In The Bookshop, everyone is so convincingly drawn; in At Freddie’s they were more exaggerated and one-dimensional in places, but (I felt) for deliberate effect.
May 20, 2015 @ 21:57:27
That’s a hard one to answer as this is the only PF I’ve read. I would be surprised if the characters were meant to be thin, because the plot was also a bit insubstantial and to be honest I’m not sure what point she was trying to make with the book at all. It’s as if she succeeded beautifully in capture Russia during that period but wasn’t sure what to do with it. The vagueness of the plot really flummoxed me and I was a bit frustrated by the lack of the development of the characters. I guess it just wasn’t for me… 😦
May 20, 2015 @ 22:00:21
Fair enough! I reckon you should definitely give The Bookshop a go, if you do try her again. It’s a beaut.
May 21, 2015 @ 08:54:35
It’s a title that does appeal, most definitely – I shall keep an eye out for it!
May 23, 2015 @ 15:46:47
Penelope F is another who reminds me of Tove Jannson and Nemirovsky! I read The Blue Flower and remember being puzzled by it – it was so authentic and yet written so without the elements that usually drag you into a novel (strong characters, a plot)! I remember being surprised that a book whose point I couldn’t really work out was so immediately understood and revered by the literary community. It is a good book, I guess maybe it is reassuring that its quality was recognised.
May 23, 2015 @ 17:00:11
I don’t think I can really judge Fitzgerald yet on the strength of one book – I’d like to try The Bookshop as that seems to be rated very highly.
May 24, 2015 @ 18:24:51
Oh what a shame! I’m really sorry it didn’t work for you. I did love it, and felt that the thinness of the characters was about the crisis of the moment, and the work of Russian culture which is so tricksy and hard for outsiders to understand, performing a sort of attrition on their sense of stability and realness. I suppose the only other book about Russia I’ve read, (it was in French, though if you want the title, I’ll pass it on) was about a German psychoanalyst trying to set up a practice in Russia and finding the national character and culture almost defeated him, it was so strange and convoluted. So both books put across the same sort of atmosphere. But you read lots and lots of Russian literature and are bound to have a much better sense of Russian culture than I do! Still, I hope you’ll try Fitzgerald again and have better luck another time.
May 24, 2015 @ 19:08:09
I think she caught the Russianness quite well, particularly the customs and peculiarities. But it was almost as if she wasn’t quite sure what to hang on that frame. But I’m determined to try one of her other books. As for your other book – it sounds intriguing, but alas I don’t read French… :s
May 24, 2015 @ 19:57:29
Fitzgerald is one of my favorites, and it’s fitting that you’ve chosen one with a Russian. I do admit i barely remember this one, as I read it when it was first published. I adored Offshore, which won the Booker: the characters live on a houseboat!
May 24, 2015 @ 20:46:17
Offshore sounds fun! I’d very much like to read The Bookshop, though.
May 25, 2015 @ 09:05:52
Still not read anything by Fitzgerald actually – do not believe I will be starting here …
May 25, 2015 @ 11:27:00
No, I wouldn’t say this is a good place to begin. Maybe I should have started with The Bookshop, which is highly recommended by all!