Some years ago I read The Weather in the Streets and The Echoing Grove, and from reading these books thought well of this author. This book is not good. Its story is complex, not in itself, but in the way it is told, most of it to the girl Rebecca by various other characters. Each gives her one or more pieces of the jigsaw and she fits them together. The result is an incredible number of arms length events which we meet second hand only. In fact, we also meet some of them third hand, for example, when Mrs Jardine not only quotes Tilly but takes off her turn of phrase and, we must assume, her accent too. The longer the book went on the less I cared about the outcome.The character of Mrs Jardine is well done, and Rebecca comes across a bit, as does Maisie, but this isn’t enough. Mrs Jardine, apparently based on a real woman but greatly exaggerated, seems to me to have certain elements of the author in her, like a desire for complete control. Lehmann appears to have thought this her best novel and also, that if wasn’t up to the mark, she wasn’t either as an author. Fortunately for her, it’s far from her best, but it does call her judgment into question.Then there is the patronising class bit. Lehmann has her cockney character Tilly. I can’t comment on this, not knowing any cockney characters myself. Some who do have suggested that Lehmann didn’t either. But I do have a very good handle on lowland Scots and I find the character of Aunty Mack ludicrous, not so much in her sentiments but in the way she is made to speak. How about ‘Pooor dearr suffering creaturre’ (page 195) – one example out of many.This is music hall stuff. Surely the trick is to tell the reader where the character comes from then, if you have the ability – which Lehmann did not – give that character the appropriate vocabulary and turn of phrase but let the accent take care of itself in the reader’s mind.
This is a masterly piece of writing. The Ballad and the Source is the fourth of Rosamond Lehmann's novels I have read, and I am enormously impressed with it. The story of Sibyl Jardine is told mainly in three long conversations, between Rebecca - who is ten at the start of the novel, and Tilly a sewing maid, Sibyl herself and later Maisie, Sibyl's grandaughter. Sibyl, both saint and sinner is a fascinating figure. An unhappy marriage leads her to leave her home, and become cut off from her child. The consequences of this are far reaching and tragic. The young Rebecca is drawn to Mrs Jardine, and determined to find out the story of her life. This story takes some years to unfold fully, and as it does Rebecca's perceptions of Mrs Jardine and her story are challenged. The writng is powerful and hugely accomplished. This is in some ways a complex novel, but Rosamond Lehmann's brilliant writing brings it all together, the story, so much of which is told through dialogue never gets lost among the speech. I found this an enthralling novel, beautifully written.
Do You like book The Ballad And The Source (1975)?
The title sucked me in, and before I had even bought it, I was on page five. Jumping right into the midst of a unique family drama, this pulls you along for a strange ride through a family via a ten year old girl. There's a LOT of tea time happening, and far too many adults speak far too openly to this ten year old child, but, the plot's gotta advance somehow, ya know?It's not the ending you expect, but it is intriguing from first to last. I'm very glad I picked it up - well worth the buck I paid at the estate sale downtown.
—Carrie Aulenbacher
The Ballad and the Source is a twisted story of intergenerational insanity that is of particular interest to anyone who is familiar with borderline personality disorder. It's well written, engrossing, and utterly depressing. If you come from a heathy family, this story will be quite entertaining. If not, it will be a painful reminder of why you left home in the first place.Rosamond Lehmann is an accomplished author who has sadly fallen out of fashion. She's particularly interested in adolescent girls and histrionic older women, which make for great drama. Unfortunately, I've already lived these stories first-hand, so her novels are akin to LSD flashbacks for me. I wish I could have enjoyed this beautifully crafted novel more, but it hit a little too close to home. My bad.
—Stephanie
