Tag: a woman writer's life

The Queen of Romance by Liz Jones – the life and times of Marguerite Jervis, writer

May 13, 2021

The Queen of Romance- Marguerite Jervis by Liz Jones

Marguerite Jervis was a writer who published over one hundred and fifty books during her lifetime under three different names. She realised more than most that fashions change in what people actually read, and her mainly romantic novels revealed her efforts to meet current demands in a period of massive social change from 1911 to 1964. In this searching and perceptive biography of an elusive woman Liz Jones has worked hard to discover the woman behind the books, as well as the theatrical ambitions and difficult romances. Using a variety of sources, including letters, news reports and the novels themselves, Jones has worked hard to create an impression of a woman who was sometimes described as a writing machine, producing up to four books a year while negotiating relationships with difficult men and her only child.

 This book boasts a list of books produced by this woman who combined a vivid imagination with a journalist’s flair for presenting a story with an eye to the demands of a changing market. Just as Marguerite herself kept her story moving, Jones maintains a strong pace as she reveals the story of a birth and early childhood in India, a difficult transition to England, and a fierce ambition to achieve more than a good marriage and motherhood. While it is difficult to ascertain the truth behind a carefully maintained professional persona, Jones looks at the candid truth of a young woman who was desperate to be an actress but possibly had to at least temporarily settle for a precarious existence as a chorus girl, who obtained some of her earliest writing assignments by ‘vamping’ editors. She alludes to the men who would dominate her writing life, as well as the son who never succeeded despite her sacrificial support. Jones has managed to describe a life presented from so many angles, and yet concealed from her many readers who usually hoped for a happy ending. I found this a fascinating biography, and was very pleased to have the opportunity to read and review this well written book.   

The book opens with the story of Henry, Marguerite’s difficult father, and her quiet mother Florence. The Prologue highlights that Marguerite was a woman of contradictions, possibly because of her challenging upbringing, as she vowed to “never be dependent on a man”, yet was to struggle with both of the men she lived with before marrying. After demanding to leave home to train as an actress, she discovered that it was nearly impossible to achieve the fame she was so desperate for, so refocused her efforts to begin writing as “Oliver Sandys”, a male identity which gave her more scope for writing frankly. Her other main pseudonym, Countess Barcynska, gave a hint of foreign aristocracy, but became a bone of contention with her first husband, the controlling and probably abusive Bernard Armiger. Some of her books were adapted for film, including by the young Alfred Hitchcock. Her later relationship with the infamous Welsh writer Caradoc Evans was probably also marked by abuse. Both men were probably jealous of her ability to write and sell books, both benefited from the money she earned. The book is also informative on Marguerite’s attempts to run theatre companies, partly because she hoped it would give her son Nicholas a much needed focus. 

Overall Marguerite is portrayed as a woman whose motive for writing was to earn money; certainly Armiger was intent on her raising money for him even after their relationship was over. Jones presents her as a woman who had a keen eye for subject matter and giving her readers what they wanted, even if her output was seen as lightweight and frivolous. This is a book which works hard to capture the essence of a woman who chose to hide behind aliases all her life. It is a very readable account of a complex life, with a huge amount of research which never slows the narrative, but contributes to an impressive biography of a remarkable woman.

My Husband Simon by Mollie Panter-Downes – a reprint of a 1931 novel which records a writer’s life

January 21, 2021
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My Husband Simon by Mollie Panter-Downes

This is the story of a marriage, of a woman regarding her partner with brutal honesty, and of an acknowledgement of genuinely confused feelings. Mollie Panter-Downes’ 1931 novel, now republished in the stylish British Library Woman Writers series, is a moving account of a young writer’s life in London. It speaks movingly of the joys to be found in London life, the evenings of bohemian existence, the streets, the journeys and the people that she meets. Nevis Falconer, the narrator,  also writes of the frustrations of daily life, the annoyances of her days ordering meals and dealing with the blocks to writing. She loves her husband Simon Quinn, in many ways, realising that he is essentially different from the other men in their circle, though this is not always a good thing.Nevis is appalled by his family, especially his mother, whose social ambitions and attempts to run the lives of everyone are always apparent. This is a deeply personal narrative in which a flawed character tells her story, highlighting particular points, accepting the arguments and the misunderstandings.  It is honest in that it accepts that her writing is not easy, that her first book was good but her second novel was not, and that she may no longer be a “promising” young writer. This is the story of a relationship of imperfect people, of settings beautifully described, of insightful portraits of people around her. I found it an engaging and very different read, a picture of the time but with timeless observations on people. I was very pleased to have the opportunity to read and review this book.

 The book begins with Mollie contemplating whether she should have married Simon so quickly after meeting him. While she knows it has affected her writing and “Freedom and work are the only important things”, she also knows that the setting of a scorching hot weekend in the country was so special that she would fall in love with him. She admits that he is remarkably handsome, different and memorable.  Coming from a relatively wealthy background, she is comfortable in most settings, and describes the flat in which they live accurately as being at a changing end of the street. Nevis acknowledges that Simon would like to live in the countryside, but she prefers a London flat, together with tricky servants and other distractions of city life. Simon works all day in an office, she finds that writing in the flat is difficult. In the evening they meet people, and while the parties and the bars may be entertaining, she finds meeting with Simon’s friends uncomfortable. Worse still are the meals with his parents, although she gets on well with her father -in- law, her mother-in-law is demanding and exacting. “Sunday was the day of the week when we were happiest and when I seemed to see Simon with the greatest distinctness”. They visit the country, they ride horses, and acknowledge that when no other people are around they get on so much better. Their somewhat erratic relationship is challenged when an American publisher arrives on the scene, and Nevis is compelled to reevaluate everything. Marcus Chard offers an alternative viewpoint, and Nevis has to focus on what, and who, is important to her. 

This is a gentle read in many ways, but represents intense thought on the part of the writer. This edition contains a timeline of the 1930s, and a biography of Panter – Downes which points out her wartime writing for the New Yorker. The Preface points out that in making Nevis a writer, she was including something of an autobiographical element. The Afterword highlights the literary context of this book, and some of the references it contains.This is a very readable book of its time, and I recommend it.