When I saw that Jessie of Dwell in Possibility was hosting a Mini Persephone Readathon this weekend, I knew I wanted to take part and I knew exactly what I would be reading: The Winds of Heaven, a book published by Persephone which I had originally been planning to read for Jane’s Monica Dickens Day last month but didn’t have time. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Monica Dickens as I’ve never read any of her books before, but I loved this one and will now be looking for more.
The Winds of Heaven (1955) follows the story of Louise Bickford, whose husband, the controlling and oppressive Dudley, dies a year or two before the novel opens. Left alone with no money to support herself, Louise cannot afford anywhere to live, so is forced to rely on the hospitality of her daughters. Although Louise has shown her three daughters nothing but love and affection, they each make it very clear that they don’t really want her staying with them and see her as a burden to be moved on to the next sister as quickly as possible.
Louise is a lovely person – generous, selfless and sensitive to the feelings of others; I had a lot of sympathy for her and for the situation in which she finds herself. The logical solution would be to get a job, but a combination of factors – her age (approaching sixty), her class, her lack of experience at any type of work and the disapproval of her daughters – mean that this is never considered as a realistic option for Louise. All she can do is continue to move from one household to the next, trying to make herself useful but knowing that she is unwanted and unappreciated.
The three daughters seem to have inherited none of their mother’s good qualities. They are three very different people, but in their different ways they are all as unpleasant and selfish as each other. Miriam is a snob, obsessed with appearances and her place in the community. Her marriage is not a particularly happy one, but as Arthur is rich enough to pay for holidays abroad and ponies for the children, she’s not complaining too much! Eva, the middle sister, is an aspiring actress who lives in London and is too preoccupied with her career and her affair with a married man to give any thought to her mother’s problems. Anne, the youngest, is a farmer’s wife but does very little to help out on the farm – she is a lazy, sullen, resentful woman who thinks only of herself and her own comfort.
For a novel with so many unlikeable characters, I found this a surprisingly enjoyable and entertaining read. Louise’s story is obviously a very sad one at times, but Monica Dickens writes with enough humour and lightness that it never becomes completely depressing. And although her relationships with Miriam, Eva and Anne are difficult, Louise does have two special people in her life who make things much more bearable. One is her young granddaughter Ellen, with whom she forms a close bond. Ellen is Miriam’s eldest daughter and, like Louise, she often feels like an outsider in the family. The other is Gordon Disher, a man she meets while sheltering from the rain in a London tea shop.
Mr Disher is the most unlikely of romantic heroes – he is overweight, sells beds in a department store and writes cheap paperback thrillers with titles like The Girl in the Bloodstained Bikini. He is also a lovely, kind, gentle man who sees that Louise is unhappy and does all he can to make things better for her. Their meetings are few and far between – Louise is sure she’s too old for romance and she doesn’t spend a lot of time in London anyway – but I found their relationship quite moving and always looked forward to the moments when they were together.
Towards the end of the book, events take a more dramatic turn and if I have a criticism it would be that I’m not sure whether this was really necessary. The final sentence, though, was perfect! I wish Monica Dickens had written more books about these characters, but I enjoyed this one enough to know that I will be investigating the rest of her novels anyway!
The Winds of Heaven endpapers
She Reads Novels 
I’m so pleased you liked this one, Helen. It sounds like you enjoyed it every bit as much as I did! I wish there were further books to follow too. I would have loved to know how Gordon and Louise fared and also what happens to Ellen.
I think we had similar feelings about this book! Yes, it would be nice to know how Gordon, Louise and Ellen get on in the future – I would like to think they had plenty of happiness ahead of them. Hopefully the daughters would have learned some important lessons too.
Such a lovely book. I started my Persephone reading early and have gobbled up Tory Heaven (reviewed yesterday) and The Carlyles at Home and am now reading Young Anne. So lovely to have an excuse to read Persephone for four days.
Yes, it’s a good excuse (not that we should really need one). My second book read during the Readathon was Diary of a Provincial Lady, but I haven’t reviewed that one yet.
What did you read before your blog which began about ten years ago?Question for Ali.
All sorts of things. My tastes have changed over the years. Often I read a mix of classics and modern novels. Some vintage books and mysteries.
I loved this but didn’t remember much about it so thank you for the reminder. My review from a time when I wrote really quite short pieces https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/monica-dickens-the-winds-of-heaven-persephone/
I’m glad you loved this one too, Liz. 🙂
I’ll have to read this one. I’ve enjoyed just about every Persephone I have read.
I’ve enjoyed most of the Persephones I’ve read too. This is a good one.
So glad you were able to participate in the readthon, and that you enjoyed The Winds of Heaven so much, Helen! This does sound like a lovely read. I read Mariana by Monica Dickens earlier this month, and it may just be my new favorite Persephone. I’m very excited to read more of her work, and The Winds of Heaven might have to be the one I pick up next!
After enjoying this one so much, I really want to read Mariana now. I’m glad to hear it’s one of your favourites.
As a reader there is no greater joy than finding a new author to follow. Although, as I have some troublesome grown children myself, this one might be a bit too close to home for me.
Yes, this might not be the best book for you to read! Maybe you would like one of Monica Dickens’ others.
I have heard high praises for Winds of Heaven. The only book by Monica Dickens that i have read is her semi autobiographical A Pair of hands. It was a delightful read.
That sounds like an interesting book. I would like to read that one, but I think I will probably try Mariana first.
Mariana is a wonderful read too. Hope you enjoy it
It’s ages since I’ve read a Persephone book and this sounds like a great one so I’ll check it out 😊
I’ve enjoyed nearly all of the Persephone books I’ve read so far. This is a really good one. 🙂
It’s a long time since I read this, in an old Book Club edition before it became a Persephone, but I remember that my feelings were very similar to yours. Monica Dickens has a wonderful way of drawing you into the lives of her characters, and making them believable if not always likeable.
I’m glad you liked this one too. I’m pleased I’ve read a Monica Dickens book at last (I would have read her for your Birthday Book last month but didn’t get organised in time) and I will certainly be reading more!
I read Young Anne over a decade ago.There was life before Persephone Books.
There certainly was, but publishers like Persephone have made it easier for new readers to discover authors like Dorothy Whipple. I wasn’t aware of her books a decade ago.
I love those endpapers. Monica Dickens is an author I read when I was very much younger, but I should give her another go – this one sounds brilliant.
The endpapers are beautiful, aren’t they? I loved this book, but it’s the first I’ve read by Monica Dickens so I don’t know how it compares with her others.