One of the reading challenges I have been participating in during 2018 is the What’s in a Name? challenge which involves reading books with certain words in the title. Having reached November with only four of the six required books completed, it was looking unlikely that I would be able to finish the challenge, but I’m pleased to say that I have managed to squeeze the final two books into my December reading – starting with this one, Zennor in Darkness (a book with a title that begins with Z).
Published in 1993, Zennor in Darkness was Helen Dunmore’s first novel. I had high hopes for it, as I’ve enjoyed some of her others, particularly Exposure and Birdcage Walk. Unfortunately, although there were things that I liked about this one, I was slightly disappointed with it, even more so because most people who have read it seem to have loved it and I’m sorry that I couldn’t love it too.
The novel is set in 1917 in Zennor, a village on the coast of Cornwall where the author DH Lawrence lives for a while during the First World War. Hoping to find some peace and quiet away from the controversy caused by the recent publication of his novel, The Rainbow, Lawrence and his wife Frieda have decided to rent a cottage in Zennor where they can wait for the war to end and for a time when he may be able to resume his writing career. But even as Lawrence gets to know the local farming families and discovers the charms of rural life, he finds himself the centre of controversy yet again – this time because of Frieda, who happens to be German. The villagers view Frieda with suspicion, disapproving of her red stockings and her German songs, and convinced that she and Lawrence are sending signals to the U-boats lurking off the Cornish coast:
‘All the same though, there are things not right up there. They say they’ve put different coloured curtains up. In the same window.’
‘Why, whatever would they want to do that for?’
‘In the window looking over the sea.’
‘You mean -‘
One person who doesn’t care about the gossip and who is happy to befriend the Lawrences anyway is Clare Coyne, a young woman who lives with her widowed father. Clare is a talented artist and is helping to illustrate a new book her father is writing on botany; she is also in love with her cousin, John William Treveal, who is home on leave from the trenches before starting his training as an officer. The rest of the family are unaware of Clare’s feelings for John William, so she keeps her fears and worries for him to herself, hoping that as he has survived this long, he will continue to survive and will come back to her when the war is over.
The novel is partly about Clare’s relationship with DH Lawrence and partly about her love for John William, but I felt that the two elements of the story didn’t work together very well and could have formed the basis of two separate books. I found the central love story by far the most engaging and interesting aspect of the novel, while the inclusion of Lawrence added very little for me. I couldn’t help making comparisons with Mr Mac and Me by Esther Freud, a very similar story about the architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, where I thought the blending of real historical characters and fictional ones was more successful.
I did love the portrayal of life in a small village during the war, touching on topics such as shell shock, desertion and the effects of war not only on those who are fighting in it but on the loved ones they leave behind. The writing is certainly beautiful – both poetic and insightful, with some lovely descriptions – but books written in third person present tense are often a problem for me and that was the case here as I found it distracting and emotionally distancing. I think the writing style is what prevented me from enjoying this book as much as I’d hoped to. Not a favourite by Helen Dunmore, then, but I will continue to read her books and will hope for better luck next time.
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I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas! I’ll be back soon with my books of the year, my December Commonplace Book and maybe another review or two before New Year.
She Reads Novels 
I haven’t read this particular Dunmore, but I do find that while the best of her work is magnificent some, perhaps in comparison, is disappointing. Perhaps that is the case here? The Bears and I wish you a very happy Christmas with all the books you could possibly hope for.
Yes, you’re probably right. It’s possible that I would have enjoyed this book more if I hadn’t read any of her others to compare it with. Thank you – and Happy Christmas to you and the Bears too!
You know, I think that after an author gains a certain amount of popularity, they start bringing out some of his or her first books, the ones that no one would accept for publication originally. That’s my theory, anyway.
Yes, I’m sure that’s true with some authors. I think Helen Dunmore’s later books seem to be much better than her earlier ones.
I have a friend who will NOT read a book written in present tense. She says it makes her feel rushed all the time. Merry Christmas to you Helen and thank you for being a wonderful blogger friend!
I’m not a fan of books written in present tense either, but it’s hard to avoid them. Merry Christmas to you too, Judy! 🙂
I haven’t read this one but am hoping to read more Dunmore soon – so far I’ve loved Exposure and been less enthusiastic about Birdcage Walk. Merry Christmas, Helen – have a great one! May Santa fill your stocking with bookish delights! 🎅
Exposure is my favourite of the Helen Dunmore books I’ve read so far, but I did like Birdcage Walk too. Thank you – I hope Santa is good to you too! 🙂
I’ve been taking part in this challenge as well and also need to read two books to complete it. One of them is the book title beginning with Z and I wish I’d thought of this one as I read Birdcage Walk recently and had made a mental note to read more Dunmore. I went with Zoo Station by David Downing which I didn’t have a copy of until yesterday when I suddenly had a brainwave to use an Audible credit I’d been given to get the audiobook.
I kept thinking I had plenty of time to finish this challenge, but December seemed to come around so quickly! I had struggled to think of a book beginning with Z that I wanted to read, so I was glad I remembered this one.
Oh that pesky present tense!!!
Happy Christmas Helen!
I sometimes don’t mind present tense but usually I find it distracting. Happy Christmas to you too!
I didn’t get on with this book at all and sadly it has put me off reading more Helen Dunmore. I know shouldn’t but I felt like I waded through this book.
I’m lucky that I enjoyed the last two Dunmore books I read. If I’d started with this one I think I might have been put off too.