The Captive Reader

I think it is best to begin The New Moon with the Old by Dodie Smith confident with the knowledge that nothing Smith wrote could ever equal the brilliance of I Capture the Castle.  There is a reason why this tale from 1963 (along with most of her other novels) was out of print for so long; it is not a masterpiece.  It is, however, an amusing story of four eclectic siblings’ adventures in the wide world and it makes for a nice, if not particularly memorable, read.

When Rupert Carrington runs afoul of the law and has to flee the country, his four children and brand new secretary-housekeeper, Jane Minton, are left struggling to support themselves.  But there is little employment to be found in their rural surroundings and so the young Carringtons slowly begin spreading their wings, leaving the family home one by one to seek work suited to their unique tastes and talents – unique being the operative word and the element that adds so much charm to this story.

Merry, the youngest Carrington at only fourteen, sets off first.  An aspiring actress, she revels in concocting disguises for herself as she embarks on her new life but her well-planned attack on the theatrical agencies of the capital (where she is certain she will quickly become a star) does not go off quite as smoothly as planned.  Instead, she finds herself taken in by a titled, eccentric family in the country where she is safe but far from at ease as she struggles to maintain her false identity in the face of their kindness and, in one particularly awkward case, affection.  It is a truly absurd string of events and, for me, was the weakest portion of the novel though I was equally unimpressed by the final section, focusing on Richard Carrington.

Richard, the eldest sibling, is an aspiring composer.  Unlike his younger siblings, he stays at home after his father’s difficulties begin, navigating an ethically dubious affair with his father’s lover, worrying about his compositions, and generally acting as the informational hub for the family, relaying the whereabouts of each sibling to the others.  It is a useful function in terms of the story, letting the reader know how the other characters’ adventures wrapped up, but doesn’t give Richard much scope to develop as an interesting character in his own right.

The two sections of the book that make the whole thing worthwhile focus on Clare and Drew.  At twenty-one and nineteen respectively, these two are at the perfect ages to venture out into the world on their own.  Both are quite romantic, though in different ways.  Drew is an aspiring author, eager to write about the Edwardian era.  He finds himself taking up the post of companion to an elderly woman, though his duties have much less to do with talking to her about those lost long summer days before the war than with setting her household to order by taking charge of the staff and the money, both of which his employer finds too daunting to deal with herself.  I loved Drew.  He could have seemed twee and irritating but, despite his fascination with an earlier age, he is decidedly modern and though his circumstances may be extraordinary, he at least feels as though he could really exist.  Yes, he is a bit innocent (they all are, having lived quite sheltered lives) but he is capable and practical despite his romantic musings.

And Clare?  Clare, as Jane Minton observes shortly after meeting the Carringtons, is the only one of the siblings who could really be described as old-fashioned.  Her only career ambition growing up was to be a Royal mistress, ideally to a Stuart king.  Since she was born in the wrong era, she has resigned herself to having to take a less appealing position as a reader to an elderly blind man in London.  But, in a magnificent coincidence worthy of any of Clare’s favourite Ruritanian romances, the man whom she has come to work for is exiled royalty, though she does not learn that until long after she has begun a sexually-charged flirtation with his physically unattractive but charismatic grandson.  Though her morals may shock others, she at least gets exactly what she always wanted.

It is an absurd novel full of implausible encounters and extraordinary characters, but it is still quite charming and very fun to read.  I have to admit, Merry’s section bored me and I found Richard’s entanglements far from interesting but the book is well worth reading for the pleasure of following Drew and Clare’s delightful adventures.