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East Riding of Yorkshire - South Riding by Winifred Holtby


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EAST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE
 
South Riding by Winifred Holtby
 
Synopsis:
The community of South Riding, like the rest of the country, lives in the long shadow of war. Blighted by recession and devastated by the loss, they must also come to terms with significant social change.  Forward-thinking and ambitious, Sarah Burton is the embodiment of such change.  After the death of her fiancé, she returns home to Yorkshire focused on her career as headmistress of the local school.  But not everyone can embrace the new social order.  Robert Carne, a force of conservatism, stands firmly against Sarah.  A tormented man, he carries a heavy burden that locks him in the past.  As the villagers of South Riding adjust to Sarah's arrival and face the changing world, emotions run high, prejudices are challenged and community spirit is tested.
 
 
Other East Riding of Yorkshire books:

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  • 1 year later...

South Riding by Winifred Holtby ******
I started listening to the audiobook of this on a long car journey to South Wales, and spent the entire journey absolutely enthralled. I certainly expected to be entertained, but I didn't expect this to be such a brilliant novel.

 

South Riding is one of those big sprawling sagas populated with a myriad of varied characters, spread over a number of years.  I suppose the central character is Sarah Burton, the newly appointed headteacher to the local girls' school, but many others feature strongly, and their different narratives are carefully and intricately woven together by the author to provide a very rich tapestry of life in the fictitious South Riding as it goes through significant social and economic changes. 

 

Winifred Holtby is fairly clearly on the socialist side of the fence, but one of the huge strengths of her novel is that she portrays all her characters, whether reactionary farmer or virtually communist local councillor, with great sympathy, showing us both sides of all the arguments, and never judging. Nobody is all good, nor is anybody all bad - indeed, we are on occasions not even sure what is 'bad' or 'good', as we see events from unfamiliar angles.  As readers, we are omniscient, with the author allowing us to read inside her characters' minds.  Indeed, much of the book is taken up by the internal dialogues that each character has with him or herself, and it is through these that we are able to see how roundedly human each and every person is, whatever their inclination.  Indeed, I'd say that these internal explorations featured rather more strongly than the plot lines themselves, making South Riding rather more character focused than most novels.  

 

Having said that, the plotting was still strongly and intricately woven, it just wasn't the be all and end all.  Indeed, having worked my way through a number of fairly predictable plot lines lately, I was delighted to be taken completely by surprise on a number of occasions, even standing in the middle of the kitchen in the midst of cooking on one, exclaiming 'OMG, she's never done that.....!'   Yet this was no soap opera - the plotting (including the twists) was thoroughly believable and whilst the individual threads may not have always led to 'happy' endings, they were certainly very satisfying in their sense of reality, and completeness as a whole.

 

I don't listen to that many audiobooks - no more than one or two a year normally - but on this occasion I do think that Carol Boyd's reading was absolutely outstanding.  I've enjoyed others of hers in the past, but this was exceptional even by those standards.  She captured not only the spirit of the book to perfection, but successfully brought each and every character completely to life to the extent that one rapidly forgot that this was a 'simple' reading, populated as it was by so many different and believable voices.  I did wonder if it was the quality of this that persuaded me to give South Riding a straight six stars (i.e. an instant favourite), but I think in hindsight that Boyd simply reflected the quality of the book: after finishing the recording, I went back to read sections of the book itself, and it still stood out under this scrutiny.  Having said that, she is one of those very, very few readers whose work I do pursue, sometimes choosing books simply because she's reading them.

 

So, overall, an outstanding read - definitely a twentieth century classic IMO - and one that, as I indicated above, earned a straight six stars; it will be a serious contender for my Book of the Year.  And to think that I'd probably never have read it without this challenge.......!

Edited by willoyd
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  • 5 months later...

I also listened to the audiobook version of this read by Carole Boyd (whose voice I know well from listening to The Archers), and it was an absolute joy.

The story is set in the time between the wars when change was being wrought around the country. Wealthy estate owners were seeing their finances suffer as prices dropped and the land was not meeting its full potential. Class boundaries were starting to blur, there is no welfare state and poverty is a fact of life for some families, women are starting to make a mark on society and local government is still involved in most aspects of society.

The synopsis would make you believe that the novel focuses on Sarah and Carne, but actually, it weaves its way around the local community showing all aspects - from headmistress Sarah to her pupils at the high school, who themselves range from the gentry to the poor, through the local pub owner, a socialist member of the council, the school governors and the local minister. Their connections through the county council and it's responsibilities bring a breadth to the story, and link the various characters together, through Education, Highways, Agriculture and Public Health policies, and bring to life this Yorkshire community.

I have to say, I wonder if I'd have struggled with reading the book, as the narrator gives voice to the characters with their own accents, and if the dialogue is written in dialect or as spoken, I know this would have been a problem for me, as it stops me when reading while I think of how it would be said aloud. Having them brought to life for me, made for a wonderful immersive experience, and I believe has enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

The English Counties challenge has thrown another fantastic book in my direction, and I know I'm going to struggle to narrow down my favourite books at the end of the year, as I've already had three stunning reads from this challenge alone, and it's still only February!

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I've just read your review, willoyd, and I think this comment is interesting ...
 

Indeed, much of the book is taken up by the internal dialogues that each character has with him or herself, and it is through these that we are able to see how roundedly human each and every person is, whatever their inclination.  Indeed, I'd say that these internal explorations featured rather more strongly than the plot lines themselves, making South Riding rather more character focused than most novels.  


Although I agree that there is a lot of internal monologue and contemplation, I think that even these are linked to the plot so strongly, that it keeps the plot moving along and doesn't feel like a character study. I'm not a fan of character based stories, as I like a plot to follow and that's what often keeps me interested in a book, but this never really felt that way to me, because they were all driving the plot forward.

On the whole though, we're in complete agreement! :D It was an excellent book, and I too am very happy we're doing the challenge as it probably would never have been a book I'd pick up otherwise.

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Not sure if anyone is interested, but politician Shirley Williams picked South Riding as her choice on the Radio 4 programme A Good Read.  It's still available to listen to at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06ptylwif you want to hear what she has to say. :) (It's the second book discussed and starts at 10:40 in the programme if you want to skip past the other choices).
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I've just read your review, willoyd, and I think this comment is interesting ...

 

Although I agree that there is a lot of internal monologue and contemplation, I think that even these are linked to the plot so strongly, that it keeps the plot moving along and doesn't feel like a character study. I'm not a fan of character based stories, as I like a plot to follow and that's what often keeps me interested in a book, but this never really felt that way to me, because they were all driving the plot forward.

 

On the whole though, we're in complete agreement! :D It was an excellent book, and I too am very happy we're doing the challenge as it probably would never have been a book I'd pick up otherwise.

 

Fair points Claire, and ones that I can neither, nor am inclined, to argue with! Where we (slightly) differ is, I suspect, simply in what we look for first in a book.  We may have slightly different priorities, but South Riding is such a strong story that it has managed to satisfy us both!  I'm so glad you enjoyed the reading too.  I must track down that edition of A Good Read too - I do love the programme, but don't always catch it.

Edited by willoyd
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  • 3 months later...

Copied from my blog:

The novel is said to centre on Sarah Burton, who takes on the role of Headmistress at Kiplington High School, but in reality it features a large cast of colourful and beautifully written characters all with their fair share of virtues and flaws.

There’s Robert Carne, a gentleman farmer, strong and proud but now facing financial ruin. He married for love and is steadfastly faithful to his poor wife who has lived for many years in an Institution. There’s his daughter, Midge. She’s a selfish teen who has lead a cosseted life and lacks discipline. She is sent to the High School where she struggles to fit in. There she clashes with Lydia Holley – a girl from a slum area called The Shacks where she lives in a railway carriage with her parents and siblings. She gets a scholarship to the High School where Sarah Burton quickly sees her potential. There is Mrs Beddows - a female Alderman who is based on Holtby’s own mother – a matriarch who cares a great deal for Robert Carne… the list of characters goes on, and each of them has their own part to play in this vibrant and brilliant story.

I absolutely adored this book. It’s a saga that spans quite a few years and had me absolutely gripped. The characters are so well developed and there are lots of plots within the book, but it is never confusing. I really liked the way the characters linked together through the story. I think it’s possibly my favourite of the English Counties books so far, although there are many other great books to choose from. I listened to it on audio book and it was brilliantly narrated by Carole Boyd and she really helped to make this novel come alive – I think she’s one of the best narrators I’ve listened to. It definitely made me want to get out and walk just to listen to more.

This is another book that I doubt I would have picked up if not for the challenge – I’m so glad it was chosen. I will have to check out Holtby’s other works – and also see what else Carole Boyd has narrated.

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Interesting that all of us so far have listened to the audiobook, and the same version too!  Glad you enjoyed it.  I'm debating whether to try and get hold of the DVD of the television series with Anna Maxwell Martin, but I'm not a huge fan of David Morrissey, so I'm still considering it. :dunno:
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Interesting that all of us so far have listened to the audiobook, and the same version too!  Glad you enjoyed it.  I'm debating whether to try and get hold of the DVD of the television series with Anna Maxwell Martin, but I'm not a huge fan of David Morrissey, so I'm still considering it. :dunno:

Sorry, Claire - I missed this.    I will bring my DVD next week and you can borrow it.   :)

 

I thought it was a very good adaptation - not perfect, because it would need to be about 20 hours long to do the book justice, but it was very enjoyable and Anna Maxwell Martin did a good job.  :)  I don't know who David Morrissey is, but if he played Mr Carne then he was okay too! 

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