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Bad Relations

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Bad Relations

By: Cressida Connolly
Narrated by: Sam Woolf
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

A TALE OF A TRAGEDY SEEPING THROUGH GENERATIONS, AND A FAMILY FRACTURED BY HISTORY AND DESIRE

On the battlefields of the Crimea, William Gale cradles the still-warm body of his brother. William's experience of war will bring about a change in him that will reverberate through his family over the next two centuries.
In the 1970s, William's descendants invite Stephen, a distant relation, to stay in their house in the English countryside - but their golden summer entanglements will end in a shocking fall from grace.

Half a century later, a confrontation between the surviving members of the family will culminate in a terrible reckoning.

'A writer who seems able to peer directly into the human heart' John Preston

© Cressida Connolly 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

 20th Century Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Political War

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Critic reviews

A ravishing novel from the great family saga-teller Cressida Connolly and an honourable tribute to the past
Connolly's vivid characterisation, supple prose and striking imagery sweep you along, in an absorbing and affecting saga that uses one family's story to anatomise the different stages of grief
In recent British fiction I can think only of Tessa Hadley who rivals Connolly in exacting such intricate, compelling drama from close-knit families . . . I don't often wish a book were longer, but this one I did
Masterful . . . a joy to see it garnering the ecstatic reviews it deserves (Polly Samson, author of A Theatre for Dreamers)
Moving [and] powerful . . . Connolly's vividly drawn characters grapple with trauma, unkindness and greed in an intriguing novel where past actions reverberate in the present
Connolly, like Anne Tyler and Tessa Hadley, is a master of fluidly shifting perspectives, a sharply witty observer of social class, and a champion of imaginative empathy
Bad Relations is an amazing achievement and one of the most satisfying books you're likely to read this year
Elegantly written, this subtle, satisfying, well-observed novel is a delight

Another fascinating, moving story from the author of After the Party
This clever novel set across three timelines tells the story of a family haunted by tragedy. A skilfully written, powerful drama
All stars
Most relevant
Beautifully crafted history of one family over several generations linked by one object of extraordinary history The novel slow to start grew in stature until the last chapter which was extremely moving and could resonate for many families in a mutiplicity of situations

Memorable

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Excellent narration. I felt great empathy for Stephen, his mother and Alice but little for the Cornish family. The historical part was my favourite but part two is important with it’s tragic denouement. Part three was a satusf

Balaclava

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A moving and realistic depiction of familial relations, and of the self-doubts and self-discovery of young adults. A tender portrayal of the ties that bind families through generations, though the pace of action was very slow. This gives the listener a chance to savour the delightful language and brilliant descriptions. My favourite Cressida Connolly book so far.

Beautiful writing but rather slow.

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The clarity of Connolly’s prose is matched by a perfectly pitched narrative where past and present illuminate timeless family anguish. Remarkable, highly readable and beautifully read here by Sam Woolf.

Pitch perfect

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I loved this beautifully restrained , understated yet deep, emotionally nuanced and moving novel which moves through 150 years in three parts.

During the Crimea War at the Battle of the Alma in 1854 William Gale is awarded the VC and returns home traumatised by his experiences which included cradling his dying brother. His marriage to his devoted wife Alice finally crumbles under the strain and she leaves for Melbourne to start a new life with her baby son and her doctor. Over 120 years later in 1977, Stephen, the descendant of that baby boy, comes to Cornwall as a 17 year-old to the Gale family farm where he is consumed with love for Cassie whilst sleeping with her sister Georgie. He is swept up into a glorious summer of freedom with the family but the young ones’ light-hearted dalliance with drugs has a catastrophic outcome for Stephen, the full tragedy of which seeps out only slowly through this captivating narrative. Fast forward to 2016 and middle aged Hazel, Stephen’s grieving sister, has come with a specific purpose from Melbourne to see the English descendants of her great great grandfather William Gale.

The themes which Cressida Connolly explores in this vivid portrayal of past tragedies and events filtering down the years to tear families apart is brilliantly and subtly worked out. Central to this serious theme is the Victoria Cross awarded to William which his descendants in 2016 have learned is worth possibly as much as £400,000. Their scramble to find the medal once kept in a table drawer and their various ‘rights’ to the money tear them apart – and then Stephen’s sister Hazel arrives from Melbourne with her bombshell agenda. Families don’t always bring out the best in one another, Cressida Connolly remarks with typical understatement as the final denouement is played out with masterly subtlety which leaves the listener entirely satisfied - and thoughtful.

Sam Woolf’s narration is excellent – absolutely in tune with Connolly’s finely nuanced writing.

Families bringing out the best and the worst

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