Addictive, Easy, Indulgent

I had never heard of this series until Audible, cleverly, kept suggesting it to me. I am now on this, the third book of the series and hopelessly addicted.

The characters are (almost) all frightfully posh, very privileged and insulated from 'real life' in so many ways. The war comes as a terrible shock, and yet, with their huge country house to escape to, plus many grand London homes and mansion flats, they cope.

The things I like are the rattling plot lines - though in this volume, I am getting very tired of the children so often leading the narration. It's OK to see life through the eyes of 10 year old Neville now and then, but not as much as this. Otherwise, the plot lines, of which there are dozens, really get along at a good pace.

I also like the way the characters are presented. I don't LIKE a good many of them, but that's not a problem. Also, and cleverly, they are allowed to develop and mature as the volumes progress.

I also like the narration. I see from reviews that whilst many agree, some do not, and I can see why. But this narrator, with a cut-glass style (thus, she struggles a bit with servants' voices, but it's not too bad) does really suit the utterly upper-middle class setting.

Sometimes I have been annoyed by bits of the story, but if I'm really honest, it's an effortless listen, a posh family soap. My next 2 credits are due today and I am going to get the last 2 volumes. Addiction. But I am going to force myself to listen to a gory murder or a history book first to refresh my palette!

3 people found this helpful

Disliked the narrator and the story

This is the 3rd of the unabridged 'Cazalet Chronicles' books read by Jill Balcon. I'd started to dislike her narration in book 2 ('Marking Time') but since I'd stupidly bought the whole 4-book set I ploughed on with it. The characters from this family saga who had interested me in book one ('The Light Years') were effectively sidelined in this book, as the focus moved almost exclusively to the 3rd generation of rather self-regarding young adults. Balcon's voice veers between deep and piping, depending on whether she's depicting adults or children, and unless I wore headphones I often missed what she said. I also found there weren't adequate pauses between different scenes - I thought I was listening to one group of people only to find that the story had moved on to somewhere entirely different. It shows how little variety there is in Balcon's reading for me not to spot the switch of location until several minutes had passed. I enjoyed neither the narration nor the story.

2 people found this helpful

Fantastic book

I have know completed all five books in this series. I hardly ever give five stars but these books totally deserve it.
I didn't want any of them to end. I feel like the characters are real people that I know. I can't put my finger on what makes them so brilliant unfortunately, as I wish I could write stories like these. I loved the innocence of the children and the time. I couldn't wait to go to bed to be able to listen to them. I completely and utterly lost myself in every one of the books. It's interesting as such things as morals and thoughts on life are as relevant hundred years of so ago as they are today.
I would totally recommend all five of these books. I cannot sing their praises enough.
The narration was absolutely fantastic with lots of different voices to have to change into. I did read that the narrator was a friend of the writer. Excellent work well done, I wish I spoke as beautifully as you do.
You must must listen to these books.

1 person found this helpful

Great book

If you could sum up Confusion in three words, what would they be?

Great family saga

What did you like best about this story?

everything, in this book the focus is on the younger members of the family.

What about Jill Balcon’s performance did you like?

Everything..Jill has a special style well suited to a family saga. Loved it.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No...best to listen in stages, you won't want to hurry this book, there is so much to take in, it is beautifully written

Any additional comments?

All the books in the "Saga" are lovely...a real treat to listen to, the characters are well drawn and the war years full of incidental detail....really enjoyed all of them.

1 person found this helpful

confusion

a wonderful sequel to the previous two books - engrossing. looking forward to the next one.

really lovely book

thoroughly enjoyed this, an absorbing story with believable characters and telling details. most funny and moving, a great escape to a different time

Another fantastic audio book

Another great narration by Jill Balcon. She reads with such feeling. I wish she had done all 5 books in this series.

These Books are Remarkably Good - buy the lot!

This review is from Volume 1, as it apples to all.
I had no idea that Elizabeth Jane Howard was such a brilliant writer. Her ear for dialogue is breathtaking and the way in which she draws her characters is exceptional. They are really rounded, and grow and change with their experiences. She manages to make even the less pleasant ones multi dimensional, so that just when you think it is impossible to like them, you see a situation from their point of view and feel their humanity. Even her portrayal of the children has depth, and her capturing of the way in which children talk to each other (and even think) is magnificent. I cannot recommend this book, and the other books in the Cazalet Chronicles, highly enough. I sent the set to a friend of mine who was not reading much, and she read the whole lot in one go. I think she stopped to eat and sleep, but....

Slightly disappointing ending

Slightly disappointing ending. I would have liked to read a few more paragraphs to bring everything together but extremely good nevertheless.

I can't wait to listen to part 4!

What a story! What a performance! Every time I drive my car, I live with the Cazalets. Love the characters, all of them.