En su casa de campo de los Pirineos franceses, a la que apenas acude ya, Sir George Dillingham encuentra a su sobrino Alexis (un muchacho que ha huido del colegio y se ha refugiado allí sin avisarle) en brazos de Rose Vibert, joven actriz francesa sin nada mejor que hacer... Arranca así «un ménage à trois lleno de encuentros y desencuentros, a la vez frívolo y culto, sensual y elegante» según dijera la crítica de la época; un verdadero entramado también culturalista, pero sin pedantería ni erudición, como sin importancia, que construye una red de referencias absolutamente implicada en el sentido profundo de la peripecia, dibujada con un fino equilibrio entre el humor, el sarcasmo, la tragedia y el «escándalo».

A group of characters who constantly change partners, become lovers, like the Bloomsbury Group. A daughter, Jenny, is born and brought up among them, just as Angelica Bell was – and the book is dedicated to Angelica. ( )

I know virtually nothing about Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Aspects of Love, except for the song Love Changes Everything, which was on a CD we used to play in the car during long journeys. I certainly didn’t know that the musical was based on a book, still less that said book was a product of the Bloomsbury Group. When I stumbled across it by chance, I decided that I simply had to give it a go – though I can’t say that I enjoyed it. It’s a self-indulgent triumph of style over substance and, while it’s a quick read at fewer than 150 pages, it lingers in the mind for the wrong reasons: for its unpleasant aura of exploitation and emotional manipulation. It becomes even more sinister when you realise that it was inspired by events in Garnett’s own life..

For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2019/08/03/aspects-of-love-david-garnett/ ( )

This book being all about love and me being such a sap-head, it was a good match. I guess it was mostly unrequited love and lots of pining. I wish it had gone on a little longer as I feel like I still want to know what happened next. It has little erudite bits where the characters read Merimee or recite Rabelais from memory or read Virgil aloud. I think it is more fully realized as a novel than the other three Garnetts I read. Less fluffy and more true.

It features Sir George Dillingham and his nephew Alexis and their shared love, a French actress, Rose Vibert, and their various other lovers, and eventually George and Rose's daughter Jenny. Also a vineyard in Chinon.

It would be a make someone a good thesis on early examples of polyamory in literature. ( )