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A review by cleheny
The Wimsey Papers: The Wartime Letters and Documents of the Wimsey Family by Dorothy L. Sayers
3.0
It's pleasant to hear from the Wimsey's again, though this collection reflects Sayers' thoughts on the early days on the homefront during WWII--really, a span of months in 1939. There's a hint of what's happening with the characters we love--Peter is abroad somewhere on another clandestine mission for the Foreign Office, apparently attempting to find allies in the fight against Hitler; Harriet is with her two sons, Bredon and Paul, at Talboys, and is apparently also caring for Mary and Charles Parker's kids, while their parents remain in London; Gerald is at Duke's Denver, attempting to hold the line on tradition even as he comes to terms with the evacuated London children on his grounds; Helen, his insufferable Duchess, is doing her best to oppress the masses at the Ministry of Morale; the Dowager is still absolutely delightful, adapting to the influx of London children while balancing her stolid and somewhat stupid firstborn; Letitia Martin, Dean of Shrewsbury College, remains her cheerful self, even while contending with changes at Oxford; and Paul Delgardie appears to be where he always is and continues to extol the virtues of the French--their history, their culture, and their outlook. But these letters and papers are really Sayers' commentary on British domestic policy and international events.
What makes them so enjoyable is her ability to express those thoughts through her characters. She has such a strong understanding of them that, even as Sayers works through her own frustrations or reactions to something, the letter, diary entry, or memoranda feels as it was created by the character who signs their name. That may seem as if it should be easy, because these are Sayers' creations, but the content of The Wimsey Papers is largely ideological. To convey these thoughts through characters--most of whom are not ideological--as if they are the characters' thoughts and reactions is an impressive feat of writing.
For those readers who want to read more about Peter and Harriet and how they make their marriage and family work, or hear how the inimitable Bunter (who, sadly, does not write a letter to his mother in this collection) is faring, this collection is disappointing because that wasn't Sayers' purpose. Still, to hear something of what life in early WWII England was like, through the voices of well-loved characters, is a treat.
What makes them so enjoyable is her ability to express those thoughts through her characters. She has such a strong understanding of them that, even as Sayers works through her own frustrations or reactions to something, the letter, diary entry, or memoranda feels as it was created by the character who signs their name. That may seem as if it should be easy, because these are Sayers' creations, but the content of The Wimsey Papers is largely ideological. To convey these thoughts through characters--most of whom are not ideological--as if they are the characters' thoughts and reactions is an impressive feat of writing.
For those readers who want to read more about Peter and Harriet and how they make their marriage and family work, or hear how the inimitable Bunter (who, sadly, does not write a letter to his mother in this collection) is faring, this collection is disappointing because that wasn't Sayers' purpose. Still, to hear something of what life in early WWII England was like, through the voices of well-loved characters, is a treat.