- I’m into quirky, British-y books lately and this one looked interesting.
I also recommend:
- The Tower, The Zoo and The Tortoise by Julia Stuart
Summary from GoodReads:
July 1964. Chartwell House, Kent: Winston Churchill wakes at dawn. There’s a dark, mute “presence” in the room that focuses on him with rapt concentration.
It’s Mr. Chartwell.
Soon after, in London, Esther Hammerhans, a librarian at the House of Commons, goes to answer the door to her new lodger. Through the glass she sees a vast silhouette the size of a mattress.
It’s Mr. Chartwell.
Charismatic, dangerously seductive, Mr. Chartwell unites the eminent statesman at the end of his career and the vulnerable young woman. But can they withstand Mr. Chartwell’s strange, powerful charms and his stranglehold on their lives? Can they even explain who or what he is and why he has come to visit?
In this utterly original, moving, funny, and exuberant novel, Rebecca Hunt explores how two unlikely lives collide as Mr. Chartwell’s motives are revealed to be far darker and deeper than they at first seem.
My Review:
While I do not feel the summary shows this novel in the light it should have been shown, Mr. Chartwell definitely takes it’s place among some of the most unique, interesting books I’ve read. I approached the story believing there’d be more interaction between the famous Mr. Churchill and Esther but instead, found more of a coincidental connection and just one small scene with both involved. This disappointed me a bit, but something else made up for that disappointment.
Having dealt with depression in my own life, I can attest to how it is like what Ms. Hunt portrays Mr. Chartwell to be. A mangy, annoying, loud dog skulking about, refusing to leave, worming his way into your every thought. At first I was a bit annoyed by the appearance of a creature I thought belonged in a fantasy book, but as the novel progressed I began to see Mr. Chartwell for who he was and what he represented, and then things began to get interesting.
Even if depression is not something you’ve ever dealt with, this book gives each reader a solid look at what it is like to be in those black depths, to feel the despair and annoyance and be completely unable to claw your way back to the light. It gives a picture of what it is like to overcome and to succumb and I think it’s a read that was definitely worthy of my time.
Check out these review(s):
I have major depression so I am very interested in this book. Thank you so much for this review.
Carol Wong
I really enjoyed Mr. Chartwell. I hoped for more scenes with Esther and Chartwell but other than that I thought it was very good, especially after I sat back and thought about it.
I enjoyed your review!
Exactly, I think I appreciated it more once I finished it and had some time to think about it.