Description

Set in the height of the Second World War, The Cazalet Chronicles continues with the third in the series, Confusion, where chaos has become a way of life for the Cazalet family.

‘Compelling, moving, unputdownable . . . Maybe my favourite books ever’ – Marian Keyes, bestselling author of My Favourite Mistake

It’s 1942 and the dark days of war seem never-ending. Scattered across the still-peaceful Sussex countryside and air-raid-threatened London, the divided Cazalets begin to find the battle for survival echoing the confusion in their own lives.

Headstrong, independent Louise surprises the whole family when she abandons her dreams of being an actress and instead makes a society marriage. Polly, now living in London with Clary, is struggling to come to terms with the death of her mother and manage her grieving father. Meanwhile, Clary is painfully aware that what she lacks in beauty she makes up for in intelligence, and is the only member of the family who believes that her father might not be dead . . .

‘She helps us to do the necessary thing – open our eyes and our hearts’ – Hilary Mantel, bestselling author of The Mirror and the Light

Confusion is the heartbreaking and heartwarming third instalment of Elizabeth Jane Howard’s bestselling series. It is followed by the fourth book in the series, Casting Off.

Publisher Review

What magic transforms a book into a compelling, moving, unputdownable read? I don’t know, but whatever it is, [The Cazalet Chronicles] have it. The characters! I cared about them so much. They behave in interesting, venal, believable ways. They’re recognisably human: frustrating, flawed, lovable. Maybe my favourite books ever — Marian Keyes, bestselling author of My Favourite Mistake She is one of those novelists who shows, through her work, what the novel is for . . . She helps us to do the necessary thing – open our eyes and our hearts — Hilary Mantel, bestselling author of the Wolf Hall trilogy Like [Elena] Ferrante, Howard’s fictional sphere is domestic and yet reveals deeper truths about human nature — Elizabeth Day, bestselling author of Magpie Howard is a sharp observer of human drama and psychology, and writes about pain, loss and longing superbly well — Monica Ali, bestselling author of Love Marriage I don’t know how I’d managed to miss [The Cazalet Chronicles] until now, but they’re absolute heaven — Meg Mason, bestselling author of Sorrow and Bliss [N]o detail is too small to be included, so charged with significance is the material envelope of that lost world — Tessa Hadley, bestselling author of After the Funeral A dazzling historical reconstruction — Penelope Fitzgerald, Booker Prize-winning author of Offshore Charming, poignant and quite irresistible . . . to be cherished and shared * The Times * The Cazalets have earned an honoured place among the great saga families . . . rendered thrillingly three-dimensional by a master craftsman * Sunday Telegraph *