The Three Graces by Amanda
Craig
published 2023
Amanda Craig is one of my
favourite contemporary authors – I have enjoyed all her books, and several of
them are on the blog. She is also an online friend, and she is kind enough
to say that she loves visiting Clothes in Books.
I am late writing about her
most recent book, The Three Graces, but I think it has just come out in
paperback so will encourage you all to rush out and buy it and read it.
All her books are proper
works of literary fiction, but also entertaining, readable and funny. They look
at the world around us, and though they have particularly good female
characters, they deal with everyone. They are 'state of the nation' books, though
that can sound rather pompous and offputting. As with Lissa Evans and HilaryMcKay, others of my favourite authors, you wonder if she would be taken more
seriously if she were more boring. I know I bang on about this: women authors
who I feel would be winning the Booker Prize if they were men, or less funny, but it is a real
thing. And I have to continue banging on about it until I see better rewards
and recognition.
Anyway!
The Three Graces of the
title are three older women living an expat life in a small town in Tuscany. They
all have families, complications, and one of them is about to host a family
wedding in her Italian house. The characters range from Enzo, an Italian man
who has scarcely left the town, and has strong views about immigrants, to
Tanya, an insta influencer with millions of followers.
There are so many things
I enjoyed about the book that I am going to make a list:
- A genuine attempt to look at the reality of
immigration, and why people get angry about it – it’s not a book where the ‘good’
characters feel one way and the bad ones are wrong
- A spelled out look at the economics of life –
again, balanced, with the boomer generation with their money and property vs
young people who can’t buy. But it’s a more nuanced look than just that – who pays
for care? What do young people expect? Who has a proper job and works hard?
- Funny believable scenes of people chatting, sitting in cafes
- Older women with real lives, and dreams and
desires – some of them eg no longer interested in sex, but some of them are. They
are individuals
- The importance of music in people’s lives.
Along with food and clothes…
- One of the women is caring for her (rather
vile) husband: ‘he was denying her the last few years of freedom, the decade
that women like herself never admitted was often the happiest in their lives.’
- Paragraphs like this: ‘I don’t really know him,’
said Raff, after a pause. Xan understood. It was what polite English people
always said when they absolutely loathed someone.
- And this: ‘if it was true that it took a
village to raise a child, what few mentioned was that the village was almost
entirely made up of other women.’
- Brilliant descriptions of Italian life, and of
expat life
- Marvellous social events, and the joy of organizing a wedding
And now there has been
added an extra wonderful dimension to all this. Recently on the blog there has
been discussion of Anthony Trollope – A Small House in Allington and FramleyParsonage have both featured, and produced truly fascinating and erudite debates in the comments on
the Marriage Plot in Victorian literature.
Most recently, there has
been detailed talk in the comments about Griselda Grantly, who was originally ‘designed’ for
Lord Lufton in Framley. The readers discussing it were sharply divided in their
feelings about Griselda – I have sympathy for her, others were firm in their feelings
against her.
Well - in comes Amanda Craig herself to add to the discussion
-
Amanda Craig has left a new comment on your post 'Framley Parsonage by Anthony Trollope: not many dragons':
Love Framley Parsonage. Griselda inspired the
character of Tanya in The Three Graces - two of whose three octogenarian
heroines become friends because of their shared love of Trollope.
I am absolutely fascinated by Tanya as a version of Griselda – it is beautifully done, and, again, Amanda makes it clear how you might be very impatient with her, but should also try to understand her. And to see that there might be explanations for her behaviour, and she might need our sympathy.
But the author has that trait
that I see and love in Trollope as well: she has a realistic view of people,
but also has a warm heart and a forgiving nature – no-one is beyond redemption.
The Three
Graces is a great read – funny,
engaging, thought-provoking. It tackles serious subjects, but is also immensely
readable – I raced through it.
I loved this book, and hope you will too.
Thank you, fascinating post. I have yet to read Amanda Craig so I will start with Three Graces. I have been put off her books by the covers. I know, shallow, that's me. The only Trollope I have read is The Way we Live Now but you have inspired me to read more.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy her - I think she's marvellous. And I also think you'll like more Trollope...
DeleteI love the wit in this, Moira. And yes, the realistic look at people and their lives is appealing, too. And I especially like it that the women who are the focus of the story are no longer young. I like it when books offer the perspective of people who aren't in their prime anymore.
ReplyDeleteWhen you start to think about it, that point of view is ridiculously rare. There is much to like about Amanda Craig, and she certainly gets kudos for trying to look at other lives.
DeleteOh, Moira, Moira ... as if I didn't have enough books, including plenty that I haven't read yet. Ah well, there is always room for one more. You will know who this is from.
ReplyDeleteI do, and honestly you should be reading her! I think you'll love her, and they are so compelling...
DeleteI loved The Three Graces, intelligent, funny, charming and sharp. Thanks very much for including me with the likes of Lissa Evans as well (but I only write kids books, so..).
ReplyDelete*Another reason not to take you seriously of course* You are definitely on my undervalued list.
DeleteNo, you write YA books, and they are very enjoyable.
Delete👏👏👏👏
DeleteWhat Anonymous said, above.
ReplyDeleteSold.
Yes go on - everyone should read Amanda!
DeleteI couldn't agree more about the way deftly written, humorous books that are (mostly) about women coping with the realities of life are never valued enough; whereas overlong, dreary books featuring endless pages of men being drunk/on drugs/ navel gazing / being completely hopeless at being an adult get praised to the skies. I would add Nina Stibbe and Laurie Graham to the list of undervalued authors along with Lissa Evans. I haven't read Amanda Craig yet but I definitely will now.
ReplyDeleteyes indeed, very well put. And yes to your additions, both writers I love. We need to make a list of undervalued women writers.
DeleteBefore buying and reading please add a bit more about the ladies in Amanda Craig's book. I am concerned they are English, privileged, certain class, who would never see themselves as immigrants, even incomers wherever they happened to live. Also, if Provence and Tuscany are somewhat similar, both have become inhabited by English ex=pats and these retirees almost certainly look and remain English easily spotted as such (their clothes a big give-away) by everyone else. Not a complaint or criticism, just not that interesting to anyone who isn't one of them. Unless all the world is interpreted by Craig via these characters views and lives I might struggle to relate and appreciate their company reading this book.
ReplyDeleteYou make an interesting point, and there is no reason for anyone to read a book they don't fancy! But I can assure you that Amanda Craig is more nuanced than that. The three women are not all English. Most characters in the book at least consider the realities of immigration, and what it means to be an incomer in a different place, and many different points of view are featured.
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