The Camomile Lawn

The Camomile Lawn
Author(s)	Mary Wesley
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre(s)	Novel
Publisher	Macmillan
Publication date	29 March 1984
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	304 pp (first edition, hardback)
ISBN	ISBN 0333368924 (first edition, hardback)
OCLC Number	59093668

The Camomile Lawn (1984) is a novel by Mary Wesley about the lives of Richard and Helena Cuthbertson and their five nieces and nephews; Calypso, Walter, Polly, Oliver and Sophy. The title refers to a fragrant camomile lawn stretching down to the Cornish cliffs in the garden of the main characters' aunt's house. Here, in August 1939, they have gathered for their annual holiday. For most of them it is the last summer of their youth before World War II breaks out. The war acts as a catalyst for their sexual and emotional liberation. Their uninhibited behaviour is recalled when the family are reunited for a funeral in the 1980s.

Story plot

In August 1939, Oliver, Calypso, Polly and Walter are visiting their Aunt Helena and Uncle Richard Cuthbertson, and their 10-year-old cousin Sophy who has been taken in by Helena and Uncle Richard. They are often visited by the twin sons of the local rector, as well as by Max and Monika, a Jewish refugee couple from Austria, whose only son, Pauli, is in a concentration camp, and who have been taken in by the rector. Young Sophy is delighted with the arrival of her cousins, especially Oliver. She is determined to run 'The Terror Run', a cliff path that the cousins race along at full moon, along with the grown ups. However, during a daylight practice run, the local coastguard exposes himself to her.

Returning from fighting in the Spanish Civil War, a depressed and disenchanted Oliver has a changed outlook on life although he still retains his crush on Calypso. Calypso, knowing that she isn't what Oliver is truly seeking, is determined to make the most of her beauty and marry a rich man.

Sensible, intelligent, practical Polly is observant and eventually joins the War Office. It is implied that she is working on War Intelligence. Her brother Walter joins the Navy.

TV adaptation

The Camomile Lawn
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	5
Broadcast
Original channel	Channel 4 ABC
Original run	5 March 1992 (1992-03-05) – 2 April 1992 (1992-04-02)

The 1992 adaptation was independently produced by Glenn Wilhide and Sophie Belhetchet at ZED Ltd for Channel 4, and directed by Peter Hall. It was adapted from the novel by Ken Taylor and had a notable cast of actors.

Felicity Kendal played the scatty, snobbish Aunt Helena Cuthbertson, with Paul Eddington as her husband Richard. Jennifer Ehle played the 'mercenary' young Calypso, with her real-life mother, actress Rosemary Harris, playing Calypso in old age. Tara FitzGerald played the part of young Polly and Rebecca Hall was cast as young Sophy; older Sophy is played by a taciturn Claire Bloom and Toby Stephens plays young, serious Oliver. Film locations were at Broom Parc House, Veryan, Cornwall, and Portloe, Cornwall. The theme tune for the TV adaptation by Stephen Edwards, is based on Ravel's String Quartet in F major, which is also rehearsed, by Max (Oliver Cotton) and his colleagues, in the final episode.

See also

• List of topics related to Cornwall

References

• Victoria Glendinning on Mary Wesley's The Camomile Lawn, The Guardian, 3 June 2006, Retrieved 6 April 2011

External links

• The Camomile Lawn at IMDb