Mary Hocking, Good Daughters (1985)
I love being introduced to new-to-me authors, so when Heavenali announced she was hosting a “Remember Mary Hocking” event, I was glad to join in. I decided to start my exploration of this prolific twentieth-century British novelist with Good Daughters, the first in a trilogy about the Fairley family. The three daughters of the title fall into a common literary (or mythic) pattern: there’s the oldest girl on the cusp of womanhood, the youngest still in childhood, and the middle daughter between the two, uneasily edging into the adult world. Although we move between their perspectives, and even get a glimpse at the inner lives of other characters from time to time, it’s the middle child, Alice, who is really the center of the novel. Little information is available about Hocking’s life, but from what there is I suspect that Alice is something of a self-portrait, and the story drawn from at least some autobiographical elements. The time is the mid-1930s, the place Shepherd’s Bush in London, where the girls’ idealistic but somewhat obtuse Methodist father teaches in a boys’ school. His strict rules of conduct and the needs and wishes of the growing girls clash at times, as when oldest sister Louise wants to take part in a community theater production. Meanwhile, through the lives of friends and neighbors Alice is exposed to secrets and intrigues that don’t fit into the morals of her sheltered life. It’s all part of growing up in a rapidly changing world, and Hocking paints this family portrait with a good deal of skill, capturing the painful, exciting, messy process of discovering oneself in relation to other people.
Yet the very fact of appreciating the small, intimate joys of family life, of luxuriating in the slow passage of the lengthening days, seemed to cut Alice off from Claire. Claire, whether lying in the hammock reading, or playing with Badger on the lawn, lived completely in the golden hours as though evening would never come, and Alice was aware of something she had lost. She was also aware of Louise moving away from them all.
After so much time spent getting to know these characters in detail, when events unraveled rather hastily at the end I felt somewhat let down. I’m curious to know how their story continues, though, and I’m sure I will look into the sequels (Indifferent Heroes and Welcome Strangers) at some point. These carry the Fairleys through the war years, and I wonder how they will deal with the upheavals to come. Thanks to Heavenali for introducing me to an unfamiliar author who was worth the effort to track down. I’m excited to see what discoveries other readers have made this week.
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The Emerald City Book Review Archive 
This sounds lovely, and quite different to the later book I read. It seems that Mary Hocking was a writer who both appreciated the past and looked clear-sightedly at the world around her.
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It does sound so different, but the quality of observation is the same. She's a writer with a lot to offer.
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I am very fond of this series but I don't think the books are Mary Hocking's best writing. They remain very popular with her fans despite being out of print. I am so glad you were able to join in with Mary Hocking reading week.
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I am glad as well, thank you for hosting.
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The plot description sounds very much like a 19th century British novel. In my opinion that is a good thing.I would find it a bit disconcerting for the plot to move into new directions towards the end however. Since it is part of a series I could forgive something like that if the sequel was worthwhile.
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In its structure and general format it is much like a 19th century family saga. And the father is very much clinging to old values. But the concerns of the younger characters are quite modern, and it's that tension that makes it interesting. I found the pacing a bit off at the end. Important things happened very fast. I wonder if that will be true of the sequels as well, or if it improves.
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Enjoyed your review. Like you, I hadn't come across Mary Hocking until Heavenali wrote about her. I read An Irrelevant Woman for Mary Hocking Week – a humane (and human) study of a middle-aged woman's mental breakdown. It sounds a bit bleak, but it was warm, and humorous, and very moving. Haven't finished the Fairley trilogy yet though, but am enjoying it so far.
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I'm glad you're enjoying the trilogy as well. There's much to appreciate in Hocking's books …when we can find them!
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Sorry the book was rushed at the end. Hopefully the sequels will work better for you, though it sounds like you enjoyed this book overall! It's always wonderful to be introduced to a new author!Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
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It was wonderful, and I would certainly never have heard of her without this event. Many thanks to Alison of Heavenali.
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I am glad that you read and enjoyed a Mary Hocking novel. She is an author that I have not yet read, but hope to get to at some point.
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I do hope you’ll be able to find some of her books to enjoy.
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