The Cazalet Chronicles is a five-book historical fiction series, by Elizabeth Jane Howard. The novels follow the British Cazalet family over several decades, beginning in 1937 with The Light Years, and ending in the 1950s with All Change.  The story begins in 1937 in England, which sounds to modern readers like right before WWII, but for the characters, is several years after the end of The Great War, the war to end all wars. The series continues to follow the Cazalet family (and friends), exploring their experiences and relationships. and sometimes showing the effects of historical events.  Marking Time, set in the early years of World War II, shows a determined hopefulness that things will be back to normal soon, even as the new hostilities reveal the scars from WWI. The Cazalets and a few friend and in-laws, settle into their countryside estate, Home Place, for the duration.

The Cazalet Chronicles is a bit dated, of course, but can remain relevant to modern readers.  The books describe complex, very human characters. Throughout the series, Howard explores complicated themes of love, loyalty and loss, even if its a scene about who’s old enough to have dinner downstairs. These small moments of family life showed character development and family relationships, so that when we got to the dramatic scenes, the infidelity, the wartime struggles, the secret paternity, first loves and true loves, I was so invested in the Cazalets. There’s a fascinating look at family dynamics, showing nuanced relationships between relatives, in-laws, romantic partners, children and family friends. These bonds and emotions are timeless and relatable. Of course the details aren’t always relatable, but the human questions are relatable and familiar.

There’s a lot of historical detail, especially around daily life and servants, so you can really see things change over time. The relationship between the Cazalets and the servants at Home Place begins with clear, formal rules, but the war changes these expectations. The characters live through dramatic historical events, and that affects the family, but the focus is on this specific family, not general WWII history. So there’s a  larger historical framing of blackouts or rationing or whatever, but it’s really about the family’s reaction, what an individual character does with her clothes coupons or what they eat at the height of food rationing. (I read these while moving, and found some of the WWII scenes about tinned beef or the last slices of semi-stale bread matched what I was grabbing to eat, while I packed, cleaned, and sorted.)

At one point, one of the three Cazalet brothers goes missing in combat. It’s unknown whether he’s alive, and this unknowing goes on for years. I generally don’t react strongly to this kind of question in fiction, because usually the author, style and genre have signposted this for us, and readers know if this is going to be a tragic story or an uplifting story. But these books had moments of warm family affection and optimism, as well as characters coping with heartless reality and huge personal setbacks, so I legitimately had no clue how it would unfold.

The only thing that I didn’t like was that sometimes the narrative starts a new scene with new people without clarifying who’s in the scene. I found it confusing and have no idea what it was supposed to add to the narrative. I’ve seen these vague conversations done in thrillers, usually as a red herring where readers are meant to think it’s one character, but plot twist! it’s really a different one. But here, we’re dropped into a conversation where a child is telling their dad how much they hate school (there are loads of dads in The Cazalet Chronicles! all the sons hate school!) or someone is asking someone else for money or two unnamed people are discussion a third unnamed person. I didn’t like it because I felt forced to skim for identification and then reread it properly, knowing who was talking and being able to picture the scene.

The Cazalet Chronicles is a sweeping family saga, told in five standalone novels.  that offers a compelling and deeply moving glimpse into a pivotal moment in British history, as well as a timeless exploration of the complexities of human relationships and the enduring power of family ties. There’s a bit of motif about the idea of a view from a distance, and that’s kind of what this series does for the Cazalet family, and for British life at that time.