In 1955, Vivien Lowry is facing the greatest challenge of her life. Her latest play, the only female-authored play on the London stage that season, has opened in the West End to rapturous applause from the audience. The reviewers, however, are not as impressed as the playgoers and their savage notices not only shut down the play but ruin Lowry's last chance for a dramatic career. With her future in London not looking bright, at the suggestion of her friend, Peggy Guggenheim, Vivien takes a job as a script doctor on a major film shooting in Rome’s Cinecittà Studios. There she finds a vibrant movie making scene filled with rising stars, acclaimed directors, and famous actors in a country that is torn between its past and its potentially bright future, between the liberation of the post-war cinema and the restrictions of the Catholic Church that permeates the very soul of Italy.
As Vivien tries to forge a new future for herself, she also must face the long-buried truth of the recent World War and the mystery of what really happened to her deceased fiancé. Every Time We Say Goodbye is a brilliant exploration of trauma and tragedy, hope and renewal, filled with dazzling characters both real and imaginary, from the incomparable author who charmed the world with her novels The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls.
With The Jane Austen Society and its sequel Bloomsbury Girls, author Natalie Jenner introduced her readers to intriguing characters, interweaving many literary touchstones. Fans of Jane Austen in particular would highly enjoy the initial novel, given the setting and issues at stake. Bloomsbury Girls was a novel of yearning and hope, with a slightly different approach yet retaining excellence and readability. Jenner now brings us the third volume in the series, Every Time We Say Goodbye, predominantly set in mid-1950s Italy. Although some of the previously-introduced characters are included in the novel, this title could almost stand on its own. The timbre is quite different, with less of a literary tone and more of a mixture of historical, religious, and cinematic notes.
Jenner directs her readers’ attentions to events during and following World War II, in particular within Italy. The influence of the Roman Catholic Church is regularly front and center, more often than not for nefarious reasons. Main character Vivien Lowry frequently wrestles with the hypocrisies sometimes seen in Church leadership, all the while seeing the purity of Christian service from many within the same Body. Vivien also struggles with her own issues, and is on a quest to uncover the fate of a long-lost love. Jenner employs wartime flashbacks to undergird the background of the setting, showing the efforts made by many in the area to further the cause of goodness and truth in the light of fascism and other evils. Both the narratives of Vivien’s life and those in wartime days are inextricably linked, with revelations coming through the final paragraphs of the novel. While I would not term this a “dual timeline” tale, the two periods which were visited made for very interesting reading.
The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls were not necessarily trifling yarns of “spun sugar”, but Every Time We Say Goodbye has a gravitas which gives it a very different fabrication. An air of melancholy consistently hovers over the narrative. This is not to say that it is dispiriting. It simply has a more serious tone, with elements that are both harrowing and poignant. Certain horrors of war and misdeeds within the Church are not minimized. However, they are not gratuitous in the amount of details offered. Adults will understand the import of Jenner’s words, their great significance to the characters, and their contribution to world history.
As she mentions in the acknowledgements following the novel, Natalie Jenner took on this project in order to share the story of many who struggled during World War II and beyond. While the book is entirely a work of fiction, it nonetheless reveals lessons which should not be forgotten. Jenner’s skill in expressing imagined yet authentic moments was exemplary, and she also pondered substantive questions which many of us struggle with on a regular basis. The dignity of human worth in wartime was often examined. A quote-worthy moment came about in chapter eighteen. An infant had been rescued after his caretakers had been discovered dead, killed by enemies in the War:
“Yet here was a baby, as young as could be, who would never experience such a reunion. He might never know a single thing about where he came from– who had wanted him– who had loved him. He might always lack the one piece of knowledge that every human deserves and that keeps us tethered to the earth: the source of our own humanity, and the comfort of knowing that we are here because someone else wanted us to be.”
The episode with this young child was so moving, and without divulging key plot points, I can offer that a subsequent episode provides quite an emotional, profound payoff to that portion of the story. Not all elements end so sweetly, however. There is much loss, but there also remains much beauty as well. Although Every Time We Say Goodbye is quite a different work of fiction for the series, it is one of historical importance, and surely a treasure for many who lived during that time and for the families who have survived them.
Despite the horrors of war, the inconsistencies found in some within the Church and other trials, the narrative of Every Time We Say Goodbye brings a message of hope and remembrance. Not for the faint of heart, it preserves an era of history within the worlds of politics, religion, and the film industry. Natalie Jenner has given us a gift, one that will hopefully inform many in the years to come.
About the Author
Natalie Jenner is the internationally bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls, which have been translated into more than twenty languages worldwide. Born in England and raised in Canada, Natalie has been a corporate lawyer and career coach and once owned an independent bookstore in Oakville, Ontario, where she lives with her family and two rescue dogs.
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About the Audiobook
A brief thought about the audio edition of the novel: The Jane Austen Society was read by the fabulous Richard Armitage. Bloomsbury Girls was performed by the marvelous Juliet Stevenson. The voice actor for Every Time We Say Goodbye is the accomplished Juliet Aubrey. Like the other readers, she is a respected English actor. However, I did not care for this choice of voice for the novel. There was an element of her enunciation which I found chafing. This is entirely my own perspective, however. The novel has many Italian terms which she handles with dexterity, and perhaps that was why she was chosen for the project. Unfortunately, my ears didn’t care for the performance. That said, it did not diminish my admiration for the novel.
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| Hardback Paperback Kindle Audio |
Hardback Paperback Kindle Audio |
Hardback PB (TBD) Kindle Audio |
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