The Sea Lady by Margaret Drabble

Publisher synopsis:

  Humphrey and Ailsa meet as children by a grey, northern sea. Humphrey is quiet,   serious - and will in time explore the sea's mysteries; Ailsa is angry, a   freckled cobra ready to strike. Yet they fascinate one another and when they   meet again years later they fall briefly - and disastrously - in love. Half a   lifetime passes before Humphrey and Ailsa's paths finally re-cross. What will   each make of their past? And of the future? The Sea Lady tells the story of   first and last love, of evolution and the ebb and flow of time that gives shape   to our lives.

Themes for discussion:

What are your perceptions of the main characters?

Does the novel give a strong sense of period and place? How does it do that?

In what way did you find the novel thought-provoking?

What does the novel have to say about love? Was the portrayal sentimental in any way?

Did you find the book touching, or funny, or both?

We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the book and its themes and characters, and how it made you feel. Do feel free to post and revisit the discussion to give your thoughts on the opinions of other bookclub members.

Enjoy the discussion!

Buy the book

Comments

[Lynsay Lambert]

I wrote a large review of this last night, and deleted it by accident, which was very annoying!!! So i'll start again!

I wasnt very hopeful of enjoying this book when i started, it didnt sound like my kind of thing at all. However, after the first couple of chapters, i was totally hooked! Its a slow moving story, but it keeps moving along, so its never boring, as you always feel you are leading up to the climax of the tale.

It is incredibly well written, which adds so much to it. Left to a writer without as much narrative skill, this would have been very boring, but the descriptions were so evocative, it was very easy to picture the times that were taking place.

I will definitely make a point of re-reading this, as i enjoyed it so much. It made me think a lot about how actions can affect your life into the future, and it was quite touching to read just how much each characters life had been affected.

The characters were also very human, and flawed! which is often not the case with a lot of books.

This is a fantastic story, and I would definitely give any other titles by the author a try!

[Caroline Gardiner]

I really liked the way the book moved between different time periods, and we saw the characters at different stages of their lives. Seeing Humphrey as a boy, learning about his loves and hates, which all seemed so very important to the young boy, made you really sympathise with Humphrey the older man. The love story was much more affecting than it would have been if you had only known the characters as adults. It also makes their childhood achingly sad - you know how they will end up, but they are still innocent. I think most people can relate to that aspect of growing older, looking back on the child you were.

I found the ending a bit disappointing, though. I'm not sure exactly what I hoped for, but it did seem a bit inconclusive. I don't know what happen next, and I wanted to.

[Elaine Dingsdale]

Like Lynsay and Caroline, I too enjoyed this book.
I found that the two main characters in “The Sea Lady”, appeared as superficially quite contrasting (lifelong academic and actress turned academic), but they shared a lot of history, from childhood onwards, which gave their relationship and added edge. Meeting as young children in a northern seaside town, they went their separate ways, met again, embarked on a brief marriage, and then separated. We see them individually at the outset, as both are preparing to return north to receive honorary degrees.
As so often with Drabble, she alternates time periods, and we see them as middle-aged adults, children-and quite a bit of the years in between too! The most effective time period is the distant childhood years, which Drabble evokes very well. The description of Humphrey while in hospital, his subsequent worries about being excluded from his friends, are poignant in the extreme.
Ailsa, the more flippant of the two is nonetheless a disappointed character, and we feel some of her anxieties as she seeks constant reassurance and exposure-always chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, seeking a peace and fulfilment in life which seems just beyond her grasp. She comes across as quite a solitary character, despite her high profile.
Humphrey has also been disillusioned with life, feeling as if he’s a “fraud”, and the conflict we see between his refusal to compromise his academic ideals to attain funding, makes him a sad and lonely individual. Surrounded by reminders of his failures and problems, he appears to be resigned to his approaching death/old age, whereas Ailsa still hopes for peace and/or reconciliation.
Drabble writes well about the passing of time, and her attention to detail is superb. The sea metaphor, however, while interesting was scarcely original, and after a while felt rather tedious. The novel overall ebbs and flows like the sea-but like a gentle sea, lapping at the shores, certainly not a tempestuous sea, with drama, splendour and excitement.
An enjoyable and thought provoking book.

[cheryl pasquier]

Bearing in mind the title of the book and after reading just the first few pages, I assumed the book was to centre around the character of Ailsa. Reading on further, however, I discovered that she is only one of the two central characters, so it seems rather unfair that poor old Humphrey doesn't even get a look in on the title !!

I love the way the stories of the two characters are constantly intertwined and thought the books structure echoed the imagery of the sea - a rolling wave took us along on the story of one of the characters until running out of momentum, receding back from the shore, then starting again from a different point in time or a different character's viewpoint. Rather like a pebble on the shore washed in and out by the coming and going of the waves and forever starting its journey from a different point, the narrative ebbs and flows throughout time.

The childhood stories are evocative of my dad's tales of his own childhood by the seaside at roughly the same period, even if he is from the other end of the country ! I felt some of the charcters were developed to a point then just dropped, like Sandy - I'd have liked to have seen a more rounded development of his character. And I must admit, I found the periodic references to the Public Orator rather annoying and pretentious, ripping us out of the realistic, perceptive narrative and reminding us, time and time again, that this was just a literary work - which rather seemed to defeat the point of the wonderful story-telling !

[Caroline Gardiner]

I agree with Cheryl that the Public Orator figure was rather annoying - I was never sure how I should take this aspect of the novel. Was it meant to be an "author's voice"? At first I thought it must be Sandy's voice, and that everything led towards his plot to get them all together again, but that didn't fit when the Public Orator started commenting on Sandy. It seemed like a literary device that didn't really add anything to the story.

[amw]

I'm only about a third of the way through the book so far but am really enjoying it. I love the style of writing and I think the way the characters are contrasted and balanced is very well done. As for the Public Orator, I'm also not quite sure what to make of it, but have so far interpreted it as some kind of unbiased 'control' which endeavours to ensure that the memories of childhood are reproduced exactly, and not faded or otherwise distorted by the passage of time. Maybe as I go on I'll find I'm way off track here!!

Memories and the passing of time seems to be an important theme in the story. I'm looking forward to the rest!

[S Jackson]

I found this quite a 'bumpy' novel and did not think the plot flowed easily or smoothly. I liked the idea of the novel - that it followed the two main characters throughout their lives from childhood to adulthood and parts of Ailsa and Humphrey's story did interest me, as did some of the marine life and coastal descriptions.

I especially enjoyed the descriptions of childhood, these were at times very evocative. However, I found the pace of it all rather too slow and at times tiresome. Yes, we do keep finding out a bit more and a bit more as the pages turn, but I found it was too drawn out to successfully hold my interest.

As for the Public Orator and the ending of the book, neither were clearly defined - in my mind - and both seemed to add to the 'mist' of it all, making neither one any more clearly defined than the other.

In general I did find it thought provoking in the way that it made me think of my own memories and relationships and how quickly the years pass and the changes they bring with them in both circumstance and personality.

[Wilma Cushnie]

I have just finished reading the book and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend it, especially to people of my generation who can remember the period - the attention to detail is superb and very successfully evokes the era, this for me was the main attraction of the book.

Drabble has successfully portrayed the fifties as I remember them: playing on the beach; my brothers going fishing; all our home made entertainments etc. Each and every character is beautifully drawn from the main ones to the more minor e.g. the lonely little girl playing hopscotch in her backyard and Sandy's mother making copious notes for the war effort.

A thoroughly enjoyable book with a very surprising ending.

[Samantha Huddart]

A wonderfully moving and evocative book, which was a real pleasure to read. I have never read any of Margaret Drabble's books before but I am definitely going to seek out some of her other titles now.

I thoroughly enjoyed following Humphrey and Ailsa's story and I liked the way the book showed them from childhood through to adulthood, which helped to show the way in which they had developed as people over time.

A beautiful story that is sure to garner Margaret Drabble many more new fans!

[Alison Windle]

I am about half way through this book and really enjoying the story. I am looking foward to see what happens to Humprey and Ailsa in the rest of the book. I will post my thoughts about the rest of the book upon finishing it.

[A.P.]

I had not read any Margaret Drabble before, although it is someone I have thought perhaps I ought to read, so I did not know what to expect.
I certainly agree with Elaine that the most interesting and well written parts are of the characters distant childhoods. Perhaps this is because I can remember going away for that "magical" period of the summer holiday and forging instant friendships with similar holiday children. The first few days were a "make or break time" you either made it and forged "undying" friendships that lasted the whole of the time or you floundered and were thrown back on the vagaries of your family for entertainment. If you were accepted by the local children then you were truely in seventh heaven as they had a wealth of local knowledge concerning the best places to swim and fish etc.Drabbles descriptions of these times were very evocative.
The relationship between Ailsa and her brother Tommy was well observed, sibliings do not always get on and rivalry and slights can taint a relationship for ever. Even at the funeral Ailsa can not bear her brothers singing, there seems to be no getting along for old times sake, as they have no good old times to buoy their relationship up with.
The relationship between the characters and their children was interesting. Although Humphrey had little to do with his daughter and Ailsa with hers there were feelings of regret. Had their neglect of their families gone too deep or would they be able to have some sort of reconciliation? This was hinted at, at Dame Mary's funeral for Ailsa and her daughter had been "attentive" to Dame Mary in her last days and all had attended the funeral.
I particularly liked the puzzles used about the gender of Marina's partner, and the possibility of the parenthood of the feotus. Did these affect the way the characters acted/re-acted towards each other?
However, like others I found the Public Orator a puzzle, would it have affected the story if it had not been included?
I can't say that this was one of my favourite reads but now I know what Maagaret Drabble is like and shall investigate other books. Any reccomendations for the next read from anyone?

[cheryl pasquier]

Wow, when I made my comments a couple of days ago, I was about one chapter from the end and thought I knew exactly where this novel was going. I didn't expect any last minute surprises, I was just waiting to see what would happen when Ailsa and Humphrey finally met up again. How wrong could I be ?!

I said in my earlier comment that I felt that the character of Sandy Clegg wasn't sufficiently developed - well, it certainly was in the closing pages !

But these developments throw up new questions. Why was Humphrey so thunderstruck and shocked to see Sandy again ? Was he just ashamed for his old friend to see what he classes as the catalogue of failures his life turned out to be ? Or should we assume that, like Tommy, he had a more intimate encounter with his old friend and didn't want that skeleton to come out of the closet ? After all, he had successfully blotted out the episode in the cave where Ailsa was forced to drop her knickers ! Who knows what else he may have repressed ?! (And why does the imagery of Humphrey's throat seem so important ? First his tonsils, then the repeated reference to his throat being touched while trying to do up his collar, and finally his losing his voice on the train ...)

And why did Mary suddenly become such an intimate part of this group of friends ? Her presence at their post-ceremony reunion, when Sandy relates his story, is almost intrusive yet she is given the closing scenes, at her funeral, with all of them reunited. Her presence at the symbolic beach pool scene with the trio of friends seemed intrusive too, and I couldn't quite work out what she was doing there !

I now think the Public Orator is probably Sandy Clegg. The Public Orator is "omnipresent and omniscient" and Sandy has masterminded the whole reunion. This is problematic when the Public Orator watches and comments on Sandy as he sleeps, but he is described as "his shadow self" (p322).

The final analysis can go to Dame Mary, which is quite apt as her funeral scene closes the book.

"I don't see the meaning of Sandy's story", she says.
"Does a story have to have meaning ?" asked Sandy.
"Of course", says Dame Mary.
"Only the vulgar crave for meaning", says Sandy.

Maybe that sums it all up !

[Zoey Totty]

I couldn't get into this book. The plot development was very slow and I did not feel a strong attachment to the characters. I really didn't care what happened to the characters in the story. And how many times do we have to read about the sex lives of fish??? I havent read any of Drabble's books before and after reading this one I dont think I'll be in any rush to in the future.

[Georgina Tranter]

I'm about three quarters of the way through this now and still not sure what to make of it all! Initially I was keen to begin this as I have read some Margaret Drabble before and enjoyed them. The book itself is well written and Drabble uses such wonderfully evocative language. However, I have not been at all drawn to the characters themselves which is proving a real shame.

Having said that, the descriptions of the summer holidays are incredibly imaginable and you do get a sense of 'being there' when you read it. I thought the part about Sandy's mother keeping the diary of events was a very clever addition and in keeping with the era of the book.

Like others, I haven't fully understood the role of the Public Orator and have found it an addition that could easily be removed without taking anything away from the story itself.

I shall continue to read to the end, and post my subsequent comments then, once Humphrey and Ailsa have met once more!

[Anne Cater]

Reading the above comments, it seems that I am going to be the only one that didnt enjoy this book as a whole experience.
Whilst I agree, Humphrey's childhood reflections were well written and interesting, they failed to save the novel for me.
I found the whole story quite long winded and very pretentious. The Public Orator really really annoyed me, I felt it was a very condescending way of telling the reader what was actually happening in the book, almost like 'reader's notes' - just in case you dont understand. I felt that the Public Orator character just interrupted the flow of the book for me.
Like others, I thought the PO was Sandy, but then he was watching Sandy, so am very confused.
The large chunk of scientific background thrust upon the reader also really put me off, it was obviously very well researched but again, I didnt think it added anything to the story.
Some books are worth the struggle just for certain passages of prose or pictures reflected into your mind, but sadly this is not one of them for me.

[Karen Sykes]

I was so pleased to log on this morning and find Anne's comments. I have been reading everyone else's comments for a couple of days agreeing with many of the comments already posted - the irritation of the Public Orator, the over done sea theme, confusion about the inclusion of Mary right at the end and like Cheryl I could not understand the extreme reaction to the revelation of Sandy. However, overall everyone seems to have enjoyed this read and I really did not. I can see the literary merit in some of the long and descriptive passages but at times I struggled to find any meaning relevant to the story in these words. Like most I found Humphrey's childhood reflections the most appealing part of the read, but like Anne I found they were not enough for me to enjoy the book as a whole.

[L Cushnie]

I enjoyed Drabble's latest offering but didn't love it in the way that some of the other contributors clearly do. I found the book quite hard to get into with a slow start but I would say it is well worth persevering. Some of the narrative passages are beautifully written and the attention to detail is impressive. My mum also read the book and seemed to get a lot more out of it than I did, perhaps because she can more easily relate to the cultural references of the children growing up in the Fifties.

An enjoyable book but not one I would reread.

[sharon]

I am glad I am not the only one who seemed confused by aspects of this book. I enjoyed it but I didn't like the reference to scientific items - it made me feel thick - as I didn't get what some things were! I totally agree with the Mary issue - I thought it was just me and i had missed an inportant connection between the characters.
I liked the forward and backward time movement - I just wish there was more deffinition between the movements because i did become confused.
i did enjoy the book but it wasn't until i was two thirds through the book that I was so absorbed in the story that i had to finish it in one final sitting.

[Adele Winston]

Reluctantly I endorse Anne Cater's adjective "pretentious". The last book of Margaret Drabble's that I read was "The Garrick Year", about forty years ago, so obviously her books aren't for me. I found her style in "The Sea Lady" impregnable, though I gave it my best shot. She really does seem to be showing off. I get all the references, but I find them irritating. They are intended to make the reader feel intimidated, it seems to me!

[Denise Powell]

I've picked this book up two or three times and read a couple of chapters, but I'm afraid I'm going to be joining the 'pretentious' camp. Maybe I'm not doing the book justice and I will try to read it properly, but it's just not holding my attention at the moment. I'm glad some people have really enjoyed it though!

[Livia]

I really wanted to like this book... but I think I'm going to have to agree with Anne's comments. The scientific content went over my head, and, although it had relevance to the story, it really made me feel a little unintelligent! :)
Drabble's descriptive writing was good...I have to admit - I was really enjoying the first chapter - with the description of Ailsa's dress and the atmosphere at the dinner. Unfortunately, for me, it was the most interesting part of the novel! There were a couple of other places where the writing drew me in (talking about the summer holidays) but there wasn't really enough to make me like the story as a whole.
And I'm glad I wasn't the only one confused about the Public Orator... I wonder how the story would've read without it?

[Clive Wallis]

I've made a start and have just reached the first appearance of the Public Orator. This strikes me as an add literary device to throw into the middle of what was reads like a fairly 'regular' novel upto that stage. I await further developments with interest.

That aside, I'm enjoying the development of the two characters, although some of the thoughts and language attributed to Humphrey seem very sophisticated for a child.

[Neil Fulwood]

Sorry to be so late in actually reading the book, let alone contributing to the debate, but I've spent the last few weeks happily wallowing in the new Iain M Banks.

However: 'The Sea Lady'. Finished it last night, and the first thing that struck me is that I've yet to join in a Waterstones online discussion for a book that I've actually enjoyed!

'The Sea Lady' has a lot going for it. Drabble's prose style is, on the whole, elegant; and there is good evocation of the protagonists' childhoods. Perhaps too good. The novel sags when it deals with their adulthood.

Bizarrely, I was reminded of Stephen King's 'It' - a fantastic novel when dealing with childhood, so sure in its sense of time and sense of place, yet when adulthood intrudes the pace flags, the sheer enjoyment of the novel starts to ebb.

I was going to sound off about the Public Orator figure, but Anne sums it up perfectly - a condescending literary device that interrupts the flow of the book.

This is the first time I've read anything by Margaret Drabble and despite her estimable reputation, I'm not sure if I'll be seeking out her other work.

[Clive Wallis]

I've just finished The Sea Lady and, frankly, I'm pleased it's over. I was siezed several times with a strong desire to hurl the book across the train/tube/lounge/bedroom, usually when Drabble threw in another pretentious classical reference or a handful more obscure fish references. This type of book, drowning under the weight of its own research and badly lacking a decent story, is what gives the modern novel a bad name. I have the unabridged War and Peace on CD in the car. It has been my oasis whilst wading through The Sea Lady: characters you care about, a belting narrative that draws in the reader and a believable world you can see and hear. All these elements are missing from Drabble's work. Sorry, not for me!

[Shirley]

I keep picking The Sea Lady up and managing a couple of pages but finding it very difficult to get into the plot. I'm finding it very slow moving but despite this I am enjoying it so far.

I feel that each chapter is staying in each era too long so that you have to try to remember what happened in the previous chapter on that era. Whilst the past is important to the plot of the story I feel it could have been made a bit more exciting.

[Caroline Watts]

Unfortunately, I too found this novel difficult to enjoy. I had high hopes as the author is well known and admired, however having not read any of her previous work I was disappointed. I felt that the writer attempted to over-complicate the story by the scientific content. I feel reassured that I am not alone in this opinion. I find it regrettable that this was my least favourite book club so far. I may re-read the book and try to appreciate the positive aspects that others have commented on.

[Anne watkinson]

Although I knew almost from the outset that Humphrey and Ailsa would meet up at the university function, the book still instilled a certain excitement as to how they would cope with meeting each other after such a long time of separation, given their chequered history. I also felt that the Public Orator was a somewhat annoying addition, which did not enhance the book. It is a stunning book which deals with the ins and outs of the relationships that haunt us from our childhood, and the insecurities formed by these relationships that we carry through to adulthood. The theme of the sea was quite evocative of holidays spent by the beach as children.

[Anne Cater]

All I can really add after reading the latest comments is that I am so glad that I am not alone in my annoyance at the Public Orator!
What I would really enjoy would be an interview with Ms Drabble during which she explains her reasoning for adding this character. And also maybe an explanation as to who the Public Orator actually is
It seems to me, that most people appreciate the research and the storyline of this novel, but that the Public Orator spoilt the whole experience.

[amw]

Like Shirley I find I'm picking up the novel and doing a few pages and then losing momentum. This is obviously my problem, rather than the books as such, but there are books that can get you over that, and this one dosn't. Interesting to read everyone's comments about the Public Orator, who seems to be the Public Irritator to most of us. I really don't see what the author intended this personage to contribute to the narrative.

[Elaine Dingsdale]

There seems to be a tendency to get side tracked into worrying about the relevance of the orator. He was pretty much superfluous to the narrative, and as such can be almost ignored-he adds little to it, and does so in a very obtuse manner. He’s an irritation, an experimental flavour, the author’s alter ego- not a central force, as Humphrey and Ailsa could have been left to narrate their own stories. The real pleasure of the novel comes from the quintessential nature of childhood, nature and discovery-and if we have to tolerate irritating interruptions from the orator, it’s a small price to pay. Drabble captures the spirit of each decade from the 50s onwards, which is no small achievement, in a prose which is witty and intelligent, and therein lies the true merit of the novel.

[cheryl pasquier]

I agree that to begin with, the "Public Irritator" (good name !!!) can be sidetracked but he becomes a fairly important "character" in the closing pages, and we still don't know who he is ! It's like reading a whodunnit only to find the last page that unlocks the secret is missing ! (Even if, admittedly, there are other secrets that are clarified for us.)

Aside from that, I passed this book on to a friend once I'd finished with it. I asked her what she thought a few days ago and she said "oh, the one about the fish ? It got on my nerves with all the scientific references so I gave it up" ! It's funny, I didn't really notice too much the scientific fish explanations that some of you mentioned, but she obviously did and thought that was the central feature !