Recommended by Hitch

I was listening to Christopher Hitchens, “Arguably”. A collection of his essays, he had written a chapter on Anthony Powell where he said paraphrasing, that he had recommended these books to many people and never had a complaint but most people had mentioned his recommendation back to him in.” Broken tones”. I thought this was hyperbole initially but also know that the Hitch doesn’t really do hyperbole. Anyway I’m on my second listen through and this is me in broken tones highly recommending this series of works. The narration is excellent as well. I’m sure I’ll be doing a third and more listens in the future.

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Not To Be Missed Masterpiece

A Dance to the Music of Time, inspired by the painting of the same name by Nicolas Poussin, was rated by Time magazine as one of the 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005. Written by the English novelist Anthony Powell, who took almost 25 years to create the 12-volume set, provides a highly-literate and highly-amusing look into the English upper-middle class between the 1920s and the 1970s. Told through the eyes of Nick Jenkins (the author), the book covers politics, class-consciousness, society, culture, love, social graces, manners, education, power, money, snobbery, humour, and more. Students of British history will no doubt recognize the real-life persons thinly disguised as characters in these novels.

Although daunting in terms of length, the absolutely brilliant narration by the talented Simon Vance rewards the reader over thousands of pages, hundreds of characters, and twelve installments of gorgeous prose. This is a not-to-be-missed collection of novels for any serious reader of English literature.

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"the Future is ever the Consequence of the Past."

BOOK FOUR (At Lady Molly's): We begin the 2nd Movement with the fourth book of 12. If you prefer to think of Anthony Powell's (rhymes with pole's, not towel's) masterpiece cycle in terms of months, 'At Lady Molly's' is April.

This novel, like most all of Powell's novels so far, brings in new characters, allows old characters to flow through, and generally pushes time forward a few years. I've heard many descriptions of Anthony Powell's narrative. Some describe it as a dance (obviously) that Powell choreographs. Some describe it as a symphony where themes and instruments appear, play their part, and remain silent for a couple minutes only to reappear in slightly different circumstances and dress.

I am reminded a bit of Degas' experimentations with monotypes. He loved to play with the process of printmaking. How the printmaking process could smudge and press his ideas with either dark fields or light fields. His images of people and landscapes would emerge out of darkness, smudged reflections would arrive from the plates. He would create multiple images from the same plate that would allow him to create ghost images. He would let the press express, through colored smudges, the idea of movement. I think Powell is playing with some of the same ideas. Through time and memory, faces blur, but the dance continues. People spin into focus, briefly, and then spin away. That is the cycle of life and relationships.

I also like the appearance early in this novel of Lord Alfred Warminster (or Erry, short for Erridge, or Alf). This character is largely based on George Orwell, a contemporary of Anthony Powell and classmate and friend from Eton, who operated in many of the same circles. Orwell and Powell were actually very close for several years, and Alf, seems to be Powell both celebrating Orwell and poking gentle fun at his talented, leftist friend. In fact, Powell and Orwell were so close that at Orwell's funeral in 1950 Powell was the one who selected the hymns. Reflecting on this Powell wrote:

"The Lesson was from Ecclesiastes, the grinders in the streets, the grasshopper a burden, the silver cord loosed, the wheel broken at the cistern. For some reason George Orwell's funeral service was one of the most harrowing I have ever attended."

Anyway, like Proust, it is easy to get caught up in the talk, the movement. Whereas reading Proust always reminded me of participating in a lucid dream, reading Powell seems more like being fairly toasted at a beautiful party or -- well -- a dance.

BOOK FIVE ('Casanova's Chinese Restaurant'): Powell's fifth book opens with a flashback to the late 20s, and a discussion about love, marriage, and suicide. The book processes through the challenging marriages of Hugh Moreland (composer friend) and Maclintick (music critic friend) and their two difficult marriages. St John Clarke dies Erridge (see Orwell) is back from Spain. Af far as plots go, like most of Powell's books, there really isn't much happening. A couple dinner. A couple parties. Memories and flashes of insight into friends and their motives. Art, music, writing is discussed at length. People die. If I was pitching it as a movie, it would be a difficult pitch, but it is beautiful, thoughtful, and gentle.


The entire novel reminds me of listening to the 3rd movement of Mahler's 5th symphony. Powell's prose just glides. As you are spinning though the chapters and scenes, Powell throws a couple prose flowers of truth at you, and you spin on. Faces are recognized, spin, and blur out. Themes emerge, crystalize, and disappear just as quick. Yet, at the very end, you also find a dark pull to the gravity of this novel. What you initially took for a carousel is actually a ghost railway, and all at once the reader is "slowly climbing sheer gradients, sweeping with frenzied speed into inky depths, turning blind corners from which black, gibbering bogeys leapt to attack, rushing headlong towards iron-studded doors, threatened by imminent collision, fingered by spectral hands, moving at last with dreadful, ever increasing momentum towards a shape that lay across the line."

BOOK SIX ('The Kindly Ones'): The clock is at 6pm. The series is half-way through. And war, war has just begun.

"The slayer of Osiris once again demands his grievous tribute of blood. The Angel of Death will ride the storm."

The novel begins with a flashback to the eve of the Great War. Nick is a kid watching the adults in his life adjust and move to the inevitability of war and the changes it will bring into all of their lives. The best scene in this is one where the household parlourmaid, Billson appears the family's formal dinner naked (and clearly having a moment) after finding out the man she loves will marry another woman.

We also have many great scenes with Dr. Trelawney. Trelawney is an occultist who seems to be largely drawn from Thelema founder Aleister Crowley (occult + drugs + asthma + relationship with Germany and British Secret Service). Anyway he is a fascinating character to include in this book. The occult, however, seems to fit this novel that deals with an almost anticipation of the great war against the Nazis, while also showcasing England's historical fascination with the weird and magical. It also fits the title, 'The Kindly Ones' which is an allusion to the Furies - The Eumenides - The Kindly Ones. According to Powell, in the beginning of this novel, 'The Kindly Ones' "inflicted the vengeance of the gods by bringing in their train war, pestilence, dissension on earth; torturing too, by the stings of conscience."

So a naked parlourmaid serves almost as an "infernal goddesses" portending the coming Great War. Later in the novel, we see other signs and portents (and an older, weaker, but still portending Dr. Trelawney) of another coming cataclysm (World War II) that is more felt and believed than understood. It seems at this point in the narrative inevitable (and for us with the virtue of looking back, obvious) that death and destruction will soon exact its vengeance on Nick and his friends, England, and the World. Everyone seems to be paralyzed by the realization that the fun times are slipping into the night, the storm approaches, and future for everyone is about to go to Hell.

"The god, Mars, approaches the earth to lay waste. Moreover, the future is ever the consequence of the past."

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Marvelous!

This opus is beyond my ability to review. A chronicle of time past and one which I can't imagine being taken up in 2018 otr any time thereafter. I fear only a few of us ancients can relish it. There is nothing like it. Hours and hours of unending Time and myriad, let it be said, obsolete Brit Characters caught up in It.. But, even it you aren't an Anglophile and in your 80s, as am I, you might just dig it. View it as an interesting rarity in these benighted Trumpian times.

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Passing the Time

Any additional comments?

Individual episodes stand out here, but the whole of the movement serves to keep Powell's project moving forward. It gets frustrating to find that characters you're curious about simply drift away, and it gets a bit confusing as new ones -- especially artists whom I got the feeling were based on historical figure I might or might know -- emerge all at once as central.

If you start this one, you've already gotten intrigued by that first movement. If you finish this one, you're probably hooked to the finish. At least that's how it went for me.

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The Double Marathon

Second Movement contains Books Four through Six of the sweeping twelve novel semi-autobiographical work of Anthony Powell.

The three novels, At Lady Molly's, Casanova's Chinese Restaurant and The Kindly Ones, cover the years of 1934 through 1939 with a look back at the main character's childhood in 1914 and young adulthood in 1928.

Powell's intention was to document this last glimpse of the British Upper Middle Class, the generations who had been made and broken by the last vestiges of the British Empire. Powell predicted the inevitability of World War II and knew how dramatically it would change British culture with the passing of national preeminence.

After listening to The First Movement, I wasn't sure I would return to to finish out the other three movements. 300 characters are weaved throughout the volumes but Powell does a masterful job returning to characters that may disappear for a few volumes in interesting ways. There is no denying his phenomenal talent and organization.

Now that I am half way through the series, I feel I have to see it through its entire arduous journey.

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Terrific narration

These books are very smart and funny but I found it hard to keep all the characters straight when reading. The narrator made the book come alive. Every voice of the many characters is different and enhances the understanding of what that person is supposed to be like. I was able to enjoy reading the book, which I recommend doing, because there is so much there to enjoy. Then listen to the section you have read. You will pick up nuances that you may have missed in the reading. I have never both read and listened to a book at the same time, but A Dance to the Music of Time is particularly well suited to this. Excellent!

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Passing through time

Living with the characters as historical events unfold. I'm looking forward to starting the next volume.

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Third time I have read/or listened to these books

Each time I read these books I find new parts that resonate for me today. This is the first time I have listened to them, the entire series, and have enjoyed them immensely. The reader is brilliant. The individuals are all distinctive and the humor and irony in Powell's writing becomes very evident.

I look forward to listening again in a few years time.

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Simon Vance is a perfect reader for " A Dance..."

Having now listened to all 4 Movements, I have found the First And Second Movements to be my favourites. Simon Vance's voice is so 'just right' for our hero. I did take the time to locate the painting referred to in the title and yes, seeing a print of that helps me understand how Anthony Powell has structured his story. So here we have Summer, and the fullness of life. In this case slap in the middle of WW2. In this, it is from a personal perspective. No great heroism, no great mirror for morality, more the impact of war, the loss of old friends, the recognition of human ambition and frailty. Having said that, this story flows so naturally, personalities develop and relationships alter .
Yes I do think this is very good. In time I expect I will listen again and enjoy it as much as I have done now.
If you have enjoyed the First Movement, I expect you will this one, The Second Movement.

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2 people found this helpful