Swamp Angel by Ethel Wilson

I always admire an author who can come to writing later in life and then produce a fine and in some cases exemplary body of work in a quick short spurt.  It makes me think there is still hope for me yet, that I've got years of creativity (not in writing mind you) ahead of me.  Canadian author Ethel Wilson didn't publish her first book until she was sixty.  Her work spanned a mere fourteen years, though she lived until she was almost ninety-three.  She reminds me of one of my favorite writers, Mary Wesley, who didn't publish her first adult novel until she was 71!

Swamp Angel was published in 1954 and concerns a woman who walks away from an unhappy marriage and reinvents herself.  I seem to be reading lots of quiet, introspective stories lately, and Swamp Angel fits neatly into that category.  Like the lake where Maggie Lloyd ultimately finds a home and work, this is a story that runs deeper than the pristine surface  hints.  It's not the plot that is so difficult to explain, but I must admit the interpretation of it (and the symbolic elements) have perplexed me just a little.  Easily another book for the reread pile.

Although Maggie prefers to go by her former married name, Lloyd, at the beginning of the story she is preparing for the moment when she will leave the home of Eddie Vardoe, a man she married out of pity.  She lost her first husband in the war and then subsequently her parents and child.  She endures humiliations and resentments at the hands of Vardoe and decides to slip away--the farther away the better.  When she should be drying the dinner dishes she walks out of the back door and to a waiting cab leaving Eddie sitting sourly at the table reading his evening paper.

From Vancouver she travels to Three Loon Lake, a fishing lodge, where she'll act as cook and housekeeper.  The Gunnarson family has fallen on hard times.  Haldar had aspirations to make the lodge a success but a car accident proved a setback.  His wife Vera would prefer to live in the city and forgo running a lodge altogether, yet she jealously guards her role there and finds it maddening how easily Maggie has settled in and takes control of things with admirable results.  She both wants Maggie out and wants her to succeed (so she won't have to do the work herself). 

The Swamp Angel refers to a gun that Maggie's friend Nell Severance is often seen swinging about.  It had been part of a circus juggling act of Nell's and now Eddie eyes it with dark thoughts on how he might use it for revenge.  Both Nell and Maggie intervene in situations that might have had disastrous results.  Nell steps in and stops Eddie from an act of violence.  And despite her own emotionally fragile state, it's Maggie who comforts and supports Vera when she breaks down under the stresses of her own perceived problems.  

Nearly every character in Swamp Angel is interesting and well defined, though I liked Maggie best.   She's compassionate and nurturing yet strong and with an independent spirit.  I have to say I never thought I'd be all that interested in reading about fly fishing, but much like Ethel Wilson (who was an expert fly fisherwoman), Maggie is happiest in the solitude she finds when fishing.  Particularly attractive in this story were the rugged descriptions of British Columbia.

Swamp Angel was both easy to read yet still a challenge (if that makes sense?).  I'm drawn to Wilson's work and like the complexity, so I'll be exploring it more.  I read a rather fanciful short story by her a couple of years ago, and now I have a copy (though not the Persephone edition I'm afraid) of Hetty Dorval lined up to read.  Hetty Dorval was Wilson's first book and I'll be curious to see how it compares.  (And am maybe a little hopeful that there won't be the same sort of symbolism to try and sort out).  Has anyone read Hetty Dorval?  Or any of Wilson's other works?

Comments

[Melwyk]

Oh my, I LOVE Ethel Wilson. Though Swamp Angel isn't my favourite. I love her short stories, and The Innocent Traveller is a fascinating novel about a woman's life. I hope you'll read more of her and share your impressions....

[angela]

I am fond of the quiet and introspective lately, too. I will add this to my reading list!

[Danielle]

Melwyk--She has been a happy find for me as well, though I've only read this one novel and a short story. I do want to read more and from the sound of it I may have even better stories to look forward to. I'll definitely share the books I read here--Hetty Dorval is up next! :)

[Danielle]

Angela--Variety is good in reading. I also have a few mysteries and a thriller on the go, so something slower and more thoughtful is nice to have on hand as well!

[Caroline]

I love this type of stories and this one sounds particularly nice.
I like the idea of a late start in life as well. It's somehow hopeful, isn't it? It measn that you can always have a chance and have a new type of life, more creative or whatever.
I'd like to read Mary Wesley too.
I saw today on Gavin's blog page 247 that a Canadian Literature Challenge has started
(http://www.bookmineset.blogspot.ca/2012/06/6th-annual-canadian-book-challenge-what.html ). I'm very tempted. This would be an excellent contribution.

[Kathy]

Another new-to-me author who sounds very appealing. I'm also thrilled to see people who've made creative successes later in life, because I'm hoping to be one of them (but I hope I don't have to wait until I'm 60). I also very much like stories of women remaking their lives at mid-life. It seems to be a time for making choices and changing things that aren't quite right.

[Stefanie]

What an interesting sounding book! I like the cover too. I bet it is cool and comfortable at lake. And don't sell yourself short, you may have a novel in you you just have to write when 70 rolls around.

[Danielle]

I also like the idea of reinventing myself--and that it doesn't matter if that happens when I am 30 or 60 or 90! I liked Swamp Angel--she's a very good writer, though I think I didn't get the book the attention that it really deserved. I'm looking forward now to reading Hetty Dorval, though I have a couple of other library/ILL books in line before it--it's short so I think I'll be able to manage it later in the month. I love Mary Wesley and read most of her books some years ago. I often will pull out one of the few unread titles by her and think it's time to read her again, but I've not yet managed to squeeze her in. I would love to read the biography of her that came out a few years ago, as well. Thanks for the link to John Mutford's blog--maybe I'll join in since I have Hetty Dorval to read. In any case I've bookmarked his site as there looks to be lots of great recommendations!

[Danielle]

I wouldn't mind being one of them as well. I like Ethel Wilson and I think it says something that Persephone Books decided to reissue one of her titles. I'm not sure if her other books are out of print, but I think used copies can be had pretty easily. I am already starting to feel like I'm too old to make drastic changes to my life--workwise other otherwise, but that is very narrow minded of me--Ethel Wilson is certainly a case in point! :)

[Danielle]

Isn't the cover great? I can see why Maggie Lloyd was so drawn to living there and wanting to spend time alone and appreciating the solitude. Not sure about having a book in me, but maybe there will be some good creative endeavor to look forward to still!

[Buried In Print]

Swamp Angel is my favourite, but partly because it was the first of hers that I read. (I made it a project to read everything, and I think I've done so.) I think you'll like Hetty Dorval, but The Innocent Traveller, as Melwyk has said, is charming indeed. It would probably have been my favourite had I found it first! Enjoy Hetty!

[Danielle]

Well, there you've gone it done it--now I have requested The Innocent Traveller from my library's ILL! Must get to Hetty soon though since it is an ILL, too. It's nice to know I have some good reads ahead of me!