The Autobiography of Howard Spring (1972)

Review by George Simmers (see his Great War Fiction blog here). Be warned:  this book’s title doesn’t describe its contents. This is nothing like a full autobiography, but is a collection of Spring’s three volumes of pleasant discursive memoirs, which ramble from topic to topic, without overmuch regard for chronological order or completeness. Interesting subjects … Continue reading →

A Sunset Touch by Howard Spring (1953)

Review by Mary P: Roger Menheniot, a bank clerk of modest means, lives in a boarding house in London, living in a fantasy world. He believes himself to be the last of the Menheniots and dreams of living in Rosemullion, the family seat in Cornwall. He shuns the world of 1944 London, his fellow workers and … Continue reading →

The Houses in Between by Howard Spring (1951)

This is a first-person narrative giving the life story of the fictitious Sarah Undridge, born in 1848. Her first memory is of the Crystal Palace, which then becomes a symbol and recurring image in her long life. It was called the Palace of Peace; all nations were to meet there in understanding. At the time … Continue reading →

Fame is the Spur by Howard Spring (1940)

Review by George Simmers. See his Great War Fiction blog (with other posts on Howard Spring) here. This is a very readable, extremely absorbing, epic of the career of a Labour politician, tracing his life from childhood poverty to the House of Lords. It can be taken as strong’s version of the idealistic rise, and … Continue reading →

Dunkerley’s by Howard Spring (1946)

Review by Sylvia D: I remember Howard Spring being a very popular writer when I was in my teens but as I was going through my “highbrow” period at the time, I chose not to read him!  When I started reading Dunkerley’s I thought at first I was going to be surprised but my initial … Continue reading →

Howard Spring (1889-1965)

Last night at the reading group we discussed the novels of Howard Spring. Older members of the group remembered him from their youth; he published many popular novels from the 1930s until the 1960s, his best-known being My Son, My Son! (1938 originally titled O Absolom!). The Times Literary Supplement praised this best-seller as ‘a … Continue reading →