The Book: It is 1939 and Iris Hawkins is a secretary at a financial firm in The City of London but she dreams of being a financial analyst, advising clients on their investments. This dream seems unlikely to be realized as there are no women in that position in London. A night out on the town brings her unexpectedly into what is supposed to be a one-night-stand with Geoff, a young man who is working for the BBC in the new industry of television. Soon thereafter, WWII begins, Geoff enlists in the Army and Iris (with the rest of London) must deal with the terror of The Blitz. With all the young men away at war, the defense of the City is left in the hands of the elderly, the infirm and the women. This opens up new paths for women, including in the financial field. But Iris isn't only dealing with The Blitz, her night with Geoff unexpectedly draws her into a world of magic, other-worldly beings and bridges between past and present. The fascists in Britain want to take control of the bridges, go back in time and stop Britain from defying Hitler. Only Iris can stop them and save Britain. And while she is trying to save Britain she is also dealing with her feelings for Geoff and her avoidance of her mysterious past.
The Author: Francis Spufford
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Length: 481pp (hardback)
One good thing: In Iris, Spufford has created a character that is smart, mysterious, ambitious, driven, brave, not afraid of her own sexuality and completely human. Following her journey through the Blitz and at work and in her relationship with Geoff kept me turning the pages.
One not-so-great thing: Throughout the novel I kept wondering why Spufford felt it was necessary to include the fantasy elements (full disclosure, I'm a big reader of historical fiction and only occasionally read fantasy). The WWII plot and Iris's feelings for Geoff and her mysterious past and her ambition to rise at her firm, all of that seemed plenty for a great novel. The fantasy elements in some ways just seemed an unnecessary distraction. Until the very end, when it turns out that they are necessary to lead us into a sequel. I would have been fine with a stand-alone novel and no fantasy. BUT, the inclusion of the fantasy elements did not hinder my enjoyment of the novel or make me not recommend it.
Nancy Pearl's "Four Doorways":
Story: Spufford has created a page turning story for Iris where the reader keeps wondering how she will deal with the ever deepening crisis of the Blitz as well as her job and her relationship with Geoff, not to mention how she will save Britain from the Nazis. I felt that the fantasy part of the story meandered a little bit. It would go away for a while and then come back. But because Iris' personal story was compelling the novel never flagged for me. And if you like to read fantasy your feelings about those parts of the story may differ from mine.
Characters: While this is a plot driven novel, Spufford has created a character in Iris with a lot of depth and a believable arc. The other characters are also well-drawn and have their own arcs. I particularly found the arc of Iris' boss very interesting and believable. In addition to the human characters there are the other-worldly characters, which are also very well created with just enough detail to make you imagine them but not too much detail (which would have destroyed, perhaps, their otherworldliness). Some of them are also (intentionally) humorous. If you are a character-driven reader (as I am) I think you would enjoy this novel.
Setting: There are two settings in this novel. The first, the real London immediately before and then during WWII, is created so well that I could often smell the smoke and dust, and feel the grit, from the aftermath of the bombings. The other setting is the fantasy setting of the land of the bridges which was VERY confusing to me (a reader who has trouble seeing things that are described in novels). Possibly there was too much detail for me, but your mileage may vary on that.
Writing: As with all of his other novels that I have read, I found Spufford's writing to be excellent. He has a way with a perfectly ordinary phrase that doesn't seem at all special and yet completely sets the scene or describes the character. My only objection in this novel is his descriptions of the fantasy bridges - but again that may be because I am a reader who has trouble picturing things that don't look like anything in the real world (one reason I will watch SciFi movies but don't read many SciFi books.)
