Penelope Lively Critical Essay | Critical Essay by John Mellors

Critical Essay by John Mellors

There is nothing very original about the plot [of The Road to Lichfield]….

The book is lifted out of the ordinary by its author's treatment of her two main themes: continuity and memory. Is the past 'something people carry around like a millstone' or 'what they prop themselves up with'? Does memory distort or preserve?… Is domestic harmony gained only by 'the deft avoidance of all those rogue subjects that can shatter the smooth passage of a meal'? Penelope Lively has an easy, unobtrusive style, throws light from unexpected angles on large issues, and leaves the reader concerned about her characters' future.

John Mellors, "Acceptance Won't Do," in The Listener, Vol. 98, No. 2520, August 4, 1977, p. 158.∗