The novel start in 1935 with Mr. Douglas Macfadden and Mr. Noel Strachan, making adjustments to Mr. Macfadden's will in Ayr. After their business is done, Mr. Strachan returns to his home in London. Years later, Mr. Macfadden dies. Mr. Strachan then has to track down Jean, Mr. Macfadden's sister, and her children, Jean and Donald, since they were the ones that Mr. Macfadden had entrusted his estate to. However, Mr. Strachan learns that both Mr. Macfadden's sister, Jean, and her son, Donald, had died, hence, solely leaving Jean, Mr. Macfadden's niece, to the inheritance.
Jean Paget, currently around 27 years old, is a shorthand typist at a firm of handbag manufacturers. Mr. Stranchan sends Jean a letter and they discuss the inheritance. Since Jean can not inherit everything until she is 35 years old, and gets around 900 pounds every year, Mr. Strachan will be her trustee until 1956.
Mr. Stranchan is quite an old man, and since his wife of 27 years died, he has done nothing but work. Since he has time, Mr. Strachan offers to try and educate Jean in the arts, and takes her to see operas, art galleries, and etc.
Mr. Strachan askes Jean what she wants to do with her money, but she always says she doesn't know. One day, when they were supposed to go to see the Hampton Court, it rained so they met at Mr. Strachan's flat for lunch. Jean then tells Mr. Strachan that she wants to go back to Malaya, where she once lived and was held as a prisoner of war, and dig a well.
I don't understand why someone would want to go back to a place where they were a prisoner of war and dig a well.
ReplyDeleteI also do not understand why she would want to go back to where she was a prisoner of war and dig a well... It sounds like a confusing book.
ReplyDeleteI believe she wants to go back to Malaya, where she was held as a prisoner, to try to improve the living conditions of other prisoners of Malaya. By digging a well the prisoners may have more access to drinking water, and this may improve the prisoners' chances of survival. However, all of this depends on how strict or cruel Malayans were to their prisoners.
ReplyDeleteMy book had also too place i the 1930s which makes me wonder if they had some similar fact in them. In my book the election run of Roosevelt and Hoover came up quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteyeahhh maybe they want to go back to where they were emprisioned to help other people
ReplyDeletei can understand why she doesnt know what she wants to do with her money, and that she wants to go back to where she lived, but why does she?
ReplyDeleteShe probably wants to go back to place she once lived to try to make it different and try to change her memories that she has of the place before, so someone won't have to experience it again.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't know what to do with the money either if i had just recieved it, but i deffinately wouldn't want to go back to a place where i was held as a prisioner. Anyway this book still seems like it's going to be more interesting than mine.
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