It Ends With Revelations

Dodie Smith is a wonderful writer. I've read nearly all of her novels, and besides 'I Capture the Castle,' this one is my favorite. The characters behave like real people and, in true Dodie Smith fashion, nothing is quite as it seems. I think you'll enjoy this book!

I was captivated by this story from the first sentence. I had no idea what I was in for reading It Ends with Revelations but after reading books by Dodie Smith, I Capture The Castle, and a few others I did know I would not be disappointed. Dare I say one of my favorite stories? Yes. The story itself has a strong message and is filled with relatable characters and you find yourself entwined in their lives, you do not want it to end. It is so well written, very easy to follow with no 'fluff' just superb writing.I absolutely cannot begin to do this book justice with a review- do yourself a huge favor and read this, put it on your 'bucket list' to read- it is a book you won't put down.

The story is very sad and it hurt my heart. Filled with lies and the characters think they know what others feel. I would not recommend this book. I enjoyed I Capture the Castle.

I love the narrator's voice. She is of the theater world but not an actress. She is married to a reknowned actor, somewhat older than she. They have a seemingly idyllic life, working together well and caring for each other profoundly. They are drawn into the circle of a rather eccentric political family. Sparks fly, decisions must be made. The famous actor at first seems to be a perfect, if somewhat detached, husband, then a monster of egotism, then something of a saint. Enjoyable and intelligent from beginning to end.

Nearly everyone agrees that Dodie Smith wrote one rather captivatingly perfect novel called I CAPTURE THE CASTLE. While IT ENDS WITH REVELATIONS does not achieve that level of endearment, it is generally a pleasant enough read, with certain drawbacks.The biggest problem is that in many ways the story and the situations described enter in territory that is now conspicuously dated. It’s impossible to the read the novel without constantly stepping out of it to examine its rather archaic contexts in two areas: the problems of being a homosexual in Great Britain prior to the 80s, and the state of being a wife with no individual pursuits of your own (either for fun or for profit or for edification). Of the two, the “queer” context rings a little less falsely, although even the many characters in the novel who are pretty enlightened about it still stay things like “still, I would prefer he were normal.” In its way (and I suppose for its time) it’s very sympathetic toward its homosexual characters, but as we’ve come a long way in the 50 years since this was written, it all still feels a little awkward. Read as a period piece, it works fairly well on its own terms, but not entirely convincingly. But how do we fully relate to Jill, the woman at the centre of the tale, when she's pursued no interests during the decade-plus of her marriage, had no desire to see concerts, read, develop her own interests. Wouldn't she have noticed at some point how dreary her life was, especially living in London in the 1960s? Other than the homosexual subplot, the whole thing has a sense of repressed gentility and "well-behavedness" that make the story feel like we're in the 19th century instead of the 20th. Surely when the novel came out (in 1967) it must have seemed strangely dated even then. Like an early Barbara Pym novel, everyone is impeccably well-behaved and the little microcosm of their social world seems impossibly small, especially considering that one of the main characters is a successful and famous British actor! In plays, films and television! Wouldn't that take our little story out of Manderley at least occasionally?But I quibble. On its own terms its written in a fairly rewarding way, in civilized and rather charming prose. Yet although the book actually explores certain issues that I’d assume I would find interesting or which would resonate strongly with me, I somehow still found the whole thing a little off-putting, in part because our main character seems so out-of-touch with her own feelings or identity, and creates so much more “drama” than the circumstances require -- and all the angst goes on WAY longer than the story can sustain. Still, the underlying narrative is often delightfully written, and one finds oneself very much liking long passages of the book while still intermittently tiring of it.It has one component of unalloyed delight though: the two teenage girls, Robin and Kit, who keep popping up at regular intervals, always entertainingly and often with the greatest amount of wisdom among all the characters. Without them this would be a much drier novel indeed, and I wonder if I would have even gotten through it. Ms. Smith writes elegantly throughout. Her prose is polished and lively, and there’s nothing to complain of there. But I found myself tiring of two of our main characters (Jill and Geoffrey, to be exact) long before the book was over. But those two girls were still welcome, as was our famous actor Miles, who apparently behaves perfectly under any circumstances. By the end of the novel, he was really the only character I really liked.

A good read. Relatable characters.

Dodie Smith writes highly satisfying stories with compelling plots, lovable characters and fascinating settings full of atmosphere."It Ends with Revealtions" is no exception. Readers will linger over it.

This was an excellent read - sensitive, insightful,and ahead of its time. I have enjoyed all Dodie Smith's books, but this one is my favorite

I first read this book many years ago when attitudes to homosexuality were very different to those of today and it had only recently been decriminalised. I suppose it may have been considered rather daring and innovative when first published but now it seems to me to be an enjoyable, rather charming but anachronistic tale with some interesting insights into the culture of the time in which it is set.

Jill is apparently happily married to Miles - a well known actor. They are staying in a spa town for a short run of a new play in which Miles is starring. Jill meets Robin and Kit, teenage daughters of Geoffrey Thornton an MP and barrister. The meeting will have far reaching consequences for everyone involved.I enjoyed the theatrical background of this interesting story and I liked the characters as well and thought they were well drawn and believable. I especially liked the two girls with their lively conversation and their ability to see a problem and try and solve it.I thought the book was well written with a believable background. The writing is low key and there are plenty of aspects which are left to the reader's imagination. I haven't read this author's famous book `I Capture the Castle' but I enjoyed this and I will be looking out for her other books.

Like many others I suspect, I bought this because I so much enjoyed "I Capture the Castle" in my youth and assumed this would be a similar type of story - light and easy to read. Actually it is very different; it seems very dated and in fact I guessed it had been written a couple of decades before it had actually. The main reason for this dated feel is the way homosexuality is dealt with. A rather unpleasant plot twist prevents this being a jolly escapist read. Having said that, it is a finely worked study of a woman in a marriage with love but no sex and her agonising over a difficult choice. The writing as always is fresh and the plot moves on well.