Stanley and Elsie by Nicola Upson

“They’re so tender, those pictures. Scenes of us all at Burghclere and private portraits of you that he probably shouldn’t have shown me. There’s so much love in all of them. It’s as if his art’s got more sense than he has”, said Elsie.

I’ve not studied 20^th Century art in any detail but Nicola Upson’s book has motivated me to read more on the subject; particularly to look at Stanley Spencer’s work which is exceptional by all accounts. Her story of the relationship between Spencer and his first wife Hilda, inextricably woven with their hugely loyal and really insightful maid Elise, is so compelling. How such a dysfunctional character as Stanley could inspire such great love from two strong women throughout his appalling behaviour over many years made me want to shout at him from my viewpoint in 2019!  Elsie expressed my outrage and all the other emotions I felt as I cantered through this novel.

Perhaps as the subtitle says: ‘Can art heal the wounds of war?’ we should make allowances for Stanley’s war time experiences.

It’s a true love story on several levels. The relationship between Patricia and Dodie is beautifully crafted and I was left with a feeling of a trail of broken people including Stanley by the finish.

But, you’ve got to love Elsie. A stalwart of common sense, optimism for the future, love and happiness. She gives me hope.