They Knew Mr Knight by Dorothy Whipple

 "Mr Knight smiled to himself.  Five hundred a year!  And they sat down with it, these men.  They put up with it.  And the world was full of money.  They never even put out a hand towards it.  Poor chaps, they'd no guts or no wits, he didn't know which it was.  Mr Knight pulled down his waistcoat and settled himself more comfortably in his comfortable seat." 

Oh the delight of a Dorothy Whipple novel!  As cosy as a rainy Saturday afternoon spent watching a nostalgic film cuddled up in your favourite comfy sweater.

The Blakes are a typical family with the usual concerns about making ends meet.  Their three children are on the verge of adulthood and have their own ideas about the future.  Freda is a snob, Douglas lives to create science experiments and Ruth is a bit of a mess but does has an affection for writing.  There is also Uncle Edward who embarrasses the family with his inability to hold down a job due to problems with alcohol and laziness.

Poor Thomas Blake works day in and day out to earn enough money to provide for everyone, even his mother who hates to say thank you.  Things could have been so different if his father had been a better businessman but now Thomas is 'a servant where he should have been master'.

A chance encounter with Mr Knight, a wealthy financier, presents an opportunity for Thomas to step up in the world and he grabs it eagerly.  His daughter, Freda, is thrilled to be able to socialize with the richer set and can finally allow her snobbery to reach its full potential.  The oh-so sophisticated Mrs Knight kindly offers to show Freda around the best shops and even takes her to get a permanent wave against her mother's wishes.  The resulting scene is unforgettable and why I chose a related image for this post.

As the Blakes wealth increases, those left behind can't resist making comments about the high and mighty.  None more so than Mrs Greene, the quintessential net-flicker with a penchant for the negative.  And as Thomas spends more time with Mr Knight, Celia wonders if she has been a poor replacement for the men's club all these years.  Right on schedule, Uncle Edward turns up demanding an opportunity now that the Blake name is back over the factory door.  I couldn't help but enjoy the mortification of the family when Edward resorts to a form of blackmail in order to secure a position.  If he is refused a job at the factory then he will have to apply to a vacancy in staffing at the Knight's residence.  Can you imagine the shame!?

As any fan of Whipple knows, her characterization is excellent.  In my humble opinion, in They Knew Mr Knight it is sublime.  Pin down an opinion of a character and then ask yourself a few chapters further along if you feel the same way.  How she does it without being even remotely unsettling is quite fascinating when you think about it.  Waiting to discover whether Mr Knight is either scoundrel or saviour certainly kept me riveted throughout.

During the climax of the story I was pouring tea with one hand whilst not taking my eyes off of the page, trusting my ear to tell me when the cup was full.  The sign of a good book I'd say.