Volcanic Airs

 

Volcanic Airs / Elizabeth Pewsey
London: Sceptre, 1996.
336 p.

In this fourth book in the Mountjoy series, Pewsey takes the now familiar Eyotshire characters out of their usual surroundings - and it all starts with Thomas, one of the younger Mountjoys who is running away from his dreadful boarding school. He flees England with his little bit of money, heading toward the Sicilian home of a pianist who he'd met briefly in the past who had kindly invited the family to stay 'someday'. 

When his flight is discovered, it throws his family into an upset, and it's his stepmother who tracks him down and heads to Sicily to fetch him. She ends up staying for a while, amongst the many characters who follow. It's not a great escape from the Eyotshire troubles, as more of those involved in the drama trickle south and wash up alongside them. 

It's a great setting, with some new and fresh characters (one particularly funny portrait is drawn of a composer known as 'Discordant Mordaunt', who insists that melody is passé and only noise is music - with surprising secrets, of course). I was reading this in June, and found it interesting that one of the characters remarked that the volcano (Etna) was steaming but of course no chance of eruptions from that one. Timely commentary! 

As usual, a lot of the story revolves around romantic pairings and preferences, as well as family dynamics. The most grounded character is the nanny Dido, who previously worked in the sex trade but has gravitas, sense, and great rapport with children. The most high-strung, on the other hand, are the rich and educated musicians and eccentrics in the narrative.

Some of the commentary feels quite old-fashioned now, especially the portrayal of Valdemar Mountjoy (a real bully but one of the main characters) who is a womanizer and a terrible father. We are apparently supposed to feel some sympathy for him in the end. 

In any case, there is much to amuse in this one, with both pointed satire and some warmer, kinder scenes, in which a change of locale from the misty north to Sicily seems to bring on some self-reflection. I liked the setting and the varied characters, all with different personalities and responses to their adventure. Definitely a great summer read.