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The magnetism of a colourful bohemian family bewitches a lonely girl. From the 1950s to the 1980s, Britain’s sweeping cultural changes are mirrored in the exploits of the Felixes, their loves and their friendships.Motherless Kate Stephens is temporarily dumped by her father on the easy-going, unconventional family of his old friend, Jerome Felix. Her stay becomes permanent, as she falls in love with her adopted family and their home, Plas Felix, a large and comfortable house on the North Wales coast. Over the years, Kate feels she owes everything to her association with the fascinating Felixes.Her obsession is gradually tempered by the painful realisation that the creatures she finds so splendid are merely human beings, their glamour hiding dangerous weaknesses. This is sharpened by a tragedy which the family must absorb to survive, and Kate discovers the power of her independence brings its own consequences.
A young girl finds herself drawn into the orbit of a charismatic bohemian family, only to discover the fragile reality behind their glittering facade. After being left in the care of the unconventional Felix family at their coastal Welsh home, Plas Felix, Kate Stephens becomes deeply attached to their lifestyle. As the decades pass from the 1950s to the 1980s, Kate navigates her own identity against the backdrop of a changing Britain. She eventually confronts the painful truth that her idols possess profound human flaws, forcing her to reconcile her devotion with the necessity of personal independence. The narrative tracks this evolution through a multi-decade span, examining the tension between belonging and self-actualization.
This work presents a study of the long-term psychological impact of childhood displacement and the idealization of others. The narrative structure suggests a focus on the slow erosion of childhood illusions as the protagonist matures alongside the changing social norms of the mid-to-late twentieth century. The setting of the North Wales coast serves as a grounding element for the volatile emotional lives of the Felix family. Readers are likely to find the exploration of human fallibility within a seemingly perfect domestic unit to be the primary thematic anchor of the story. The prose appears to prioritize character interiority and the gradual realization of individual agency over rapid plot movement.
Page Count:
464
Publication Date:
1999-02-15
Publisher:
HarperCollins
ISBN-10:
0002255588
ISBN-13:
9780002255585
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