Synopsis
Set at the height of the Second World War, as chaos has become a way of life for the Cazalet family, The Cazalet Chronicles continues with the third in the series, Confusion.
‘They could be like telegrams, or the most significant lines of a poem – so crammed with a fragment of truth that for a moment they seemed to illuminate the whole of it.’
1942. The dark days of war seem never-ending. Scattered across the still-peaceful Sussex countryside and air-raid-threatened London, the divided Cazalets begin to find the battle for survival echoing the confusion in their own lives.
Headstrong, independent Louise surprises the whole family with her shifting priorities in love and life. Her cousins Polly and Clary, now in their late teens, finally fulfil their ambition of living together in London, but the reality of the city is not quite what they imagined.
Polly is struggling to come to terms with an unfathomable loss, while Clary, meanwhile, is the only member of the family who refuses to give up on the possibility of a reunion with a loved one.
Confusion is followed by the fourth book in the series, Casting Off.
‘This chronicle will be read, like Trollope, as a classic about life in England in our century’ – Sybille Bedford, author of A Legacy
Details
20 August 2026
9781037409158Reviews
What magic transforms a book into a compelling, moving, unputdownable read? I don’t know, but whatever it is, [The Cazalet Chronicles] have it. The characters! I cared about them so much. They behave in interesting, venal, believable ways. They’re recognisably human: frustrating, flawed, lovable. Maybe my favourite books ever
She is one of those novelists who shows, through her work, what the novel is for . . . She helps us to do the necessary thing – open our eyes and our hearts
Like [Elena] Ferrante, Howard’s fictional sphere is domestic and yet reveals deeper truths about human nature
Howard is a sharp observer of human drama and psychology, and writes about pain, loss and longing superbly well
