147:
her family and becomes the governess for Hugh, a six-year-old boy who is then killed in a car accident. Flora's life is accompanied by a series of bereavements and disappointments. Her son also mirrors her experiences of death as he becomes a doctor. The greatest regret is that he was unable to be there at the death of his mother Flora. His wife
Elizabeth is also beset by illness which he is determined to ameliorate...
27:
197:
praises the novel: 'Death is everywhere in this gentle, atmospheric novel...Hill's detached yet charged prose is in keeping with her reserved, inwardly intense characters. An unsettling amorphousness shrouds events for which time and place are mistily unspecified. The
Service of Clouds is typically
146:
The narrative is split between the stories of Flora and her son Molloy but the narratives do not overlap. Flora has contends with the death of her own father, the difficult relationship with her mother May, and then birth of her sister Olga who her mother May dotes on. Flora becomes independent of
187:
is skilfully structured, seamlessly blending past and present...Hill's lean, sharp prose and consistently detached tone create a severe and rather beautiful book, with a certain plain poetry that flows silkily off the page. What little conversation there is, is stylised, repetitive and curiously
137:
Susan Hill writes that "it wasn't triggered by an obsession or a childhood memory. It just grew quietly in my head" However, when pressed, she reveals some of the plot: "It's a story of growing up, of learning to fit in, of breaking away from home. It concerns obsessive parental love - and its
210:
is rather negative: 'The thread running through the story is one of almost willed decline...it is treated here as if no other choices had been offered...the tone very slightly suffocating as cloudy as the title suggests' and concludes that 'The dispiriting message is that failure leads to
679:
663:
345:
722:
104:
768:
706:
258:
713:
697:
616:
763:
429:
405:
758:
647:
608:
753:
525:
544:
655:
517:
338:
639:
600:
592:
576:
413:
397:
354:
584:
477:
453:
381:
285:
231:
259:
Books: Search for a silver lining, Carol Birch admires the silken prose that can weave art out of grief
171:...Hill is rare among contemporary writers...a meticulous down-to-earth and strangely beautiful novel'.
26:
243:
560:
509:
389:
671:
568:
331:
485:
437:
501:
122:
58:
552:
421:
167:
99:
272:
179:
730:
493:
445:
201:
162:
138:
opposite. The central character is a woman who lives through and for her son's life."
747:
461:
373:
313:
206:
298:
193:
174:
126:
358:
118:
40:
157:
183:
says that 'Susan Hill writes piercingly about grief and its aftermath...
323:
198:
gloomy, but as accomplished and moving as Hill's previous work.'
129:
describing the supremacy of cloud in modern landscape painting.
327:
211:
over-compensation. No heroine deserves such a fate.'
690:
631:
536:
365:
98:
90:
82:
74:
64:
54:
46:
36:
270:'Anthony Everitt meets the reclusive Susan Hill',
339:
8:
680:The Travelling Bag and Other Ghostly Stories
311:'A heroine who declines' by Anita Brookner,
19:
533:
346:
332:
324:
161:writes that the novel 'contains echoes of
25:
18:
664:The Boy Who Taught the Beekeeper to Read
221:
125:. It takes it title from a passage in
254:
252:
7:
227:
225:
117:, is a novel by the English author
723:The Woman in Black: Angel of Death
14:
640:The Albatross and Other Stories
707:Je suis le seigneur du château
1:
537:Simon Serrailler crime novels
430:In the Springtime of the Year
121:, first published in 1998 by
648:A Bit of Singing and Dancing
785:
656:Listening to the Orchestra
406:I'm the King of the Castle
769:Chatto & Windus books
545:The Various Haunts of Men
24:
731:Susan Hill's Ghost Story
617:The Benefit of Hindsight
244:www.fantasticfiction.com
16:1998 novel by Susan Hill
632:Short story collections
398:A Change for the Better
317:, 31 Oct 1999, page 53.
302:, 24 Oct 1999, page 15.
601:The Soul of Discretion
593:A Question of Identity
577:Shadows in the Streets
478:The Man in the Picture
454:The Mist in the Mirror
276:, 21 Nov 1998, page 6.
20:The Service of Clouds
585:The Betrayal of Trust
470:The Service of Clouds
288:Retrieved 30/10/2022.
261:Retrieved 30/10/2022.
246:Retrieved 30/10/2022.
234:Retrieved 30/10/2022.
185:The Service of Clouds
114:The Service of Clouds
764:Novels by Susan Hill
609:The Comforts of Home
561:The Risk of Darkness
510:Dolly: A Ghost Story
390:Gentleman and Ladies
191:Lisa Allardice from
759:1998 British novels
569:The Vows of Silence
123:Chatto & Windus
59:Chatto & Windus
21:
754:Novels about death
715:The Woman in Black
699:The Woman in Black
438:The Woman in Black
741:
740:
627:
626:
553:The Pure in Heart
422:The Bird of Night
286:www.amazon.com.au
232:www.goodreads.com
168:To The Lighthouse
142:Plot introduction
110:
109:
75:Publication place
776:
534:
348:
341:
334:
325:
318:
309:
303:
295:
289:
283:
277:
268:
262:
256:
247:
241:
235:
229:
66:Publication date
29:
22:
784:
783:
779:
778:
777:
775:
774:
773:
744:
743:
742:
737:
686:
623:
532:
414:Strange Meeting
361:
352:
322:
321:
310:
306:
296:
292:
284:
280:
273:Financial Times
269:
265:
257:
250:
242:
238:
230:
223:
218:
180:The Independent
153:
144:
135:
83:Media type
67:
32:
17:
12:
11:
5:
782:
780:
772:
771:
766:
761:
756:
746:
745:
739:
738:
736:
735:
727:
719:
711:
703:
694:
692:
688:
687:
685:
684:
676:
672:Farthing House
668:
660:
652:
644:
635:
633:
629:
628:
625:
624:
622:
621:
613:
605:
597:
589:
581:
573:
565:
557:
549:
540:
538:
531:
530:
526:From the Heart
522:
514:
506:
498:
494:The Small Hand
490:
482:
474:
466:
458:
450:
446:Air and Angels
442:
434:
426:
418:
410:
402:
394:
386:
382:Do Me a Favour
378:
369:
367:
363:
362:
353:
351:
350:
343:
336:
328:
320:
319:
304:
290:
278:
263:
248:
236:
220:
219:
217:
214:
213:
212:
202:Anita Brookner
199:
189:
172:
163:Virginia Woolf
152:
149:
143:
140:
134:
131:
108:
107:
102:
96:
95:
92:
88:
87:
84:
80:
79:
78:United Kingdom
76:
72:
71:
68:
65:
62:
61:
56:
52:
51:
48:
44:
43:
38:
34:
33:
30:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
781:
770:
767:
765:
762:
760:
757:
755:
752:
751:
749:
733:
732:
728:
725:
724:
720:
718:
716:
712:
709:
708:
704:
702:
700:
696:
695:
693:
689:
682:
681:
677:
674:
673:
669:
666:
665:
661:
658:
657:
653:
650:
649:
645:
642:
641:
637:
636:
634:
630:
619:
618:
614:
611:
610:
606:
603:
602:
598:
595:
594:
590:
587:
586:
582:
579:
578:
574:
571:
570:
566:
563:
562:
558:
555:
554:
550:
547:
546:
542:
541:
539:
535:
528:
527:
523:
520:
519:
515:
512:
511:
507:
504:
503:
499:
496:
495:
491:
488:
487:
483:
480:
479:
475:
472:
471:
467:
464:
463:
462:Mrs de Winter
459:
456:
455:
451:
448:
447:
443:
440:
439:
435:
432:
431:
427:
424:
423:
419:
416:
415:
411:
408:
407:
403:
400:
399:
395:
392:
391:
387:
384:
383:
379:
376:
375:
374:The Enclosure
371:
370:
368:
364:
360:
356:
349:
344:
342:
337:
335:
330:
329:
326:
316:
315:
314:The Spectator
308:
305:
301:
300:
294:
291:
287:
282:
279:
275:
274:
267:
264:
260:
255:
253:
249:
245:
240:
237:
233:
228:
226:
222:
215:
209:
208:
207:The Spectator
204:, writing in
203:
200:
196:
195:
190:
186:
182:
181:
176:
173:
170:
169:
164:
160:
159:
155:
154:
150:
148:
141:
139:
132:
130:
128:
124:
120:
116:
115:
106:
105:1-856-19279-2
103:
101:
97:
93:
89:
85:
81:
77:
73:
69:
63:
60:
57:
53:
49:
45:
42:
39:
35:
31:First edition
28:
23:
729:
721:
714:
705:
698:
678:
670:
662:
654:
646:
638:
615:
607:
599:
591:
583:
575:
567:
559:
551:
543:
524:
516:
508:
500:
492:
484:
476:
469:
468:
460:
452:
444:
436:
428:
420:
412:
404:
396:
388:
380:
372:
312:
307:
299:The Observer
297:
293:
281:
271:
266:
239:
205:
194:The Observer
192:
184:
178:
166:
156:
145:
136:
113:
112:
111:
717:(2012 film)
701:(1989 film)
691:Adaptations
518:Black Sheep
175:Carol Birch
133:Inspiration
127:John Ruskin
748:Categories
502:A Kind Man
486:The Beacon
359:Susan Hill
216:References
119:Susan Hill
70:5 Nov 1998
41:Susan Hill
158:The Times
151:Reception
55:Publisher
188:formal.'
47:Language
50:English
734:(2019)
726:(2014)
710:(1989)
683:(2016)
675:(2006)
667:(2003)
659:(1997)
651:(1973)
643:(1970)
620:(2019)
612:(2018)
604:(2014)
596:(2012)
588:(2011)
580:(2010)
572:(2008)
564:(2006)
556:(2005)
548:(2004)
529:(2017)
521:(2013)
513:(2012)
505:(2011)
497:(2010)
489:(2008)
481:(2007)
473:(1998)
465:(1993)
457:(1992)
449:(1991)
441:(1983)
433:(1973)
425:(1972)
417:(1971)
409:(1970)
401:(1969)
393:(1968)
385:(1963)
377:(1961)
366:Novels
37:Author
355:Works
91:Pages
86:Print
100:ISBN
357:by
177:in
165:'s
94:288
750::
251:^
224:^
347:e
340:t
333:v
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
