Toward the end of the bridegroom’s speech, the bride turned to the side to throw crumbs of wedding cake to doves outside the marquee.

Although she had caused a little rustle of amusement among the guests, she did not know it: her husband was embarrassed by her behaviour and thought it early in their married life to be so: but she did not know that either.

And that is how we meet Flora, the bride and protagonist of Elizabeth Taylor’s The Soul of Kindness.

Richard, the groom, ‘…was a little reddened – from the nature of the day, the position he was occupying and his wife’s inattention.’

‘Inattention’… and yet, Flora believes herself to be the ‘soul of kindness’. Added to the inattention is Flora’s propensity to meddle in the lives of everyone around her. She sets up her best friend, Meg, with another friend, Patrick, oblivious to the fact that Patrick is gay and besotted with his ‘friend’ Frankie; she nudges her father-in-law into a more permanent arrangement with his mistress; and encourages Meg’s young brother, the talentless Kit, to pursue an acting career.

…she had always meant well. That intention had been seen clearly, lying behind some of her biggest mistakes.

The irony is that in Flora ‘taking care of others’, they are all forced to take care of her and this is clear from the outset when, at Flora’s wedding, there is a sense of her mother and Meg handing over the responsibility of Flora’s cosseting to Richard. Meg reflects that ‘…it would be dangerous for it to be abruptly discontinued – like putting an orchid out into the frosty air, or suddenly depriving an alcoholic of drink.’

It’s the minutiae of everyday life that makes this book engaging. That’s not to say that the story lacks drama – there’s the wedding, a birth, and an attempted suicide, but it is in the flirtations and rebuffs, misread glances, deeply held hopes, deliberate slights, and moments of tenderness where Taylor excels. And it is amusing to watch Flora gliding through life, oblivious to the frustrations of those around her and so gloriously self-centred.

To Richard, that evening, she said: “It’s so miserable of everybody. I thought it would please them to be asked. It would please me. And if I were in their place, I’d do anything rather than spoil my happiness.”

The main question we ask about the books we read for Literary Wives is: What does this book say about wives or about the experience of being a wife?

I think Flora and Richard were very much bound by social constraints and expectations. This is evident from the outset when Richard has the sense that he has been handed the ‘responsibility’ of Flora. Equally, his moments of discontent are quickly suppressed, clear about his duty as a husband. Slipping into therapist mode for a moment, I would like to give Richard a talk about setting personal boundaries (!) because ultimately, Flora’s behaviour is indulged by those around her, and most feel it’s easier to ignore rather than confront her.

“Here I am!” Flora called to Richard as she went downstairs. For a second, Meg felt disloyalty. It occurred to her of a sudden that Flora was always saying that, and that it was in the tone of one giving a lovely present. She was bestowing herself.

I imagine that Flora thought herself a marvelous wife!

See Rebecca’s, Kay’s, Becky’s and Naomi’s reviews, too.  And if you want to join in, our next book (March 2026) is Mrs Bridge by Evan S. Connell.

3.5/5

Meg, thinking about an outing with Patrick –

Today would be the longest time she had ever spent with him, and her happiness brimmed over. It was bliss to have this lying ahead of her – the train journey, his company all the time, the Vivaldi records perhaps, and Mrs Clarke’s cold game pie.