Poppyshake's Bookshelves: Flush

Synopsis: First published in 1933, "Flush" is the lively story of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's cocker spaniel. Although Flush has adventures of his own, he is also the means of providing us with glimpses of the life of his owner and her days at Wimpole Street as an invalid, her courtship by Robert Browning, their elopement and life together in Italy.

Review: Another one that I loved and wished I still was reading because it's the sort of read you need when you've got the 'mean reds'. I know I'm easing myself in a bit by making this my first Virginia Woolf read but it more or less came about by accident, I saw it at a local bookshop, bought it and the size of it (short) made it perfect for a sunny afternoon spent in the garden. This is a fictional reconstruction of the life of Flush .. Elizabeth Barrett Brownings spaniel and I though it was just adorable. I am a bit of a sucker for animal stories anyway and who doesn't love a spaniel? The book starts ... 'It is universally admitted that the family from which the subject of this memoir claims descent is one of the greatest antiquity. Therefore it is not strange that the origin of the name itself is lost in obscurity. Many million years ago the country which is now called Spain seethed uneasily in the ferment of creation. Ages passed; vegetation appeared; where there is vegetation the law of Nature has decreed that there shall be rabbits; where there are rabbits, Providence has ordained there shall be dogs.' and we are soon with Flush as he travels to Wimpole Street to become the beloved pet of the invalid Elizabeth. Obviously the story is a simple one but it's told with great intelligence and wit. Life isn't all plain sailing for Flush, his first disappointment comes in the shape of Robert Browning ... Flush is not at all amused by Robert's attentions to his mistress and feels rather neglected and usurped ... his behaviour is perhaps a little unworthy of a noble dog but life as he knows it is changing and he feels threatened. He then falls foul of the dognappers and spends a miserable few weeks chained up in a hovel waiting for a ransom to be paid (in actuality this happened several times to Flush but is only accounted for once here.) The vengeance exacted by the dognappers, should their ransom demands remain unheeded, was a gruesome parcel sent to the owner containing the head and paws of their beloved pet. Flush's life hangs in the balance as Elizabeth's family and Robert try to persuade her against paying these murderous louts.

Eventually, with Flush returned and Elizabeth's health much improved, she elopes with Robert to Italy taking her maid and Flush along too. Flush soon discards his old sedate London ways and becomes quite rakish, wandering the streets of Pisa and Florence, availing himself of the ladies, getting home late and sunning himself on the rocks. The most idyllic retirement in other words. Virginia gleaned most of her information from two of Elizabeth's published poems and plucked the rest from her imagination.

It's not typical of Virginia's writing so I'm not getting carried away but it's a great start and the other Virginia Woolf books on my bookshelf immediately look more inviting and less daunting (deluded fool!) If it was allegorical it completely went over my head .. which I knew it would .. it's nice not to be troubled by intellect :-)

I couldn't find any pics of Elizabeth with Flush but here are some gorgeous pics of other famous ladies with their pets.