Eustace, wanted little in life other than the companionship of his older sister, Hilda. His fascination and admiration has continued for the aristocratic family living in the small seaside town, particularly their son, Dick Stavely. He hoped Dick would fall in love with Hilda making her the lady of Anchorstone Hall. And although they become friends of sorts, it ended badly. Eustace accepted the passing invitation from Lady Nelly to spend some time with her in Venice, but after a couple of months his company has become less attractive. Hartley, with great subtlety, shows how Eustace and Hilda are buffeted by the lifestyle and ways of the upper classes without ever being sanctioned members. Being uneducated in the ways of the aristocracy, they are far out of their depth and unable to find their feet. Like the analogy of the shrimp being devoured by the sea anemone, no one comes out unscathed.

Hartley's writing has an unhurried gentle pace which nevertheless has an amplitude that never flags. This is the final volume of the trilogy. ( )

'Eustace and Hilda' is the third and final volume of the trilogy of the same name.The longest part of the book takes place in Venice,which in many ways is as important a character as the two protagonists. With the second part Eustace returns to his roots and confronts his demons. Hilda has succumbed to a nervous condition which has rendered her paralysed.
Brother and sister meet once more and attempt to come to terms with their opposite natures.
A brilliant story which although not always as straightforward as one would have liked,is nevertheless well worth the effort of reading. I must say that the first volume remains the best. ( )

A middle-class young man wastes a summer dancing attendance on a wealthy older woman in Venice but does produce a short novel. In the meantime, his sister is being courted by the son of a landed family. He returns to England suddenly when informed that she is ill. She is suffering from hysterical paralysis after having been jilted by the lover. Told that some sort of shock might bring her out of it, Eustace plans to push her bathchair too close to the edge of the cliff near which they live. The plan works despite near disaster as he faints at the last minute, but he seems to lose initiative as she regains hers. Rather an odd little novel with stream of consciousness passages and dreams and a general vagueness about what is happening.