Boredom

The underlying theme of the book is the boredom of the lives of the upper class with their country homes and life styles. Jessica and her siblings are raised at Swinbrook House, their self contained country estate. There is a succession of nannies, and all of their schooling takes place on the estate. There is even a hospital room where they are tended to when they are ill. Their mother believes that women only need enough schooling to enable them to manage a household and a staff of servants. The only children they have to play with are their siblings. They only leave the estate to travel to their London home or visit with relatives. The girls are bored with the monotony of their lives and seek ways to break out of it. From Jessica's mother's point of view, this is the typical life of aristocratic daughters who...