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Confusion
- Author
- Elizabeth Jane Howard
- Narrator
- Indira Varma, Stacey Halls
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Publish Date
- 11 June 2026
- Run Time
- 15 hours 35 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
Set in the height of the Second World War, The Cazalet Chronicles continues with the third in the series, Confusion, where chaos has become a way of life for the Cazalet family.
Read by Indira Varma (Game of Thrones, Luther and Oedipus at The Old Vic)
Includes a new introduction, written and read by Stacey Halls.
‘They could be like telegrams, or the most significant lines of a poem – so crammed with a fragment of truth that for a moment they seemed to illuminate the whole of it.’
1942. The dark days of war seem never-ending. Scattered across the still-peaceful Sussex countryside and air-raid-threatened London, the divided Cazalets begin to find the battle for survival echoing the confusion in their own lives.
Headstrong, independent Louise surprises the whole family with her shifting priorities in love and life. Her cousins Polly and Clary, now in their late teens, finally fulfil their ambition of living together in London, but the reality of the city is not quite what they imagined.
Polly is struggling to come to terms with an unfathomable loss, while Clary, meanwhile, is the only member of the family who refuses to give up on the possibility of a reunion with a loved one.
Confusion is followed by the fourth book in the series, Casting Off.
‘This chronicle will be read, like Trollope, as a classic about life in England in our century’ – Sybille Bedford, author of A Legacy
Critics Review
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What magic transforms a book into a compelling, moving, unputdownable read? I don’t know, but whatever it is, [The Cazalet Chronicles] have it. The characters! I cared about them so much. They behave in interesting, venal, believable ways. They’re recognisably human: frustrating, flawed, lovable. Maybe my favourite books ever
Marian Keyes, bestselling author of My Favourite Mistake
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She is one of those novelists who shows, through her work, what the novel is for . . . She helps us to do the necessary thing – open our eyes and our hearts
Hilary Mantel, bestselling author of the Wolf Hall trilogy
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Like [Elena] Ferrante, Howard’s fictional sphere is domestic and yet reveals deeper truths about human nature
Elizabeth Day, bestselling author of Magpie
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Howard is a sharp observer of human drama and psychology, and writes about pain, loss and longing superbly well
Monica Ali, bestselling author of Love Marriage
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I don’t know how I’d managed to miss [The Cazalet Chronicles] until now, but they’re absolute heaven
Meg Mason, bestselling author of Sorrow and Bliss
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[N]o detail is too small to be included, so charged with significance is the material envelope of that lost world
Tessa Hadley, bestselling author of After the Funeral
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A dazzling historical reconstruction
Penelope Fitzgerald, Booker Prize-winning author of Offshore
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Charming, poignant and quite irresistible . . . to be cherished and shared
The Times
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The Cazalets have earned an honoured place among the great saga families . . . rendered thrillingly three-dimensional by a master craftsman
Sunday Telegraph
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Elizabeth Jane Howard
- Narrator
- Indira Varma, Stacey Halls
- Duration
- 15 hours 35 minutes
- Release Date
- 11 June 2026
- ISBN
- 9781035084814
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Genre
- Historical fiction, Classic fiction: literary and general, Family saga / generational saga fiction, Historical romance, Romance: wholesome / clean, Narrative theme: love / relationships
Synopsis
Set in the height of the Second World War, The Cazalet Chronicles continues with the third in the series, Confusion, where chaos has become a way of life for the Cazalet family.Read by Indira Varma (Game of Thrones, Luther and Oedipus at The Old Vic)Includes a new introduction, written and read by Stacey Halls.‘They could be like telegrams, or the most significant lines of a poem – so crammed with a fragment of truth that for a moment they seemed to illuminate the whole of it.’1942. The dark days of war seem never-ending. Scattered across the still-peaceful Sussex countryside and air-raid-threatened London, the divided Cazalets begin to find the battle for survival echoing the confusion in their own lives.Headstrong, independent Louise surprises the whole family with her shifting priorities in love and life. Her cousins Polly and Clary, now in their late teens, finally fulfil their ambition of living together in London, but the reality of the city is not quite what they imagined.Polly is struggling to come to terms with an unfathomable loss, while Clary, meanwhile, is the only member of the family who refuses to give up on the possibility of a reunion with a loved one.Confusion is followed by the fourth book in the series, Casting Off.‘This chronicle will be read, like Trollope, as a classic about life in England in our century’ – Sybille Bedford, author of A Legacy
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