Mrs. Muir is a light novel written in 1945, akin in my mind to Mrs. Miniver in tone - a strong woman making her individual mark in the world.
Mrs. Muir is invariably described as 'little Mrs. Muir', both in stature and perceived significance. When her husband suddenly dies leaving her with two small children and an inadequate income, his family forcefully steps in to run things in the proper way. Lucy Muir's need to break away from their torrent of advice and lead her own life finds her at the train station one day, and a ticket to the seaside resort town of Whitecliff. At the edge of the down, the secluded Gull Cottage is for rent at 52 pounds a year, haphazardly decorated in a bohemian yet beautiful way - but the estate agent warns her off as it is reputed to be haunted! Lucy finds it perfect for her and the children, Cyril and Anna. A large portrait of a handsome seaman, Captain Gregg, presides over the mantle, and in no time, Lucy is hearing his booming voice. Strong minded and not to be put off, she counters that she is not going anywhere, and they soon fall into a rhythm of easy conversation and friendship. Gregg is a unique character, explaining early on that he is just 'being' - no age and no time, no height and no depth - only immortality and eternity and vision. It's all the beauty and serenity and nobility you have ever experienced on earth. It's all your grandest and most generous feelings, and the finest sunsets and the greatest music - and then youre only on the fringe of understanding. He shows how she can purchase the house outright from the neer-do-well relative who inherited it, and even helps her meet the handsome broad shouldered man with thick curly hair from the woodland cottage nearby, assuming that is what a woman would want.
As the children grow and expenses increase, Captain Gregg hatches a sure fire plan to bring income - writing the ribald tales of his seafaring days. Dictated by Gregg, Lucy finds the self-confidence of a writer, and Gregg smooths the way for publication. Blood and Swash is an instant bestseller with film rights sold, filled with bad language and bad morals, and many words she couldn't bring herself to put down. Much more the native dances of Bali-Bali than Cranford. Gossip is rampant as no one knows who the author is, nonetheless it was actually dictated by a ghost.
Beneath the framework of Lucy talking to her invisible friend is the story of a self-sufficient woman achieving her ambition. She alone raises the children into adulthood and families of their own, self-confident and making her own way, on her own terms. Captain Gregg is more than a 'ghost-writer', as Lucy engages her subconscious to write a successful novel. It is a light read, but there is a tenacity of spirit and rejection of the narrow space society at turn of the century wished to place you in. Lucy achieves much more than that.
R. A. Dick is the pseudonym of the Irish writer Josephine Aimee Campbell Leslie (also the author of The Devil and Mrs. Devine). The Ghost and Mrs. Muir was filmed in 1947 with Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison as a supernatural romantic fantasy, and adapted for TV in 1968.
1945 / Tradeback / 174 pages
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