The Dream of Fair Women

Overview of the Story

This is the third novel in Henry Williamson's Flax of Dream sequence. Willie Maddison, having returned from the Great War, chooses a recluse-like existence in a remote Devon cottage. Here, he dedicates his time to caring for injured animals and writing. However, his solitary life takes a dramatic turn when Evelyn Fairfax enters the picture.

A Complicated Affair

Their relationship begins as something that should have been therapeutic, a way to help Willie anaesthetize the horrors of war. But things take a complicated turn when Willie follows Evelyn back to Folkestone. There, he discovers:

• Evelyn has a husband and a young daughter.
• She is surrounded by many besotted admirers.
• She carries a bad reputation that adds tension to their affair.

The Flax of Dream Sequence

The Flax of Dream sequence consists of four novels:

1. The Beautiful Years
2. Dandelion Days
3. The Dream of Fair Women
4. The Pathway

Together, these novels are regarded as "one of the major works in English fiction of the day."