The Locusts' Years

In Short

Mary H. Fee’s The Locusts' Years follows Charlotte Ponsonby, a reserved, highly educated woman who impulsively marries Martin Collingwood, an attractive former soldier of modest background. Moving with him to a remote island station in the Philippines, Charlotte wrestles with the mismatch between her cultivated inner life and her husband's practical, unrefined nature. Her resolve is tested by the unwanted advances of an influential judge and the bitter cynicism of a ruined colleague. Through extreme physical isolation and a devastating typhoon, Charlotte confronts her choices, ultimately choosing loyalty and shared human endurance over cold intellect.

The Story

The narrative opens by establishing Charlotte Ponsonby's distinct isolation from the superficial social world around her. Convent-reared and refined, Charlotte moves through life with a self-possessed, unasking spirit that intrigues observers while keeping them at arm's length. Among her acquaintances is Judge Alexander Barton, a politically prominent jurist who projects high-minded civic virtue while harboring a cynical, calculating view of human nature. Despite her fastidious standards, Charlotte surprises her circle by marrying Martin Collingwood, a former enlisted soldier who lacks her intellectual polish but possesses a sturdy, buoyant charm and practical ambition.

Following their marriage, Charlotte accompanies Martin to his remote post in the Philippine islands, where he works alongside colleagues such as Maclaughlin and John Kingsnorth. Living in isolated stations like Halsey Harbor and remote island outposts, Charlotte applies her training to build a comfortable domestic life. Martin takes immense pride in her home-making and her high-bred background, though his casual, unvarnished manner and easy references to past romantic conquests periodically grate on her sensibilities. Charlotte struggles privately with the realization that she has purchased romance at the expense of intellectual companionship, feeling a persistent rift between her refined nature and the rustic environment.

Her internal balance is further disturbed by external forces. Judge Barton, re-entering her life during an official tour, finds his dormant passion for her reignited. Unable to master his desire, he bluntly urges Charlotte to abandon Collingwood, arguing that her marriage was a mistake and offering her wealth and social standing. Charlotte firmly rebuffs his proposal, holding fast to her marital commitment despite her private doubts. Meanwhile, her daily life is complicated by John Kingsnorth, a deeply embittered, degraded man of good family who recognizes her secret discontent and challenges her self-righteousness. Kingsnorth warns her against the hypocrisy of indulging her own will while pretending to embrace martyrdom.

The emotional tension culminates when a violent typhoon strikes the island, destroying their settlement. With Martin away, Charlotte, Kingsnorth, and Mrs. Maclaughlin are forced to endure the storm's full fury. During the disaster, Kingsnorth is mortally injured. As he lies dying in Charlotte's lap, she experiences a profound wave of pity for his wasted life and broken potential. When Martin finally returns via boat to rescue the survivors, Charlotte stands on the shore, having achieved a quiet reconciliation with her circumstances. Before he reaches her, she silently casts away a precious pearl that Kingsnorth had entrusted to her—symbolically discarding the last temptation of secret pride and committing herself wholly to her husband.

How It Unfolds

The worldly circle Judge Alexander Barton and the sharp-tongued Mrs. Badgerly move through high-minded political and social circles in Manila, observing those around them with worldly scrutiny. Charlotte Ponsonby stands apart from their environment, maintaining an unapproachable dignity that intrigues the Judge even as her sudden marriage to an unpolished former soldier baffles him.

Isolation in the islands Charlotte travels with her new husband, Martin Collingwood, into the remote Philippine archipelago, passing through jade-green seas and isolated harbors. They settle into a quiet life surrounded by tropical nature, where Charlotte uses her education and training to construct a orderly home amidst challenging conditions.

Domestic friction As the initial romance settles into routine, the temperamental difference between Charlotte and Martin becomes apparent. Martin's easy-going banter and lack of sophistication occasionally test Charlotte's patience, while their companion, the bitter John Kingsnorth, observes her internal struggles with sharp, unsparing cynicism.

The Judge's proposal Judge Barton arrives at the island post on official business, only to find his obsession with Charlotte reignited by her grace and vital presence. He corners her and aggressively demands that she divorce Collingwood to marry him, but Charlotte rejects his offer with quiet, absolute contempt.

The crucible of the storm A sudden, devastating typhoon sweeps over the island, wrecking the settlement and leaving Charlotte to shelter the survivors. As Kingsnorth lies dying from injuries sustained in the storm, Charlotte tends to him, confronting the tragedy of his wasted life and examining her own moral choices.

Reconciliation on the beach When Martin's boat arrives at the shore to rescue them, Charlotte stands ready to greet him with steadfast affection. Before he steps ashore, she quietly tosses a valuable pearl into the sea, relinquishing her lingering pride and embracing her marriage without reservation.

The People

• Charlotte Ponsonby Collingwood: A reserved, highly educated woman brought up in a convent who possesses a keen, analytical mind. Seeking personal romance and escape from self-support, she marries below her intellectual station, only to struggle with the realities of her choice before finding strength in moral commitment.
• Martin Collingwood: Charlotte’s husband, a sturdy, practical former soldier with an exuberant disposition and handsome looks. He adores his wife and takes pride in her high-bred qualities, remaining largely oblivious to the deep intellectual distance between them.
• Judge Alexander Barton: A prominent American jurist in the Philippines who presents a polished, high-principled public persona. Beneath his urbane exterior lies a domineering nature that leads him to brazenly attempt to entice Charlotte away from her husband.
• John Kingsnorth: An educated man from a good family who has descended into bitterness, cynicism, and exile. He acts as a harsh mirror to Charlotte, calling out her self-pity and forcing her to confront the reality of her choices.
• Mrs. Badgerly: A wealthy, arrogant socialite who delights in exercising power over others and mocking conventional morality with audacious, worldly insolence.

In Its Own Voice

"She is the most solitary girl I have ever known, and yet she is not morbid. She moves among us in the most self-possessed, unasking spirit that was ever held by a girl of twenty-two."

— An observer describes Charlotte's unyielding composure during her youth in the White Mountains.

"I was brought up to observe the conventional limitations of feminine speech, dear; but if your heart is set upon my enlarging upon them--"

— Charlotte playfully addresses Martin regarding her gradual adaptation to his informal speech and rustic life.

"Anything can be changed in these days. I want you to divorce Collingwood and to marry me."

— Judge Barton casts aside his professional dignity to make his desperate proposal to Charlotte.

What It's Really About

The Locusts' Years explores the friction between high intellectual refinement and the unglamorous demands of ordinary human partnership. Beneath its tropical setting, the novel questions whether romance can survive when stripped of shared cultural and intellectual ground. It examines the temptation of self-pity, illustrating how idealizing one's own suffering can become a form of moral vanity. Charlotte's journey turns on the realization that marital fidelity is not merely a passive obligation, but an active choice to reject quiet resentment and embrace another person's genuine worth. Ultimately, the book argues that true character is revealed not in elevated principles or refined sensibilities, but in how one handles the messy, unglamorous realities of everyday life and unexpected crisis.

Why Read It Today

This novel offers a thoughtful portrait of an early twentieth-century woman navigating the boundaries of marriage, ambition, and personal autonomy. Readers who enjoy psychological character studies grounded in specific historical settings will appreciate Mary H. Fee's precise, unhurried prose and her refusal to offer easy melodramatic solutions. The narrative contrasts the stifling expectations of polite society with the raw, isolating expanse of the Philippine territory, capturing the sensory details of remote island life—from tranquil, star-lit harbors to the sudden terror of a tropical cyclone.

The book does reflect the period attitudes of its era, particularly in how American expatriates view local populations and social hierarchies, and modern readers may find certain conversational styles and social assumptions dated. Additionally, the story relies on quiet internal reflection rather than rapid action. Yet what stays with the reader is Charlotte’s unvarnished self-assessment. Her quiet decision to toss the pearl into the sea serves as a subtle, powerful statement on shedding pride to find genuine peace.

<ElicitationsGroup message="Explore related aspects of this work:"> <Elicitation label="Analyze Charlotte's character growth and choices" query="Provide an in-depth character analysis of Charlotte Ponsonby Collingwood in The Locusts' Years, focusing on her internal conflict between intellect and marriage."/> <Elicitation label="Examine the setting of the American colonial Philippines" query="How does the Philippine setting in Mary H. Fee's The Locusts' Years shape the novel's themes of isolation and social expectation?"/> </ElicitationsGroup>