author
Susan Ertz
1894–1985
Best known for warm, observant novels about family life and the quiet dramas of ordinary people, this Anglo-American writer built a loyal readership across much of the 20th century. Her stories often mix wit, feeling, and a sharp eye for social manners.
1 Audiobook
Madame Claire
by Susan Ertz
About the author
Born in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, to American parents, Susan Ertz was an Anglo-American novelist whose life moved between England and the United States. She published widely from the 1920s onward and became known for fiction centered on domestic life, relationships, and the values and tensions of middle-class society.
Her novels were especially admired for their readable style and emotional intelligence. Although often described as writing about genteel country life, her work was not simply cozy: it paid close attention to character, disappointment, resilience, and the small choices that shape a life.
She is also remembered for a line from Anger in the Sky that has been quoted for decades: the idea that many people long for immortality without knowing what to do on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Susan Ertz died in 1985, leaving behind a long career and a body of fiction that still appeals to readers who enjoy thoughtful, humane storytelling.