Claudia Hampton
Claudia is the archetypal batty old Englishwoman who walks to the beat of her own drum and would be considered eccentric now that she is older (in her youth she was considered badly behaved). Claudia can also be considered a Feminist because she did not abide by the conventional social rules of the time as far as a woman's role or place were concerned. Although most women in wartime Britain had to take jobs that had traditionally been done by men, now that the men were fighting against the Germans, Claudia went so far as to actively seek out and petition hard for a post that interested her, which was war correspondent in Cairo. This kind of pushy behavior was not generally permitte by women.
She is also a Feminist because she sees herself as more than adequate as a person in her own right and will not be defined by whether or not she has a husband. She genuinely loves Tom Southern, and this is why she intends to marry him, but when nobody matches up to him, she does not marry anyone else, despite carrying on a relationship with Jasper for many decades. She is confident in herself, and doesn't need a man to validate her.
Claudia is haunted by the fact she does not know if the baby she and Tom would have had, had she not miscarried, was a girl or a boy. She had already bonded with the child because it was Tom's. She does not feel the same kind of depth of love for Jasper and so cannot bond with his child in the same way. It turns out that being a mother is not something that she is cut out for, but being the mother of Tom's child would have been the most natural thing in the world. Claudia is bold and gutsy, and a real woman before her time. She is an interesting protagonist, and if we never quite warm to her we cannot help but respect and admire her.
Gordon Hampton
Gordon is Claudia's brother, and for a while, her lover. He is a typical Englishman who takes a boring job, a boring wife and raises boring children. He and Claudia do not like each other's partners; she thinks Gordon's wife is vapid and dull, he thinks Jasper is abusive and crass. In this he is not wrong. Gordon is the most constant figure in Claudia's life. He is always there for her even when others are not. As children they are both friends and rivals, and this rivalry disappears as they become adults. They remain best friends for their entire adult lives.
Tom Southern
Tom is the love of Claudia's life, and is as deeply and passionately in love with her as she is with him. He is a dashing captain in the Armoured Tank Division, a good soldier and a romantic man who knows just what to do to sweep a lady off her feet.
Although Tom is killed during the Battle of El Alamein, he is the most important person in Claudia's life even after his death. Because she never grieves properly she never comes to terms with his death and feels as though he left her behind when he died. Tom has consistently told his family of his love for a mysterious woman named "C" and through his diary entries Claudia is able to see just how deeply he loved her.
Jasper
Jasper is socially well-connected but not a good boyfriend; his relationship with Claudia is on-again-off-again and stormy. He is emotionally abusive and hard to love. Claudia gives birth to his child but cannot bond with her. He is a constant in her life for a couple of decades but never a truly positive factor.
Lisa
Lisa is Claudia's daughter by Jasper, and she is raised by both her maternal and paternal grandmothers when Claudia turns over Lisa to their custody. Lisa grows up sullen and resentful, unsurprisingly, since her mother didn't want to keep her and her grandmothers are rather strict and authoritarian. Lisa is surprised when she receives an apology from Claudia for leaving her, but she doesn't know how to interpret it. She gives her forgiveness, and accepts the apology, but it does not change the disconnect she feels where her relationship with her mother is concerned.
Laszlo
Laszlo is like the son Claudia never had. In fact, she is closer with him, the son she never had, than she is with Lisa, the daughter she actually did have. Laszlo is a student at a London art school and although it is Claudia who first looks out for him at his father's behest, to prevent him from returning to Hungary, and likely death or imprisonment, it is soon Laszlo who begins taking care of Claudia, and acting very protectively around her. He is a different kind of man than anyone she has ever met before. He has the soul of an artist, is over-emotional, given to melancholy, and brutally honest.
Jennifer Southern
Jennifer is Tom's sister and reaches out to Claudia after reading an article she has written about her time in Egypt, because she has realized that Claudia is the mysterious "C" with whom Tom has fallen in love, and talked about in his letters home. She gives Claudia his diary, which turns out to be the most impactful gift she was ever given because it brings her closer to Tom. Shortly before her death Claudia re-reads his diary entries, and finally manages to grieve. This is thanks to Jennifer, and her diligent seeking out of the "C" in his letters.
