Lily is disappointed when his attention shifts to Tory Foyle, to whom he eventually proposes marriage. In order to end her affair with Robert, Tory decides to move to London and unexpectedly agrees to marry Bertram. Before leaving the town Bertram presents the pub owner with a painting depicting a view of the harbour. Tory's departure for London takes place on the same day as Mrs. Bracey's funeral. Major themes The relationship of the creative artist to other people and to society is a major theme in Taylor's work, and more than half of her novels have a writer or visual artist as a main character. A related theme is the relationship between creative imagination and self-deception. A View of the Harbour is the first of Taylor's books to centre on a creative artist. Beth, a novelist, is portrayed as "blind to external reality", not noticing that her husband is having an affair with her best friend and next-door neighbour. Taylor describes Beth writing a detailed description of a fictional funeral, when she has never attended a real funeral and refuses to attend Mrs. Bracey's, protesting "I shouldn't know what to do. I should hate it." On the other hand, she realises that her talent is limited and that the real value of her work is the pleasure and fulfilment it gives her. Bertram, the other artist character, has a vision of himself as a successful painter, but does not paint very much or with much success, instead spending much of his time visiting. A View of the Harbour also deals with the details of domestic life and the traditional activities of women's work, including cooking, cleaning and child care. Beth's novel writing takes place in the context of her family responsibilities as the doctor's wife and the mother of two daughters. Among the characters whose inner lives are described are the Cazabons' "daily woman" and Mrs. Bracey's daughter, who serves drinks at the pub. Publication history A View of the Harbour was first published in 1947 by Peter Davies Ltd. in England and by Alfred A. Knopf in the United States. Virago Press published it in the Virago Modern Classics series in 1987. In 2018 it was one of 12 novels included in a new Virago series published in celebration of Virago's fortieth anniversary. NYRB Classics republished A View of the Harbour in the United States in 2015. Reception