A lyrical, atmospheric family story, with a surprising amount of suspense and some great plot twists at the end. I wonder if Rumer Godden wrote for the stage; The Greengage Summer is perfectly structured in three acts with all the plot points in just the right places. I would love to see this in ...
I'm not even a doll person but I immediately fell in love with this book! Even now I'm hard pressed to say who captivated me more, the adorable little dolls named in the title who speak (only to the reader of course!) throughout this children's-book-for-adults or lonely Nora suddenly finding her...
The Dolls' House is about a group of dolls who all come together and are owned by two little girls, Emily and Charlotte. The main doll, Tottie, was the girls' Great-Great Aunt's and had been passed down to them. The other dolls that they have were all ones that were given to them. The dolls all w...
Dark Invader is a beautifully bred racehorse, but after a disappointing first season he is sold in disgrace and shipped from England to Calcutta. With love and gentle handling 'Darkie' wins the hearts of the people and becomes the firm favourite for India's most famous race, the Viceroy Cup.But t...
Read through it quickly so can’t comment in depth on it. However, two particular themes impressed upon me: the importance of creativity and that people develop at different rates. The creativity that children seem to possess in limitless droves seems to gradually diminish as we learn more about w...
I read An Episode of Sparrows when I was a child growing up in post-World War II Liverpool. It was first published in 1955 when I was eight-years-old. It's said you can't go back, but I'm convinced this book is as good as I remember it. I've ordered a copy and look forward to immersing myself in ...
LITTLE GIRLS AT WAR OVER JAPANESE DOLLSRumer Godden specializes in creating a gentle fantasy world where dolls have Lives--or in this case, Thoughts--of their own. Nona and Belinda Fell treasure their three Japanese dolls: Miss Happiness, Miss Flower and Little Peach. These special "persons" enjo...
This is a novel about prejudice—or perhaps more accurately—assumptions, preconceptions and misconceptions. It is also a story about growing up. The two themes are intertwined, for part of the growing-up process is having one’s preconceptions stripped away, sometimes painfully, leaving awareness ...
I first read this book when I was 9 or so and its memory has never left my mind. liked Kizzy, the little Diddakoi (Traveller) girl perhaps because I could subconsciously relate to some of her struggles, especially those of perceived foreignness when one is the only dark-skinned kid in the class. ...