I love books about old country houses, and although the Four-Story Mistake isn’t quite so old, it’s still a house with secrets, and I loved discovering them with the Melendys. I especially loved all the kids’ exclamations of disgust at how dumb they are as they discover the secret room because what I love most about Enright is her realistic capturing of children and their dialogue. I feel as if the Melendys could have actually existed, as if they were actually real children who grew up during the 40s.I loved the fact that the children played outdoors all the time (no television!), that they explored and biked and swam all day, every day. Enright’s books are deliciously free of PC, angst and dark material that so many children’s and YA books tend to have nowadays. Reading these books is like a refreshing spring breeze blowing across your face, something to delight and revel in. I wish more books were written about children making their own fun, hearing stories, discovering secret treasures, making plays and shows, working to help with the war effort and with the family finances, being active participants in the world, rather than being passive participants.I’ve always thought this was my least favorite book in the quartet, but it’s really not. I love this book a lot; it’s a nice departure from the formula of The Saturdays while still keeping that old Enright charm and humor.Overall, Elizabeth Enright is amazing and her books are amazing. The Four-Story Mistake is about children having fun in their new house in the country, before things like television and technology kept children inside. Not only do they have fun, but they also each do their own part to help out around the house, through chores and jobs, etc. I love the Melendy family, what else can I say?
07/11This time through, I was struck anew by the brilliance of Enright's writing. She's subtle, she's hilarious, she's... well, brilliant. I suspect she's a large part of the reason I'm such a harsh Goodreads rater. This book is one of my favorites. Each of the characters is so distinct, so singular, so real (even the dogs, for heaven's sake) that the inclusion of "Mona said" and "Rush said" is practically superfluous.The storyline is lovely. There's just enough, never too much. It's not the least bit dated, though it is quite firmly rooted in WWII. I'm still trying to decide what I feel dates a book, as I've had some disagreements regarding this with other Goodreads people (Wendy, I'm looking at you). I do so love the Melendys. 01/10I love this one more than The Saturdays. I love the wartime flavor, the feeling of what it was like to be a kid during WWII, how it permeated everything in ways I'd never thought of. I love the move to the country, and the barefoot joy that comes along with that. I love the wild night with the fever and the storm. I love the way Enright allows her lyrical style to run rampant. I love Clarinda and the caddis houses and the dam. And the illustrations, of course, oh how I love the illustrations.
What do You think about The Four-Story Mistake (2002)?
Nice, but not as special as the first Melendy book. Part of it may be that I personally find adventures in the city but interesting than pleasant living in the country, but I also think the narrative tone has shifted. In The Saturdays I thought Enright really captured the perspective and feelings of the children. Here, I still liked the siblings and their relationships, but the narration felt more like an adult onlooker, and there was a little too much of that "aww, aren't the kids sweet?" tone. Also, I preferred the more discrete, start-to-finish episodic stories of the various outings in New York City over the way Enright here brought things up and then dropped them to come back to later. The lack of transitions made the shifts too abrupt. But it was still a nice book, maybe more appealing to kids who haven't lived in the country themselves.
—Miriam
Although it's rather treacle-y, I like this book. I first read it as a child and then couldn't remember the title for the next 20 years. Now that I have discovered its identity I am re-reading. Although nothing much happens in the book it's still a fairy tale from beginning to end. How *spoiler* likely is it that 50 people would pay to see elementary schoolers in a play, with both singing AND dancing, that their own children are not even in?! Their car blows a tire so to save money they buy a pony and carriage? The policeman gives them a gift of an alligator for Christmas? Whatever, I still want their house.
—Katiekins
A very nice juvenile story. Holds alot of nostalgia and sweetness from a slower and simpler place in time. That is, if you can get past the 'golly' and 'swell' exclamations within the text! :)None of the children got up to anything terribly bad - the worst thing was sneaking out of a bedroom window to sit in a treehouse - and this was refreshing. But there were many fun adventures and family outings to read about.Will fill in the missing volumes of this series and read when I need something like a nice soft, warm blanket to cosy up in!
—Susan
