The Strange Affair Of Adelaide Harris (2001) - Plot & Excerpts
The NYTimes Sunday books section recently had an interview with actress Emma Thompson about what she's reading. But what caught my attention were the books that she included among her childhood favorities, like "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase." Since that's also a favorite of mine, her list inspired me to search out "The Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris" by Leon Garfield.Harris and Bostock are friends and schoolmates at Dr. Bunnion's Academy for the Sons of Gentlefolk and Merchants. Harris, the hairbrained leader to the devoted Bostock, decides to conduct an unlikely experiment. He'll puts his new baby sister, Adelaide, out on a country hillside to see if a wolf will come and suckle her, just like they've heard in the tale of Romulus and Remus from their inept teacher at school. But a trysting couple discover the child and carry her off, much to the consternation of the boys.What follows as they attempt to rescue Adelaide — without revealing their part in the plot — is a tale with more twists and turns than Dickens and with a cast of characters that is most definitely Dickensian, though the story is set a century earlier. This little gem — intended for readers 12 and up — is one that will equally captivate adults. The language is replete with puns, similies, big words and a laugh-out-loud literay joke near the end of the story.There is a lot of sexual innuendo, more silly than serious, that made me wonder if parents today would make a fuss over it; which was clearly not the case when it came out in 1971. A satisfying read that will send me in search of other Garfield books. But first I have to read another of Thompson's favorites that I also found in the public library: “The Box of Delights” by John Masefield.Right or wrong, I am a reader who often judges a book by its cover. When searching online for cover images for these two children's books, I discovered the copies I found via the library have illustrations that are much less compelling than other editions. I have to admit that if I had just stumbled across the book with the blah cover I would have been unlikely to give it another glance; while the cover pictured here would have caught my eye and sucked me right in.
This story is hilarious. After hearing the story of Romulus and Remus in his history class, a 12 year old boy decides to leave his infant sister in the woods to see if she'll be raised by a she-wolf. To the boy's dismay, the baby is not found by a wolf, but by a young couple headed into the woods for a tryst. All kinds of zany misunderstandings and misinterpretations of intent ensue as the boy tries to get his sister back. I kept thinking this book would translate well to a theatrical melodrama. I only gave it three stars because it was touted as a great read aloud for kids--but I found the content a bit mature for the elementary/middle school set.
What do You think about The Strange Affair Of Adelaide Harris (2001)?
An entertaining tale of two school boys, Harris and Bostock, who leave Harris's younger sister out in the woods to see if a she-wolf will suckle her like in the story of Romulus and Remus. Instead of being discovered by a wolf though, young Adelaide Harris is rescued by a young girl. The subsequent troubles the boys go through to re-rescue Harris's sister are humorous and convoluted.I enjoyed this book most of the time, but I was sort of frustrated with it at the end because Harris was such a smarty-pants know it all and I was angry with him for the disillusionment of Bostock on matters of God, love, and charity. I know it's supposed to be humorous, but those bits fell flat with me.
—Laurel Hoffman
