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22. A warm blanket of a book
I know I’ve talked about this book before- but it will probably not be the only book I’ve done so in this meme. Hopefully, you missed it. I have several books I reach for when I need some comfort, but the most resembling a warm blanket is Elizabeth and the Garrett Theatre (also published as Stepmother or Those Varney Girls) by Gwendoline Courtney. It was first published in 1948 when YA wasn’t a term, but that’s what it is, and I originally found it among my Mum’s childhood books when I was nine.
It’s a story about four sisters, seventeen, fifteen, thirteen, and nine years old, who live with their widowed father in the English countryside. They have very different tempers, Alison, the oldest is shy and quiet, Elizabeth quick-witted and with a temper, Susan placid, and the youngest, George, mischievous, but all of them are theatre-mad and often set up plays in the garrett. Early in the book, their father returns from a trip to the USA with a new wife, which devastated the sisters. They decide that Nan, the step-mother, must be an awful, scheming person, and makes their best to be as awful to her as possible. Of course, Nan is super-nice, so their rebellion dies down pretty fast, especially as nan comes attached to their idol, a very famous actor.
It’s a book where no one is bad- the closest thing to an antagonist is a pompous and snobbish aunt to the sisters' best friend, people are forever having sumptuous teas and talk Shakespeare and banter. The book focus on the two oldests sister- it’s a bit of a coming-of-age story, but interestingly enough, despite being written in the forties, the focus is not on them growing up to be wife’s and mothers, but rather for them to find a direction in life with suits them best. Nan’s view is that it's useful to learn how to run a home regardless, which is actually pretty sound advice, but it's also clear that her becoming a housewife is not for lack of other options, but because she enjoys it- and that it is by no means ascertain it’s the best choice for everyone. There’s a hint of romance for one of the sisters towards the end of the book, but it isn’t spelled out until the last chapter.
This is the book I reach for when I feel unusually frazzled, and it never fails to make me feel better. It also puts me in the mood to bake something.
All the questions:
( Read more... )
I know I’ve talked about this book before- but it will probably not be the only book I’ve done so in this meme. Hopefully, you missed it. I have several books I reach for when I need some comfort, but the most resembling a warm blanket is Elizabeth and the Garrett Theatre (also published as Stepmother or Those Varney Girls) by Gwendoline Courtney. It was first published in 1948 when YA wasn’t a term, but that’s what it is, and I originally found it among my Mum’s childhood books when I was nine.
It’s a story about four sisters, seventeen, fifteen, thirteen, and nine years old, who live with their widowed father in the English countryside. They have very different tempers, Alison, the oldest is shy and quiet, Elizabeth quick-witted and with a temper, Susan placid, and the youngest, George, mischievous, but all of them are theatre-mad and often set up plays in the garrett. Early in the book, their father returns from a trip to the USA with a new wife, which devastated the sisters. They decide that Nan, the step-mother, must be an awful, scheming person, and makes their best to be as awful to her as possible. Of course, Nan is super-nice, so their rebellion dies down pretty fast, especially as nan comes attached to their idol, a very famous actor.
It’s a book where no one is bad- the closest thing to an antagonist is a pompous and snobbish aunt to the sisters' best friend, people are forever having sumptuous teas and talk Shakespeare and banter. The book focus on the two oldests sister- it’s a bit of a coming-of-age story, but interestingly enough, despite being written in the forties, the focus is not on them growing up to be wife’s and mothers, but rather for them to find a direction in life with suits them best. Nan’s view is that it's useful to learn how to run a home regardless, which is actually pretty sound advice, but it's also clear that her becoming a housewife is not for lack of other options, but because she enjoys it- and that it is by no means ascertain it’s the best choice for everyone. There’s a hint of romance for one of the sisters towards the end of the book, but it isn’t spelled out until the last chapter.
This is the book I reach for when I feel unusually frazzled, and it never fails to make me feel better. It also puts me in the mood to bake something.
All the questions:
( Read more... )
