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scripsi22. 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:
1. A book that haunts you
2. A book that was an interesting failure
3. A book where you really wanted to be reading the "shadow" version of the book (as in, there are traces of a different book in the work and you would have much preferred to read that one)
4. A book with a worldbuilding detail that has stuck with you
5. A book where you loved the premise but the execution left you cold
6. A book where you were dubious about the premise but loved the work
7. The most imaginative book you've seen lately
8. A book that feels like it was written just for you
9. A book that reminds you of someone
10. A book that belongs to a specific time in your mind, caught in amber
11. A book that came to you at exactly the right time
12. A book that came to you at the wrong time
13. A book with a premise you'd never seen before quite like that
14. A book balanced on a knife edge
15. A snuffed candle of a book
16. The one you'd take with you while you were being ferried on dark underground rivers
17. The one that taught you something about yourself
18. A book that went after its premise like an explosion
19. A book that started a pilgrimage
20. A frigid ice bath of a book
21. A book written into your psyche
22. A warm blanket of a book
23. A book that made you bleed
24. A book that asked a question you've never had an answer to
25. A book that answered a question you never asked
26. A book you recommend but cannot love
27. A book you love but cannot recommend
28. A book you adore that people are surprised by
29. A book that led you home
30. A book you detest that people are surprised by
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:
1. A book that haunts you
2. A book that was an interesting failure
3. A book where you really wanted to be reading the "shadow" version of the book (as in, there are traces of a different book in the work and you would have much preferred to read that one)
4. A book with a worldbuilding detail that has stuck with you
5. A book where you loved the premise but the execution left you cold
6. A book where you were dubious about the premise but loved the work
7. The most imaginative book you've seen lately
8. A book that feels like it was written just for you
9. A book that reminds you of someone
10. A book that belongs to a specific time in your mind, caught in amber
11. A book that came to you at exactly the right time
12. A book that came to you at the wrong time
13. A book with a premise you'd never seen before quite like that
14. A book balanced on a knife edge
15. A snuffed candle of a book
16. The one you'd take with you while you were being ferried on dark underground rivers
17. The one that taught you something about yourself
18. A book that went after its premise like an explosion
19. A book that started a pilgrimage
20. A frigid ice bath of a book
21. A book written into your psyche
22. A warm blanket of a book
23. A book that made you bleed
24. A book that asked a question you've never had an answer to
25. A book that answered a question you never asked
26. A book you recommend but cannot love
27. A book you love but cannot recommend
28. A book you adore that people are surprised by
29. A book that led you home
30. A book you detest that people are surprised by
