Review: - Saplings by Noel Streatfeild

Saplings was the last Noel Streatfeild novel I had on my shelves that I had never read before, and having finished it I wish that I'd been able to stray from re-reading more and delve deeper into her adult novels. Being brought up on her children's novels (Ballet Shoes and the rest..) I thought I knew what to expect from her, but Saplings proved me wrong. Yes, it was still told with a similar voice to favourites such as Apple Bough and White Boots; it still had that childish innocence and simplicity in the way that the story was told, but the subject matter, to put it plainly, shocked me. Anywhere but in a Streatfeild novel I would have barely blinked at the regular references to sex, the evidence of the psychological trauma created by death, and the dealings with alcoholism, depression, and attempted suicide, but in Streatfeild, it rocked my safe little world.

I came across the beautiful Persephone edition of the book while rumaging in one of the most awesome second hand bookshops ever, and then it sat on the shelf for ages, and only the impending end of the year finally coerced me into reading it, but I'm so glad that I did. I love it when an author (especially one as well - known and loved as Streatfeild) completely contradicts everything I expect of her, while still letting me know that this is still a Streatfeild book that I'm reading. Saplings is a book about the Second World War, but not at all in the same way that When the Siren Wailed was. The latter was a very simplistic childish account of wartime experiences, told through the eyes of the children only, whereas the former is this and much more - told through a variety of narrators, including the four Wiltshire children, both of their parents, their governess and various Aunts and Uncles, it builds up a hugely diverse, varied and intense account of the experiences of one family through one of the greatest struggles possible for an English familiy to live through in recent history.

Saplings starts off on a beach, with the children, Laurel, Tony, Kim and Tuesday, enthralled by the fact that their parents Lena and Alex have arrived to spend the rest of the holidays with them. The opening scene is an incredibly Streatfeild-esque one - the children are pretty much all showing off for 'Dad', who is the hero of the story, and are planning on swimming out to their raft - a difficult feat for Kim, the showoff of the family, who has never done so before. From this innocuous beginning, the story rapidly intensifies, shocking me by the combination of the words 'passion' and 'naked' in the same sentence by page sixteen! The parts of the story told from the point of view of Lena, the children's mother, are integral to the build up of events - Alex and Lena's relationship is an incredibly intense one, and Lena is not particularly fulfilled by motherhood. Alex is what she lives for, and her love of him is very focused and consuming. You could say that it's her feelings for him which dictate the course of the entire novel.

The major reason that I found the novel so engrossing was the fact that it strayed from the usual happy ever after ending. Although the way the story ends is far from hopeless, it comes very abruptly, and there doesn't seem to much cohesion. Whereas usually the happiness of children is paramount in Noel Streatfeild's novels, this is never the case in Saplings. About a third of the way through the novel and incredibly sad and traumatic event occurs, which I don't want to mention because I'd really love you all to read the book, and after that the children's feelings are only considered from the point of view of the multitudes of relatives who feel they know 'what's best' for them. It was incredibly sad. It was also very sad to read children growing up without the healthy, wholesome, loving environments which are what I loved about Streatfeild's books as a child, and for that reason I'm glad that I waited to be twenty four before reading this novel. I know it sounds a bit pathetic of me to say, but part of me feels like I've had an idol smashed by the experience of reading Saplings. Because I am the age I am, I can enjoy it and realise that the experience I've had with this book eventually makes her a stronger writer for me, and one that I can continue to get to know and love from an adult point of view, rather than always reading her work with an eye for nostalgia. If I'd read it when I was younger, I'm not sure that would have been the case.

The blurb for this book talks about Noel Streatfeild's ability to see the world from a child's perspective, and says that what makes the book special is the way that she uses that skill to explore very adult problems, and this is definintely the case. The novel is basically a coming of age of all of the Wiltshire children to some degree, but mainly of Laurel, and her becoming a woman is marked by the many awful situations she experiences.

Not a happy book, but a very honest one, and a portrayal of the awful rammifications of the Second World War, even for those not directly involved in it, that you don't see often. I highly recommend this book. It gave me a totally new experience with an author I expected nothing new from, and that's an achievement.

Sunday Salon: Six Months of Streatfeild

Happy gorgeous, sunny Sunday, everyone! My year of reading as much Noel Streatfeild as possible is over half way through, so I though it was time to do a roundup post...Before I do that, though here’s a short review of my latest read.

The Painted Garden (also published in the U.S as Movie Shoes)

As a young child, Apple Bough was undoubtedly my favourite Streatfeild, as it was the first one I remember reading to myself, but my favourite bedtime story that I ever had has to be The Painted Garden. This book was definintely one of the more exciting, plot wise. Because each child has an individual plot line, Streatfeild keeps the story very diverse, and the book is never boring. She is also, as always, great at getting inside a child’s head, and explaining very clearly exactly how a child would feel and react in certain situations. I love that reading her books always takes me absolutely back to my childhood. There are points in the book where I remember similar things happening to me as a child, and responding to them in exactly the same way as Rachel, Jane, and Tim do. It was a quick read, and very pacy. Almost by the time I’d got everything straight in my head, the Winters’ were back on the boat to England! The Painted Garden stood up to the re-reading very very well, and if I ever have kids, I’ll definitely be reading it to them!

Loosely promoted as the sequel to Ballet Shoes (it isn’t, really, despite briefly featuring a couple of the Fossil girls), The Painted Garden is about Streatfeild’s trademark three children, Rachel, Jane, and Tim Winter. Rachel is a talented ballerina, and Tim a talented pianist. As is also trademark with many of Streatfeild’s books, Jane, the awkward middle child, is seemingly talented at nothing. As the story begins the children’s father John is suffering a nervous breakdown following a car accident. In order for him to recover, the doctor orders him to warmer climates. As a result the entire family – John and his wife, Bee, the three children and their nanny, Peaseblossom – are invited to California to stay with Aunt Cora. Starting with the six day boat trip from Southampton to New York, the Winters’ embark on an exciting journey, via boat and train, to pastures new, where great things await for all of the children. Rachel meets Posy Fossil, the famous dancer (and of Ballet Shoes fame) who takes her under her wing, and brings her to Saturday dancing classes with a world-renowned ballet troupe, Tim finds a piano to practice on in the Antonio’s drugstore, where he is noticed and put on Hiram’s Hour, a weekly radio programme, and Jane, who dreams of one day being a lady dog walker, manages to get herself (via way of a ‘neglected’ dog named Hyde Park) the part of Mary, in a film of The Secret Garden.

So, that was a very mini review, but if I’m honest I do find it hard to write long reviews of most of Noel Streatfeild’s books. It tends to be issues around reading that they make me think about, rather than the books themselves. For instance, this most recent book made me think about the value of reading as adults, the books we loved as children, and what it is that makes certain books enjoyable as re-reads, and others book which really do only work when you’re a child. When I’ve mulled this over a bit more, there’ll probably be a post on it. In the meantime, does anybody have any ideas?

I’ve read ten of Noel Streatfeild’s books so far this year, and have another seven on my shelf. I’ve also started searching for more. The books I’ve read so far are:

·         The Growing Summer (re-read)

·         White Boots (re-read)

·         Dancing Shoes (re-read)

·         Apple Bough(re-read)

·         When the Siren Wailed

·         A Vicarage Family

·         Away from the Vicarage

·         Beyond the Vicarage

·         Meet the Maitlands

·         The Painted Garden (re-read)

I really can’t pick a favourite, so my top three are The Painted Garden, The Growing Summer, and White Boots.

On my shelf, I have still to read:

·         Thursday’s Child (re-read)

·         Far to Go (re-read)

·         Party Frock (re-read)

·         Tennis Shoes

·         Saplings

·         Curtain Up

·         Ballet Shoes for Anna

This challenge has been really good for me – it’s like the best kind of comfort reading. Every book is like curling up with a massive mug of tea and a big slice of cake with some awesome kind of icing. I love it!

Also, don't forget to visit tomorrow for the UK and EU Giveaway Hop that I'm taking part in! Free book, you know you want to! :-)

In Which I Rant about Streatfeild, and the Love of Books

Now that I've finished the final volume of Noel Streatfeild's autobiography, I though I'd take the opportunity to review both the second and third volumes, Away from the Vicarage, and Beyond the Vicarage, at the same time. The thing that stuck with me most about all of the volumes is that none of them end in the way that reading any of her children's books would lead you to expect. Because of this, I found myself more interested in them than I probably would otherwise have been. While all three volumes still have a very distinct Streatfeild style about them, the second and third volumes move out of childhood, and as well as the usual difficulties associated with growing up, she not only lived through, but was actively involved in, two world wars.

Since I started this project, it has been constantly surprising me. As a child, I absolutely devoured her books, and for some reason this led me to believe that I knew all about her. It's very odd, now I think about it, how, as a child, I was convinced that all authors must be exactly like the voices of their books...
The first thing to surprise me was the sheer volume of her output, and also that initially, she was not a children's author (totally weird, given that up to starting this project, I didn't realise she had written anything but children's books!) In fact, she only wrote Ballet Shoes in the first place under duress, and pretty much hid from its' success. It wasn't until the '60s, thirty years or so after the publication of Ballet Shoes, that she decided to write solely for children.

The thing that most amazes me about her, though, is that (at least the way she tells it) she pretty much just decided she wanted to be a writer, wrote a book, and somebody published it, from where she went on to write book after book. Having 'wanted to be a writer' my whole life, I had all the creativity knocked out of me by my university creative writing course, and pretty much had no inspiration to write anything at all until suddenly the blog idea came along, back in January. For a while, I proofread, and if I'm honest this is still something I aim to do in the future - there's something very satisfying about feeling like you're having a hand in making something better. Still, to 'just decide' to write a novel, and sit down then and there and write it, is amazing to me.

Also, at the same time all this writing was being done, Streatfeild was a member of the WVS, runing a mobile canteen, basically feeding people in the air raid shelters, and, between the wars, taking long trips to America, and travelling around with circuses, for research. Away from the Vicarage deals with her time as an actress, and a particularly terrible tour in South Africa, which seemed to have been cursed, as there was illness, accidents, and even several deaths. Just as she had made a plan to retire from acting and become a writer, the books ends with the sudden death of her father.

The final volume, Beyond the Vicarage, basically charts the rest of her life, through the Second World War, and on to middle, and then old, age. My favourite quote from the book is the last sentence:

"Don't be afraid, I'm sure you'll find there's a world of interest still to come." (p214)

All three of the books were well written and very informative. They explain a lot about Streatfeild's books, and why they are the way that they are, and for me personally, it's nice to have some background to the things that I'm reading. The more of Noel Streatfeild's work I read, the more I realise that the kind of writer I'd like to be is one like her. A writer whose work seems effortless, who doesn't seem to struggle for inspiration (though I'm sure there were times when she did!), but above all, a writer whose work comforts people and makes them feel better. That, more than everything else, is why I will never stop loving her books.

This project has given me renewed enthusiasm to read as much as I can, to fully immerse myself, not just in Streatfeild, but in everything I read: to get the absolute most out of books, and to apply the things I read to my life. I was on the website of one of my new favourite authors, Sarah Addison Allen, the other day (I know, I'll stop going on about how good she is someday soon, I promise, but in the meantime, go, read!), and I was reading a short essay she wrote, entitled Just So You Know. Anybody who loves books, go and read this now, I guarantee it will make you smile. For now, I'll stop my rambling, and leave you with this:

You fall in love with every book you touch. You never break the spine or tear the pages. That would be cruel. You have secret favourites, but, when asked you say that you could never choose. But did you know that books fall in love with you, too?

Happy reading, all.

A Vicarage Family by Noel Streatfeild

Yay, the writing bug is back! :-) It feels like ages since I last reviewed anything, so last night I sat down and wrote this, and I'm sooooo glad I did. The sun is shining, I'm excited about reviewing books again, all is right with the world. So, this is the latest update on my Noel Streatfeild Challenge. I'm having a lot of fun with this so far, and really enjoying starting to read some of her books that I haven't before! The copy of A Vicarage Family which I got from the library was a mega old one, first borrowed in the 1970s. Interestingly, it was borrowed consistently throughout the '70s and '80s, but then only three times between 1993 and 2011. I guess it's representative of the decline in Streatfeild's popularity... and it's a shame. Anyway, on to the review!

A Vicarage Family is the first part of Noel Streafeild's autobiography. She says that she has changed the names, because it is only the truth as she remembers it, and acknowledges that it may not be the truth as it actually was. It follows the Strangeway family - the father is a vicar, and the novel documents the childhood of the Strangeway children, Isabel, Victoria (Noel), Louise, Dick, and their cousin, John.

I really enjoyed the novel. I've enjoyed all of Streatfeild's work, so far, but I liked this on a different level. Victoria is instantly recognisable as the awkward middle child, who just doesn't seem to be able to get anything right, and whose attitude and problems with authority are constantly causing her to get into trouble. In her, I can see where Streatfeild got the ability to create such characters as Jane Winter (one of my favourites..) in The Painted Garden : children who feel untalented and unloved, and so become products of an environment where their siblings are constantly favoured and prioritised above them. 

The book had all of her usual charm and comfortable feeling about it, but it was much more gritty than I'm used to - for the first time, the First World War actually left its mark on the book, rather than just passing over or around it. Even books like When the Siren Wailed, which is ostensibly about the war, didn't really feel like they engaged with it as much as this novel did, and for me, that took it to a completely different level.

Having read this, I'm starting to see similarities to different parts of all her other novels, and maybe it's the authentic touch of reality which is what I love about Streatfeild. Her books often feel like my own childhood. The book was published in 1963, well after the success of Ballet Shoes, etc, so in some ways I suppose it can be seen as a kind of explanation of her children's books.

I'm starting to think the first book I read when embarking on this challenge, should have been a biography of Streafeild. When I was at university,a  few professors used to tell us that for every new author we read, we should read a biography, as understanding the author's life experiences and their historical period, often helps to better understand their work. I really wish I had enough hours in the day to be able to fit in reading a biography of every author I read, especially the ones I love, but realisitically, given my huuuuuuuge TBR pile, plus the fact that I do have a job, and a life outside of reading a blogging (ish, anyway!), a house to clean, and friends who expect me to at least vaguely keep in touch with them, it's not going to happen. So, for the moment at least, I'm stuck with reading author bio's on Goodreads and Wikipedia, and from the introductions in books. Reading A Vicarage Family helped give me at least a little bit of insight into Noel Streatfeild, and what caused her to write in the way that she did. I am planning to read the other 2 installments of her autobiography, as and when the library get them in for me, and I'm also planning to read a biography, just to see if somebody else's view of her life even slightly tallies up with her own!

Rating: ****

(I've decided I give out too many 5 star ratings, so I'm stopping. Unless they actually are earth-stoppingly good. This was great, but the earth kept turning....)

Review: Apple Bough & When the Siren Wailed

Apple Bough  was my absolute favourite book for a while, when I was around 8. I used to borrow it from my school library over and over again, until they made me let somebody else have a turn. It is the most comforting, reassuring book I can think of, and rereading it didn't disappoint me.

Apple Bough is a big, old house, with an overgrown garden. The kind of house that's a bit dilapidated, a bit the worse for wear, kind of like the threadbare teddy you've had forever, whose ear is falling off because you cuddled him too much. It is home to the Forum children: Myra, Sebastian, Wolfgang, and Ethel, and their parents. When Sebastian is eight, he gets noticed as a child prodigy violinist, and all of the children have to go on tour with him. Apple Bough is sold, and the children become 'world citizens'.

Basically, the book is about children who want a home. The obstacle to this is that all of the younger children are extraordinarily talented: Sebastian a violinist, Wolfgang an actor and wannabe writer of pop songs, and Ethel a dancer. What Streatfeild does so well here, as in so much of her work, is to present the plight of the child who believes herself to be completely untalented and worthless.

There's a huge wish fulfilment quality in Streatfeild's work, and the endings are almost always happy. Of the novels that I've read so far, the ones that I adore the most are the ones with the most fantastically impossible happy endings; the kind of endings you always want in reality, and only ever get in books. This is still one of my absolute favourite books, ever.

Rating: *****

When the Siren Wailed

I thought that I hadn't read this book, but when I got about half way through, I realised that I had. And there's a reason why I didn't remember it. It's the first Noel Streatfeild book I've read that was only OK. It's set in the Second World War, and if I'm honest, the central characters, Laura, Andy and Tim Clarke, reminded me a lot of the children from Disney's Bedknobs and Broomsticks. I do want to just point out that I totally love Bedknobs and Broomsticks, but the children in it, as they do here, feel a bit like caricatures. There was no central character to immediately fall in love with, and for me that was a huge loss to the story.

This book had none of the comfort and charm of Apple Bough, and, reading it directly after the other, that bothered me. For me, the major charm of Streatfeild's work is the satisfaction of children who have big dreams, managing to find a way to make them come true, and that was missing here. I've read a lot of literature, both now and as a kid, about the war, and while it's always been a subject that's interested me, and I do feel it's particularly important for kids to learn about the things that happened then, 8 year old me wishes that Noel Streatfeild, for me the queen of safe, comforting, uplifting and inspiring books which make children feel they can do anything, hadn't ventured into this kind of subject.

Rating: ***



White Boots and Dancing Shoes, by Noel Streatfeild

For a while, I've wondered why it is that Noel Streatfeild writes so much about 'shoes', and about children in the showbusiness and entertainment worlds, and then I discovered that she was an actress herself, before becoming a writer. For me, the worlds conjured up by her books were always hugely vivid, and on re-reading them, I was not disappointed. As an adult (supposedly, anyway!) reading Streatfeild's work is as delicious and comforting as it was when I was eight, and I think that this is a product of her consistency and attention to detail, coupled with her ability to create characters who resonate with her readers.

My copy of 'White Boots' is absolutely ancient! It may well have belonged to my mother in her youth, and I certainly remember first having this copy read to me as a bedtime story, many years ago. In comparison, the copy of 'Dancing Shoes that I have is one of the re-released ones, with the very girly pink covers, which makes it look like an Angelina Ballerina book! Subject-wise, though, the books are very similar, probably unsurprisingly, given their respective publication dates of 1951 and 1957.

'White Boots' is about Hilary Johnson, a girl from a poor family, whose doctor prescribes that she go skating as a way to build up her strength after a long illness. At the rink, she meets Lalla Moore, a girl whose father was a skating world champion, and since his death, her aunt has convinced her, and everyone around her, that she will follow in his footsteps. The book follows the story of their friendship, and not only the differences between being rich and poor, but the advantages money can bring as well as highlighting the emptiness it can cause in the life of an only child.

'Dancing Shoes' also highlights social inequality, as well as sharing the sort of morals present in lots of Streatfeild's books; that people who are nice usually get good things happening to them. It has similarites to 'Ballet Shoes', which is a book I love!

It is about orphaned Rachel Lennox, and her adopted sister Hilary. After their mother's death, they are brought to live with their aunt and uncle, and spoiled cousin, Dulcie. Simply put, Dulcie is the star of her mother's dancing school, and really doesn't like it when Hilary turns out to be as good as her. Again, this is basically the story of the relationship between Rachel and Hilary, and about people getting their just deserts.

Streatfeild has a way of describing things exactly as you can imagine a child of the time might, and this, as well as the wish-fulfillment quality of her storylines, where her characters always end up getting the thing they have worked and hoped for, is what makes me love her books. I could keep reading them forever, but I feel that I need to stretch my brain a bit after three of her books in a row, so I'll take a break for now, but there's a pile of her books in the corner which will be calling out to me before long!!

Rating: both *****

A New (and slightly obscure) Challenge

So yesterday I was up in London with my fiance, and we found an amazing Oxfam bookshop, in which I was rummaging, when I came across a copy of one of my absolute favourite books growing up, 'The Growing Summer', by Noel Streafeild. Then I started thinking about how much I adored her books as a child, and how great it would be to reread them, and on doing a bit of digging I discovered that she's written a huge amount more than I had previously realised. Given my current addiction to challenges, I thought that I'd set myself a little bit of a trial and see how many I could read in 2011. (I think that this will include rereads, as it's been years since I read any really) I think that most people would know her primarily as the author of Ballet Shoes, but would be interested to hear if anybody else loved her books as a child!

Just as an aside, here is an awesome poem from 'The Growing Summer':

The Courtship of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo
Edward Lear 1812-1888

On the Coast of Coromandel, Where the early pumpkins grow, In the middle of the woods Lived the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. Two old chairs, and half a candle, One old jug without a handle, These were all his worldly goods: In the middle of the woods, These were all the worldly goods Of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. Of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. Once, among the Bong-trees walking Where the early pumpkins grow, To a little heap of stones Came the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. There he heard a Lady talking, To some milk-white Hens of Dorking, "'Tis the Lady Jingly Jones! On that little heap of stones Sits the Lady Jingly Jones!" Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. "Lady Jingly! Lady Jingly! Sitting where the pumpkins grow, Will you come and be my wife?" Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. "I am tired of living singly, On this coast so wild and shingly, I'm a-weary of my life; If you'll come and be my wife, Quite serene would be my life!" Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. "On this Coast of Coromandel, Shrimps and watercresses grow, Prawns are plentiful and cheap," Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. "You shall have my chairs and candle, And my jug without a handle! - Gaze upon the rolling deep (Fish is plentiful and cheap) - As the sea, my love is deep!" Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. Lady Jingly answered sadly, And her tears began to flow, "Your proposal comes too late, Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo! I would be your wife most gladly!" (Here she twirled her fingers madly) "But in England I've a mate! Yes! you've asked me far too late, For in England I've a mate, Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo! Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo!

"Mr Jones - (his name is Handel - Handel Jones, Esquire, & Co.) Dorking fowls delights to send, Mr Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo! Keep, oh! keep your chairs and candle, And your jug without a handle, I can merely be your friend! - Should my Jones more Dorking send, I will give you three, my friend! Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo! Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo! "Though you've such a tiny body, And your head so large doth grow, Though your hat may blow away, Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo! Though you're such a Boddy Doddy - Yet I wish that I could modi- fy the words I needs must say! Will you please to go away? That is all I have to say - Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo, Mr. Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo!" Down the slippery slopes of Myrtle, Where the early pumpkins grow, To the calm and silent sea Fled the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. There beyond the Bay of Gurtle, Lay a large and lively Turtle; "You're the Cove," he said, "for me; On your back beyond the sea, Turtle, you shall carry me!" Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. Said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. Through the silent-roaring ocean Did the Turtle swiftly go; Holding fast upon his shell Rode the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo, With a sad primaeval motion Towards the sunset isles of Boshen Still the Turtle bore him well, Holding fast upon his shell. "Lady Jingly Jones, farewell!" Sang the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo, Sang the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. From the Coast of Coromandel Did that Lady never go; On that heap of stones she mourns For the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. On that Coast of Coromandel, In his jug without a handle, Still she weeps, and daily moans; On that little heap of stones To her Dorking Hens she moans For the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo. For the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo.

The list of her books is here, and if anybody else wants to join in, feel free! :-)