Elizabeth Taylor Books

I like this book because the protagonist is not really a very likeable person. But I certainly have a sympathy for her at the same time. She's an individualist and odd. Great!

I loved this book when I read it a number of years ago It was my favorite of all of Elizabeth Taylor's novels. A film adaptation in English by french director, Francois Ozon ("8 Femmes")is coming out, but you must read the book first. I plan to read it again before I see the film.

The novel's heroine is described within as an exotic bloom from a cactus plant: the novel ANGEL itself might be described the same way. Its title heroine grows up spoiled and adored by her shopowning mother and mother's sister; indifferent to their ideas for her future (or indeed to just about anything else), Angel discovers her gift for fantastic fictions translates beautifully into the publishing world, where she becomes a bestselling author of contempibly popular potboilers. Angel accordingly re-invents herself as a glamorous author figure of the Elinor Glyn school, and we follow her through her successes, marriage, eventual popular neglect, and poverty.

ANGEL is a cult favorite among many British novelists, including Hilary Mantel, but is only really transcendent when it allows Angel to strive (at the beginning and the end of her career) against difficult odds. The scene, for example, where she tells off her aunt for planning to make her a ladies' maid is enormously funny and satisfying. But when Angel is rich and successful Taylor seems too invested in scoring points of of her heroine, as if she, too, feared what Angel might do if not kept in her place.

Elizabeth Taylor was unquestionably one of the most intelligent and hard-to-describe British novelists of the mid 20th century. Each of hers novel is very unlike every other novel in terms of its plot, although you'd never mistake her witty way at getting at the springs and balances of genteel middle-class behavior for anyone else's. And yet her work shows strong affinities with her great friend Ivy Compton-Burnett's, as well as with Elizabeth Bowen's and even (at times) with Iris Murdoch's.

IN A SUMMER SEASON, one of Taylor's finest novels, is a striking blend of both comedy and tragedy, centering largely upon the ways in which the young and unsettled cling to that which is older because it seems safe, even when it is not the best thing for them (or for their elders). The middle-aged wealthy widowed Kate has married Dermot, over a decade her junior, mostly for his sexual allure, but he stays clinging to her because she makes it possible for him not to work or grow up; significantly, his own mother wants him to work in a shop selling Victorian antiques. Meanwhile Kate is watched in her marriage by her live-in aunt Ethel, a former suffragist; her son by her first marriage, Tom, who works for his condescending and nagging grandfather in hopes of rising in the family business; and Tom's sister Lou, who nurses a crush upon a middle-aged pastor with High Church tendencies that distress the other townsfolk. Even though the novel's women sport the latest and highest bouffant hairdos of the novel's era (it was published in 1961), the family's telescope in their Thames Valley home gives away their fixation on the ways and comforts of the past, in that it more often than not focused on Windsor Castle several miles away. The novel has some of Taylor's best comic moments in it (there is a very wittily composed section midway through the novel concerning a contentious dinner party featuring a roast turkey that has gone off), and also shows her usual gift for delaying violence until it becomes almost inevitable at the novel's conclusion. This is a novel that should be much better known in the United States, and shows Taylor at her most skilled and intelligent.

I am reading all of Elizabeth Taylor's books, one by one. They are all beautifully written, fiercely intelligent, and both hilarious and heartbreaking at once. Had it not been for an article in the Atlantic Monthly, I would have lived my whole life never having discovered this author, who has become one of my absolute favourites. When you discover a writer that you love, you cannot imagine never having read their words.
I almost feel as if I know her.

Elizabeth Taylor is often compared to other female British writers but somehow the comparisons are not accurate to me. She was different; more intelligent, stronger, and had a wit that showed a subtle brilliance.
Her writing is not typically female, and has a sharp masculine undercurrent about it eventhough her stories are almost exclusively concerned with female domestic life. It's a fascinating contrast.
She once said that she preferred books where "almost nothing happens." Yet her stories are so rich - in dialogue, in analysis of human behaviour. It is "inaction" at its very finest.

Furthermore, she was able to do what few female authors manage: to write male characters authentically - their mannerisms, their voice, their perceptions, in a way that is totally believable. What a rare and wonderful writer she was. If you haven't yet discovered Elizabeth Taylor, how I envy you. You have so much enjoyment to look forward to.

I first heard of Elizabeth Taylor in an Atlantic Monthly review. I am a Barbara Pym fan(atic) and it seemed Taylor would be to my liking. I received In a Summer Season on Thursday and devoured it by Saturday morning. The story was compelling, the characters beautifully drawn and largely sympathetic. Some of Taylor's emotional or psychological insights caused me to catch my breath. I am widely read and slightly cynical, but I found this novel to be that paragon of literature--entertaining, informative, and thought provoking. I highly recommend this author and am only sorry it took me so long to hear of her.

The grossly neglected English novelist Elizabeth Taylor once admitted in an autobiographical note that she enjoyed reading novels "where practically nothing ever happens." Such is the world of her own fiction, as beautifully demonstrated in this her first novel, published in 1945, which shows how much emotionally can happen in a world of practical inaction.

Billeted temporarily to the village and home of the eponymous Mrs. Lippincote to be near her husband, an officer in the RAF, Julia Davenant is expected to be a model officer's wife, serving meals to her husband's commanding officers, joining in the fun had by his fellows and their wives, and behaving so as not to attract attention or to embarrass him. Reminded of these obligations by the model of the domestic Lippincotes that surrounds her in her new home, she chooses instead to escape into an inner world of observation and intellectual reflection as she cares for her husband, her sickly son, and her husband's censorious "odd woman" cousin Eleanor who serves as both company and as foil for the nonconformist Julia. Little happens for a long time in this novel from a practical standpoint though much happens within Julia's and Eleanor's consciousnesses (through which most of this novel is focalized) to prepare us for the explosion at the end of the novel that changes their lives forever, a formal device taylor often replicated in her later novels.

This early work shows Taylor's debts to her friend Ivy Compton-Burnett more clearly than in her later work: as with Burnett, more is indicated through the undercurrents of dialgue than is explicitly said. so that we must interpret (as the characters themselves both do and do not) what is really happening belwo the surface of their comments. This is also one of the most explicitly feminist of Taylor's novels: Julia's and Eleanor's socially stifled situations seem to be that bemoaned by Jane Eyre in Charlotte Brontë's classic novel, which is often mentioned within the text as a kind of counterpoint to this novel. Like all of Taylor's books, AT MRS. LIPPINCOTE'S has a surface facility that belies its thematic and structural complexities; by the end the novel seems to have rushed by, yet when you stop to consider the significance of the young Miss Lippincote's unannounced visits to the house (and the effect they have on the family), or the contrasts among Julia's husband, his solicitous and Brontë-loving Wing Commander who nurtures a crush on Julia, and the raffish and sexually ambiguous Cockney living in their village she knows from London, the meanings of the novel multiply exponentially.

I was reading the Atlantic Monthly which featured an article about Elizabeth Taylor; an author I had never heard of. I have since read Mrs. Lippincote and enjoyed it so much. The writing is intelligent, warm, and funny. It is deliciously English, and considering it was written in the 1940's, surprisingly modern. I am going to read everything this woman wrote - what a pleasant surprise, and I am so grateful to the Atlantic Monthly for making people aware of this fantastic writer.

I could not put down Sheldon Rusch's THE BOY WITH PERFECT HANDS. This page-turner entertained me with a poetic voice set against crumbling characters and events. I was attracted to the suspenseful piecing together of clues and pushed through the grisly scenes. Hewitt remains a volatile mix of emotion and cerebral control, and I am glad for the messiness. Hewitt's friendships and continuing relationships round out her character and create a richly textured emotional landscape. With Hewitt, the reader can take a moment out of a life and question man's humanity to man as well as within himself. It surfaced with a subtleness and imbued this work with a rich patina of things to come. Why read a horror book? Rusch tugs at how love of oneself and others determines a darkness within or a hope for humanity. Where will Hewitt go from here? I cannot wait to see.

A man is found strangled in his home at the same time a woman is found murdered and posed in an outdoor arena. The pattern happens several times. Illinois State Special Agent Elizabeth Taylor Hewitt is assigned the head up the case. Her new captain is not the father figure like her previous one;, in fact he is more like the evil stepfather who never lets Hewitt forget she slept with a serial killer. Elizabeth has a theory that two different people working in tandem are responsible for the series of murders.

Hewitt's first break comes when she notices that in the house of the male victims, the radio was tuned to the classical station WCLS. On the night of the last murder at 3:03 A.M. Nocturne in E. Flat by Chopin was playing. She thinks the killer got into the apartment and played the song working the victim over just as he did with the other male victims. When she goes over to the radio station, she is shocked to learn that the owner is her old high school friend Jimmy Benson. He tells her that the only disgruntled employee he knows is a radio personality he fired. When Hewitt meets that person her instincts tell her he isn't the killer and she moves the investigation into a different direction one that almost costs her and her lover their lives.

Sheldon Rusch proves he is no one hit wonder with THE BOY WITH THE PERFECT HANDS, a mystery that has luscious rich, literary prose, a likeable "everyman" heroine and a group of suspects that could all be the killers. The investigation progresses naturally from one moment to the next and makes the climax feel very right. The protagonist uses tried and true police methods as well as intuition to crack the case wide open.

Harriet Klausner

It needed more information. It was very interesting but not enough to learn more about my kitten. I needed to learn how to train her while she is young. I am looking for a book that talks about outside cat. My kitten, Ashley,cant come in the house when she wants to..I have to let her in. I want to know if it is alright to have an outside kitten. If it is dangerous or not. Cat Care was a good book but not enough.It was at a price I culd offord and it answered almost all my questions. If you have a indoor cat/kitten then I recommend this book to you. Thank You.

Jessica

No, this is not quite The New Encyclopedia of the Cat by Dr. Bruce Fogle, but it does contain some helpful answers for someone who has just found a new cat and needs fast answers.

If you want to know how to choose a cat, lift and hold a cat, train a cat to use a litter box and know what to feed your new pet...then this book will tell you all you need to know.

This also includes Feeding tips, a grooming guide, understanding your cat, health checks, taking care of a sick cat and first aid tips.

There is a section on allowing a new cat outdoors. It explains cat doors, common outdoor hazards and knowing when your cat is ready to go outdoors.

Cats are actually very easy to care for and give you a ton of love in return for your attention. Some of the best toys are rings you find around the milk top from the milk jugs or a piece of string with a feather on the end. Cats love to play and will amuse themselves for hours on their own if they have a feline friend.

I recommend you find two kittens at the same time. Two balls of fur are the most fun and will give you plenty of laughs.

This book is well worth reading and once read, you'll want to read it again. Historically informative and the love story binds it all together so that you don't want to put the book down. They really should make a movie of this one!!

A wonderful story which explores Medieval Spain and the conflict between the Muslims & Christians. Very balanced & informative while keeping your interest with excellent narrative. The characters are well developed & capture your heart. I've read this book at least 4 times. If you enjoy this, I recommend you read "The Lions of Al Rassan" by Guy Gavriel Kay

On the day she became engaged to Brady, Illinois State special agent Elizabeth Hewitt is assigned to what will prove to be one of the most horrific cases of her career. She and the daughter of her mentoring Captain has is daughter Jen Spangler job shadowing her. They are sent to the house of Rita Vandermause. There they find her body in a pool of blood, but her head is nowhere around. The obvious first suspect is the victim's estranged husband Joe, but he is found dead with his head missing too.

A second couple is soon discovered dead with their heads missing. Elizabeth and Jen seek the common threads and learn the latest pair was estranged and like the first duet went to Big Shoulders Therapies for marriage counseling; the other commonality is psychiatrist Dr. Gerald Boccachio. Matters turn bizarre when pictures of the dead couples dressed up for a wedding are sent to Mundelein Dispatch owner Byron Biffle, whose father was murdered several years ago in a still unsolved case. Elizabeth has quite a list of suspects so she sends Jen to interview the person she considers least dangerous; her assessment will prove wrong.

SEPARATED AT DEATH is an exciting police procedural showcasing an experienced cop mentoring a criminology student who starts off shadowing her but eventually persuades her teacher to allow her some independent field work. Both women are believable as bright and independent role models. There is plenty of action in this complex mystery, but the heart of the tale is the strong cast because this makes for a credible and terrific investigation by the two dedicated sleuths.

Harriet Klausner

A new engagement ring adorns the hand of Elizabeth Taylor Hewitt. Liz Hewitt, Illinois State Special Agent, has just become engaged to Brady Stephen Richter, who is also a detective. Weddings and marriage is the main theme of Separated at Death but in the most gruesome way imaginable.

Ed Spangler, Liz's superior, teams Liz up with his daughter, Jen Spangler. Jen is a young single mother who still lives at home with her father. She has decided to study criminal justice at the university. Although her father is not happy with her career choice, he has agreed to allow Jen to shadow Liz and get some experience. Jen's first experience is shocking beyond belief. The first call she goes on with Liz is to a residence where a woman has been murdered. The scene is horrifying but made even more so by the fact that the murderer has removed the victim's head, and it is nowhere to be found.

When Liz and Jen go to talk to the victim's estranged husband, they find that he has fallen victim to the same beheading. Therefore, the two investigators, one experienced, one wanting experience, find themselves going down a strange path. Liz meets with the marriage counselors who have counseled the victims. Big Shoulders Marriage and Family Therapy have a unique assortment of counselors for Liz to study. Jen takes off on her own to follow up a cold case that she thinks might have a connection to the violence currently taking place. Jen meets with Byron Biffle, newspaper editor, whose father was murdered years ago.

Jen and Liz approach the investigation from different angles but finally observe the final ceremony that the killer has planned all along.

Separated at Death will intrigue and shock the reader. I would highly recommend the book for any reader that enjoys an exciting read and is not disturbed by violent acts. This book is not for the cozy reader.

Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended if you can read a good story that also has violent acts in it.

Katie's life is one of loss. Katie not only loses her mother, but also her faith in Jesus Christ. She tells us that she used to talk to Him as the Communion wafer melted in her mouth. Then, her mother is gone, along with her faith. (If Katie is Roman Catholic, then we know her mother died after Katie's seventh birthday; Catholic children make their first Holy Communion during the seventh year of life.) Katie, however, maintains a spiritual connection- she has visions of her mother at the Blessed Virgin Mary. Katie communicates with her mother's spirit, too.

Katie is pushed around by her sister, Diane and best friend, Cherylanne. Both have rocky relationships with the protagonist. (I think Katie deserved a better confidant than Cherylanne. In fact, there is a brief meeting of Katie and her "in-school" best friend.) It makes sense that Katie admires Diane and Cherylanne- she is being physically abused by an unpredictable father. Katie is slapped around, or witnessing her sister's beatings.

Their father creeped me out. I was hoping that Katie would get far enough away from him. Does she? Well, you'll have to read to find out.

Katie will grow on you. You'll want to help her better her life. You'll want to help her find good friends, get away from her abusive father. I did not like the way Diane always treated Katie- but I agree with Diane that the father should have been forced to stop the abuse.

Bridgette is adorable!

Now, for the false advertising- my hardback copy from the library says that, "Katie spends the lazy days of her summer waiting.... waiting for Dickie Mack to fall in love with her" and "until Katie's admiration for her strong-willed sister leads her on an adventure that transforms her life". First, there isn't much in the way of "love" for Dickie, just that Katie remarks she can get Dickie to fall in love with her. And, the adventure is not much of an adventure, nor is it very transforming. You'll see what I mean at the end of the book.

Yes, read this. But keep in mind Katie has a long way to go!

At 12, Katie faces many of the typical adolescent-girl concerns -- stressing over her looks, over keeping up with her sophisticated best friend Cherylanne, over boys. But in other ways, Katie is carrying burdens far too heavy for a girl her age.

She and her older sister Diane are living on an Army base in Texas with their physically and emotionally abusive father following the death of their mother. While Katie gets her share of it -- the book opens with Katie's accidentally causing the toilet to overflow, and being so afraid of her father that she hides under her bed -- her father seems to center the brunt of his fury upon Diane. At 18, she's not holding anything back, and certainly letting her father know she's had enough.

One terrible night, Katie runs into Diane, quietly packing for Mexico, where she plans to live with her boyfriend Dickie. She offers Katie the chance to come along. And while both sisters share the same traumas and heartache, they don't share the same ideas about family and loyalty -- misplaced or not.

This is Elizabeth Berg's first book, and while I personally felt it wasn't as strong as the subsequent ones, I still enjoyed her work. Both Katie and Diane were extremely sympathetic characters, and although some may have written the father as a one-dimensional man, Berg managed to show glimpses of other aspects within him.

If you want to follow the family's story over the course of another year, a sequel called "Joy School" is also available.

Elizabeth Berg is a great writer, this one just didn't resonate with me.
In this book Katie struggles with an all to often distant and violent father. She spends most of her time with the neighbor girl, and trying to get closer to her older sister Diane.
Eventually the sisters runaway- only to have Katie return home to her father, right before they move away.
I love how Berg always knows her character so well. This one moved a little slow, but not too much.
The issue is that - for me- there is no real character growth, and the story is not very deep, or moving, or anything really.
Diane moves away and that is that, they move to Missouri. Her father is still the same person, and Katie is still an adolescent girl with a lot to learn that still walks on eggshells around her father, and still feels guilty when he becomes upset or angered. Katie's dad does finally tell her how she died, how it happened, or rather what finally caused it- but in no way was there suspense leading to this, or adequate drama to make you feel any pain for Katie.

While Katie is an interesting character, her story is nothing unique, and not spellbounding in any way. Instead, the read imagines Katie will go on to live much the same life, and in the sequel you find she does.

Elizabeth Berg is one of my favourite authors, but this book was definitely not written with a mature reader in mind and I did not realize this until after I had purchased the book. For a mature reader, it is a quick easy read but beware, it has an elementary writing style.

Katie has an abusive father and your heart aches for her. Her older sister, Diane, runs away with her boyfriend to Mexico. Katie starts out on the journey with them but has a change of heart. Although the book is a work of fiction, pieces of the author's throught process left me wondering if some of the events were not taken from her own life as a child. If you are in your late teens, the book will likely appeal to you and is definitely worth reading. For anyone older, the writing style will appear to have a child-like quality. Mature readers will find some of Berg's other books, such as "Open House," "Talk Before Sleep" and "Say When" more appealing than this one. All Berg's books are well written but take note that some are written with different age levels in mind.

i was disappointed after this book was suggested to me. nothing ever happens. there are a lot of long winded descriptions and background and very little story.

I found this book to be an interesting read into the mayoralty of Richard Daley. To be sure, Daley ruled Chicago as if it were his own personal fiefdom, employing ruthlessness and corruption on more than a few occasions. In reading this biography, I found that despite his flagrant corruption, Daley did maintain Chicago as an economically viable city at a time when other major Midwestern cities (i.e., Detroit and St. Louis) were crumbling and burning, and suffering from the mass exodous of the middle class. Daley was quite successful in making sure that Chicago did not suffer a similar fate. What interested me as well was the civil rights situation in Chicago during the 1960s. Daley maintained segregation within the city, but reached an accomodation with the black leadership, as they delivered votes to him. In exchange, the black leaders and their supporters received various forms of political patronage. This was in sharp contrast to what was the situation in the South at the time. I think that this difference was exempified by the rather cool treatment that was given to Martin Luther King by the black leadership when he visited Chicago in 1965.

This is a detailed book about the political machine Richard J. Daley built in Chicago. In this book, you realize the corrupt nature of a political machine. Votes were stolen, money squandered on people hooked into the machine, and the violence against those who opposed the policies. It is a wonder that the machine is still somewhat working. Machine politics is a nasty business. Somehow regardless of all this, Richard Daley successfully managed the third largest city in the United States. He improved the administration, built the infrastructure, and generally was not corrupt himself. He was the head of the machine though and bears responsibility for the corruption.

This is an in depth expose of the Richard J. Daley machine. It will take some time to read through the 400 plus pages of this political biography of Daley. A good read for someone interested in Chicago.

As a European visitor on my first trip to the US I was fascinated by the signature of then Mayor Richard M. Daley on so many signs, permits etc. I was also impresssed by the respect and affection many people has for the mayor . This book describes the laying of the foundation of that Daley dynasty by Richard J. Daley. It tends to focus on the machinations of the Democratic Party rather than the benefits Daley brought to Chicago. Not as well writted as Caro's biographies, but still readable. I'm looking forward to reading "The Boss".

A great book with contents delivered in a clear, concise writing style. It reads so fluidly, one can forget he/she is learning history while riding along with a fascinating narrative. I very much enjoyed it and learned a great deal from the exhaustive research that obviously went into the project.

My only criticism, however, keeps me from giving five stars: the co-authors seem obsessed with housing and perceived racism issues in Chicago - at times to the extent that Daley is almost forgotten in their drive to bring home a point. If this is where their academic background is based that is fine, but the reader deserves to know this going in instead of being advertised a full one volume biography type of study. This was an occasional distraction, but one that usually ended soon enough with a paragraph break - welcomed with a 'whew, glad we got back on track'- from this reader.

All in all, a fine book very much worth your time, but be advised not quite what it might seem.

This has to be one of the best biographies that I have ever read. Before reading it, not having grown up in Chicago, I was relatively unaware of the specific goings on regarding the reign of Daley the First. However, upon finishing it, I suddenly have a vastly improved understanding of the man and also of the history of the city during the fifties, sixties, and seventies. Few persons had more power as politicians than Daley did which is quite surprising considering the relative lowliness of his position. It seems inconceivable to us today that he was able to "slate" the entirety of Illinois politicians, but that is precisely what he did for several decades. The secret was his holding onto to the positions of Mayor and Cook County Chief simultaneously. This effectively made him boss until death. By never letting go of them both he was able to run the state. In the 1960 election, he "worked" endlessly to ensure a Kennedy victory (although Kennedy would have won the electoral college even had he lost Illinois).

As a personality, Daley remains distant and incomplete even after the last page of American Pharaoh is turned. I cannot think of another famous person I could say the same about, but the subject's nebulousness is certainly not the fault of the authors. Daley came from the shadows and stayed in the shadows. He was a throwback even at the time he was elected, and as a man he had far more in common with those born in the nineteenth century than those born in the twentieth. The only thing in life which seemed to motivate him was the acquisition of power. He was faithful to wife and had little interest in money or drinking or anything outside the strengthening his empire. Daley was a caricature of ambition, but his drive made him something he, perhaps, was never supposed to be. This is not a work you will soon forget.

This is a great classic story. I read it first as a child and have read it many times since then. The author is British and she writes in a very classic, literary way that may be difficult at first to "get into." However, even written this way it's not a boring story. One of the best things about this book is Velvet's family. The family is portrayed as being dedicated to each other without being sappy and simplistic. The parents are strong moral people. Ultimately, the family is happy and this gives Velvet strength to do a heroic deed.
I keep going back to National Velvet because it is a classic story written without the cheap gimmicks of mystery, cliffhanger's and confrontations. This is a good book for family to read aloud too.

I read this as a child and liked it okay, but re-reading it, it seems a little odd. For one thing, the author keeps referring to the children's hair as "silver" "pale" or "white." Does that mean that they're blond or prematurely gray? Another thing is that the writer seems to take great pleasure in describing the family's meals and making them sound utterly disgusting.

So what about the horse story? It is utterly unrealistic. The protagonist is given five horses on the spur of the moment by a dying man. Legitimate, I guess, but unrealistic. Then she wins another horse in a village. Okay, that's possible, but the horse goes on to win the Grand National after his first ever gymkhana. The girl is a natural rider but hasn't ridden anything but her pony for eight previous years. It's unlikely, that even with her talent, she had the guts to win at the National without ever competing in a hurdle race before.

What is it with these horse heroines that discover wild horses and tame them in a short amount of time to win the Kentucky Derby or the Olympics? Such training usually takes years and years of patient conditioning and practice. As a rider and horse lover, I think this is absurd.

National Velvet by Enid Bagnold is full of fun and super exciting!
Velvet is a girl who lives in a village in England. She dreams of having a horse. Within two weeks she has six! One is a piebald who can jump like a dream. Velvet decides to enter him in the most famous steeplechase in England; the Grand National. Although girls are not allowed to enter Velvet disguises her self as a boy and enters. Can she win the race? Or more importantly, will she get caught?
I was always wondering what would happen next. Because of the two page illustrations I could easily picture every setting. (Refers to an original book club edition, 1935, illustrated by Winslow.) Velvet was crazy to risk her and her horse's life and limb as well as a large fine, which I thought I would never have been able to do. I would have been too scared.
Enid Bagnold shows us that winning is not everything and fame does not last. This timeless story is a lot of fun from cover to cover!

W. Kaplan "calyndula"'s review makes this book sound like a classic. And it is. It's an old story and alot of people like it. But just because something's labeled 'classic', doesn't mean it's always interesting and simply wonderful. Do not be fooled, I love horses and horse books, it's just that this one, put quite simply, is one big yawn. It is often sold with a gold chain with the "Pie" on it. The chain isn't even worth the price: No matter how gentle you are with it, it will eventually break. Until the 15th chapter, there's no excitement, no cliffhangers...not even any tragedies for pete's sake! Just a bunch of silly nonsense and 'classic' dumb 'english' language. It's VERY confusing and hard to understand. I mean, I don't mind some good old-style language, but for heaven's sake! I may sound like an overly critical old-style book hater, but I'm not. The movie was better. I'm just saying this book doesn't deserve 16 chapters. That's my two cents, take it or leave it.

I received this book when I was 9, loved it immediately, and kept it on my bookshelf always. I'm almost 40 now and just reread it (it's one of my "comfort" books) and was once again blown away by the beauty and astonishing metaphors of Bagnold's prose.
She is a lovely writer. I wish I could write as well as her. Our window into the Brown family is clear and uncluttered; we get to watch as the girls relate to each other, speak in their own family shorthand, deal with their similarities and differences. I adore the way the family accepts each other - each with their own quirks and peculiarities. Velvet, with her profound love of horses and her very 14-year-old imagination. Merry immersed in the world of canaries. Edwina on the brink of adulthood. Mally, Velvet's closest friend, sharing candy bars and secret plans.
I was such a girl myself, with my own imaginary stable of mounts... but my appreciation of the book goes beyond a recognition of similarity; Enid Bagnold simply writes with a sophistication few writers for young adults share... with no condecension and no need for explanation.