A fun, fairy-filled adventure for all ages, when it’s not bogged down by the intricacies of British politics.
In this fantasy novel, an eccentric English lord and a fun, fearless young girl help the human and the fairy worlds unite by saving the fairies’ home garden from being demolished.
Rather than get engaged in local politics, Stephen Eddington, lord of Lopcombe Manor, prefers hiding away in his mansion, buried deep in historical studies. His disconnect from the modern world extends to the period costumes he wears on a regular basis. One day, Stephen and his neighbor Marie, a spirited young girl who admires rather than judges his eccentricities, discover a tiny dictionary of sorts that shrinks the reader down to the size of an insect. From there, they befriend a fairy named Pipogen, who introduces them to the magical world in the nearby East Deanery garden, which they never knew existed, and educates them on its vibrant history. Stephen and Marie are just growing accustomed to the newfound magic in their lives when they learn that the garden is to be demolished and replanted, meaning the fairies’ home will be destroyed. Despite Stephen’s initial misgivings, his friendship with Pipogen and admiration of the fairies sway him into leaving his introverted life behind; he decides to convince the powers that be to leave the garden alone. Debut author Wynne creates a delightfully detailed world full of bucolic English charm and otherworldly magic. However, once Stephen leaves the comfort of the countryside for London in hopes of getting a bill in front of Parliament to protect the garden, the rather lengthy novel begins to run out of steam. London isn’t as magical a place as the garden, and its characters aren’t terribly interesting, perhaps because they’re so centered in reality in comparison to Stephen, Marie and their fairy friends. Up until this point, the plot is rather tangled and confusing at times, much like the weeds running rampant in the garden, though it’s still enjoyable due to interesting historical references and the characters’ quirkiness.
A fun, fairy-filled adventure for all ages, when it’s not bogged down by the intricacies of British politics.Pub Date: June 15, 2013
ISBN: 978-0615755687
Page Count: 340
Publisher: Wake Robin Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.
A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact.
"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.Pub Date: June 15, 1951
ISBN: 0316769177
Page Count: -
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
APPRECIATIONS
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
