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suzid's review
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
balancinghistorybooks's review
4.0
Borrowed from the library after finding positive reviews on my Goodreads feed. It was rather a quick read, but the entirety was well paced, and the writing quite elegant at times. Beck moves his tale along nicely, and creates a cast of believable characters which any child - or adult, let's face it - is sure to be captivated by. It put me in mind of Emma Carroll's lovely Frost Hollow Hall, and Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce. A clever plot with rather a cliched ending, that thankfully didn't detract too much from the whole.
mollfie's review
3.0
Review at: http://mostlyreadingya.blogspot.com/2012/01/review-haunting-of-charity-delafield.html
Ian Beck has written for everything from magazines to children’s books, and also illustrated many well loved books as well as other interesting projects such as the National Theatre production programme for Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials theatre adaptation and the 10th anniversary edition books. Ian Beck is a man who knows not just how to write, but how to write well and The Haunting of Charity Delafield is definitely a wonderful novel for children.
From start to finish I liked every character I encountered, even Charity’s controlling father because despite his apparent harshness you could see that he loved her. However I can’t say that I loved any of the characters. At times the characters felt a little under-developed and we know little about them, as if they are simply there to serve the plot. Although there is not anything necessarily wrong with that, it did cause some moment to feel a little flat and at times certain characters, such as Charity’s father, seem to make snap decisions without any real clues as to why.
The setting of The Haunting of Charity Delafield is perfect. The huge, Victorian mansion set within snowy grounds and surrounded by a strange, ancient forest is gorgeous and makes this a wonderful book to read around Christmas time. The links between the house, forest and Charity are woven into the story and lots of little hints are dropped in throughout the book, but many seem insignificant until later on which adds a magical edge. The Victorian setting is not overwhelming for a child who may know little about the period, and it is great to find a fantasy story such as this set in the 1900s, a time when many people still believed in ancient spirits, ghosts and fairies. My favourite thing about the book would have to be its gorgeous cover, also illustrated by Ian Beck, and it was his own painting of a firey haired little Victorian girl in the snow that inspired The Haunting of Charity Delafield, and even the cover has a magical air about it.
From the outset we know that something isn’t quite right about the house and that our main protagonist, Charity, is a unique little girl. However I started the book expecting a haunting, I was waiting for a Victorian ghost story for children but found a very different story instead. That is not to say that I was disappointed. The story is intriguing and very appealing for younger readers, however it does take a while to get going. Luckily just as my interest started to waver the excitement picked up, but then things slowed again. I didn’t feel any real sense of urgency until very near the end of the book. The last quarter of the book is very exciting as everything falls into place. However at the same time it is because of this that I felt the ending was a little rushed. I was also frustrated that everything is explained away and that everyone just accepts it. It is understandable for Charity to accept the magic of the story because of how she is as a character, but her father has a very quick change of heart. Everything is forgiven and forgotten very quickly which seemed a little unrealistic and I have always, even as a child, found it frustrating when a problem was solved or even avoided by magic because it seems dismissive and too easy.
Magic is deftly woven into the pages of The Haunting of Charity Delafield and creates a very special story that I am sure many children will love. However they will need some patience to stick with it. If they do then they will be rewarded with a heart-warming story about family, love, inner strength and magic.
Ian Beck has written for everything from magazines to children’s books, and also illustrated many well loved books as well as other interesting projects such as the National Theatre production programme for Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials theatre adaptation and the 10th anniversary edition books. Ian Beck is a man who knows not just how to write, but how to write well and The Haunting of Charity Delafield is definitely a wonderful novel for children.
From start to finish I liked every character I encountered, even Charity’s controlling father because despite his apparent harshness you could see that he loved her. However I can’t say that I loved any of the characters. At times the characters felt a little under-developed and we know little about them, as if they are simply there to serve the plot. Although there is not anything necessarily wrong with that, it did cause some moment to feel a little flat and at times certain characters, such as Charity’s father, seem to make snap decisions without any real clues as to why.
The setting of The Haunting of Charity Delafield is perfect. The huge, Victorian mansion set within snowy grounds and surrounded by a strange, ancient forest is gorgeous and makes this a wonderful book to read around Christmas time. The links between the house, forest and Charity are woven into the story and lots of little hints are dropped in throughout the book, but many seem insignificant until later on which adds a magical edge. The Victorian setting is not overwhelming for a child who may know little about the period, and it is great to find a fantasy story such as this set in the 1900s, a time when many people still believed in ancient spirits, ghosts and fairies. My favourite thing about the book would have to be its gorgeous cover, also illustrated by Ian Beck, and it was his own painting of a firey haired little Victorian girl in the snow that inspired The Haunting of Charity Delafield, and even the cover has a magical air about it.
From the outset we know that something isn’t quite right about the house and that our main protagonist, Charity, is a unique little girl. However I started the book expecting a haunting, I was waiting for a Victorian ghost story for children but found a very different story instead. That is not to say that I was disappointed. The story is intriguing and very appealing for younger readers, however it does take a while to get going. Luckily just as my interest started to waver the excitement picked up, but then things slowed again. I didn’t feel any real sense of urgency until very near the end of the book. The last quarter of the book is very exciting as everything falls into place. However at the same time it is because of this that I felt the ending was a little rushed. I was also frustrated that everything is explained away and that everyone just accepts it. It is understandable for Charity to accept the magic of the story because of how she is as a character, but her father has a very quick change of heart. Everything is forgiven and forgotten very quickly which seemed a little unrealistic and I have always, even as a child, found it frustrating when a problem was solved or even avoided by magic because it seems dismissive and too easy.
Magic is deftly woven into the pages of The Haunting of Charity Delafield and creates a very special story that I am sure many children will love. However they will need some patience to stick with it. If they do then they will be rewarded with a heart-warming story about family, love, inner strength and magic.
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