Reviews

Very enjoyable. I like how the author made what could be ordinary things happening to a group of young siblings sound like a series of adventures, and how the author talks to the reader, in the way of "you know how this works, being a child, so you know exactly what they're experiencing" or referred to everyday details which are now historical ones to us, this being written and taking place in the early 20th century.

vawiskandarrr's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

megelizabeth's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

"But one never knows. Very wonderful and beautiful things do happen, don’t they? And we live most of our lives in the hope of them."

I'm glad I finally read this and I enjoyed it overall, although it didn't have as much emotional impact on me as I was expecting it to. I loved getting to know each of the siblings and the relationships they have with each other, and I thought that childhood and adventure were depicted just brilliantly. I also found the narrative voice really interesting and unique, which added an element to the reading experience that I hadn't been anticipating. There are lots of interesting topics and themes in here and I can see why it's become a classic.

I found one element towards the end slightly odd, as generally this seemed fairly ahead of its time but then there's a load of misogyny suddenly thrown in without any real exploration or explanation. Maybe that was also part of why this one didn't hit as hard for me. It was still an enjoyable read though and definitely interesting to think about in its cultural and historical context and also, of course, in terms of the impact it's had.

Content Warnings