A review by foggy_rosamund
Robinsons Tochter by Jane Gardam

4.0

In 1906, Polly Flint's father leaves her in the care of two elderly aunts in a large house on a windswept coast. For the rest of her life, this house is central to Polly's existence. She compares herself to Robinson Crusoe, marooned in a house instead of on an island, and not entirely sure which century she belongs to. But Polly's life isn't static: she falls in love, she meets writers and artists, she takes in refugees, and her life is full of huge tragedies and small despairs. Polly is an utterly believable heroine, often acting against her own best interest, and yet trying her hardest. The world in which she lives is full of tragedies: the death of children, the loss of companionship, the loneliness of existence, and yet richly populated by literature, reading and the imagination. Friendship and love appear in unexpected places, and class or social barriers quickly break down. This a strange and moving book, with a strong narrative voice and a believable central character. Both deeply melancholy and strangely optimistic, I enjoyed it.