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A review by lucyannunwin
The Secret Life of Daisy Fitzjohn by Tania Unsworth
5.0
It’s rare in fiction you can say your favourite characters are a hedge and a rodent; but True, the topiary horse, is heartbreakingly brave and honest, and Tar, the black rat, has a delicious love of language almost as obsessive as his appreciation of filthy food. These are the kind of characters that populate this magical tale, just as they populate the secret, lonely world of Daisy Fitzjohn.
Daisy is an 11 year old, born and brought up in her mother’s grand old house; Brightwood Hall. But she has never left its grounds, or even met another human being besides her mum. Instead her friends are the pictures on the wall, the animals that live on the grounds, and imaginary friends that cajole and encourage her. Her unique and fragile existence is uprooted one day, when her mum fails to return from a shopping trip, and a strange man turns up at Brightwood Hall instead.
This beautiful, adventurous, existential tale is captivating from beginning to end, full of characters to feel for; from Daisy’s damaged mother, to the creatures of her imagination. I’m constantly looking for books to read to my 5-year-old, and I think she is still a little young for the emotional punch of this book - it had me sobbing by the end. But I thoroughly enjoyed it as an adult, and I already look forward to sharing it with her, perhaps from 8 upwards.
Daisy is an 11 year old, born and brought up in her mother’s grand old house; Brightwood Hall. But she has never left its grounds, or even met another human being besides her mum. Instead her friends are the pictures on the wall, the animals that live on the grounds, and imaginary friends that cajole and encourage her. Her unique and fragile existence is uprooted one day, when her mum fails to return from a shopping trip, and a strange man turns up at Brightwood Hall instead.
This beautiful, adventurous, existential tale is captivating from beginning to end, full of characters to feel for; from Daisy’s damaged mother, to the creatures of her imagination. I’m constantly looking for books to read to my 5-year-old, and I think she is still a little young for the emotional punch of this book - it had me sobbing by the end. But I thoroughly enjoyed it as an adult, and I already look forward to sharing it with her, perhaps from 8 upwards.