REVIEW: The Ogilvies' Adventures
Jul. 20th, 2014 09:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feather_ghyllThe Ogilvies’ Adventures: E.L. Haverfield. Henry Frowde Hodder & Stoughton 1913
The Ogilvies are Hester and Sadie, two Canadian girls newly arrived in England. Their English uncle has invited them to come live with him and ‘finish their education’ at the home their mother grew up in. As their parents are in a financial tight spot, they decided to accept the offer, but there’s something of a culture clash. Although Sadie is the elder sister, Hester is the stronger personality and something about her uncle’s charity has woken up her pride. Used to some independence and travelling long distances, they never think that their uncle, whom they’ve never met, will be waiting for them at Liverpool, and decide to make their own way to Coplinton, except it’s the wrong Coplinton and they’ve underestimated how much their dollars will be worth, being inexperienced travellers. Like ‘Dauntless Patty’, they set out on a picaresque journey, but despite making kind new friends, a lot goes wrong, and the frailer and more accident-prone Sadie suffers.
When they reach their Uncle Hubert and Aunt Sarah’s grand house, it is through the kindness of their neighbours – the Fords - a family Uncle Hubert is feuding with. When Hester discovers why through a child, she is not surprised to learn her uncle has been mean. To her, he has been narrow-minded, status-obsessed and dictatorial. Her spirited responses seem to make it worse. Knowing she can’t and won’t be an English young lady along the strict pattern set for her, circumstances allow her to avoid trying to live up to Mrs Ford’s tactful moral guidance, but she does bring an end to the feud, almost despite herself.
Hester was a bit of hard work to like. For instance, she’s determined to be a nurse or a doctor, but manages to be utterly blind to her sister’s physical discomfort.
The story was a bit of a mad mix of clichés – there’s a deranged bull to avoid – and strange turns of events like the unusual prank the sisters accidentally fall victim to.
Hester and Sadie talk in slang that baffles their uncle and aunt, although I’m not sure it’s Canadian per se, and although they claim to be democrats, Haverfield bends over backwards in showing that they really are ladies.
The Ogilvies are Hester and Sadie, two Canadian girls newly arrived in England. Their English uncle has invited them to come live with him and ‘finish their education’ at the home their mother grew up in. As their parents are in a financial tight spot, they decided to accept the offer, but there’s something of a culture clash. Although Sadie is the elder sister, Hester is the stronger personality and something about her uncle’s charity has woken up her pride. Used to some independence and travelling long distances, they never think that their uncle, whom they’ve never met, will be waiting for them at Liverpool, and decide to make their own way to Coplinton, except it’s the wrong Coplinton and they’ve underestimated how much their dollars will be worth, being inexperienced travellers. Like ‘Dauntless Patty’, they set out on a picaresque journey, but despite making kind new friends, a lot goes wrong, and the frailer and more accident-prone Sadie suffers.
When they reach their Uncle Hubert and Aunt Sarah’s grand house, it is through the kindness of their neighbours – the Fords - a family Uncle Hubert is feuding with. When Hester discovers why through a child, she is not surprised to learn her uncle has been mean. To her, he has been narrow-minded, status-obsessed and dictatorial. Her spirited responses seem to make it worse. Knowing she can’t and won’t be an English young lady along the strict pattern set for her, circumstances allow her to avoid trying to live up to Mrs Ford’s tactful moral guidance, but she does bring an end to the feud, almost despite herself.
Hester was a bit of hard work to like. For instance, she’s determined to be a nurse or a doctor, but manages to be utterly blind to her sister’s physical discomfort.
The story was a bit of a mad mix of clichés – there’s a deranged bull to avoid – and strange turns of events like the unusual prank the sisters accidentally fall victim to.
Hester and Sadie talk in slang that baffles their uncle and aunt, although I’m not sure it’s Canadian per se, and although they claim to be democrats, Haverfield bends over backwards in showing that they really are ladies.
