REVISITING: The Painted Garden
Oct. 27th, 2007 09:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feather_ghyllThe Painted Garden: Noel Streatfeild. Puffin (?) edition, illustrated by Shirley Hughes
There may be spoilers for Ballet Shoes herein.
This is the story of the Winter family (John and Bee, the parents, Peaseblossom - not actually a Winter, but fairy godmother, governess and help - and the children, Rachel, Jane and Tim) going to Santa Monica, California for one winter for John's health. The children perversely don't want to leave London for the sun, however. Well, it's not perverse to them: Rachel is a budding ballerina, and, aged 12, she's got her first chance at a professional engagement, wannabe pianist Tim has just been offered really good lessons and Jane, the difficult middle child, is refusing to leave Chewing-gum, the family dog. However, the adults don't listen to them, insisting the trip will be of benefit to all three children, as, of course - with several twists - it will be. Rachel meets Posy Fossil, the ballerina whose childhood is related in Ballet Shoes, who opens all sorts of doors for her. Tim gets a piano to practice upon in the face of a neurotic hostess's opposition. And Jane?
Jane is given the chance to play Mary in a film adaptation of The Secret Garden. Jane, the one who isn't attractive and has never been considered talented, the one who makes scenes, and, at her worst is rude and black-doggish, which, with her intelligence and good memory, actually makes her surprisingly able to play Mary. Streatfeild borrows some of that book's plot (particularly when it comes to Jane's fellow child actors) as Jane is made to see what a horror she can be (although she doesn't go through such a transformation as Mary).
What also struck me is that there's a strong resemblance to the Fossils in the three Winter children's types (and in their need for money). Rachel is as promising as Pauline. and actually came across as less bland to me; in these rereads, Jane is the odd one out, like Petrova, wanting to play her part in making the family shine, but rather despairing of it; while Tim has Posy's india-rubberish monomania and confidence, which makes both very funny characters. The similarity almost extends to the adults, because Bee is a bit like Sylvia, well-meaning and loving but just a tad feeble, while Peaseblossom is a bit like Nanny, a disciplinarian, a bit prim. Although, I did spend some time trying to make head or tail of her position in the family. What does she live off? Why is she doing this? was this a common occurence in England in the 40s? If she was this great head girl, how did she end up in this live-in position with the Winters? If there were a published bit of backstory for her, that would be marvellous.
The children are both independent and human, Jane isn't the only brattish one, Tim especially can give her a run for her money at times, and even sensible Rachel isn't a paragon. Despite illustrator Shirley Hughes's belief that Tim is the hero, the focus is on the three children (and perhaps a notch more on the girls), but it has time for the adult perspective, which is probably a part of why it was more satisfying for me than Ballet Shoes.
Now, what was strange was to read about British children who knew so little about the US.
There may be spoilers for Ballet Shoes herein.
This is the story of the Winter family (John and Bee, the parents, Peaseblossom - not actually a Winter, but fairy godmother, governess and help - and the children, Rachel, Jane and Tim) going to Santa Monica, California for one winter for John's health. The children perversely don't want to leave London for the sun, however. Well, it's not perverse to them: Rachel is a budding ballerina, and, aged 12, she's got her first chance at a professional engagement, wannabe pianist Tim has just been offered really good lessons and Jane, the difficult middle child, is refusing to leave Chewing-gum, the family dog. However, the adults don't listen to them, insisting the trip will be of benefit to all three children, as, of course - with several twists - it will be. Rachel meets Posy Fossil, the ballerina whose childhood is related in Ballet Shoes, who opens all sorts of doors for her. Tim gets a piano to practice upon in the face of a neurotic hostess's opposition. And Jane?
Jane is given the chance to play Mary in a film adaptation of The Secret Garden. Jane, the one who isn't attractive and has never been considered talented, the one who makes scenes, and, at her worst is rude and black-doggish, which, with her intelligence and good memory, actually makes her surprisingly able to play Mary. Streatfeild borrows some of that book's plot (particularly when it comes to Jane's fellow child actors) as Jane is made to see what a horror she can be (although she doesn't go through such a transformation as Mary).
What also struck me is that there's a strong resemblance to the Fossils in the three Winter children's types (and in their need for money). Rachel is as promising as Pauline. and actually came across as less bland to me; in these rereads, Jane is the odd one out, like Petrova, wanting to play her part in making the family shine, but rather despairing of it; while Tim has Posy's india-rubberish monomania and confidence, which makes both very funny characters. The similarity almost extends to the adults, because Bee is a bit like Sylvia, well-meaning and loving but just a tad feeble, while Peaseblossom is a bit like Nanny, a disciplinarian, a bit prim. Although, I did spend some time trying to make head or tail of her position in the family. What does she live off? Why is she doing this? was this a common occurence in England in the 40s? If she was this great head girl, how did she end up in this live-in position with the Winters? If there were a published bit of backstory for her, that would be marvellous.
The children are both independent and human, Jane isn't the only brattish one, Tim especially can give her a run for her money at times, and even sensible Rachel isn't a paragon. Despite illustrator Shirley Hughes's belief that Tim is the hero, the focus is on the three children (and perhaps a notch more on the girls), but it has time for the adult perspective, which is probably a part of why it was more satisfying for me than Ballet Shoes.
Now, what was strange was to read about British children who knew so little about the US.
