AN OVERVIEW and A REFLECTION
May. 3rd, 2020 06:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feather_ghyllThe Secret Shore : Lillie Le Pla
This book has to have been influenced by ‘The Secret Garden’. (Disclaimer: I haven’t investigated the publishing dates.)
Despite her Scottish name, Sheila McLeod is a Devonshire lass. Aged ten and a half, she’s the middle child of five and a little bit lonely, but she believes in fairies/elves/sprites (they’re a bit indistinguishable as far as she’s concerned) and follows ‘clues’ that lead her to a former smugglers’ tunnel that leads to ‘the secret shore’ and more besides.
She befriends timid Sylvie, living in a cottae on the moor with her young aunt, who hasn’t abandoned the child like her explorer father or the man who he left as her guardian, but is instead shutting himself off from the world.
Sheila’s love of nature, shared by the author, who is very good on Devonshire’s flora and fauna – red squirrels! – and general influence change Sylvie and her guardian Mr Carfax for the better. Sylvie’s dearest wish comes true and other nice things happen to Sheila’s circle of family and friends.
It’s rather charming, even though there are plenty of reasons why it’s not a classic like that other book with ‘Secret’ in its title.
And a reflection, based on these ‘unprecedented times’, I haven’t been a very mindful reader when it comes to the influence of the Spanish flu pandemic on writing from 1918 onwards. I know I’ve talked about the shadow of the first world war on characters in books set in the twenties, but not so much the impact of the pandemic e.g. on attitudes towards hygiene illness and mortality. One example might be here in my review of 'A Head Girl's Difficulties.'
The Great British Sewing Bee has started back, and I am watching it, but via iPlayer, so I expect to post about that at some point.
This book has to have been influenced by ‘The Secret Garden’. (Disclaimer: I haven’t investigated the publishing dates.)
Despite her Scottish name, Sheila McLeod is a Devonshire lass. Aged ten and a half, she’s the middle child of five and a little bit lonely, but she believes in fairies/elves/sprites (they’re a bit indistinguishable as far as she’s concerned) and follows ‘clues’ that lead her to a former smugglers’ tunnel that leads to ‘the secret shore’ and more besides.
She befriends timid Sylvie, living in a cottae on the moor with her young aunt, who hasn’t abandoned the child like her explorer father or the man who he left as her guardian, but is instead shutting himself off from the world.
Sheila’s love of nature, shared by the author, who is very good on Devonshire’s flora and fauna – red squirrels! – and general influence change Sylvie and her guardian Mr Carfax for the better. Sylvie’s dearest wish comes true and other nice things happen to Sheila’s circle of family and friends.
It’s rather charming, even though there are plenty of reasons why it’s not a classic like that other book with ‘Secret’ in its title.
And a reflection, based on these ‘unprecedented times’, I haven’t been a very mindful reader when it comes to the influence of the Spanish flu pandemic on writing from 1918 onwards. I know I’ve talked about the shadow of the first world war on characters in books set in the twenties, but not so much the impact of the pandemic e.g. on attitudes towards hygiene illness and mortality. One example might be here in my review of 'A Head Girl's Difficulties.'
The Great British Sewing Bee has started back, and I am watching it, but via iPlayer, so I expect to post about that at some point.
