Synopsis
Tolly isn't looking forward to staying with his great-grandmother in her strange house, but as soon as he arrives he is delighted to find a very special kind of magic.
Indeed, far from being lonely, Tolly is caught up in a wonderful adventure.
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Review
This is not an easy book, and therein lies its charm. L.M. Boston's classic is a sophisticated mood piece disguised as a children's ghost story. As young Toseland goes to live with his grandmother in the family's ancestral home, the reader is plunged immediately into the world of Green Knowe. Like Toseland, who actually rows up to his new home in the midst of a flood, we have a hard time finding our bearings. Toseland discovers a funny kind of grandmother awaiting him--one who speaks elliptically of the children and animals she keeps around the house: they might be memories, they might be ghosts. It's never quite clear where real life leaves off and magic begins. Toseland admires a deer: "A deer seems more magic than a horse." His grandmother is quick to respond: "Very beautiful fairy-tale magic, but a horse that thinks the same thoughts that you do is like strong magic wine, a love philtre for boys."
With this meshing of the magical and the real, Boston evokes a childlike world of wonder. She compounds the effect by combining gorgeous images and eerily evocative writing. Toseland goes out on a snowy morning: "In front of him, the world was an unbroken dazzling cloud of crystal stars, except for the moat, which looked like a strip of night that had somehow sinned and had no stars in it." The loosely plotted story is given more resonance still through liberal use of biblical imagery and Anglo-Saxon mythology. For those willing to suspend their disbelief and read carefully, the world of Green Knowe offers a wondrous escape. --Claire Dederer
About the Author
LUCY MARIA BOSTON (1892-1990) purchased a ramshackle manor house near Cambridge, England, in 1935, which over a period of two years she lovingly restored. It is this house that inspired her, at the age of sixty-two, to take pen in hand and create the beloved Green Knowe series.
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The Children of Green Knowe (Puffin Modern Classics)
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The Children of Green Knowe (Puffin Modern Classics)
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Condition: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read but remains in clean condition. All of the pages are intact and the cover is intact and the spine may show signs of wear. The book may have minor markings which are not specifically mentioned. Seller Inventory # rev5111677286
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THE CHILDREN OF GREEN KNOWE
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Paperback. Condition: Used; Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Aged book. Tanned pages and age spots, however, this will not interfere with reading. Ex-library book with stamps on the first page, it is also likely to have a small shelf number sticker on the spine. Seller Inventory # CHL4248199
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The Children of Green Knowe (Puffin Modern Classics)
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Puffin Classics 29/09/1994, 1994
ISBN 10: 0140364617
ISBN 13: 9780140364613
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Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. . Seller Inventory # 7719-9780140364613
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The Children of Green Knowe (Puffin Modern Classics)
Published by
Puffin Classics 29/09/1994, 1994
ISBN 10: 0140364617
ISBN 13: 9780140364613
Used
Softcover
Seller: Bahamut Media, Reading, United Kingdom
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Condition: Very Good. Shipped within 24 hours from our UK warehouse. Clean, undamaged book with no damage to pages and minimal wear to the cover. Spine still tight, in very good condition. Remember if you are not happy, you are covered by our 100% money back guarantee. Seller Inventory # 6545-9780140364613
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The Children of Green Knowe (Puffin Modern Classics)
Published by
Penguin Random House Children's UK, United Kingdom, 1994
ISBN 10: 0140364617
ISBN 13: 9780140364613
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Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
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Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Tolly's great-grandmother wasn't a witch, but both she and her old house, Green Knowe, were full of magic. And Green Knowe turned out not to be the lonely place Tolly had imagined it to be. But there were other children living in the house - children who had been happy there centuries before. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR001812936
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