Synopsis
Ary, an intelligent, curious young girl, desires a more satisfying life than her nineteenth-century English village has to offer her
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Reviews
Set in 1883 in the English countryside, Long Since effectively evokes the atmosphere of another time. Tomalin tells the story of 11-year-old Ary Shelley's life and early death. When an earnest young curate encourages Ary to improve her life through education, he unconsciously arouses suspicion about their relationship, and other parties conspire to keep him and Ary apart. Instead of a fully realized novel, this book is more like a series of character sketches and precise portraits of nature, stitched together around the framework of Ary's life. The story is told through six young characters, but the narrative perspective is that of an older person recalling events rather than that of a child. Young readers, therefore, may feel distanced from the events described. The harsher details of 19th-century life are touched upon, but the overall impression is one of quiet bucolic beauty. Therefore Ary's death, indirectly caused by her older sister's jealousy, seems like a sudden inclusion of coarseness into a delicately told tale. Since the book begins with the curate having a breakdown following Ary's accident, readers will not be surprised by the outcome, but rather by its incongruity, a tragedy at the end of a sentimental journey. This nostalgic story is better suited for adults who will understand its serious undertones and indictment of an inflexible class system than for children who lack the necessary frame of reference. --Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, County of Henrico Public Library--Fairfield Area Library, Richmond, VA
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Long Since
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
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Hardback. Condition: Very Good. 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 # GOR005001930
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