Antonia Forest fans

I think that bit about Rowan's not letting Ginty say no is probably the thing that ultimately damns Rowan as a character for me. She has many admirable qualities, but I can't forgive her for that - and the fact that Ginty then gets blamed afterwards for not saying no. It is Ginty, more than Anne, I see leaving them all behind when she grows up and having very little regret (possibly to here own surprise. I can just imagine her setting up in her head a romantic, terribly hard, sacrifice, and yet she must, and then finding in fact that it just doesn't bother her). In fact, that's perhaps another thing about Forest, that you can see her childhood relationships being things that are going to inform adult ones. The rows are rows, and everyone isn't going to shake hands and forget, everyone remembers.