The Marlows and their maker

[witandwisdome.livejournal.com]

Just seen that GGB have published this.


Has anyone read it?
Tamsin
(apologies if someone has posted about this previously!)

Comments

[alliekiwi.livejournal.com]

I got my copy in the post today and have enjoyed a bit of a flick-through, reading bits. I've managed to lay my hands on a copy of most of the books, and have been reading them, too. Each time I get near the end of 'Run Away Home' I keep hoping it'll end differently. Somehow ... more, I suppose. And that was how I felt about this companion book: I couldn't help but hope there would be massive clues about what might have happened next.

Anyway, it also made me go and re-read Forester48's story (I wish she'd write another one to follow it!) and girlyswots one, too (which thankfully doesn't leave one hanging!).

[lizarfau.livejournal.com]

I received my copy yesterday and have really enjoyed it so far. About the only clue to the "future" though - that I've seen so far - was that Ginty was going to become a stable girl in Ireland in the Marlow book after Run Away Home. I wonder if that means Ginty dropped out of O levels or whether the book was to take place later in the year following the events of Run Away Home. I do wonder why the older Marlow girls didn't seem to achieve anything, despite their abilities at Kingscote - Karen dropped out of university to marry a man with three kids; Rowan dropped out of school to take on the farm, a job that bored her; and Ginty, seemingly, ended up as a stable girl.

I do like the look of this book, though - particularly its attractive spine! GGB spines are not always attractive.

[alliekiwi.livejournal.com]

Yes, they do seem to not really fulfill their potential! I'd not really put that together before.

Isn't there mention about a cousin of Patrick's somewhere in one fo the books, off to Northern Ireland in the army? Maybe Ginty goes off to Ireland to work in the stables and then ends up meeting and The Cousin (or something stereotypical like that), nicely leaving Patrick unencumbered for Nicola.

[(Anonymous)]

When I read that, I assumed it was just another holiday job? Would they really let her leave school just for a random job like that - after all, it's not as if it's been her life's ambition to work with horses.

I finally finished this. It was fun to re-live the atmosphere of the books but there wasn't much insight or analysis, a lot of it was just summary of their plots, characters etc. That's understandable as it was originally written just as a more or less private project, but I think there's still room for a really thorough book on the Marlows. Mind you it's hard to get the balance right: I'm now reading a book of essays on Diana Wynne-Jones and it's turgid, pretentious overly-academic flannel, most of them don't have anything really to say.

Promethea

[ex-lizzzar998.livejournal.com]

I've got the book, although I've only skimmed it so far, rather than reading the whole thing. It's OK as a general introduction to AF, but disappointing if you are looking for complex criticism or detailed biographical information. Apparently Sue Simms may be writing a biography. I agree with the comment above - most of the criticism is basically plot summary. The pictures are not bad though - there is one of Athelhampton in Dorset which apparently inspired Mariot Chase, along with Lulworth Castle (owned by a well known Catholic family, I believe.) I didn't know which particular houses inspired the Chase, although I always assumed that AF went to look at local country houses. There is also a picture of AF, looking pretty sophisticated, and a transcript of a letter she wrote, confirming largely traditional opinions.