Desert Island AF

[jackmerlin.livejournal.com]

If you were on Desert Island Discs and told you could take one AF book with you, which one would it be and why?

Comments

[rosathome.livejournal.com]

Cricket Term.

It's just a perfectly written, perfectly plotted book. As satisfying as Nicola's catch in the Final.

[glittermouse.livejournal.com]

Peter's Room, because I am a LARPer and I love the Gondal bits.

[minniemoll.livejournal.com]

End of Term, because of the play. Although Cricket Term runs it a very close second.

[coughingbear]

Cricket Term. I think it's very nearly perfect, as rosathome says, beautifully paced and culminating in the wonderful cricket match. There are enough references to previous home and school life to recall the other books. And it was the first AF I ever read.

[robvic.livejournal.com]

Cricket Term for me too! Love Nicola and Jan on the roof, and Lois losing them match (plus IVa winning, of course...) And Rowan and Nicola talking cricket, plus the play, and the hellebore... might go and reread now actually!

[biskybat.livejournal.com]

Peter's Room because there is so much happening and it builds up in layers of subtlety. All the characters reveal more of themselves so we see: Ann's inner thoughts, Nicola's response to finding herself an outsider, Rowan turning into Farmer Marlow before our very eyes, Ginty discovering romantic self sacrifice and most of all Peter and Patrick's explorations of cowardice and betrayal.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_astralis/]

Cricket Term for me too. Not only is it my favourite AF, it's one of my favourite books. With the play, and Jan, and Miranda... love it.

[res23.livejournal.com]

Probably End of Term, because I like the play too, and all the school interactions, and Nick and Patrick riding across the moor saying poetry (it is that one, I think!), etc.

I do also like Autumn Term because so much happens.

[colne-dsr.livejournal.com]

The brand new one-volume encyclopaedic Complete Works of Antonia Forest, for preference.

But assuming I couldn't lay my hands on that one, I'd take the Shakespearean books - both of them, on the grounds that they were written as a single book - on the grounds partly that they're the longest, but also because after frequent re-reads I'm still finding new nuances of character in all the lead roles.

Alternatively, Falconer's Lure. It's much more episodic than the others, so many different strands of story going, that there's more potential for imagination. If I'm to spend time on a Desert Island with only one book, and I've no intention of doing any hunting for food or boat building or any of that malarkey, then I'm going to have lots of time for daydreaming. Falconer's Lure is a good starting point.

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

The Attic Term. It's the one I'd miss most if I didn't have any of them.

[antfan.livejournal.com]

I agree with this absolutely.

[(Anonymous)]

Well, I've narrowed it down to Peter's Room, End of Term and Falconer's Lure, but I'm having trouble choosing between them. I think both End of Term and Falconer's Lure are about perfect, but they're so different it's very hard to choose. Peter's Room is tricky, because I'm not crazy about the Gondal bits. I read them, because they are important to the rest of the story, but I'm pretty much with Nicola on the general lameness of role-playing games. (I once, when I was thirteen or so, had some friends convince me to play Dungeons & Dragons. My only memory of it is sitting there completely bored, tuning everything out and surreptitiously reading Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries under the table.) Anyway, even though the italic bits bore me to tears, I think that the hunt, the dance, Sprog's death, and Nicola's Gondal-and-Sprog-and-Patrick-related depression are all brilliantly handled. So basically I think I would just have to shut my eyes and blindly pick one of the three, because there's no way I could choose.

[(Anonymous)]

I agree about Cricket Term but for some reason I have always loved Attic Term. I think what i like about is how Ginty just feels 'out of it' with all the school stuff and i love the mrs lambert stuff. Its funny because I don't really like Ginty or Patrick and I can't stand Mr and Mrs Merrick but its the one, along with Cricket Term that i re-read most often.

[charverz.livejournal.com]

End of Term by a hair over Cricket Term. I like Peter and Rowan up in the gallery, and the play.

favourite book

[(Anonymous)]

Falconer's Lure