Books 2014 - The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden

On and off, all that hot French August, we made ourselves ill from eating the greengages... The faded elegance of Les Oeillets, with its bullet-scarred staircase and serene garden bounded by high walls; Eliot, the charming Englishman who became the children's guardian while their mother lay il in hospital; sophisticated Madame Zizi, hotel patronne, and Eliot's devoted lover; 16 year old Joss, the oldest Grey girl, suddenly, achingly beautiful. And the Marne river flowing silent and slow beyond them all... They would merge together in a god-green summer of discovery, until the fruit rotted on the trees and the co seeped into their bones... The Greengage Summer is Rumer Godden's tense, evocative portrait of love and deceit in the Champagne country of the Marne...

This was another read that wasn't quite comfortable, but it was utterly unlike Swimming Home. The story was told through the eyes of 14 year old Cecilia, and it caught at just that way of seeing the world, when you're suddenly seeing so much, and yet in hindsight were missing even more because your eyes are still too young... Every now and then Cecil would say something that was all about the world, the kind of thing that makes you pause and think yes, but it was all still part of the story rather than something separate and worthy. And you could feel the hotel and France all around you, hear it and smell it and practically run your fingers along it (and perhaps want to wash them afterwards... *g*)

Again, not entirely what I was expecting from a holiday-book, but I enjoyed reading it just the same... I must read more Rumer Godden - my mum had The Dollshouse which I loved, and Kingfishers Catch Fire, which I know I read, but can't remember now. I'm sure I've read other stories too - Little Plum, Miss Flower and Miss Happiness are so familiar to me, perhaps I borrowed them from the library. Nice to rediscover authors!


Key West, USA - The Longest Holiday by Paige Toon
Nice, France - Swimming Home by Deborah Levy
France - The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden

Book meme - O - One Book That You Have Read Multiple Times

I pinched a book meme from mescott yesterday, cos I've not done a meme for aaaaages, and cos it looked kind of fun, and then, being me, I had to make it more complicated, and decided I'd make my answers as separate posts so that other people could join in too, if they want. *g*

etain_antrim gave me "O" to start with - one book that you've read multiple times. Which is a bit tricky for me actually, because as with tv shows and films and fanfic, when I like something I often read it more than once. I could easily say The Larton Chronicles, but perhaps the meme means published books. So I could say Point of Hopes, but then I'd have to say the whole series so far really, and I've already posted happily about them. I have a whole series that I'm not re-reading again just yet, no matter how much I want to, because there are more than 20 books in it. Another one is going to come up under S... *g*Hmmmn!

I mean, re-reading is why I have an entire storage unit that is largely full of books... Umm...

Okay, how about this one:Lord of the Rings (not that this is my copy, which is tucked away in my storage - I may have to get it out again soon though, come to think of it. *g*)!

I read The Hobbit at the end of the summer holidays when I was eleven, and I remember having to wait until I got to my new high school to look for Lord of the Rings - and then they didn't want to lend it to me, because they thought I was too young for it - but I convinced them, and they let me, and I loved it... *g*

I think I next re-read it when I was at uni - and I know my now-ex gave me my copy for my birthday one year. He and his brother used to play LotR scrabble - far too detail-oriented for me, I'm afraid! I loved the rush and sweep and magic and adventure of it all rather than all the historical and technical detail. And I still do. *g* I think the last time I re-read it was a year or two (or three...) ago, after I'd watched the films again. I didn't buy a copy when I was in NZ, although I was very tempted to do so... *g* I think I did buy another copy of The Hobbit though, and re-read that too.

They're just such brilliant books, with so many different things to read and imagine and think about - I can't even imagine only reading them once. Even thinking about them is giving me the urge to read them again now... *vbg*

What about you - what's One Book That You Have Read Multiple Times?