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Andrea K Höst

Australian writer of science fiction and fantasy.

Linnets and Valerians

Linnets and Valerians - Elizabeth Goudge A highly engaging story of four Linnet children, finding a place for themselves while their father is away in Egypt. The story is not greatly adventurous, and the magic is quiet - a melding of "old ways" and gentle Christianity - but the true strength of the book is the moments of joy the children experience when finding some thing which particularly suits them - Nan's parlour being a stand-out occurrence.I did have some problems with the epilogue - particularly Nan's future - and think this could have been solved by making the time frame for the lost people around 12 years, rather than 30. A young girl who meets a man in his late thirties when she's around 12, and then marries him when she's 18, is not a comfortable sight for me. And, of course, it's always a little sad-making to see the difference in the kinds of futures given to little girls, as opposed to little boys.