Three-legged race

I like books in which the strongest exclamation uttered is a hearty "I say!". You know where you are when that period charm is evident, and if the book is a school story where the main character tells her brother, "We can't be the sort of people who don't want things to happen to them", and when - adventure over - the Head asks Matron to bring everyone "hot bottles and hot drinks", all's well that ends well.

M.E. Allan's The School on North Barrule is such a book: a good old-fashioned yarn with elements of mystery, folklore and a beautifully rendered sense of place. I loved it! I grew up on the island in which it's set and I know all the locations mentioned, so perhaps I'm biased, but I think the 'Manxness' of the book sets it apart from other stories of its era (early 1950s) and genre.

The book's main theme is 'belonging': fitting in, exclusivity and inclusion, and while the ending is sign-posted from quite early on, that doesn't detract from the lovely comfy read that this is. Oh, for a return to that gentler age of decency, civility and good manners - nostalgics will feel at home here.

Full marks and ten house points to Vanessa at Fidra Books for re-printing this book, and in such a lovely edition, too.

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I was just finishing writing this when the postman came to the door to deliver a box of Manx kippers, sent to us by our very kind friend, Victor. Now there's a coincidence!

Comments

[Peg]

I love the cover of the book. The bikes look like my first bike, but mine was red! A child could go off and play with only a call from the parent to be home for lunch! As my children might say, 'the good old days'. Enjoy the kippers, it has been a long time since I tasted them, and never Manx kippers!

[tara]

What a wonderfully comforting sounding book. And beautiful to look at as well. I also enjoy reading books set in places I've lived. It just adds a little something to be able to picture yourself where the characters are

[tara]

What a wonderfully comforting sounding book. And beautiful to look at as well. I also enjoy reading books set in places I've lived. It just adds a little something to be able to picture yourself where the characters are

[dovegreyreader]

Acquaintances of ours named their child Voirrey and told us at the time it was a Manx name and we all thought it was a bit unusual and of course then I see it on the cover of this book and see that it is exactly that.Will look forward to reading this one soon.

[Nan]

My kind of book without a doubt.

[Helen]

I'm so glad you enjoyed this, Mabel Esther Allan is one of my favourite authors (see http://minniemoll.livejournal.com/125097.html). One of her great strengths, imo, is her ability to evoke a place - her plots may be predictable and repetitive, but her locations live. She was a great traveller, and always wrote about places she'd visited. I think this is her only Manx book though, sadly for you.