Book Review: The Haunting
May. 1st, 2022 07:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
osprey_archerAlthough I’d heard whispers about Margaret Mahy for years, I hadn’t read any of her novels till littlerhymes and I decided to read The Haunting. I’m SO glad that we did because otherwise Mahy might have passed me by entirely, and that would have been a tragedy.
The Haunting is a children’s fantasy in the classic twentieth century mold, a svelte, atmospheric little book. One day when Barney is walking home from school, a ghost appears to him: a small child dressed in blue velvet, who cries, “Barnaby’s dead! I’m going to be very lonely.”
As Barney’s full name is Barnaby, he races home in terror, and faints on the front steps in front of his sisters Tabitha and Troy
The haunting is wonderful (just the right level of creepy), but I may have loved Barnaby’s family even more. Special mention goes to Tabitha, who is “writing the world’s greatest novel, but no one was allowed to read it until she was twenty-one and it was published.” She takes notes on everything that happens, and as soon as it's clear that Barney’s faint is not dangerous she begins to study him from all angles: “We’re such a healthy family, the chance of anyone fainting in the next ten years is absolutely nil.”
Portrait of the Writer as a Young Girl indeed!
Troy, meanwhile, is a dark and brooding teenager (but portrayed with affection, as dark and brooding teenagers often are not). And the children’s stepmother, Claire, is a refreshing Good Stepmother, particularly adored by Barney, whose own mother died when he was born: “before Claire had come he had not had much kindness and fussing so surely he was allowed to make up for it now,” Barney muses, contemplating whether to pretend to be just a bit sicker than he really feels after he faints just so Claire will look after him.
(Ultimately his desire not to worry Claire wins out. Claire is going to have a baby and, because of his own mother’s death in childbirth, Barney frets that any little thing might result in a similar outcome to Claire’s pregnancy.)
There is also a father but he is just kind of There. Something had to give in order to lavish Tabitha, the true MVP of this book, with sufficient page time to investigate What Is Up with This Ghost.
I will not tell you What Is Up with the Ghost but I did find the investigation tremendously satisfying. The ending is perhaps a bit rushed (the danger of those years when children’s books were so very short!), but overall an excellent book. We liked The Haunting so much that we are going to read The Changeover next.
***
Over the course of our reading,littlerhymes and I have managed to hit books from most of the major English-speaking countries: Australia (Mary Grant Bruce’s Billabong series), Canada (L.M. Montgomery’s Anne & Emily series; especially sorry I didn’t post about these), England (Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons series, ditto), New Zealand (Margaret Mahy, although if there IS a famous New Zealand children’s books series from the days of yore please let us know), US (various Louisa May Alcott, still ongoing, and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books), and Wales (Jenny Nimmo’s Magicians Trilogy).
That leaves just Scotland and Ireland. Do either of them have a classic, iconic children’s book series? If not, we also take children’s fantasy from the second half of the 20th century.
littlerhymes and I decided to read The Haunting. I’m SO glad that we did because otherwise Mahy might have passed me by entirely, and that would have been a tragedy.The Haunting is a children’s fantasy in the classic twentieth century mold, a svelte, atmospheric little book. One day when Barney is walking home from school, a ghost appears to him: a small child dressed in blue velvet, who cries, “Barnaby’s dead! I’m going to be very lonely.”
As Barney’s full name is Barnaby, he races home in terror, and faints on the front steps in front of his sisters Tabitha and Troy
The haunting is wonderful (just the right level of creepy), but I may have loved Barnaby’s family even more. Special mention goes to Tabitha, who is “writing the world’s greatest novel, but no one was allowed to read it until she was twenty-one and it was published.” She takes notes on everything that happens, and as soon as it's clear that Barney’s faint is not dangerous she begins to study him from all angles: “We’re such a healthy family, the chance of anyone fainting in the next ten years is absolutely nil.”
Portrait of the Writer as a Young Girl indeed!
Troy, meanwhile, is a dark and brooding teenager (but portrayed with affection, as dark and brooding teenagers often are not). And the children’s stepmother, Claire, is a refreshing Good Stepmother, particularly adored by Barney, whose own mother died when he was born: “before Claire had come he had not had much kindness and fussing so surely he was allowed to make up for it now,” Barney muses, contemplating whether to pretend to be just a bit sicker than he really feels after he faints just so Claire will look after him.
(Ultimately his desire not to worry Claire wins out. Claire is going to have a baby and, because of his own mother’s death in childbirth, Barney frets that any little thing might result in a similar outcome to Claire’s pregnancy.)
There is also a father but he is just kind of There. Something had to give in order to lavish Tabitha, the true MVP of this book, with sufficient page time to investigate What Is Up with This Ghost.
I will not tell you What Is Up with the Ghost but I did find the investigation tremendously satisfying. The ending is perhaps a bit rushed (the danger of those years when children’s books were so very short!), but overall an excellent book. We liked The Haunting so much that we are going to read The Changeover next.
***
Over the course of our reading,
littlerhymes and I have managed to hit books from most of the major English-speaking countries: Australia (Mary Grant Bruce’s Billabong series), Canada (L.M. Montgomery’s Anne & Emily series; especially sorry I didn’t post about these), England (Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons series, ditto), New Zealand (Margaret Mahy, although if there IS a famous New Zealand children’s books series from the days of yore please let us know), US (various Louisa May Alcott, still ongoing, and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books), and Wales (Jenny Nimmo’s Magicians Trilogy).That leaves just Scotland and Ireland. Do either of them have a classic, iconic children’s book series? If not, we also take children’s fantasy from the second half of the 20th century.
no subject
Date: 2022-05-03 09:22 am (UTC)I think part of the reason is also that some of the biggest Scottish and Irish names aren't thought of that way - J M Barrie was Scottish, as was Kenneth Grahame; Oscar Wilde (who also wrote children's fairy tales) and CS Lewis were both Irish, and all of them are about as iconic as it gets.
Anyway, I had a think and googled to jog my memory, and for Irish writers, idk so many older ones, but Oscar Wilde's fairy tales.
For 20th C - Joan Lingard (as we mentioned before)
Marita Conlon-Mckenna, who I think might be slightly more what you're looking for
and some big current Irish children's authors are Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl series, Half Moon INvestigations etc.), Derek Landy (Skulduggery Pleasant) & Kate Thompson.
(I've read Colfer & Landy, they're both fantastical & good fun. Landy is full on fantasy, although v wacky, with high death counts, I'm not entirely sure they'd be your thing, but is very Irish in background; Artemis Fowl is Irish Faerie, Half-Moon Investigations more real world set)
Scotland obv has R L Stevenson, but also R M Ballantyne.
20th C - Mollie Hunter (seconding the rec - haven't read, but she's definitely a Name in the field), Patricia Leitch (author of the Jinny horse books), Frances M Hendry (inc. historical, probably the sort of thing you;re after), Catherine MacPhail (more contemporary), Mairi Hedderwick (author Katie Morag & others, lots of HIghland illustrations, def. iconic), Lavinia Derwent's Sula series, Nicholas Stuart Gray (infl. fantasy author)
(I also spotted Sheila Stuart who seems to have written mid20th C Scottish girls series.
Googling also gave me some people I haven't heard of but do seem to have maybe written the kinds of old school books you are maybe after: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_Adams-Acton#Writings
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrietta_Keddie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Oliphant_Smeaton
no subject
Date: 2022-05-04 12:09 am (UTC)I really liked The File on Fraulein Berg, so it would definitely be worthwhile to check out more Joan Lingard... It looks like it would all have to be interlibrary loan, though, the library has clearly weeded her out. (I am sure there are sound reasons for this much weeding but it is very inconvenient to ME.) The library DOES however have some Conlon-McKenna so I might give her a look!
I feel sure that I've heard of R. M. Ballantyne SOMEWHERE, but I can't remember where and none of the titles are pinging me as something that I've read or read about. Perhaps it will come to me.
The three at the end I've never heard of either! And yet it looks like they were all prolific and popular. It's shocking how many books simply disappear down the memory hole.
no subject
Date: 2022-05-04 07:21 pm (UTC)R M Ballantyne wrote The Coral Island, which I haven't read but is one of those 19th adventure classic types.
The three at the end I've never heard of either! And yet it looks like they were all prolific and popular. It's shocking how many books simply disappear down the memory hole.
We move on very quickly!!
Glad to be of use & hope some of those work out for you. ♥
no subject
Date: 2022-05-04 07:30 pm (UTC)I haven't actually read Lord of the Flies and don't really intend to, but somehow over the course of my life I've picked up a number of facts about it.
no subject
Date: 2022-05-05 09:44 am (UTC)