The Borrowers Avenged (1982)

Not a very satisfying end to the series, somehow. It's nice to end with the Borrowers all set up in a new home, but the Platters aren't really satisfactorily got rid of, and Miss Menzies doesn't (yet?) have closure about the Borrowers, and we don't know if Arriety and Spiller ever get together...

All the setting up home stuff reads a bit like a happily ever after, and yet it's unsatisfying, because so little happens. And again, like the fourth book, it's not a story being told anymore, but is presented more factually, and that makes it seem less real, not more.

And everything just ties up a bit too neatly. The Clock family are still altogether, the Hendrearies are nearby, and they're all settled in and have homes again, and the Platters leave the country, and Arriety stops talking to humans...

Mind you, I don't know how you could end this series to my satisfaction. ( )

This is the fifth and final book in the series. Firstly, after the disappointment of the previous book, I started this one with low expectations. However, it turned out to be much better than I thought it would be and I enjoyed it.

The story picks up where the previous one left off (as do all the books) and we follow the family to their new life at the rectory. Arrietty’s aunt and uncle have moved into the church next door and we meet a new character, Pea Green, who is already living in the rectory (and seems quite lonely so it was good to see the family move in and provide companionship for him).

There is mention of Arrietty planning her future with Spiller, who isn’t in this book very much. There’s also a strong bond developing with Pea Green. And we get a strong notion that the family will settle in their new home and be happy.

The book ends ... in a way that felt to me that the author planned on writing a sixth book, but never had the chance before her death. I suppose the ending allows the reader to fill in the blanks. This means what I think will happen is purely up to my imagination. And that is the case for any reader. And there’s always the truth—there is no real end to a story.

The series is good. The concept is brilliant and easily accepted. The author did a good job yet there were many flaws, unresolved plots, out of whack timelines and little things that really should have been fixed because of consistency issues. However, if the reader can get passed all this and just accept the story, the characters and the plots for what they are then they are in for a treat.

Recommended. ( )

The final Borrowers book (written much later than the rest of the series) and one that was new to me. It continues the tale of the tiny family - Arrietty, her parents Pod and Homily - and their search for a safe home. Here the evil Platters (who the family had escaped from in "The Borrowers Aloft") get their comeuppance but quite a lot is still left hanging. Still it's an enjoyable finale to the series. (And now I need to find which family member has Afloat and Aloft as I need to read these to complete the cycle!) ( )

The Borrowers Avenged is the fifth and final book in the series, and was published quite a bit later than the others, in 1982. In this book, Norton takes up the story where it left off with the Clocks escaping Little Fordham once more in case the Platters come back searching for them. Spiller takes them up the river to the human village Fordham, where they find a home in the rectory right near the church. Here they meet another borrower, Peagreen, a former Overmantel who lives quite alone in the house. He is slightly lame from having fallen off the mantelpiece as a young boy.

This story gets a bit deeper into the lives of the humans as well as the borrowers. We learn so much about the people just by observing them (borrower-like) in the flower-arranging at the church. The Platters come into this story again, and there is a very satisfactory ending in store for them. Avenged is certainly the right title for this book — and it's all brought about by the Platters' own selfishness.

One thing I don't like about this book is how Norton seemingly changed her mind about Arrietty marrying Spiller. In Aloft, it seemed quite settled — but there are so many hints thrown out in this one that it seems obvious it will never happen. Arrietty muses on Spiller's wildness and how he will never consent to live indoors, but he will always be "kind" to them; he hasn't yet told Miss Menzies, Arrietty's particular human friend, that they are safe; and when she accuses him of cowardice he throws her a look "almost of loathing." Oh dear! And stepping shyly into the gap is Peagreen, of all borrowers! I don't think he would be a good match for Arrietty; he's too weak. I like him, to be sure, but he loves security and Arrietty has always wanted freedom and the outdoors.

The name-humor pops up again with the Whitlaces, who are the caretakers of the rectory and live in the house. The borrowers call them the Witlesses (quite innocently), and it reminds me so much of C. S. Lewis' The Silver Chair, in which Eustace is mistakenly called "Useless" by the deaf Trumpkin. Norton and Lewis both belong to that rare breed of authors who really understand what makes children laugh, and have the intelligence to create humorous situations that feel so unforced and natural.

I love how this book ends. It's a conversation between Arrietty and Peagreen about why Spiller hasn't yet told Miss Menzies what happened. It captures perfectly the tone of their lives and the constant care they must take to protect themselves and those they love.

"I only wanted her to know we are safe..."
"'Are we?" said Peagreen gently. "Are we? Ever?" ( )

Escaping from an attic where they had been held captive over the long, dark winter, a family of tiny people sets up house in an old rectory.