Good Night, Mr. Tom (1981)

this book is so sad ( )

I love this book. I love all the characters -- they're so well-developed, and some of them are very vibrant. ( )

When the Luftwaffe bombs start to become a threat in London, children are evacuated to the English countryside. Among those children sent away from home for their safety is William Beech, who ends up billeted with solitary widower, Tom Oakley.

William has come from an abusive home, and has learnt to be a quiet, unobtrusive boy in order to avoid his mother’s belt. Tom’s solid common sense, gruff kindness and quiet understanding are exactly what Will needs to help build his confidence and realise what a normal childhood should be. The local children and villagers become friends, and for the first time Will becomes part of a community. Meanwhile Tom relearns what it is to have energy and life return to his cottage, something he’d lost after the death of his wife and newborn son years earlier.

This is ultimately a heart warming read, but it has an underlying darkness. Will’s unstable mother and the abuse he suffers at her hands are briefly highlighted in sparse detail, but the psychological effects in particular are at the core of this story.

While this if historical fiction, the historic details are not the focus for Magorian, but they have been skillfully inserted into the story and help to create an understated sense of place and atmosphere.

Goodnight Mister Tom is insightful and moving, where the bond forged between boy and man allows both to start living life again. ( )

Why have I never heard of this book before?! I was reading a BBC 100 Favorite Books list and saw this on it. Our school library happened to have it, so I checked it out - even though I had made a pact to stop reading "children's" books (Artemis Fowl did me in). I'm so glad I did because I loved it! Probably because although it won the 1982 IRA Children's Book Award, I would definitely not describe this as a children's book. It has some pretty disturbing allusions to and scenes of abuse, and also has two young boys discussing sex (in a very tasteful way). So I wouldn't let young children read it. But it is a wonderful book and takes you through every emotion. It's the kind of book that makes you truly grateful for the blessings in your own life, and you just kind of hug the book when you finish it. I can't wait to read more books by this author, and I have put the BBC movie on my Amazon wishlist! Thank you, BBC's 100 Favorite Books list! ( )

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2024418.html

A classic children's novel, and a lovely heart-warming book about a young boy evacuated from an abusive mother in London to the English countryside as war gets under way in 1939, and how he and the widower on whom he is billeted find love, happiness, sadness and personal growth. One more or less knows what is going to happen from the setup, but there were a few unexpected twists, and some lovely lyrical set-pieces towards the end when the main narrative starts to slow down - thinking particularly of the seaside holiday chapter, and the introduction of the new art teacher in the supposedly haunted cottage. A real page-turner as well - I found myself lost in it, without necessarily racing through it. Strongly recommended. ( )