Patricia Miles (1) (1930–2015)

If you want a time out from being an adult, find a quiet corner, a comfortable chair, and curl up with this book. It's a revisit to our own childhood whether or not you were brought up in a family like Adam Bramble's.

This book is Adam's account that began with his family's move to a new house located on a rambling country estate. The life of the children is well drawn against the overgrown landscape of the surrounding countryside. Even the season of winter plays a role as much as any of the show more characters found in this story of new schools, an obnoxious cousin's visit, and a mysterious housekeeper. show less

This is a YA book that is set in England after WWII. It is quaint, and it has a touch of magic in the normal English countryside. Some of the Greek Gods in local guise take up with an English family. The family eventually suspect who their housekeeper is, and her magical family visitors, but each side keeps mum about the secret.

The main character is Adam Bramble the young son of the family. He is writing a recap of their experiences. The family has decided that nothing is as accurate about show more what they have seen as a 9-12 year old boy. So Adam was given the job. They plan to bury the manuscript as a message to the future.

Their housekeeper is the Goddess Demeter in disguise. She is the mother of the Goddess Persephone, who is stolen by Hades into the underworld for part of the year. Mrs. Korngold is there to help Mrs. Bramble around the house. She is about to have a baby, and has the house and 3 other children to care for. Her husband is a government employed scientist and often travels, and can be very forgetful of mundane life.

Strange and scary things happen around Mrs. Korngold; she also causes wonderful things to happen. The family struggles along accepting Mrs. Korngold and trying to be as normal as they can. She comes to them in the fall, when her daughter disappears. She is there through a terrible winter, and she leaves with her daughter in the spring. She has terrible depressions, and strange and violent visitors.

I enjoyed the book. It was a quick read. It was well written, fun and interesting. The family was good, and the kids great. I liked the time spent in their world. The Gods were mysterious, but Mrs. Korngold could also be a good egg.

I saw this on another Challenge thread and it grabbed my interest. I enjoyed it and am glad to have read it. show less