Barbara Euphan Todd (1890–1976)
Author of Miss Ranskill Comes Home
About the Author
Works by Barbara Euphan Todd
Worzel Gummidge Annual 1 copy
The seventh daughter 1 copy
Magic houses. [Verses] 1 copy
The splendid picnic 1 copy
The shop by the sea 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Todd, Barbara Euphan
Bower, Mrs John Graham (marriage)
Bower, Barbara Euphan (widow) - Other names
- Euphan (pen name)
- Birthdate
- 1890-01-09
- Date of death
- 1976-02-02
- Gender
- female
- Education
- St Catherine's School, Bramley, Surrey, England, UK
- Occupations
- children's book author
radio scriptwriter - Organizations
- Voluntary Aid Detachment (WWI)
- Relationships
- Bower, John Graham (husband)
- Short biography
- Barbara Euphan Todd was born at Arksey, then in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, the only child of a clergyman and his wife. She was educated at St. Catherine's, a boarding school in Bramley, near Guildford in Surrey. She worked as a volunteer military nurse for the VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment) during the World War I. After her father's retirement, she lived with her parents in Surrey and began writing.
She contributed stories to magazines such as Punch and The Spectator, and wrote a volume of poems for children, Hither and Thither (1927). In 1932, she married Commander John Graham Bower, an officer in the Royal Navy, and began writing novels for children, some of them in collaboration with her husband. She wrote more than 30 books altogether, and her most popular works were 10 novels about Worzel Gummidge, a scarecrow who comes to life, beginning with Worzel Gummidge, or The Scarecrow of Scatterbrook (1936) and concluding with Detective Worzel Gummidge (1963). In the 1950s, she adapted some of her Worzel Gummidge stories as radio plays for children. A television series, Worzel Gummidge Turns Detective, was made in 1953. Her only novel for adults was Miss Ranskill Comes Home (1946). - Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Arksey, Yorkshire, England, UK
- Places of residence
- Soberton, Hampshire, England, UK
Surrey, England, UK
Blewbury, Berkshire, England, UK - Place of death
- Donnington, Berkshire, England, UK
- Map Location
- England, UK
Members
Reviews
A very charming 1936 book of stories, strung together to form a light novel. As with so much fiction of the Jazz Age, it's a very concise book, easy to read and quick to finish; I ambled my way through it in a couple of sunny porch sittings. I had been familiar with the concept of Worzel Gummidge since I was a teenager because of the popular 1980s TV series, but I hadn't seen it, or read the book, until this year. Worzel never seems to have made much of an impression here in the United show more States.
This is at least a little bit surprising, because the basic format of Worzel - two middle-class children spend their summer holidays "keeping out of trouble" by getting into scrapes in their attempts to keep secret their acquaintance with a grumpy magical being - seems to owe more than a little to E. Nesbit, who is both known and republished in this country. Worzel, a moody scarecrow with a broad, word-mangling accent, could easily be the country cousin of Nesbit's Psammead. Todd only has two children, as opposed to Nesbit's usual five or six, but they're still running around a village putting out brush fires as Worzel, like the Psammead, misinterprets modern life and how it works. There's a bit of Richmal Crompton's Just William in here, too, with the willful (if ultimately rather gentle) upheaval of adult routine into what both series characterize as a kind of anarchy.
What's perhaps interesting is how Todd's stories work on a couple of different levels, and how the different adaptations emphasize different, equally valid, interpretations. Based on what we can tell about the early radio and TV adaptations, the many adventures of John, Susan, and Worzel were treated as gentle country stories: kindly and wholesome for small children. That is a completely valid reading; there's something very calm about Todd's prose, and the small-scale aspect of the "scrapes," that makes them perfect for bedtime. The 1980s series with Jon Pertwee, on the other hand, emphasized the juxaposition of showbiz slapstick and melancholy, focusing firmly on Worzel and going so far as to extrapolate a couple of minor Todd characters into the vicious object of his affecton, Aunt Sally, and his creator, the Crowman. This, too, is valid; the stories are quite mischievous, and making the anarchy a little more explicit helps you to feel Worzel's pathos, which is implied but rarely stated in the book, more deeply.
The most interesting moments in the book, however, are the little glimpses of the uncanny, the slightly unsettling moments you aren't sure how to take. The recent Mackenzie Crook series leans into and amplifies these. There are three or four in this first slim volume of stories, and each time, they make you pause. The meeting of scarecrows toward the end of the book is particularly strange; Todd keeps returning to the idea that scarecrows don't know how to move like humans, and they walk sideways like crabs, while one, briefly featured scarecrow rolls along with his legs made out of a milking stool. My favorite moment is when Susan witnesses Worzel enchanting the rabbits in a neighbor's garden; she thinks he must be a "wizard," but Todd's description goes beyond that: he seems to have an understanding of nature that can't be understood by you or I.
I really enjoyed getting to know Worzel Gummidge and would quite happily read another book of his stories. Reprint these in the USA! show less
This is at least a little bit surprising, because the basic format of Worzel - two middle-class children spend their summer holidays "keeping out of trouble" by getting into scrapes in their attempts to keep secret their acquaintance with a grumpy magical being - seems to owe more than a little to E. Nesbit, who is both known and republished in this country. Worzel, a moody scarecrow with a broad, word-mangling accent, could easily be the country cousin of Nesbit's Psammead. Todd only has two children, as opposed to Nesbit's usual five or six, but they're still running around a village putting out brush fires as Worzel, like the Psammead, misinterprets modern life and how it works. There's a bit of Richmal Crompton's Just William in here, too, with the willful (if ultimately rather gentle) upheaval of adult routine into what both series characterize as a kind of anarchy.
What's perhaps interesting is how Todd's stories work on a couple of different levels, and how the different adaptations emphasize different, equally valid, interpretations. Based on what we can tell about the early radio and TV adaptations, the many adventures of John, Susan, and Worzel were treated as gentle country stories: kindly and wholesome for small children. That is a completely valid reading; there's something very calm about Todd's prose, and the small-scale aspect of the "scrapes," that makes them perfect for bedtime. The 1980s series with Jon Pertwee, on the other hand, emphasized the juxaposition of showbiz slapstick and melancholy, focusing firmly on Worzel and going so far as to extrapolate a couple of minor Todd characters into the vicious object of his affecton, Aunt Sally, and his creator, the Crowman. This, too, is valid; the stories are quite mischievous, and making the anarchy a little more explicit helps you to feel Worzel's pathos, which is implied but rarely stated in the book, more deeply.
The most interesting moments in the book, however, are the little glimpses of the uncanny, the slightly unsettling moments you aren't sure how to take. The recent Mackenzie Crook series leans into and amplifies these. There are three or four in this first slim volume of stories, and each time, they make you pause. The meeting of scarecrows toward the end of the book is particularly strange; Todd keeps returning to the idea that scarecrows don't know how to move like humans, and they walk sideways like crabs, while one, briefly featured scarecrow rolls along with his legs made out of a milking stool. My favorite moment is when Susan witnesses Worzel enchanting the rabbits in a neighbor's garden; she thinks he must be a "wizard," but Todd's description goes beyond that: he seems to have an understanding of nature that can't be understood by you or I.
I really enjoyed getting to know Worzel Gummidge and would quite happily read another book of his stories. Reprint these in the USA! show less
When middle-aged spinster Nona Ranskill fell overboard chasing an escaping hat on a cruise ship early in 1939, she didn't expect to spend four years stranded on a desert island - or to return, a changed woman, to an England itself changed beyond recognition by rationing, the blitz, and the immense practical and psychological upheaval of war.
Miss Ranskill Comes Home is a novel dominated by its characters. The character development of Miss Ranskill herself is remarkable, as are the detailed show more character sketches of her relatives and former friends. Some characters verge on caricature, and are clearly intended as parody; however, they have a depth and roundedness which makes them satisfying characters despite this.
The characters dominate - but to a purpose. There is some very powerful social satire, as Miss Ranskill finds herself unable to share the class (and other) prejudices of her sister and former school-friend, prejudices that she herself had held before her period on the island.
The disconnection Miss Ranskill feels with the other characters' lives and ways of thinking, the alien world in which she finds herself, the way she gradually adjusts to her new world, the responsibilities and bonds she now feels, the relationship she had with the Carpenter - the man with whom she shared the island - these are shown perfectly. The last is all the more remarkable given that the book opens with the Carpenter's death.
The prose is beautiful, and contains some very poetic passages. There is also some wonderful humour, which is balanced by some very poignant and profound passages. Through Miss Ranskill, Barbara Todd comments on the massive changes that take place not only when the war comes, but also when a war is over: Miss Ranskill experienced this after the First World War, and reflects on what it will mean not only for those who have fought in the war, but also those whose childhoods have been dominated by war and marked by the absence, temporary or permanent, of their fathers and other male role models.
Add to all this a great delicacy and poise in timing, delivery, plot and pacing, and the result is a book which is a delight to read. show less
Miss Ranskill Comes Home is a novel dominated by its characters. The character development of Miss Ranskill herself is remarkable, as are the detailed show more character sketches of her relatives and former friends. Some characters verge on caricature, and are clearly intended as parody; however, they have a depth and roundedness which makes them satisfying characters despite this.
The characters dominate - but to a purpose. There is some very powerful social satire, as Miss Ranskill finds herself unable to share the class (and other) prejudices of her sister and former school-friend, prejudices that she herself had held before her period on the island.
The disconnection Miss Ranskill feels with the other characters' lives and ways of thinking, the alien world in which she finds herself, the way she gradually adjusts to her new world, the responsibilities and bonds she now feels, the relationship she had with the Carpenter - the man with whom she shared the island - these are shown perfectly. The last is all the more remarkable given that the book opens with the Carpenter's death.
The prose is beautiful, and contains some very poetic passages. There is also some wonderful humour, which is balanced by some very poignant and profound passages. Through Miss Ranskill, Barbara Todd comments on the massive changes that take place not only when the war comes, but also when a war is over: Miss Ranskill experienced this after the First World War, and reflects on what it will mean not only for those who have fought in the war, but also those whose childhoods have been dominated by war and marked by the absence, temporary or permanent, of their fathers and other male role models.
Add to all this a great delicacy and poise in timing, delivery, plot and pacing, and the result is a book which is a delight to read. show less
Shortly before the start of World War II, Nona Ranskill was swept overboard whilst on a cruise and was washed up on a desert island. The only other inhabitant of the island is a man known as 'the Carpenter', who had also fallen overboard on an earlier occasion. At the beginning of the book, the Carpenter has died and we first meet Miss Ranskill as she's digging his grave. After burying the Carpenter, Miss Ranskill makes an attempt to escape from the island - and luckily she is rescued by the show more British Navy. Returning to England after almost four years, Miss Ranskill discovers that it's not the England she left behind: in her absence, World War II has begun..
This may all sound very far-fetched, but Todd actually makes it seem believable. I thought the whole idea of someone being cut off from the world and returning home only to find themselves suddenly thrown into the middle of a war was absolutely fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the first half of the book which deals with the first few days of Miss Ranskill's arrival in England, when everything feels strange and surreal. Even the English language seems different and full of unfamiliar words. When she tries to buy food she can't understand why she's asked for her 'ration book', or why she needs 'coupons' to purchase clothes. This leads to some very amusing situations but at the same time you can't help but feel sorry for poor Miss Ranskill.
Although he's dead before the story even begins, the strongest character in the book is the Carpenter. He is constantly in Miss Ranskill's thoughts and his presence is there on almost every page in the form of flashbacks and memories. His optimism and words of wisdom had helped to sustain Miss Ranskill during her time on the island and continue to give her comfort on her return to wartime Britain.
However, the years on the island and the company of the Carpenter have given her a new outlook on life and she finds it difficult to adjust. Unlike her friends and family who are all absorbed in their war work, Miss Ranskill feels detached from what's going on and spends most of the book remembering the island and even feeling nostalgic about the fact that she had to eat fish for every meal and wear the same clothes for nearly four years! England may have changed, but Miss Ranskill has changed even more.
This book has the perfect blend of humour and poignancy and gives us an opportunity to explore World War II from a unique perspective. show less
This may all sound very far-fetched, but Todd actually makes it seem believable. I thought the whole idea of someone being cut off from the world and returning home only to find themselves suddenly thrown into the middle of a war was absolutely fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the first half of the book which deals with the first few days of Miss Ranskill's arrival in England, when everything feels strange and surreal. Even the English language seems different and full of unfamiliar words. When she tries to buy food she can't understand why she's asked for her 'ration book', or why she needs 'coupons' to purchase clothes. This leads to some very amusing situations but at the same time you can't help but feel sorry for poor Miss Ranskill.
Although he's dead before the story even begins, the strongest character in the book is the Carpenter. He is constantly in Miss Ranskill's thoughts and his presence is there on almost every page in the form of flashbacks and memories. His optimism and words of wisdom had helped to sustain Miss Ranskill during her time on the island and continue to give her comfort on her return to wartime Britain.
However, the years on the island and the company of the Carpenter have given her a new outlook on life and she finds it difficult to adjust. Unlike her friends and family who are all absorbed in their war work, Miss Ranskill feels detached from what's going on and spends most of the book remembering the island and even feeling nostalgic about the fact that she had to eat fish for every meal and wear the same clothes for nearly four years! England may have changed, but Miss Ranskill has changed even more.
This book has the perfect blend of humour and poignancy and gives us an opportunity to explore World War II from a unique perspective. show less
"It was strange that values should make such a flashing change. ...There was not one truth but many. Was it possible for anyone to be innocent of the death of one just man?"
I was expecting something a little more farcical a la Three Men in a Boat but this isn't that. It's funny in parts but in an ironical fashion. The tone is more of grief, deprivation, and isolation; the sadness of loss and the liberation of loss. All told with that stiff-upper-lip Britishness that does not allow the story show more to lapse into maudlin dejection. There are no winners here, but that's real life. Miss Ranskill adapts as well as one might expect and that's not much, but it is enough to restore her to war-time usefulness . On her desert island she was expanded and worthy and capable in meaningful ways. In contrast, back "home", she is stranded in a society that has become small and stifling to her. This is an intimate character study, more than anything, with interesting historical artifacts of racism and anti-semitism, and some pertinent thoughts on the nature of killing in wartime. show less
I was expecting something a little more farcical a la Three Men in a Boat but this isn't that. It's funny in parts but in an ironical fashion. The tone is more of grief, deprivation, and isolation; the sadness of loss and the liberation of loss. All told with that stiff-upper-lip Britishness that does not allow the story show more to lapse into maudlin dejection. There are no winners here, but that's real life. Miss Ranskill adapts as well as one might expect and that's not much, but it is enough to restore her to war-time usefulness . On her desert island she was expanded and worthy and capable in meaningful ways. In contrast, back "home", she is stranded in a society that has become small and stifling to her. This is an intimate character study, more than anything, with interesting historical artifacts of racism and anti-semitism, and some pertinent thoughts on the nature of killing in wartime. show less
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- 22
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- Members
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- Popularity
- #47,120
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 20
- ISBNs
- 39
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