Jill Paton Walsh (1937–2020)
Author of Thrones, Dominations
About the Author
Jill Paton Walsh was born Gillian Bliss on April 29, 1937 in London. She graduated from St. Anne's College in Oxford. She taught at the Enfield Girls' Grammar School for three years and was a permanent visiting faculty member for the Center for Children's Literature at Simmons College in Boston, show more Massachusetts. She was also an adjunct British board member of Children's Literature New England. She has written more than 15 books for children. She has won numerous awards including the Book World Festival Award for Fireweed in 1970, the Whitbread Prize for The Emperor's Winding Sheet in1974, the Universe Prize for A Parcel of Patterns in 1984, and the Smarties Grand Prix for Gaffer Samson's Luck in 1984. She has also written adult novels, including completing an unfinished Dorothy Sayers manuscript. Her adult works include Knowledge of Angels, The Serpentine Cave, and A School for Lovers. She is the author of the Imogen Quy Mystery series and the Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery series. She was elected as fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1996. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Jill Paton Walsh
Associated Works
Great Spirits 1000-2000: The Fifty-Two Christians Who Most Influenced Their Millennium (2002) — Contributor — 30 copies, 1 review
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 8, No. 8, April 1981 — Contributor — 3 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Walsh, Jill Paton
- Legal name
- Paton Walsh, Gillian
- Other names
- Bliss, Gillian Honorine Mary (birth name)
Herbert, Gillian Honorine Mary (Baroness Hemingford) - Birthdate
- 1937-04-29
- Date of death
- 2020-10-18
- Gender
- female
- Education
- St. Michael's Convent, North Finchley
St. Anne's College, Oxford - Occupations
- author
teacher - Organizations
- Simmons College
- Awards and honors
- Order of the British Empire (Commander ∙ 1996)
Fellow, Royal Society of Literature - Relationships
- Townsend, John Rowe (husband)
Paton Walsh, Anthony (former husband)
Bliss, Christopher (brother)
Herbert, Nicholas (3rd Baron Hemingford, husband) - Short biography
- Born Gillian Bliss in London on 25 April 1937. Educated at St. Michael's Convent, North Finchley, and at St. Anne's College, Oxford. In 1961 she married Anthony Paton Walsh, who died in 2003. In 2004 she married writer John Rowe Townsend, who died in 2014. Her books included fiction for children and teenagers, crime fiction (including additional books about Dorothy L Sayers' character Lord Peter Wimsey) and other novels. She was a 'permanent visiting faculty member' of the Centre for Children's Literature, Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts from 1978 to 1986. In 1996 she received the CBE for services to literature, and was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She died in October 2020.
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- North Finchley, London, Middlesex, England, UK
- Places of residence
- Richmond, Surrey, England, UK
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK
Boston, Massachusetts, USA - Place of death
- Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England, UK
- Map Location
- England, UK
Members
Discussions
Found: YA - Earth dying, girl on spaceship to settle new planet in Name that Book (October 2023)
Found: 1970s Book about Homeless Children in London Blitz in Name that Book (April 2021)
Children's book, journey to new planet, butterfly-like aliens in Name that Book (October 2011)
Reviews
A child who is singled out by his mother for abuse, called nothing but Creep, has only his older brother to help him and sneak food for him until redevelopment next door damages the wall of their tenement flat and breaches the closet he's locked in. He leaves the house, makes his way across the broken bricks of the construction site to the old canal. And finds himself in the days of the Industrial Revolution. Life is not much easier for him, and abuse of children is rife, but the world is show more wider and he begins to make his own way. Meanwhile, back in 20th century England, his brother is trying desperately to find him.
There's an unforgettable episode in which the brother, clearly a child of the working class, asks the history teacher at one of the posh schools for help in his research. (He's come to recognize, or half-believe at least, that "Creep" is somewhen in the past.) The teacher is dismissive at first and then deeply impressed by the boy's insight into what history is: at his school they don't teach history, just "topics". Classism is touched on in a meaningful way, and then the story continues.
A book worth reading more than once. show less
There's an unforgettable episode in which the brother, clearly a child of the working class, asks the history teacher at one of the posh schools for help in his research. (He's come to recognize, or half-believe at least, that "Creep" is somewhen in the past.) The teacher is dismissive at first and then deeply impressed by the boy's insight into what history is: at his school they don't teach history, just "topics". Classism is touched on in a meaningful way, and then the story continues.
A book worth reading more than once. show less
I suppose it's a bit heretical to like the continuation of the Wimsey/Vane mysteries even better than the originals, but there it is. I love not having to look out for the blatantly racist language that peppers the books from another time, and I love Peter and Harriet together. Gaudy Night and Busman's Honeymoon were always my favorite books of the originals, and it's a tribute to Jill Paton Walsh that her work can flow so seamlessly into Sayers' drafts and plans. So grateful to have these show more latter day stories, and that are so faithful to the witty wordplay and characters of the earlier books. This audio book version was even read by the same actor as the others, and I am so happy to listen to that reader. show less
Jill Paton Walsh and Juliette Palmer bring the world of 19th century canals vividly to life. The plot is a simple interlude in the life of a cloistered Victorian child, desperately unhappy, who falls into the company of two children who are illegally operating a canal boat on their own so their grown brother, who has badly broken his arm, will not lose his contract to haul coal. She spends almost a week in their company, and returns home, where her hysterically reproachful family tries to show more make her forget all about it. Simple. But it's a well told story, extremely well researched. I found it interesting throughout and a second reading revealed new depths. The illustrations are marvellous. Even if I had not liked the story so much, I would have kept the book for the beautiful line drawings of narrowboats and canal folk. show less
The Attenbury Emeralds: The New Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane Mystery (Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane Mysteries) by Jill Paton Walsh
Peter and Harriet, now middle-aged and parenting three growing boys, are drawn back into a mystery that Peter first encountered in 1921, when he was still recovering his nerves from the war—the uncertain provenance of a giant, very valuable family emerald, part of an Indian maharaja’s set that was broken up. It doesn’t take long for murder to enter the plot; meanwhile, Peter finds himself in an unexpected family situation.
Paton Walsh really captures the essence of Sayers’ characters: show more Peter’s self-doubt, Bunter’s pride, Harriet’s quiet self-sufficiency. I did think, though, that Helen veered a bit into caricature. [SPOILER ALERT] I knew before reading that Peter would wind up as Duke of Denver, and I wasn’t sure I cared for the idea. Reading, though, I realized that Sayers herself had establish this likelihood by giving Gerald only one daredevil son. And Paton Walsh’s interpretation of Peter’s acceptance of the new role was quite in character (as established by Sayers) and extremely moving, as well Harriet’s realization that she had somehow gone from the disgraced doctor of a country doctor to a duchess (albeit an equally disgraced one). show less
Paton Walsh really captures the essence of Sayers’ characters: show more Peter’s self-doubt, Bunter’s pride, Harriet’s quiet self-sufficiency. I did think, though, that Helen veered a bit into caricature. [SPOILER ALERT] I knew before reading that Peter would wind up as Duke of Denver, and I wasn’t sure I cared for the idea. Reading, though, I realized that Sayers herself had establish this likelihood by giving Gerald only one daredevil son. And Paton Walsh’s interpretation of Peter’s acceptance of the new role was quite in character (as established by Sayers) and extremely moving, as well Harriet’s realization that she had somehow gone from the disgraced doctor of a country doctor to a duchess (albeit an equally disgraced one). show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 59
- Also by
- 21
- Members
- 8,487
- Popularity
- #2,838
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 257
- ISBNs
- 351
- Languages
- 10
- Favorited
- 10