Lynne Reid Banks (1929–2024)

The Mystery of the Cupboard is the fourth book in Lynne Reid Banks' popular Indian in the Cupboard series, and my personal favorite. In this story, Omri's family has moved again, but this time to the Dorset countryside. Omri's mother has inherited a farmhouse from a distant cousin. Little does Omri know that a new chapter in the history of the cupboard is about to begin. The farmhouse is in need of new roofing thatch, and as the old thatch is being removed Omri finds a carefully wrapped show more package in it. It had been hidden for over thirty years by his great-great Aunt Jessica Charlotte... who also had dealings with plastic figures who came alive through the magic of the cupboard.

I love the back-and-forth feel of this story, as Omri reads Jessica Charlotte's diary and learns where both the cupboard and its key came from. Tied up with the history of his family are the larger historical events that shaped the lives of his ancestors. Distinct personalities emerge from the faded pages of Jessica Charlotte's Account as Omri becomes more and more engrossed in her story.

I enjoyed Banks' departure from a storyline dominated by Little Bear and Boone. A new set of characters are introduced, just as fun and unique as any in the other books. The themes of this story are much more tragic than those of the previous three books, as is fitting for a series that is maturing alongside its readers. The plotting is great and the writing, as usual, is quite good. Highly recommended. show less

I adored this book as a child in the early ‘90s and was excited to reread it with my sons. I still love the magical premise of the story, as did my kids. Being able to bring toys to life is basically every kid’s dream, after all.

When I originally read this book 30 years ago, it was a very different time. I’m not excusing anything as ok; it was just different, and society has since learned better. That said, even though I love the story, I cringed and edited all the way through reading show more it with my children. It did present opportunities for educational and edifying discussions about racism, stereotypes, and cultural respect and appreciation.

I’d love to see this series rewritten with collaborators of Haudenosaunee heritage and expertise. It would take a full rewrite, though, to scrub all the problematic bits and reframe certain aspects of the story. It has a lot of good in it, but there’s also a lot that would benefit from a heavy update. show less

‘’You know, Charlotte, I sometimes think - don’t laugh, will you?- that Emily’s strength comes from the moors. She’s like a tree, planted tree, and if she’s uprooted it won’t matter how tough her trunk is, she’ll wither and die.’’

I approached this book with mixed feelings of enthusiasm and apprehension. I have read quite a number of biographies on the Brontë family but I tend to avoid works of fiction based on their lives. With only a handful of exceptions, the writers show more tend to project their own values and perceptions to the sisters with no success. Especially apparent in the case of Emily Brontë, these women cannot become ‘’characters’’. It is impossible. A gifted writer is required for that, Sarah Perry, Daisy Johnson, Diane Setterfield. Lynne Reid Banks is hardly a writer, let alone a gifted one and this book was a frightful disappointment.

In a clumsy mixture of Biography and Historical Fiction, the writer almost turned the family into characters of the most mundane, dated (justifiable given the date the book was published) romance. Exhaustingly detailed in parts that hold little significance and naively simplistic when it had to be powerful and, possibly, thorough. The only part she seemed to get right was the unbreakable relationship between Emily and the mystical English moors. Even this vital characteristic is depicted in a highly exaggerated, dramatic manner. Charlotte takes the spotlight and thus, the narration becomes quite boring. Plain and simple. Not because Charlotte was a boring person, God forbid, but because she is portrayed in such a way.

There is very little focus on the sisters’ work - almost none on Branwell’s who seems to be there just to remind us of a George Best type of man (I love George Best, don’t mind me…) and even less attention on the process of conceiving and giving birth to their immortal creations. The fact that the writer chooses to suggest that every novel of theirs was almost autobiographical is ridiculous, laughable and inappropriate. More emphasis on Jane Eyre, very little on Wuthering Heights (I doubt the writer could understand its implications, themes and importance…) and Anne’s novels may not have been written at all… I feel that this book ‘’wanted’’ to become a Peeping Tom than a serious work of Biography and Fiction. It focused more on what she believed was the sisters’ social and sentimental issues rather than their work and was not interested in that.

In my opinion, the Author’s Note is offensive and derogatory towards the readers, the world of Literature and the Brontë family. Making fun of the family’s course shows little respect and a huge, absurd ego. The way I see it, this book is an extremely failed effort. A true disappointment. A sacrilege.

Many thanks to Sapere Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com show less

[This is a review I wrote in 2009]

**A darkly compelling medieval tale of a Scottish Laird beset by tragic memories**

In medieval Scotland Bruce McLennan has risen up through the ranks from his humble beginnings as a fisherman's son, to become a powerful landowner with tenants at his disposal. Characters around him hint at the likeable man he used to be, but a tragic event changed him into a hard, brutal and at times cruel man. He believes himself devoid of the ability to feel affection for show more another human being ever again.

Hatred and a deisre for revenge drive McLennan off on a wild journey across to the other side of the world, following the Silk Road to China, whilst his tenants carry out his orders to build a strong and impressive castle fortress, with a terrifying dungeon for captives.

China is a dangerous place and this immediately appeals to the reckless McLennan. Ruled by the warring Mongols, skirmishes are a daily occurence. McLennan falls in with a band of private army soldiers and becomes renowned for his prowess on the battlefield. Along the way he buys himself a very young slave girl, Peony, to make and pour his tea and attend to his wounds and other needs. When he sees she has trouble walking and his comrades explain to him the practice of binding the feet of some girls to stunt their growth and make them attractive as ornaments to men, McLennan's heart is perhaps softened a notch or two... but this is something he hates to acknowledge even to himself. He also hates that something about her reminds him of what he has lost and cannot regain...

Peony proves pivotal to McLennan as he travels with the band of soldiers, and he decides to take his slave girl with him on the perilous journey back to Scotland. He begins to think of her as his lucky talisman, but when a bloody battle doesn't quite go according to plan his cruelty takes a new twist. Perhaps there is no redemption for the brutal McLennan...

I promise there are no plot spoilers in my review and there are plenty more twists and turns in the tale. The background is necessary to describe how dark and powerful this novel is. Love and hate are powerful themes. A compelling story, I can recommend it for readers aged 11+, though possibly for mature slightly younger readers as well. show less