Saffy's Angel

Probably my 50th read in my life, but my first in quite a few years, though it's been living quietly on my bookshelf all the while because I couldn't bear to get rid of it. This series was really formative for me, right up there with His Dark Materials and Harriet the Spy and Harry Potter (though the last has obviously aged somewhat worse). In part, because it reflected certain parts of my life with an incredible closeness--I grew up in a house much messier and more full of the detritus of years than any of my friends', with a harried mother who did and does call everyone "darling", all of us often foraging in cupboards (unlike the Cassons, my dad was the primary forager and my mother the person who would think to buy a big can of baked show more beans for emergencies), full of spiders my father wouldn't let us kill and his various researches into macaque brains. I also was a sensitive, artsy kid who was worse at school than I was "supposed" to be, and I felt deeply seen by almost all the Cassons in turn. Obviously, this is a review that is as far from objective as it's possible to be, but I genuinely found it delightful and surprisingly nuanced this past reread. The plot is excellent constructed in a way that looks like chaos up until the end that you realize has been carefully built to this whole time, and all the members of the family feel fully realized and multidimensional. show less

I am a sucker for books about large, complicated, creative families that capture the everyday magic of life, and this totally hit my buttons. Although the main plot here is Saffy's story, about her search for identity and finding her place, I loved that we also got to meet her siblings and parents and friends. This was such a rich book in terms of both character and theme; I am impressed by just how much was packed into it, and so gracefully. And best of all, it left me feeling good and happy and inspired. I will definitely be reading more of the Casson family books!

September 11, 2010

Based on the covers of any of these editions you'd be forgiven for mistaking the title for "Sappy's Angel". They're all rather precious. The title itself was a bit off-putting for me: I was afraid it was going to being something cloyingly religious, with perhaps, a good lesson about character through suffering. Not hardly.

Thankfully, the book it most reminds me of is [b:The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy|266904|The Penderwicks A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy (The Penderwicks #1)|Jeanne Birdsall|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320508900s/266904.jpg|2564478].* Both are stories about four siblings, with one old enough for crushes, show more and one quite young. Both have an old-fashioned episodic style, although the characters themselves are quite modern, secular, and eccentric. Both have loving but distracted parents who largely leave the kids up to their own devices because they have their own things to do. Both have intimidating rich women. Both are about the importance of family who are actually loving, if negligent in appearances.

This one has a herd of guinea pigs in lieu of Hound, and lots and lots of art as craft and career, which is interesting and in keeping with the overall bohemian feel. And I'm sure it doesn't tell you anything about me that the mother is a crappy cook.

*Saffy's Angel is several years the elder, but alas, I came to it later.

Library copy.

September 13, 2013 show less

Hmm. 'Eccentric' isn't quite a strong enough word for this family. I think Rose is my favorite character, but the next (and perhaps only other) book I am looking forward to reading about these characters is Indigo's Star. For the right audience, this would be a perfect series. Beautifully & brilliantly written, the adventures of these almost feral children of artistic parents (erm, if they deserve that title...) would enchant a child who wants to live in a family less boring, or poor, or dysfunctional, or whatever... than their own. Literary & powerful, adults can enjoy this book (and, I'm guessing, the others) maybe even more than children... if they can get over being bothered by the benignly neglectful theory of child-rearing, with show more father in the city being a professional artist all week, and mother in the shed with her own paintings.

The bit about the trip to Wales with a brand-new driver was hilarious. I love that Rose took markers and a drawing pad and communicated w/ other drivers, asking for their patience as Caddy navigated the unfamiliar highway.

[Rose] was painting a vast desert landscape on the white wall of the landing.... [It] was the direct result of her father's telling her to start small and to stick to painting only what she knew."" show less

Quirky, charming, the kind of book you could curl up with for an entire afternoon. The introduction to Saffy and the other members of the artistic Casson family only whets the appetite for more stories.

This is one of my all time favourites especially when Rose is holding up signs to the drivers behind her only-just-passed- her-test sister... It actually made me laugh out loud so hard that I had to put the book down!

It works on so many levels for both adults and children - a true crossover book.

In my opinion, Saffy’s Angel is a well-written book. This book follows the Casson family. The children are all named after paint colors, except for Saffron (Saffy), who “accidently” discovers that she was adopted. The book is a whirlwind of events that all lead up to Saffy finally starting to find who she is as a young lady and as a member of her family. The book is full of dialogue, which helps the reader build a mental image of each character and their individual personalities. An example is when the Casson children are talking about why Saffy needed to go to Italy.
“She had to go,” said Rose.
“It was because of her angel,” said Indigo.
“And because of Granddad,” added Caddy.
“And because of her nose stud.”
“And show more because her name isn’t on the color chart.”
“She’s lonely,” said Rose. “That’s why.”
Additionally, the book does a great job of using descriptive language. An example is when the author is describing Indigo, Saffy’s younger brother. “Indigo was a thin, dark-haired little boy with anxious indigo-colored eyes… Indigo was crouched on the hearth rug, sorting through the coal bucket… He looked like a small black devil in the shadowy room with the firelight behind him.” The book is sequential, without feeling too structured. In the beginning of the book, Saffy is eight years old and by the end of the novel, she is a teenager. The reader gets to “grow-up” with Saffy and her family and gets to see how their personalities mature and develop over the years. The characters in Saffy’ Angel are eccentric and whimsical, but constructed in a way that the reader can relate to. The characters come alive through the humorous dialogue and vivid descriptions. The big idea of this book is to introduce the reader to a young girl who is searching, striving, and yearning to find where she belongs in this world. It is an idea that many individuals can relate to, male or female and young or old. show less