The Children of Green Knowe

L.M. Boston, who lived for many years in a twelfth-century manor house that is reputed to be the oldest continually inhabited residence in Britain, has a stronger sense of place than any author I have ever encountered, and Green Knowe itself - the setting (clearly inspired by her own home) for her six interrelated children's novels, beginning with this one, first published in 1954, and concluding with her 1976 The Stones of Green Knowe - comes alive in her stories, almost as a character in its own right. Boston, who published her first book at the age of sixty-two - if ever something was worth the wait! - draws the reader immediately into her narrative, and into her world, in The Children of Green Know, following young Toseland (Tolly) show more Oldknow as he approaches his ancestral home, "Green Noah," for the first time, on a Christmas visit to the great-grandmother he has never met. Here he discovers a place where the past - his family's past - is not quite done, and the ghosts of his ancestors - particularly, of Toby (another Toseland), Alexander and Linnet, three young Oldknows from the seventeenth century - are not at rest.

A heady feeling of almost immediate involvement, a sense of being drawn in, and slowly engulfed by an atmosphere of enchantment and mystery, is powerfully evoked here, in the text itself - which begins: "A little boy was sitting in the corner of a railway carriage looking out at the rain, which was splashing against the windows and blotching downward in an ugly, dirty way. He was not the only person in the carriage, but the others were strangers to him. He was alone as usual" - and in the artwork as well. Although very happy indeed that the Green Knowe books are again available, and well aware that new cover artwork plays a role in their continuing appeal for today's young readers - the series, after being out of print for many years, was reprinted here in the states beginning in 2002, with new cover artwork by Brett Helquist - I believe that the original cover art by Peter Boston (the author's son), best captures that sense of being drawn into a magical landscape. Here we have Tolly, holding a lantern aloft, as Boggis (Green Knowe's factotum) rows him toward the ancient house, which, standing like a sentinel in the midst of the seasonal flood, with every window lit, waits to welcome him home. And what a home it is! Boston's descriptions are lovely, really capturing the beauty of the place, and her characters (whether living or ghostly) terribly real, making The Children of Green Knowe one of the most compelling works of children's fiction I have ever read. I do not know, all told, that its subtle eldritch enchantment with ensnare ever reader, as it did me, when I first read it a few years ago (how I wish I'd discovered these books when still a child!), but for those who are lucky enough to find their way into its secret heart, it is an experience like no other! show less

This is a hard one for me to review. I think if you read it as a child, it's going to have a really strong pull - it speaks to something about what it is to be a small, imaginative child, particularly a small, imaginative, only child, that I don't think I've ever seen represented in prose before. It's a favorite book of a close friend of mine, who read it when young, but I didn't read it for the first time until I was almost 30. It doesn't have the same pull for me - I don't really see how it could.

It's a relatively free-form story, almost a "sandbox" story in the way we talk about video games where characters can explore environments at will and at their own pace. Predominantly, it's about a young boy arriving to stay with his show more great-grandmother at Christmas, and exploring the house and grounds that have been in his family for over 400 years. He and the great-grandmother strike up a special relationship, and she tells him about a trio of his ancestors who lived as happy children in the same house. They died in the Great Plague, and soon, by playing with their toys and engaging in their games, the boy realizes that their ghosts are still there.

This is not a scary book, although there are one or two dark moments. The ghost children are kind presences, and the overall tone is a dreamy one that pushes gently toward whimsy. The protagonist, Tolly, is fascinated by everything he sees; his mind goes into overdrive as he imagines how his ghostly relatives were inspired by the same house, the same gardens, the same topiaries. He leaves sugar cubes for a legendary horse in the stable and pretends that a ceramic mouse is alive in his pocket. It isn't really a question whether or not he's dreaming, or whether or not the children are really there - it's all kind of a blur, without a lot of boundaries, and mostly we are simply aware that both Tolly and his grandmother are pleased by what they experience. There is a great love of the natural world, too; does it really matter if the squirrel and the mole and the hare that Tolly sees are the same ones those long-ago children named and tamed? No, it doesn't - everything is in its place and all's right with the world.

I'll be honest and say that I, personally, usually prefer a children's book with just a little bit more to it. I don't mind the "sandbox" idea of drifting without a really defined plot, but I think it would work better for me with some slightly more contrasting characters involved. The most enjoyable bits of the book, to me, are the rare ones where the gardener, Boggis, brings his somewhat earthy pragmatism into the "airy" world Tolly inhabits (and which his grandmother supports). There's a gentle conflict of personalities there that is very appealing without being abrasive in any way. Having one, more central character exhibit a stronger down-to-earth perspective, or even a dry sense of humor, would have punctured some of the "fairy tale"-ness that, for me, simply goes on too long without tonal variation. I can see how other people might like that undisturbed "golden glow," though.

Happily, I think the final quarter moves the story from merely good to very good, at least for me. The magic (or whatever you wish to call it) is at its height, and there's a sequence of genuine terror, offset by the joy of a Christmas Day that includes feeding all the animals who find their homes on the grounds. At that point I'm content to let the book be as dreamy and sweet as it wants to be without any further complaint: after all, it's Christmas! show less

I do love Children of Green Knowe - I like Tolly, and enjoy his adventures. The matter-of-fact way magic just sort of happens is lovely. I also love the descriptions - the everyday English countryside, and all the bits of secret around Green Knowe. And a lovely ending, after one very scary scene. I know how it ends - I've read it probably a dozen times over the years - and I still hold my breath and shiver in that dark night.

The Children of Green Knowe, introduces us to the stone house which dates from Norman times. Though it has had many names over the years, it has always come back to being called Green Knowe. The book starts with a young boy named Toseland who is coming to live with his Great-Grandmother Oldknow. He has lost his mother and his father has remarried and moved to the East so he is feeling a bit alone. But although there are only two living people in the home, it is alive with the spirits of those who have come before. The "ghosts" that Tolly befriends are three children -- Toby, Alexander and Linnet -- from the 1800s who have left behind some of their treasures in the home. They are shy at first but eventually become Tolly's playmates as he show more learns to accept them.

This was a delightful book that I would have loved as a child. There was nothing I would have wanted more than to live in an old house with friendly ghosts and hidden treasures. And I loved that the children from the past were actually Tolly's ancestors so that there was even a sort of love between them all. Mrs. Oldknow was also a lovely character -- the kind of grandmother who wants you to go exploring but then always has a warm drink and a snack ready right when you come back. Her connection with Green Knowe and with the family history are based in love and it's obvious that she wants Tolly to continue the tradition.

http://webereading.com/2009/09/for-love-of-green-knowe.html show less

I never heard of this, but really enjoyed it. A young English boy goes to live with his grandmother, and encounters the ghosts of his ancestors living in her home. The house dates from the time of William the Conqueror, so Tolly meets ghosts of people who lived centuries ago, including one from the time of Charles II. I was drawn in right away, because it's written very well, and I'm a history and architecture buff. Would be a great way to inspire children to learn about history.

In The Children of Green Knowe, there is only one child really. His name is Tolly, come to visit his great grandmother for the Christmas holiday. Mrs. Oldknow is a dream relation. She gives Tolly lots of freedom to explore the grounds of her castle, and slowly to become acquainted with the ghosts that live there, three children from long ago.

The relationship between the young boy and the old woman is lovely, with many fits of giggles. Not much happens to Tolly. The action that took place long ago is told through stories told by Mrs. Oldknow. There is one truly thrilling tale of a gypsy horse thief whose mother's curse may still be lingering over the estate.

This book feels like a warm up to future installments. Even though the ghost show more children lived centuries previous, the book does not read as a time travel novel, or historical fantasy, more of a ghost-fantasy. The whole proceeding is infused with longing for adventure and companionship by a very lonely boy. I think children who don't mind great writing especially descriptive writing of amazing weather would like it very much. show less

The Children of Green Knowe is an elegantly written children's novel that centres on a boy named Tolly - estranged from his father and his new stepmother, he is sent to live with his great grandmother in his family's ancestral home. He is fascinated by the story of Toby, Alexander and Linnet (children antecedents who died in the 1700s during the Great Plague) and is eventually befriended by their ghosts. Tolly learns the history of the children and uncovers the secrets behind Green Noah (the demonic remnant of a gypsy curse).
The Children of Green Knowe is a beautiful evocation of English Arcadia - after the implied negligence of his parents Tolly is given back his innocence by the English countryside and emotionally renewed by the care show more of his grandmother and by his friendship with the ghosts.
Toby, Alexander and Linnet represent the spirit of a richer, more 'authentic' England - invisible to all but a select few. As his Grandmother says, 'you will see them when they've come to know you'.
The novel is brimming with the same cheerful, English fantasy that characterises the works of C.S Lewis and T.H White: it left me with a nostalgic yearning for an English childhood I never experienced. I wanted to feed starlings and then enjoy tea and bun by the fire; or enjoy a picnic in the snow with a tiny hedgehog in my pocket. Sady, both ambitions remain unfulfilled. show less