The Greengage Summer

The Grey children are taken to France by their mother to visit the battlefields of WW1 in the hope that it will make them less selfish. However, she is taken ill as soon as they arrive at their destination, the hotel Les Oeillets, and the children find themselves bewildered and frightened in a strange land with a barely conscious mother. They are befriended by Eliot, a charming and enigmatic Englishman staying at Les Oeillets, who sorts everything out. With their mother in hospital, the children are free to explore this strange and exotic new world, so different from the dull suburban English town they have come from. They get to know all the people at the hotel, Mamzelle Zizzi, the beautiful but slightly haggard proprietor, who is clearly besotted with Eliot, Madame Corbet, grim and unsmiling, who equally clearly detests him, and all the rest of the staff. They make friends with Paul, an orphan who is an overworked drudge in the kitchen, but dreams of some day owning his own lorry. The story is narrated by Cecil, thirteen years old, who observes everything, especially the growing attraction between Joss, her exquisitely lovely elder sister, and Eliot. As Eliot spends more and more time with the children, Mamzelle Zizzi's jealousy grown, until it finally explodes one night in a scene that terrifies and bewilders the Grey family. The children try to retreat from the scary grownupworld to their safe childhood idyll, but it is too late, the happy atmosphere is poisoned. As Eliot's behaviour grows more mysterious,and Mamzelle Zizzi continues to simmer with jealousy the story heads inevitably towards disaster. All the characters in this book are fascinating, from secretive, sexy Eliot to the drudge Paul, and you feel totally involved in their lives. The atmosphere of a French summer is so vividly described, you can taste the greengages the children stuff themselves with, and smell the eccentric French plumbing. A gripping and poignant story of lost innocence, this book is based on actual events in Rumer Godden's youth, and is quite unforgettable.

Like many of the other reviewers here, I first read this book when I was about 13. (I am now in my 40's). A few years ago I was lucky enough to find a copy, but was nervous that perhaps it wouldn't be as good as I remembered...however I enjoyed it at least as much as I did when I first read it! I just gave this book to my 11 year old daughter and am enjoying watching her fall in love with it too. The characters are so fascinating, and the descriptions of the french countryside, the old hotel in which the story takes place, and the food just transport you. You hate to see the book end!Rumer Godden is a fabulous writer of both adult and childrens' books; this is definitely my favorite.

I first read it when I was 12 and then again when I was 22. It is a wonderfully written and deepy perceptive book about growing up (amongst a host of other things). Please read this book if you have not and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Other books by Rumer Godden are also brilliant - eg. In this house of Brede, Black Narcissus, Two under the Indian Sun, The River. She is also one of the very few writers who (IMHO) really loves India and writes like she is an insider and not an outsider. Enjoy.

I was given this book the spring I turned thirteen by my favorite aunt, who had read it when she was about thirteen. It has become as beloved to me as it was to her. It is a beautifully written story about the pain and excitement that accompany the time in one's life when the things of childhood get left behind for the lures of adulthood. Sensitive, it glorifies neither state, but shows the pains and pleasures of each. I wanted to buy if for my younger sister, and am devastated that it is out of print. If you can find a copy, do. It is infinitely worth the time. But be warned, you too will want to pass this treasure on.