Stones of Green Knowe

I purchased this book because I read the Green Knowe stories to my children when they were small. This book combines history, magic and mystery all in one book.

Years after reading the other Green Knowe books, I found this in a school library. I think it ranks with the best earlier volumes (Children and Treasure, in my opinion) and deserves to be available for the general reader, not just the collector. The images of loss from medieval times to the present are almost too much to bear ...

I'm a little concerned that the previous five books in the "Green Knowe" series all seem to be back in print whilst "The Stones of Green Knowe", the sixth and final book (an essential part of the collection) has apparently been neglected. If you are tracking down Lucy Boston's fantastic series of books, then don't stop at "A Stranger at Green Knowe" - there is one more book to be read, though it is obviously not as well-known as the others."The Stones of Green Knowe" completes Boston's series, and aptly takes us right back to the beginning of Green Knowe: to its original construction in 1120 A.D. The very first of the Green Knowe children is Roger, the grandson of a Norman Earl, who is excited beyond words at the building of a two-storied stone house, complete with windows. Roger's days are spent watching the flocks and exploring the construction site, with as much attention given to historical accuracy and detail as one would expect from Rosemary Sutcliffe. Like all the previous young protagonists, he is surrounded both by semi-mysterious characters sympathetic to his situation (such as the Viking Olaf Olafson, who gifts him with a magical knife, and another kindly grandmother reminiscent of the not-yet-born Grandmother Oldknow), and characters that make his life a little bit more difficult - such as a snobbish mother, not the first one to appear in Boston's books, leading me to believe that the author knew one personally.Yet despite being surrounded by all this excitement, Roger becomes captivated by the talk of the workers, who mention among themselves two mysterious stones out on the hills: "Surely you've heard of them? Very old, they were. Two of them standing out alone on a grassy hill at twilight, it gave you the jumps to see them." Roger, along with his horse Viking and his dog Watchet, seek them out, and by clearing away some brush, discovers the King and Queen Stones: the source of the magic of Green Knowe.From there the real adventures begin, as Roger discovers what later generations have yet to do: time travel back and forth to discover the other children of Green Knowe, and the fate of his beloved home. In true Lucy Boston style, there is added in little notes of Roger's discomfort at the environmental destruction of the forest, but it never overshadows what we are really interested in: his meetings with Toby, Alexander and Linnet, with Susan and Jacob, and with Tolly, all living in the same house at different times. Marvelling at the differences they all face, the reader is eventually rewarded with a beautiful scene of all the children gathered together under the beech tree...joined by yet another unexpected child, who gives Roger a special keepsake. After six books in the series, I was very sad to see its end, as with all great literature, I had grown quite attacted to Green Knowe and its inhabitants. It was a touch of genius to have the final book take place at 'the beginning' as it were, as we finally can understand where St Chr

Odd that some of these are out of print and some aren't, but any public library with a collection dating back to the sixties should have a copy.Stones is indeed about Roger, son of the Norman lord who built Green Knowe, and the building of Green Knowe. Like all of the series, mysterious and imaginative and full of historical detail.Like the best books of this type, the series creates a world of which the books merely touch the surface.Highly recommended.

Tolly, the hero of most of the other Green Knowe books, is a supporting character in this one. 'Stones' is centered around Roger, son of the Norman lord who first built Green Knowe. His travels into his future bring him into contact with Tolly, Susan, and some of the other children from the series. Without being dry and preachy, this book conveys the richness of English history along with the warmth of its characters and story.