But finding a new home is hard when you're running for your life. The villainous Platters wil not rest until they recapture the tiny family, and they hound the Clocks' every move. When the Borrowers finally do set up house under a window seat in an old rectory, it seems they have found safety at last - until the Platters turn up in the church one night, forcing the Borrowers into a final desperate struggle for their freedom.
MY THOUGHTS:
Oh dear, I think Mary Norton should never have recommenced this family history again. This surprise installment was first published in 1982, more than twenty years after she wrapped up The Borrowers Aloft.
The story picks up right where Borrowers Aloft concludes. Twenty-one years have lapsed in real time, but only three days in story time. Norton was quite elderly at this stage and I doubt her train of thought on this series was as finely calibrated as it had been at the end of 1961 when she last put down her pen. She might've been doing her younger self a disservice by continuing.
For a start, we're given an actual date for the happenings, 1911. The former stories merely impart a strong Edwardian vibe which seemed to be her intent and works well. Nailing it down arguably diminishes some of the magic. Not to mention, many readers who took up Norton's invitation to resume the tale of the Clock family with their own imaginations may be disappointed.
Anyway, here's where she takes it. To recap, Pod, Homily and Arrietty arrive back at Little Fordham by homemade air balloon, are reunited with Spiller, and Pod decides it's no longer an ideal place to live. That turns out to be wise, for Sidney and Mabel Platter refuse to accept their loss and immediately decide to track down the little trio and steal them back again. The borrowers escape in Spiller's knife tray boat in the nick of time. Their new destination is a haunted rectory, and Uncle Hendreary's family is living in the church next door, for Spiller re-located them too, while Pod, Homily and Arrietty were trapped in the Platters' attic.
We're introduced to a new young Borrower who also lives in the rectory. His name is Peregrine (or Peagreen) Overmantel, and he walks with a limp due to a childhood injury. You guessed it, he's a member of that same proud and patronising Overmantel family who used to irritate, yet inspire Homily. But Peagreen himself is a pleasant and friendly young man.
Now, the big question is whether or not Norton was attempting to set up one of those tiresome love triangles, for Peagreen is Spiller's antithesis in every way. He shuns the great outdoors, is very clean looking, loves taking baths, will chat for hours to anyone, and is very creative and classy. He's an artist with a studio in an old nesting box, writes poetry and is also working on a book about the history of the Overmantels. Peagreen limits himself to borrowing from the well-stacked rectory pantry, since his gammy leg prevents him from hunting, fishing or foraging.
Although it's never stated directly, it seems Arrietty now has two polar opposite borrower boys appealing to the two equally compelling sides of her own character; her passion for the great outdoors and her fascination for culture and literature. But if she ever makes a choice it's not revealed in canon, since this book was the last. Some readers may think introducing a potential love triangle adds a dash of spice, but I'm no fan of this breezy newcomer supplanting our boy Spiller, who has earned his way into our hearts during the last three books.
The next questionable addition is the ghost thread. The rectory is haunted by three apparitions, each with sad or violent backstories. Now, I have no trouble with teeny-tiny human look-alikes, but I think Norton crosses a line by introducing the supernatural. I don't think I'm alone either. Some other reviews indicate protective parents objecting to the possibility of their kids getting frightened by the occult, which is fair enough. But my biggest gripe is that these ghosts never do anything other than waft around looking tragic and opaque! Why introduce such a startling element when it has no bearing on the plot whatsoever?
Finally, the ending is frustrating. (Mild plot spoiler ahead.) Arrietty snaps at Spiller, accusing him of cowardice for not revealing their safety to Miss Menzies, as he'd promised. He responds with quiet fury, stalking off without a word. What's with that abrupt conclusion to such a great series? Apart from the fact that Spiller hasn't had much time to plan his approach because he's been too busy saving their lives yet again, Arrietty seriously needs to sit back and reflect on all he's ever done for them! Norton, who satisfied me at the end of The Borrowers Aloft, leaves me disgruntled and puzzled now. Perhaps she had further plans, (surely she must have!) but we'll never know.
If ever I wanted to write my own bit of Borrower fan fiction, it's now.
🌟🌟🌟
No comments:
Post a Comment