Waterstones The Chimneys of Green Knowe
61 ratings
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Price: £5.99
Brand: Waterstones
Description: . Waterstones The Chimneys of Green Knowe - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: Waterstones
Product ID: 9780952323334
Delivery cost: 2.99
ISBN: 9780952323334
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Author: Matt182
Rating: 5
Review: I decided to buy this book because ever since I first watched the movie From time to time, which is 1 of my favourite movies ever, I have become infatuated by it. I saw in the end credits and in an interview with Julian Fellowes (who wrote and directed the movie) that it was based on a book called 'The chimneys of Green Knowe' by Lucy M. Boston. I wanted to see how much the film resembles the book and obviously wanted to read more into the whole story. After reading the book I can see now that Julian Fellowes is a genius and has taken the best bits of the book and created an incredible theatrical version of it which is more exciting and suitable for cinema. There are quite a few differences between the book and the movie but the story itself is basically the same. If you haven't seen the movie then I highly recommend it. The Chimneys of Green Knowe is the second in a series of books written for children by Lucy M. Boston and inspired by her real life family house. This book was written in 1958 and tells the story of Tolly who goes to stay with his great-grandmother and she tells him the stories of what happened in this house; about blind Susan, her former slave boy assistant from Barbados called Jacob who's rescued by Captain Oldknow; who spends much of his time away at sea, and of the rest of the Oldknow family. Meanwhile Tolly makes many discoveries and goes about solving the secret of the house, hidden away for more nearly 200 years. The story from the past is set around the time of the Napoleonic wars and it appears that Tolly is in the present. It is a wonderful, almost magical story and will be enjoyed by adults and children alike. Bear in mind this was written in 1958, and will differ from a modern children's book. It is hardly what I would call PC! This is where it also differs from the film version because the film version was far more updated (socially) and politically correct. From the harsh words uttered by several members of the household about Susan's blindness (which may have been accurate for people's ignorant views at the time) to the racism scattered here and there about Negro boy Jacob, which is quite distasteful (once again probably accurate for the times). All I'm saying is take caution if you do let children get their hands on this because there may be things you need to explain to them! The ending of the movie is a stark contrast to the ending of the book, which is far more suitable for children. That's all I'll say! At the age of 23 I did really enjoy reading this book and it was great to get a wider picture and divulge into all the characters I had never heard of before. It's a great story about discovery, prejudice, ignorance, racism, social hierarchy, treachery, history, ghosts from the past (and in the chimney), architecture and enlightenment! There are so many details and alleys and with a heartfelt story that it's a book you'll definitely want to pick up again in the future.
Author: Kindle Customer
Rating: 4
Review: I wanted to flag up a warning that this book not only uses the N word (in context, this is understandable) but also has some more subtly racist memes that I might not have been aware of before the Black Lives Matter movement. Jacob, the young boy rescued from slavery, is a positive and rounded character, and he gets the upper hand over the stupid racists, but nonetheless, he is always "woolly-headed", he has rolling eyes, he never learns proper English... he's a stereotype in his own way. I therefore have mixed feelings about the book. It also has a positive depiction of a girl with a disability and how she copes with it, as well as the Green Knowe magic which is the keynote of the book. But be cautious before handing it over to a child - maybe have a talk about stereotyping as you do. It's the second one in the series that I've read, and I will be reading more - they are timeless joys, even if dated in this respect.
