Total comfort reading here: Monica Edwards' first two books in the Romney Marsh series, Wish for a Pony and The Summer of the Great Secret, from 1947 and 1948 respectively. I can't tell you why, but I was absolutely in love with these books as an eight or nine or ten year old growing up in the Highlands of PNG. I know now that the Romney Marsh books are widely beloved by ladies of, ahem, a certain age, as attested by the fact that Girls Gone By have reprinted several of the titles, which I have duly sought out and bought -- but it's these two first stories that captured my heart (there were later books in the Mt Hagen library, but I wasn't impressed when boys came into it).
Perhaps it was the rock solid friendship between Tamzin and Rissa that appealed to me -- I used to put myself to sleep at night imagining I was their friend, too, and that we all had adventures together. Perhaps it was the pony content; of course I wanted a pony, but not in any realistic way. Perhaps it was the very staid English village setting; perhaps it was the glamour of film-making in the second book, which tied in with the Noel Streatfeild books I was also addicted to. In fact, there is a lot going on in the second book, which was the one I loved most -- smuggling, making a film, pony stuff, and the intertwined story of Lesley, the original owner of Tamzin's pony Cascade, who can no longer walk after a riding accident (don't worry, there's a happy ending).
I used to know The Summer of the Great Secret so well that when I borrowed it from the library I wouldn't even need to read it; I'd stash it under my pillow as a talisman and never even open it. By the time I got to it, it had lost its cover, so I never knew it looking as it does above, just with a plain blue hardcover from the Seagull Library, which is the same copy that I have since acquired. I can't put my finger on why these books bewitched me so thoroughly, but they will always have a special place in my heart.
I have just reread these two at age 75. Like you they were definite favourites although I liked Wish for a Pony better! In many ways they stand up quite well to the test of time, although certain things really amused me - the suggestion of taking up smoking in order to be able to blow smoke rings for Diccon's amusement. The question of whether to smack his bottom or not. The freedom, so unimaginable to kids now. I owned them all and all I ever wanted for Christmas and birthdays were book tokens from WH Smith. Also, the Abbey Series, the Chalet School series, the American books (Little Women, Katy, Anne of Green Gables) and even as my parents made me get rid of them (they were downsizing, I lived far away) I knew it was a bad idea. I never even really wanted a pony, but I did want the friendship.
ReplyDeleteI used to put myself to sleep at night for years pretending that I was Tamzin and Rissa's friend, so I know exactly what you mean. I liked the idea of a pony but I don't think I could have coped with the reality! It sounds as if we read most of the same books, though the Abbey series confused me (I could never manage to get the order straight) and I didn't have access to the Chalet School books. Did you ever discover Antonia Forest?
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