A Long Way From Verona

“I ought to tell you at the beginning that I am not quite normal, having had a violent experience at the age of nine. I will make this clear at once because I have noticed that if things seep out slowly through a book the reader is apt to feel let down or tricked in some way when he eventually gets the point. I am not, I am glad to say, mad”

Aldus Jessica Vye, 13 jaar oud, en voorbestemd om schrijfster te worden. De boeken over Old Filth waren een plezier om te lezen, deze was ook prachtig. Een soort taalgebruik wat heel goed past bij haar leeftijd, de wat rare karaktertrekjes, en een zeer scherp observatievermogen gekoppeld aan altijd de waarheid moeten vertellen...

“This experience changed me utterly, like Heaven, ‘in the twinkling of an eye', and I believe is the reason for the next point I have to make clear before getting on with the story. Which is that I am not really very popular. Some people in fact do not really like me at all. In fact if you really want to know quite a lot of people absolutely can't stand me.”

Het speelt zich af tijdens de tweede wereldoorlog, op een soort van kostschool waar ook diverse kinderen zitten die vanwege de bombardementen uit huis zijn geplaatst. Bevolkt door grotendeels vervelende en saaie docentes en medeleerlingen, met een paar uitzonderingen.

“Even the Top Form, the really ghastly ones who just sat about yawning all day and were going to do nothing when they left school but sit about yawning all day – it was a posh sort of school – even they sat up and listened.”

“Florence is a very interesting girl. She doesn't just gasp sympathetically at things, always agreeing with you to your face like a lot of people. She is not easily excited and is able to weigh things up. Sometimes she finds that they do not in fact weigh anything at all, even though other people are simply groaning under them.”

Aanrader!

Oh my goodness. I've just finished a book that has rocketed to the top of my list, and toppled all the other books nearby. It's my new Favorite Book of All. And you simply must read it, too. It's an amazing read, with amazing characters and an amazing little story. It's very odd, but you've probably never heard of it and—even odder—you've probably even heard of the author. I just came across it by the unlikeliest of chances. It's on the 1001 Children's Books You Must Read list, so somebody else must love it, too. Don't worry about that; it's not really a just-for-children book. It's a great book, about families, and friendships, and growing up, and religion (just a bit) and happiness, and finding your calling. Oh, you really must read it. Now. Hope you can find a copy. And remember to thank me when you finally give it a read.

And I'll be off now to find some more Jane Gardam. I'm afraid nothing can be as good as this delicious novel, but I must try to find a little more and see for myself.