Listen to the Nightingale - Softcover

Rumer Godden (1907-98) was the acclaimed author of over sixty works of fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. Born in England, she and her siblings grew up in Narayanganj, India, and she later spent many years living in Calcutta and Kashmir. Several of her novels were made into films, including Black Narcissus, The Greengage Summer and The River, which was filmed by Jean Renoir. She was appointed OBE in 1993.

Grade 5-7-- Ten-year-old Lottie is a poor but talented orphan raised by a maiden aunt. Through an innocent misunderstanding, she is presumed to be the owner of a valuable dog. Her refusal to return the lovable puppy to its rightful owners leads inevitably to dissembling. Her acceptance at a prestigious ballet school precipitates a crisis, since the boarding school does not allow pets. A blackmail attempt by another student ultimately brings the truth to light, but not before Lottie nearly starves while giving up most of her food to the blackmailer. This is a complexly plotted novel with a cast of over 50 characters. One subplot curiously involves the failure of Madame Holbein's Ballet Company, which tangentially continues Godden's adult title, A Candle for St. Jude (Viking, 1948; o.p.). Unfortunately, it will not have much interest for younger readers. The characters, while clearly defined, may seem a bit dated. Lottie herself, in her white gloves and her coronet of braids, is so thoroughly good as to be unrealistic. Her nemesis, conversely, comes from ``the boys will be boys'' school of malicious pranksters. The vocabulary is advanced; ballet terms, background, and setting are accurate, well integrated, and sure to please balletomanes. The audience, however, is problematic. Children interested in reading about a ten-year-old may have difficulty sticking with it. Still, readers who persevere will have the thrill of indignation at the many injustices that befall the sympathetic little heroine and the satisfaction of an old-fashioned happy ending. --Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT
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