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Gemma #4
Goodbye Gemma
Good-Bye Gemma
172 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
About the author
Noel Streatfeild
177 books632 followersMary Noel Streatfeild, known as Noel Streatfeild, was an author best known and loved for her children's books, including Ballet Shoes and Circus Shoes. She also wrote romances under the pseudonym
Susan Scarlett
.
She was born on Christmas Eve, 1895, the daughter of William Champion Streatfeild and Janet Venn and the second of six children to be born to the couple. Sister Ruth was the oldest, after Noel came Barbara, William ('Bill'), Joyce (who died of TB prior to her second birthday) and Richenda. Ruth and Noel attended Hastings and St. Leonard's Ladies' College in 1910. As an adult, she began theater work, and spent approximately 10 years in the theater.
During the Great War, in 1915 Noel worked first as a volunteer in a soldier's hospital kitchen near Eastbourne Vicarage and later produced two plays with her sister Ruth. When things took a turn for the worse on the Front in 1916 she moved to London and obtained a job making munitions in Woolwich Arsenal. At the end of the war in January 1919, Noel enrolled at the Academy of Dramatic Art (later Royal Academy) in London.
In 1930, she began writing her first adult novel, The Whicharts, published in 1931. In June 1932, she was elected to membership of PEN. Early in 1936, Mabel Carey, children's editor of J. M. Dent and Sons, asks Noel to write a children's story about the theatre, which led to Noel completing Ballet Shoes in mid-1936. In 28 September 1936, when Ballet Shoes was published, it became an immediate best seller.
According to Angela Bull, Ballet Shoes was a reworked version of The Whicharts. Elder sister Ruth Gervis illustrated the book, which was published on the 28th September, 1936. At the time, the plot and general 'attitude' of the book was highly original, and destined to provide an outline for countless other ballet books down the years until this day. The first known book to be set at a stage school, the first ballet story to be set in London, the first to feature upper middle class society, the first to show the limits of amateurism and possibly the first to show children as self-reliant, able to survive without running to grownups when things went wrong.
In 1937, Noel traveled with Bertram Mills Circus to research The Circus is Coming (also known as Circus Shoes). She won the Carnegie gold medal in February 1939 for this book. In 1940, World War II began, and Noel began war-related work from 1940-1945. During this time, she wrote four adult novels, five children's books, nine romances, and innumerable articles and short stories. On May 10th, 1941, her flat was destroyed by a bomb. Shortly after WWII is over, in 1947, Noel traveled to America to research film studios for her book The Painted Garden. In 1949, she began delivering lectures on children's books. Between 1949 and 1953, her plays, The Bell Family radio serials played on the Children's Hour and were frequently voted top play of the year.
Early in 1960s, she decided to stop writing adult novels, but did write some autobiographical novels, such as A Vicarage Family in 1963. She also had written 12 romance novels under the pen name "Susan Scarlett." Her children's books number at least 58 titles. From July to December 1979, she suffered a series of small strokes and moved into a nursing home. In 1983, she received the honor Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). On 11 September 1986, she passed away in a nursing home.
She was born on Christmas Eve, 1895, the daughter of William Champion Streatfeild and Janet Venn and the second of six children to be born to the couple. Sister Ruth was the oldest, after Noel came Barbara, William ('Bill'), Joyce (who died of TB prior to her second birthday) and Richenda. Ruth and Noel attended Hastings and St. Leonard's Ladies' College in 1910. As an adult, she began theater work, and spent approximately 10 years in the theater.
During the Great War, in 1915 Noel worked first as a volunteer in a soldier's hospital kitchen near Eastbourne Vicarage and later produced two plays with her sister Ruth. When things took a turn for the worse on the Front in 1916 she moved to London and obtained a job making munitions in Woolwich Arsenal. At the end of the war in January 1919, Noel enrolled at the Academy of Dramatic Art (later Royal Academy) in London.
In 1930, she began writing her first adult novel, The Whicharts, published in 1931. In June 1932, she was elected to membership of PEN. Early in 1936, Mabel Carey, children's editor of J. M. Dent and Sons, asks Noel to write a children's story about the theatre, which led to Noel completing Ballet Shoes in mid-1936. In 28 September 1936, when Ballet Shoes was published, it became an immediate best seller.
According to Angela Bull, Ballet Shoes was a reworked version of The Whicharts. Elder sister Ruth Gervis illustrated the book, which was published on the 28th September, 1936. At the time, the plot and general 'attitude' of the book was highly original, and destined to provide an outline for countless other ballet books down the years until this day. The first known book to be set at a stage school, the first ballet story to be set in London, the first to feature upper middle class society, the first to show the limits of amateurism and possibly the first to show children as self-reliant, able to survive without running to grownups when things went wrong.
In 1937, Noel traveled with Bertram Mills Circus to research The Circus is Coming (also known as Circus Shoes). She won the Carnegie gold medal in February 1939 for this book. In 1940, World War II began, and Noel began war-related work from 1940-1945. During this time, she wrote four adult novels, five children's books, nine romances, and innumerable articles and short stories. On May 10th, 1941, her flat was destroyed by a bomb. Shortly after WWII is over, in 1947, Noel traveled to America to research film studios for her book The Painted Garden. In 1949, she began delivering lectures on children's books. Between 1949 and 1953, her plays, The Bell Family radio serials played on the Children's Hour and were frequently voted top play of the year.
Early in 1960s, she decided to stop writing adult novels, but did write some autobiographical novels, such as A Vicarage Family in 1963. She also had written 12 romance novels under the pen name "Susan Scarlett." Her children's books number at least 58 titles. From July to December 1979, she suffered a series of small strokes and moved into a nursing home. In 1983, she received the honor Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). On 11 September 1986, she passed away in a nursing home.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 5, 2021
I’m rather sorry to say goodbye to Gemma, as the whole series has been a delight to revisit.
Definitely, definitely no longer ‘modern’ - in fact, I wonder how the Robinson family would fare today under the relentless demands of social media and electronic devices (I don’t think that it would be a problem for Gemma!). Would their achievements be as great (both individually and as a family)? How would the series read if it were written and set today?
An intriguing speculation.
Definitely, definitely no longer ‘modern’ - in fact, I wonder how the Robinson family would fare today under the relentless demands of social media and electronic devices (I don’t think that it would be a problem for Gemma!). Would their achievements be as great (both individually and as a family)? How would the series read if it were written and set today?
An intriguing speculation.
July 19, 2015
I'm giving the entire series four stars for nostalgia, though it certainly has its own charm. Alice's sister Rowena is a British TV star who's offered a Hollywood contract and sends her daughter Gemma - previously a famous child star, now at an awkward in-between age - to live with her sister Alice's family in provincial Headstone. This is a Noel Streatfield novel, so her sister's children are all talented. There's Ann, who's smart and has a beautiful voice; Lydie, who's disconcertingly like Posy in Ballet Shoes; and Robin, who has perfect pitch and can compose, or what his musical father refers to as "improvising" existing tunes.
But there's more. Gemma isn't a child prodigy hoping to become famous. She's already famous, and she hates not working, and she hates being away from her mother. Philip, the children's father, was the first violinist of a renowned classical orchestra, but he developed arthritis in his hands and was forced to retire early. The discussions Gemma and Philip have about pride and identity are fantastic. Philip and Alice are both grounded, warm parents, but it's Philip's relationship with Gemma (who's not his biological niece) that jumps off the page.
Gemma's storylines in general - not wanting to be recognized but not content to be a nobody - are pretty great. It's interesting that she's able to go to school without being recognized, but since Streatfield's writing a time she's familiar with, I have to assume celebrity gossip was less pervasive at the time. (I'd guess the story is set in the 1950s, given that Ann appears on a TV show at one point.)
Ann has great moments, too: when she asks Gemma if she should be starting to mess with hair and makeup and when she talks to Audrey about disappointing her father, who wants her to go to the Royal College of Music.
In fact, most of the series' strongest moments come through interrelation with adults. There's Rowena, for years the most stable adult presence in Gemma's life, against whom Gemma begins to measure her maturity. In Goodbye Gemma, the dean of the local university asks Gemma's headmistress for the loan of an actress who can play Juliet, since no one in his theater department is up to the task, and the students stage a protest. The dean arranges an acting demonstration by the two actresses so the process is democratic - it's great stuff.
Lydie's much less compelling: she is Posy, down to the flagrant disregard for anything but dancing and the audition with Manoff, in this book called Monsieur de Clara and ostensibly a completely different character.
But this is Gemma's series, and she makes up for any deficiencies. I was sad to see her get on that train and leave her life with the Robinsons behind. I can't imagine her life with her mother (spontaneous fur coat shopping aside) will be as lively as her life with the Robinsons, though I'm sure she becomes a star.
This is a Noel Streatfield book, after all.
But there's more. Gemma isn't a child prodigy hoping to become famous. She's already famous, and she hates not working, and she hates being away from her mother. Philip, the children's father, was the first violinist of a renowned classical orchestra, but he developed arthritis in his hands and was forced to retire early. The discussions Gemma and Philip have about pride and identity are fantastic. Philip and Alice are both grounded, warm parents, but it's Philip's relationship with Gemma (who's not his biological niece) that jumps off the page.
Gemma's storylines in general - not wanting to be recognized but not content to be a nobody - are pretty great. It's interesting that she's able to go to school without being recognized, but since Streatfield's writing a time she's familiar with, I have to assume celebrity gossip was less pervasive at the time. (I'd guess the story is set in the 1950s, given that Ann appears on a TV show at one point.)
Ann has great moments, too: when she asks Gemma if she should be starting to mess with hair and makeup and when she talks to Audrey about disappointing her father, who wants her to go to the Royal College of Music.
In fact, most of the series' strongest moments come through interrelation with adults. There's Rowena, for years the most stable adult presence in Gemma's life, against whom Gemma begins to measure her maturity. In Goodbye Gemma, the dean of the local university asks Gemma's headmistress for the loan of an actress who can play Juliet, since no one in his theater department is up to the task, and the students stage a protest. The dean arranges an acting demonstration by the two actresses so the process is democratic - it's great stuff.
Lydie's much less compelling: she is Posy, down to the flagrant disregard for anything but dancing and the audition with Manoff, in this book called Monsieur de Clara and ostensibly a completely different character.
But this is Gemma's series, and she makes up for any deficiencies. I was sad to see her get on that train and leave her life with the Robinsons behind. I can't imagine her life with her mother (spontaneous fur coat shopping aside) will be as lively as her life with the Robinsons, though I'm sure she becomes a star.
This is a Noel Streatfield book, after all.
November 9, 2012
Old childhood favourite, revisited this past week....I loved the Gemma books as a kid - my goodness, I must have read them dozens of times!
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to catch the girls' attention with them. Too bad....
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to catch the girls' attention with them. Too bad....
January 4, 2016
The four Gemma books are an easy read, and effectively tell one longer story about Gemma's stay with the Robinsons. I know we're not supposed to like the Gemma books, because they are all modern; and my copies had the photo cover and the Betty Maxey illustrations, so they even looked a bit rubbishy. But I always liked the Robinson family, who lived in a fairly ordinary house like ours, and went to a comprehensive school like we did. Obviously we weren't as fabulously talented as the Robinsons and we didn't have a former child film star cousin living with us; but this clearly isn't the remote world of 1930s London, and what the Robinsons do seemed to be possible in the world I lived in.
So: if you are a fan of NS, the Gemma books are a bit different, but as usual she captures sibling bickering and family life exceptionally well and, as ever, it's an enjoyable ride.
So: if you are a fan of NS, the Gemma books are a bit different, but as usual she captures sibling bickering and family life exceptionally well and, as ever, it's an enjoyable ride.
December 29, 2016
I have always loved Noel Streatfeild's books and as a child I got my library to ILL them for me or hunted through second hand book stores to find all of them. She tells the perfect "girls stories". I was always able to find one character in each book that was my favorite. They definitely stand up to re-reads.
April 10, 2025
I had a yen this week to revisit the Gemma books, like all Streatfeild's better known works a staple of my childhood. What I don't think I realised when I first read (and reread) them is how they differ to Streatfeild's usual children's style. They have the same ingredients - madly talented and driven youngsters - but they are set in the sixties, not the mid and post war decades and are very much of this decade from cultural references to clothes to adolescence in a way I don't recall from any of the shoes books for instance. There is no managing single female helping the put upon mother, instead Alice is a working mother, the children go to normal State schools, the eldest to a comprehensive, and the family live solid middle class small town lives. Which is a real shock for cousin Gemma who is sent to live with them when her film star mother heads to the States.
But as I said the ingredients are still there and each child fulfils a Streatfeild role; Gemma has to shed her spoilt upbringing and become part of the family before she can grow into her acting talent, Lydia must dance and will do what it takes to get there, Ann, despite her singing talent is the quiet steady one who enjoys helping around the house and schoolwork and Robin the musical one although his sights are set on the Top Forty, not classical success. One thing that really struck me is how each Streafeild book has a sympathetic adult and I really enjoyed the way Gemma and her Uncle by marriage bonded through adversity early on, he because illness has stopped his musical career, and she because age has stopped her time as a child star. They understand each other in a way her actual aunt and his wife can't for all her kindness and it's Philip who advocates for Gemma throughout.
I love all Streatfeild's books, her adult fiction, her romantic fiction written under a pseudynom but most of all her children's fiction and the Gemma books are high on that list. It's been a fun week revisiting them, not I suspect, for the last time.
But as I said the ingredients are still there and each child fulfils a Streatfeild role; Gemma has to shed her spoilt upbringing and become part of the family before she can grow into her acting talent, Lydia must dance and will do what it takes to get there, Ann, despite her singing talent is the quiet steady one who enjoys helping around the house and schoolwork and Robin the musical one although his sights are set on the Top Forty, not classical success. One thing that really struck me is how each Streafeild book has a sympathetic adult and I really enjoyed the way Gemma and her Uncle by marriage bonded through adversity early on, he because illness has stopped his musical career, and she because age has stopped her time as a child star. They understand each other in a way her actual aunt and his wife can't for all her kindness and it's Philip who advocates for Gemma throughout.
I love all Streatfeild's books, her adult fiction, her romantic fiction written under a pseudynom but most of all her children's fiction and the Gemma books are high on that list. It's been a fun week revisiting them, not I suspect, for the last time.
March 17, 2023
I don't know if I have the words to describe how terrible these books are. I'm a big fan of the Shoes books by this author, and only recently discovered that she had also written these Gemma books, which I promptly borrowed from my library system. No library in my state had the third book in the series, but it didn't really matter to the plot to have skipped it.
This book in particular is like a very bad, incoherent version of Ballet Shoes where Pauline takes on acting jobs so she can pay for Posy's ballet lessons. In this one, Ann keeps recording records so that she can pay for Lydia's dance lessons. And Robin from this book seems to be a version of Wolfgang from Traveling Shoes who composes pop music. The only character who doesn't seem to have a Shoes equivalent is the main character, Gemma, who quite frankly sucks. She's a little less annoying than in the earlier books, but there's still nothing interesting about her. I have no idea how these books got published, because they have none of the charm and storytelling of the Shoes books.
This book in particular is like a very bad, incoherent version of Ballet Shoes where Pauline takes on acting jobs so she can pay for Posy's ballet lessons. In this one, Ann keeps recording records so that she can pay for Lydia's dance lessons. And Robin from this book seems to be a version of Wolfgang from Traveling Shoes who composes pop music. The only character who doesn't seem to have a Shoes equivalent is the main character, Gemma, who quite frankly sucks. She's a little less annoying than in the earlier books, but there's still nothing interesting about her. I have no idea how these books got published, because they have none of the charm and storytelling of the Shoes books.
June 4, 2020
A pleasant ending to the Gemma series. It felt somehow disjointed as the various members of the family go their separate ways. Gemma gets short shrift in this one, and somehow feels less real than she did in the previous book.
May 28, 2025
A re-read but I love this series. It's even nicer reading the copies my mum had as a child.
January 14, 2026
sad to have finished my rereading of this nice bedtime reading series
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews