Something Old, Something New

by Connie Monk

Tim and Sue Marshall live in their dream farm on the Berkshire Downs with their young son and daughter and orphaned niece and nephew. When they take in a local boarding school boy for the summer holidays they watch shy, bespectacled Quentin change beyond recognition. Quentin sees Highmoor as the home he never had, his Hollywood movie star parents having given preference to his older, more talented brother. As the years go by there are big changes ahead, not only for Quentin, but also for England's farming community and for everyone in the Marshall family.

Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Thakshila Jayasinghe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best description I can think of for this book is that it's a very "human" book. It's totally centred around the various personalities and experiences of the members of the Marshall family and their friends who are almost family themselves. It's a book that spans over 6 decades, and like most books of the multigenerational genre, you feel sad at the end of it, especially if you're a reader given to bouts of nostalgia regarding past eras. While it does end on a promising note for the future, it shows how humans basically go through the same cycles but at the same time how time affects us all. Those who were once strong and virile become weak and fragile. It also portrays senile dementia in all its heartbreaking accuracy. As a person who has a close family member suffering from this dreadful disease, I know first hand how soul destroying it can be to have other people look on your loved one as a broken down shell, when you so clearly remember how they used to be in their prime. It's really a book worth reading. But if you're a sensitive person, I suggest you pace yourself. I read it at a stretch and it disturbed my mood for the rest of the day. I am still feeling sad.