To Still the Child

by Nicky Singer

. with dustjacket, inscrip by author, 1992 1st with letters by author, clean bright copy

266 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 1993

About the author

Nicky has written four novels for adults, two books of non-fiction but most of her recent work is for young people. Her first children’s novel Feather Boy won the Blue Peter ‘Book of the Year’ Award, was adapted for TV (winning a BAFTA for Best Children’s Drama) and then commissioned by the National Theatre as a musical with lyrics by Don Black and music by Debbie Wiseman. In 2010 Nicky was asked by Glyndebourne to adapt her novel Knight Crew (a re-telling of the King Arthur legend set in contemporary gangland) for an opera with music by Julian Philips. In 2012 her play Island (about ice-bears and the nature of reality) premiered at the National Theatre and toured 40 London schools. She also published The Flask that year. A story about songs and souls and things which live in bottles, The Guardian called The Flask ‘a nourishing and uplifting story, with big themes and a big heart’. Nicky has recently re-written Island as a novel with illustrations by Children’s Laureate, Chris Riddell.

Reviews

[Julia Simpson-Urrutia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this many years ago and remember crying. When Sarah's mother is found to have terminal cancer, Sarah's life convulses. Sarah's mother is Esmee, whose husband (Sarah's dad) has walked out, to Paris or someplace on the continent. It takes place in England.

My God, this book left sharp images on my mind. Now that I am twenty years older, I can see how these things happen. Beautiful, loyal women get walked out on by husbands who want to be young again. Women get cancer. We die. We are alone and yet nothing we do in life is worth anything if we haven't loved.

This may have been published in 1993, and there may be no cell phones or other up to date technology, but it will etch itself as firmly in your mind as if you were living it. Get your box of tissues ready. I must say, Virago Press has a good eye for books that stand the test of time.

[Sheena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author of featherboy