Return To The Wells

Sadler's Wells #7

by Lorna Hill

Fighting for her future would be harder than starting all over again...

Ella Sordy from humble Pit Street has become Ella Rosetti, star of Sadlers Wells, and her future as a brilliant ballerina seems assured. But without warning she is struck by a near fatal illness - and only a dash through the night to her bedside by Timothy can bring her out of a coma.

The frail dancer is sent to Switzerland to recover. Believing she is still doomed, Ella vows she will never dance again. Until one day, amongst the magical mountains, someone special gives Ella back her will to live...

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, British Literature, Teen, Young Adult

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Hill attended school in Durham and then went to Le Manoir in Lausanne, on the shores of Lake Geneva, Switzerland. She obtained a BA at Durham University, and there met her husband, a clergyman. They moved to the remote parish of Matfen, Northumberland, where she played the organ in church and ran a Sunday school.

Hill's career as an author began when her daughter Vicki, then about ten years old, found a story her mother had written as a child and asked for about its characters. The result was a series of eight books about Marjorie & Co, illustrating them herself. These began to be published in London in 1948. They were followed by the Patience series and several others.

When Vicki left home to be a ballet student at Sadler's Wells in London, Hill missed her and began to write her Dream of Sadler's Wells series. She eventually wrote a total of 40 children's books, as well as La Sylphide, a commissioned biography of the dancer Marie Taglioni, and two romances for adults, published in 1978. Hill was then obliged to stop writing by ill health. She is said to have been firm with publishers and to have earned more from her books than many of her contemporaries. Translations of some titles into several other languages appeared, including less usual ones such as Finnish (by Pirkko Biström, 1991), Indonesian (1994), Czech (1995) and Slovenian (by Bernarda Petelinšek, 1996).

More information at Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I could resist. I thought I could be strong.

I was wrong. I caved in and bought books 7-10 of the Sadlers Wells series, and the only reason I didn't get 'No medals for Guy' as well is because the dealer had already sold it by the time I pm'd her.

The dealer. How apt.

Oh, yes, the book. After the syrupiness of Ella at the Wells, this one was relatively bracing. I loved that the Mariella and Nigel situation wasn't actually over after all; I loved that although it's fairly clear where Ella is heading romantically, this is proceeding at snail's pace. And oh, Patience. I wish I'd kept my Marjorie books.

But most of all I loved the fact that Ella goes to (Swiss) Chalet School country. Frankly I'm surprised she never bumped into a group of gentian-clad girls the whole time she was there. I'm having great fun imagining the deleted scenes:

Ella: Look at that Pension over there! They must have nearly as good a view of the Jungfrau as we do!

Olive (with the telescope): Goodness... all the curtains match. Every single window, exactly the same.

Ella: Let me see... What a lot of children! And what a strange hairstyle their mother has!

etc etc.

ANYWAY, I really enjoyed this book, and took less than an hour to read, so if I get a move on I can polish off the next three before bedtime.

It's like eating four whole boxes of chocolates in a single sitting, isn't it? I know I'll regret it. But I just can't stop myself....

[Rosemary Atwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although principally continuing the story of Ella, 'Return to the Wells' definitely marks the widening of Lorna Hill's perimeters. Whereas the earlier books contrast the rural activities of Northumberland, the Border Country and Scotland with London, a greater European sensibility is now clearly discernible - the slightly exotic inclusion of post-war tourism to the ski slopes of Switzerland; the appearance of minor European royalty and the brief placement of the latter part of the novel in a Swiss finishing school.

Although decidedly more escapist than its predecessors, 'Return' still retains the warmth and beauty of the earlier Wells books and there are more than enough old favourite characters throughout to satisfy the most ardent Lorna Hill fanatic. Five stars.

[Louise Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be fair, the 5 stars comes from my past - I don't think I'd rate this one that highly if I was to read it for the first time now, but the whole series meant so much to me when I was young that I can't bear to downgrade it, even though this story is rather melodramatic in parts. (It was never my favourite.)

Timothy is another gorgeous Lorna Hill hero, though, and although she creates wonderfully capable men, here's what she says about the horrible Nigel Monkhouse:

'One upon a time, Mariella would have been thrilled at these words. Nigel being masterful! But now she wasn't. Cavemen were all very well in books, but not in real life. Not to marry anyway.'

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. The first four books in this series are well-written and enjoyable, but this - the seventh - is a hotchpotch muddle with too many characters, a large number of author asides, and a confused plot. Would make almost no sense at all to someone who had not read at least some of the previous books.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very sweet and moving story. First, though, we go back about six months and follow Mariella through the days after Jane's wedding, and how she escapes from a tricky situation.

Then we rejoin Ella, now known by her true name of Rosetti, who is finally settling in at Sadler's Wells and making excellent progress. But her health is an issue, and desperate measures are called for if she is first to recover, and then resume her training. Unfortunately, Ella misunderstands the situation, and thinks that she is "threatened" with tuberculosis. How she eventually learns the truth and returns to the Wells is an all together enchanting story. Highly recommended.

[Rhona Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

My version is the 1984 edition. In this book we see Mariella's story come to a close, thereafter cameo bits in other books. Nigel still turns up. But he was an awful cad. Very chauvinistic. Also could buy a horse but not buy dinner. Different ethics. Anyway Ella's story continues and she becomes ill, living in London perhaps not suiting her, she gets a chill and it becomes pneumonia. But she thinks she is still ill and although she is sent to Switzerland to recover, she believes the servants gossip rather than any doctor. She meets a man,sho falls in love with her, and he becomes steadfast in his adoration, however Ella prefers Timothy.

[Schopflin · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. There's a lot to admire in the writing, but this feels like an update in several series characters lives, squeezed into a short book, rather than a full novel. There are some powerful individual stories, but each one feels rushed through and oddly distant. Some of the previous books are first-person narrations which of course makes a difference but I think that Ella feels short on personality almost as if the writer couldn't identify with a working class girl. I haven't read 'Ella at the Wells' so I could be wrong in this.

[Maruša · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love that Ella went abroad.

[Rusty · Rating 1 out of 5]

I became tired of Ella’s ‘sad little face’ very quickly.

[Rachel Abercrombie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Covid Comfort Read #7

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

i thought that it would be worse, but somehow it impressed me! I laughed out loud many times which is a really good sign, isn’t it?

only love!