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The Marlows #7
The Ready Made Family
The Marlows are horrified when nineteen-year-old Karen announces that she is leaving Oxford to marry a widower with three children, and when the new relations move into the family home, tension reaches a breaking point.
245 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
91 people want to read
About the author
Antonia Forest
18 books29 followersAntonia Forest was the pen name of Patricia Giulia Caulfield Kate Rubinstein. She was born in North London, the child of Russian-Jewish and Irish parents. She studied at South Hampstead High School and University College, London, and worked as a government clerk and a librarian. Best known for her series of novels about the Marlow family, she published her first book, Autumn Term, in 1948.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 26, 2019
The Marlows - that large English family whose school and holiday adventures are chronicled by Antonia Forest over the course of ten books, beginning with
Autumn Term
- are completely unprepared, in this seventh title, for the news that Karen, eldest daughter and promising young scholar, is leaving Oxford in order to marry a man who is twice her age, and who has three children from a previous marriage. The fact that this "ready-made family" will be temporarily living at Trennels, the Marlow home and farm, until they can find a place of their own, makes the situation all the trickier, especially when it emerges that the younger Marlows - despite taking to the three young Dodds - have little fondness for their new brother-in-law.
After reading and enjoying (to varying degrees) Forest's six previous Marlow titles, I found The Ready-Made Family a distinct disappointment. It wasn't simply that I found some of the plot developments deeply distasteful, and was dismayed at the seemingly cavalier manner in which they were presented by the author, although there is that. But it also seemed to me that the author, whose skill I do not doubt, was being a terribly lazy storyteller here. I never felt that she offered a convincing explanation for Karen and Edwin's attraction and marriage - in fact, I found that aspect of the story utterly incomprehensible, and wholly unconvincing, throughout - and I eventually came to the conclusion that it was little more than a convenient (and poorly done) plot device, whose real purpose was to bring the Marlows and Dodds into close proximity with one another, in order to examine their interaction.
Which is all well and good. I enjoyed meeting the younger Dodds - little Fob (Phoebe), with her adorable toddler crush on Peter; insouciant Chas (Charles), with his love of trains and happy friendship with Nicola; and bibliophile Rose, whose quiet reserve masks a desperate unhappiness that precipitates the concluding crisis of the novel - a great deal. But never enough that I was completely distracted from my irritation at the clumsiness of Forest's framing device. And certainly, never enough that I was willing to overlook the ugliness of various incidents, and the way in which they seemed to be "swept under the rug" in the course of the story. From Karen's campaign to oust the elderly Tranter couple from their cottage on the Marlow property - I guess the devoted labor of thirty-five years doesn't count for much: one medical emergency and you're out! - to Edwin losing his temper with Peter - get a little mouthy in this family, and someone may whip you... across the face! - I never found the Marlows so unpleasant.
What on earth, I kept wondering, was Mrs. Marlow thinking? What was the author thinking? Did she seriously expect her readers to be convinced by the resolution of the Marlow-Dodd feud, at least as far as Nicola was concerned? Did she imagine that, having created a character whose utter lack of parenting skills was emphasized throughout, she could make him look better by throwing in a pedophile? I guess that, in comparison to molestation, a few lashes across the face are no big deal? Seriously?!? That's the answer? Poorly done, Antonia Forest - poorly done! In the end, despite enjoying Forest's depiction of the Dodd children, this is one I would recommend primarily to those who (like me) are interested in reading the entire Marlow series.
After reading and enjoying (to varying degrees) Forest's six previous Marlow titles, I found The Ready-Made Family a distinct disappointment. It wasn't simply that I found some of the plot developments deeply distasteful, and was dismayed at the seemingly cavalier manner in which they were presented by the author, although there is that. But it also seemed to me that the author, whose skill I do not doubt, was being a terribly lazy storyteller here. I never felt that she offered a convincing explanation for Karen and Edwin's attraction and marriage - in fact, I found that aspect of the story utterly incomprehensible, and wholly unconvincing, throughout - and I eventually came to the conclusion that it was little more than a convenient (and poorly done) plot device, whose real purpose was to bring the Marlows and Dodds into close proximity with one another, in order to examine their interaction.
Which is all well and good. I enjoyed meeting the younger Dodds - little Fob (Phoebe), with her adorable toddler crush on Peter; insouciant Chas (Charles), with his love of trains and happy friendship with Nicola; and bibliophile Rose, whose quiet reserve masks a desperate unhappiness that precipitates the concluding crisis of the novel - a great deal. But never enough that I was completely distracted from my irritation at the clumsiness of Forest's framing device. And certainly, never enough that I was willing to overlook the ugliness of various incidents, and the way in which they seemed to be "swept under the rug" in the course of the story. From Karen's campaign to oust the elderly Tranter couple from their cottage on the Marlow property - I guess the devoted labor of thirty-five years doesn't count for much: one medical emergency and you're out! - to Edwin losing his temper with Peter - get a little mouthy in this family, and someone may whip you... across the face! - I never found the Marlows so unpleasant.
What on earth, I kept wondering, was Mrs. Marlow thinking? What was the author thinking? Did she seriously expect her readers to be convinced by the resolution of the Marlow-Dodd feud, at least as far as Nicola was concerned? Did she imagine that, having created a character whose utter lack of parenting skills was emphasized throughout, she could make him look better by throwing in a pedophile? I guess that, in comparison to molestation, a few lashes across the face are no big deal? Seriously?!? That's the answer? Poorly done, Antonia Forest - poorly done! In the end, despite enjoying Forest's depiction of the Dodd children, this is one I would recommend primarily to those who (like me) are interested in reading the entire Marlow series.
January 15, 2017
When Karen Marlow, the eldest sister of the brood, unexpectedly marries her Oxford professor, Edwin, she becomes the slightly nervous stepmother of Chas, Rose and the diminutive Fob. While Karen seems perplexed by her ready made family, the children embark on a series of adventures with Karen's sister and brother, Nicola and Peter.
Coming in the middle of the Kingscote "term" books, this story fills in a lot of gaps, although never explains what Karen ever really saw in Edwin that would make her give up her academic career so abruptly (or he with her). Tension between Edwin and Karen's family cause awkwardness for the whole family as they try to grasp Karen's new role and responsibilities.
Coming in the middle of the Kingscote "term" books, this story fills in a lot of gaps, although never explains what Karen ever really saw in Edwin that would make her give up her academic career so abruptly (or he with her). Tension between Edwin and Karen's family cause awkwardness for the whole family as they try to grasp Karen's new role and responsibilities.
August 11, 2016
There aren't any guns, and nobody gets killed. But this is, for me, the most frightening of the Marlow stories, because of what nearly happens in Oxford. Plus of course Karen brings home a man who loses his temper and swipes at Peter.
A lot of the interest comes from seeing individual Marlows in a different light - Karen being both warm- and cold-hearted, Rowan suddenly vulnerable, Peter as a male nanny, and all of the 'lower deck' responding to Edwin - this is above all a story about family relationships. And the scene on the train near the end always makes me cry, even though Nicola manages not to.
A lot of the interest comes from seeing individual Marlows in a different light - Karen being both warm- and cold-hearted, Rowan suddenly vulnerable, Peter as a male nanny, and all of the 'lower deck' responding to Edwin - this is above all a story about family relationships. And the scene on the train near the end always makes me cry, even though Nicola manages not to.
June 22, 2017
Nicola and Lawrie Marlow's eldest sister, Karen, returns home from Oxford one day to announce that she's getting married in three weeks, to a widower twice her age with three children; not only that, but they have no place to live yet, so they end up living with the Marlow family. Forest examines the complex relationships between the Marlows and Dodds with a penetrating and truthful eye, accompanied by her usual humor and occasional doses of exciting action.
The Marlow books are much more than just boarding school stories (to which genre they're frequently relegated, because four of the ten books take place at the Marlows' boarding school); they're original, non-formulaic, intelligent, and peopled with real people. Though they're hard to find, they're more than worth the effort.
The Marlow books are much more than just boarding school stories (to which genre they're frequently relegated, because four of the ten books take place at the Marlows' boarding school); they're original, non-formulaic, intelligent, and peopled with real people. Though they're hard to find, they're more than worth the effort.
September 27, 2009
I loved this book! I'm apparently in my second childhood, as lately I'm really enjoying books by English authors, written for children. I started to say before WWII, thinking of the Swallows & Amazons series by Arthur Ransome, but this book has television in it, so it's got to have been written at least in the '50s. But it has that lovely English summer feel to it -- families that rub along together, life in the country, etc. And well written. I gobbled it down! And now perhaps I have to have the whole series to read. And they're not easily come by.
February 9, 2017
The Ready-Made Family was the last of Antonia Forest's books about the Marlows I hadn't ever read, and having read it now I think it may well be my favourite. In this one (set between The Thuggery Affair, which was the only one of the "holiday" books I read as a child, and The Cricket Term), Karen, the eldest Marlow sister, returns from her second term at Oxford to announce that she's getting married in three weeks to a widower twice her age with three children (the oldest only three years younger than Nicola and Lawrie), and the plot is driven by the tension and conflicts of the two very different families coming together.
Obviously, I was particularly interested in the Oxford-set section of the book. While things have clearly changed in the last 50 years (I didn't realise the library used to be in the Town Hall, just for starters), it's recognisably Oxford and walking past Carfax on my way to M&S at lunchtime today I suddenly found myself looking down St Aldate's and up at the figures on the clock (I'm not sure I'd ever noticed them before) in a slightly different way than I would have done yesterday*. Given how much Nicola Marlow's experience of Oxford (like her experience of everything; I am not at all like Nicola in most ways, but when I first read the books that was the thing which drew me to her, even if I don't think I would have been able to articulate it then) is influenced by the Oxford of literature, it seems very fitting that her Oxford has now become part of mine**. (Also, the Oxford section is crying out for an Endeavour crossover. Seriously, it practically writes itself.)
Apart from the Oxford bit, I enjoyed the human drama, and was particularly struck, somehow, by the opening with its catalogue of reported disasters piling one on the other and the family's reaction to them; I also liked the depiction of the way the younger Marlows, or Peter and Nicola at least, begin to grow up a bit when they suddenly find themselves responsible for the younger Dodd children.
Having now read all the books at least once (and having managed to complete my collection with the purchase of a very expensive copy of Run Away Home), I must do a full readthrough sometime...
* It reminds me of the time I walked through Lamb and Flag Passage while halfway through Gaudy Night and recognised that chestnut tree, which had always seemed like just any tree until then.
** I think I'm glad that I didn't read so much of the classic literature of Oxford until after I'd moved here as an adult. Not getting into Oxford was devastating enough to me at 17 without losing the Oxford of Peter Wimsey and Nicola Marlow (among others) as well as the one of my dreams.
Obviously, I was particularly interested in the Oxford-set section of the book. While things have clearly changed in the last 50 years (I didn't realise the library used to be in the Town Hall, just for starters), it's recognisably Oxford and walking past Carfax on my way to M&S at lunchtime today I suddenly found myself looking down St Aldate's and up at the figures on the clock (I'm not sure I'd ever noticed them before) in a slightly different way than I would have done yesterday*. Given how much Nicola Marlow's experience of Oxford (like her experience of everything; I am not at all like Nicola in most ways, but when I first read the books that was the thing which drew me to her, even if I don't think I would have been able to articulate it then) is influenced by the Oxford of literature, it seems very fitting that her Oxford has now become part of mine**. (Also, the Oxford section is crying out for an Endeavour crossover. Seriously, it practically writes itself.)
Apart from the Oxford bit, I enjoyed the human drama, and was particularly struck, somehow, by the opening with its catalogue of reported disasters piling one on the other and the family's reaction to them; I also liked the depiction of the way the younger Marlows, or Peter and Nicola at least, begin to grow up a bit when they suddenly find themselves responsible for the younger Dodd children.
Having now read all the books at least once (and having managed to complete my collection with the purchase of a very expensive copy of Run Away Home), I must do a full readthrough sometime...
* It reminds me of the time I walked through Lamb and Flag Passage while halfway through Gaudy Night and recognised that chestnut tree, which had always seemed like just any tree until then.
** I think I'm glad that I didn't read so much of the classic literature of Oxford until after I'd moved here as an adult. Not getting into Oxford was devastating enough to me at 17 without losing the Oxford of Peter Wimsey and Nicola Marlow (among others) as well as the one of my dreams.
June 15, 2021
A strange, melancholy chapter in the Marlow's story. Karen, who has begun her studies in Oxford, announces that she has decided to leave and get married to the unappealing Edwin Dodd, an archivist 22 years her senior. His three young children come to stay with the Marlows, and this story focuses mainly on Peter, Nicola, and their relationship with the three young Dodds. The Dodds' mother is dead, and they are confused by their father's sudden marriage. The story follows the children trying to learn how to settle in to life in the country, and highlights the difficulties of upheavals and changes. The ending is inconclusive: Karen does not seem happy with Edwin; the children remain uncertain; Nicola reflects on the strange, sudden marriage. The book is concerned with the decisions we make, and how these impact on everyone around us, not always in a positive way, even if they are made with the best intentions. I'm glad I read this: I found it engaging and nostalgic, and I think the child's eye view on Karen is really interesting: the motivations of adults are so often completely opaque to children. But it also fails to satisfy, and wanders into too many tangents.
December 11, 2014
Latest of many re-reads, for a group reading
February 28, 2019
selles osas on kuidagi eriti võimendatult esitatud Marlow-sarja see komponent, kus täiskasvanud vahel lihtsalt ongi mõistmatud, mõistetamatud ja ebaõiglased ja kus lapsed peavad sellega oma parima äranägemise järgi toime tulema; kõigile pole õnnelikku lõppu ette nähtud. vastukaaluks on jällegi keskmisest rohkem lajatatud uskumatute vaheajaseiklustega, kus varateismeliste elud päriselt ka ohtu satuvad. vahel kohe mitu korda päevas.
peategelaseks on taas Nicola, üks 13-aastastest kaksikõdedest, kõrvalrollides ülejäänud viis õde, üks vendadest ja ema (isa ja vanimat venda olen endiselt kohanud kumbagi korra); lisaks aga vanima õe, 19-aastase Kareni värske abikaasa ja viimase lapsed eelmisest abielust, kes on kaksikutest üsna napilt nooremad. nagu öeldud, on täiskasvanud mõistetamatud ja ei meie ega ülejäänud Marlowd ei saagi teada, mida Karen ja Edwin üksteises leidsid ja miks abielluda otsustasid. (sel teemal on obskuursetes internetifoorumites päris huvitavaid arutelusid leida, mulle meeldis üks teooria, mis taandas kogu olukorra osapoolte klassikuuluvusele näiteks. #soverybritish)
võibolla ainult eakohatult intelligentsete vestluste jaoks õdede vahel jäi siin muu möllu kõrvalt vähem aega kui mõnes teises osas, aga sellest hoolimata lendasid mul üle pea pooled piibli- ja ajalooviited, mis perekonna vestlustes esinesid, nii et kurta ei saa. üks mu lemmikuid Marlow-lugusid vist.
peategelaseks on taas Nicola, üks 13-aastastest kaksikõdedest, kõrvalrollides ülejäänud viis õde, üks vendadest ja ema (isa ja vanimat venda olen endiselt kohanud kumbagi korra); lisaks aga vanima õe, 19-aastase Kareni värske abikaasa ja viimase lapsed eelmisest abielust, kes on kaksikutest üsna napilt nooremad. nagu öeldud, on täiskasvanud mõistetamatud ja ei meie ega ülejäänud Marlowd ei saagi teada, mida Karen ja Edwin üksteises leidsid ja miks abielluda otsustasid. (sel teemal on obskuursetes internetifoorumites päris huvitavaid arutelusid leida, mulle meeldis üks teooria, mis taandas kogu olukorra osapoolte klassikuuluvusele näiteks. #soverybritish)
võibolla ainult eakohatult intelligentsete vestluste jaoks õdede vahel jäi siin muu möllu kõrvalt vähem aega kui mõnes teises osas, aga sellest hoolimata lendasid mul üle pea pooled piibli- ja ajalooviited, mis perekonna vestlustes esinesid, nii et kurta ei saa. üks mu lemmikuid Marlow-lugusid vist.
March 26, 2020
This is a library book and the library is now closed due to the Covid19 pandemic, so I can't return it for a while. Which is good, because I'd quite like to read it again.
Episode 7 of the Marlow saga, and it's a cracker.
It represents an about turn in plot: out of the blue eldest sister Karen announces she's marrying a widower with three small children. I loved the family discussions about the marriage. The mother, wanting to be supportive and yet so sceptical; the younger Marlows who simply can't believe it will happen; stoical Rowan making inappropriate comments. It feels very much of its time, the women seem incapable of making any decisions or imposing any influence, while Peter, the only Marlow male present, is the only character capable of standing up to Edwin, Karen's husband.
There are several fantastic action sequences scattered throughout this book, interspersed with acute observational pieces of relationships. What a rare treat to find a book that can do action AND character driven plot.
Nicola, as ever, is a heroine, literally in this case saving two of the young children, but also sensitive and fair in her observations of the family dynamics in a way in which the other Marlows are not and the only female character who shows any kind of decisiveness in the whole book.
Yet again, a book that can be enjoyed by both adults and children alike. Highly recommended.
Episode 7 of the Marlow saga, and it's a cracker.
It represents an about turn in plot: out of the blue eldest sister Karen announces she's marrying a widower with three small children. I loved the family discussions about the marriage. The mother, wanting to be supportive and yet so sceptical; the younger Marlows who simply can't believe it will happen; stoical Rowan making inappropriate comments. It feels very much of its time, the women seem incapable of making any decisions or imposing any influence, while Peter, the only Marlow male present, is the only character capable of standing up to Edwin, Karen's husband.
There are several fantastic action sequences scattered throughout this book, interspersed with acute observational pieces of relationships. What a rare treat to find a book that can do action AND character driven plot.
Nicola, as ever, is a heroine, literally in this case saving two of the young children, but also sensitive and fair in her observations of the family dynamics in a way in which the other Marlows are not and the only female character who shows any kind of decisiveness in the whole book.
Yet again, a book that can be enjoyed by both adults and children alike. Highly recommended.
December 21, 2019
I’ve waited a long time to read this book. The Marlow books were my favourites as a child but I had no idea there were books set in the holidays, having only the school stories available. The introduction of the Dodds and Karen’s sudden transformation from Oxford scholar to stay at home stepmum to 3 children fascinated me.
The book doesn’t disappoint. As usual Forest doesn’t take the simple path and her characters lives are complicated and messy and all the better for it.
The book doesn’t disappoint. As usual Forest doesn’t take the simple path and her characters lives are complicated and messy and all the better for it.
February 25, 2022
The reactions of the Marlow family to the news that eldest daughter Karen is getting married and acquiring a step-family. Fascinatingly complex characterisations and exciting situations make this an excellent read.
November 2, 2019
A story about marriage, step children and family tensions. A masterpiece.
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May 15, 2021Antonia Forest on good form here, taking implausible events and delivering them with such psychological insight that we barely notice.
October 27, 2021
Definitely one of my favourite Marlow books
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews