Faraway Princess

by Jane Oliver

The Adventures Of Three Royal Hungarian Children Who Were Summoned To The Anglo-Saxon Court Of King Edward The Confessor Just Before The Norman Conquest Of England.

223 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

‘Jane Oliver’ was the pen-name of Helen Evans (1903 - 1970). Formerly novelist Clemence Dane’s secretary, she developed a writing career, and wrote many successful novels with Ann Stafford (the pen-name of Anne Pedler). Business as Usual was their first joint novel.

Jane became a pilot and married the author John Llewelyn Rhys, who was killed in the war. She founded the Llewelyn Rhys Prize in his memory. She later lived in Hampshire near Anne Pedler, and cared for her in her illness.

Reviews

[Mary Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it about 60 years ago aged eight or nine. It's a children's book, so I would review it on the fact that I still remember it fondly. It told the story in an interesting way. I remember a scary 1st year history teacher randomly asking what nationality was Queen Margaret of Scotland. Everybody was guessing, but nobody got it right until I put my hand up and surprised the teacher by saying Hungarian. He wasn't scary any more.

[Christina Baehr · Rating 3 out of 5]

A serviceable and well researched children’s chapter book about the childhood of St Margaret of Scotland, but it failed to move me.

[Benjamin Denby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming story but it doesn’t really random unless you read the epilogue.

[Morggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another favourite from childhood