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The Borrowers #1-5
The Complete Borrowers
A complete collection of the classic Borrowers stories by Mary Norton.
The Borrowers: The Borrowers own nothing at all; they live in the secret places of quiet old houses - behind the mantelpiece, inside the harpsichord, under the kitchen clock. Everything they have is borrowed from the 'human beans', who don't even know they exist. Arrietty's father, Pod, is an expert Borrower - he can scale curtains using a hatpin and bring back a doll's teacup without breaking it. Girls aren't supposed to go borrowing but as Arrietty is an only child her father breaks the rule. But then Arrietty makes friends with a boy - a 'human bean' - and from that moment danger is never far away for, above all else, they must avoid the great disaster of 'being seen'.
The Borrowers Afield: The Pod family escape to the fields where their cousins live, but it's a long and dangerous journey. At last they find a new home and adapt to country life.
The Borrowers Afloat: Homeless again, Arrietty looks forward to a life away from the dark country cottage, to one full of sunshine.
The Borrowers Aloft: The family are now living in the model village of Little Fordham - a complete village tailored to their size. All they have to do is avoid being seen by the visitors, but one night the owner of a rival village comes with a cardboard box ready to catch them . . .
The Borrowers Avenged: Pod, Homily and Arrietty have managed to escape with the help of Spiller. They move into the old rectory where they live happily until the Potters come looking for them. After a horrifying encounter in the church, the Potters get their just desserts and the Borrowers can live peacefully once and for all.
Poor Stainless: Young Stainless, a Borrower boy, goes missing on a mission to borrow some parsley and an enormous search ensues.
Mary Norton was born in 1903 and brought up in a house in Bedfordshire, which was to become the setting for The Borrowers. First published in 1952, The Borrowers was an imediate success, winning the Library Association's Carnegie Medal. There followed four more Borrowers books: The Borrowers Afield (1955), The Borrowers Afloat (1959), The Borrowers Aloft (1961) and The Borrowers Avenged (1982). Poor Stainless was the last Borrowers story Mary Norton wrote. She died in 1992.
The Borrowers: The Borrowers own nothing at all; they live in the secret places of quiet old houses - behind the mantelpiece, inside the harpsichord, under the kitchen clock. Everything they have is borrowed from the 'human beans', who don't even know they exist. Arrietty's father, Pod, is an expert Borrower - he can scale curtains using a hatpin and bring back a doll's teacup without breaking it. Girls aren't supposed to go borrowing but as Arrietty is an only child her father breaks the rule. But then Arrietty makes friends with a boy - a 'human bean' - and from that moment danger is never far away for, above all else, they must avoid the great disaster of 'being seen'.
The Borrowers Afield: The Pod family escape to the fields where their cousins live, but it's a long and dangerous journey. At last they find a new home and adapt to country life.
The Borrowers Afloat: Homeless again, Arrietty looks forward to a life away from the dark country cottage, to one full of sunshine.
The Borrowers Aloft: The family are now living in the model village of Little Fordham - a complete village tailored to their size. All they have to do is avoid being seen by the visitors, but one night the owner of a rival village comes with a cardboard box ready to catch them . . .
The Borrowers Avenged: Pod, Homily and Arrietty have managed to escape with the help of Spiller. They move into the old rectory where they live happily until the Potters come looking for them. After a horrifying encounter in the church, the Potters get their just desserts and the Borrowers can live peacefully once and for all.
Poor Stainless: Young Stainless, a Borrower boy, goes missing on a mission to borrow some parsley and an enormous search ensues.
Mary Norton was born in 1903 and brought up in a house in Bedfordshire, which was to become the setting for The Borrowers. First published in 1952, The Borrowers was an imediate success, winning the Library Association's Carnegie Medal. There followed four more Borrowers books: The Borrowers Afield (1955), The Borrowers Afloat (1959), The Borrowers Aloft (1961) and The Borrowers Avenged (1982). Poor Stainless was the last Borrowers story Mary Norton wrote. She died in 1992.
711 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
153 people are currently reading
496 people want to read
About the author
Mary Norton
74 books831 followersMary Norton (née Pearson) was an English children's author. She was the daughter of a physician, and was raised in a Georgian house at the end of the High Street in Leighton Buzzard. The house now consists of part of Leighton Middle School, known within the school as The Old House, and was reportedly the setting of her novel The Borrowers. She married Robert C. Norton in 1927 and had four children, 2 boys and 2 girls. Her second husband was Lionel Boncey, who she married in 1970. She began working for the War Office in 1940 before the family moved temporarily to the United States.
She began writing while working for the British Purchasing Commission in New York during the Second World War. Her first book was The Magic Bed Knob; or, How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons published in 1943, which, together with the sequel Bonfires and Broomsticks, became the basis for the Disney film Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
Mary Norton died of a stroke in Devon, England in 1992.
She began writing while working for the British Purchasing Commission in New York during the Second World War. Her first book was The Magic Bed Knob; or, How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons published in 1943, which, together with the sequel Bonfires and Broomsticks, became the basis for the Disney film Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
Mary Norton died of a stroke in Devon, England in 1992.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
May 2, 2016
Utterly charming.
February 13, 2021
What can one really say about Mary Norton's The Borrowers series, other than that it's a beautifully-imagined fantasy world that readers of all ages can easily imagine as true? The miniature Clock family, living in unclaimed hidden corners of human houses and entitled to cadge their sustenance and comfort from 'human beans,' as Arietty Clock calls our race, offers young readers a splendid opportunity not only to put their own small fears into a larger context, but also to imagine themselves as grand and powerful in comparison to the tiny clan of Borrowers.
I loved the books as a child, and re-read them all again the last time in 1982 while I was in college, when after a twenty-year hiatus Norton suddenly released The Borrowers Avenged. If there's anything that leaps out at me in the decades since my previous reading of the series, it's how audacious the author is in employing nesting unreliable narrators to tell her story. It's almost as if Norton attended a lecture entitled "The Narrators of Wuthering Heights: A Study in the Dangers of Reliability," thought about it a little, then rubbed her hands together, said, "Hold my beer!" and went to work on besting that middle Bronté.
The first book begins with a nameless omniscient narrator who only deigns to be known as 'not me', who then grudgingly turns the story over to a girl named Kate, who heard about the Borrowers from a distracted woman named Mrs. May, who only learned about them from her brother—whom Mrs. May admits was a terrible tease and may have forged the entire story and all evidence to support it in order to play a joke on her. By mid-series, Kate is hearing more about the Borrowers from a man known as 'the biggest liar in five counties.' Even the final volume, in which Norton has more or less abandoned the narrative device, ends with ample abiguities that remind readers of the story's murky origins as a half-remembered, whispered second- or third-hand tale.
All these unreliable narrators might seem unnecessarily sophisticated for a collection of children's novels. Yet they are one of the many details that establish The Borrowers series as not mere juvenile light fantasy, but storytelling that roots itself in archetype to become classic fable.
I loved the books as a child, and re-read them all again the last time in 1982 while I was in college, when after a twenty-year hiatus Norton suddenly released The Borrowers Avenged. If there's anything that leaps out at me in the decades since my previous reading of the series, it's how audacious the author is in employing nesting unreliable narrators to tell her story. It's almost as if Norton attended a lecture entitled "The Narrators of Wuthering Heights: A Study in the Dangers of Reliability," thought about it a little, then rubbed her hands together, said, "Hold my beer!" and went to work on besting that middle Bronté.
The first book begins with a nameless omniscient narrator who only deigns to be known as 'not me', who then grudgingly turns the story over to a girl named Kate, who heard about the Borrowers from a distracted woman named Mrs. May, who only learned about them from her brother—whom Mrs. May admits was a terrible tease and may have forged the entire story and all evidence to support it in order to play a joke on her. By mid-series, Kate is hearing more about the Borrowers from a man known as 'the biggest liar in five counties.' Even the final volume, in which Norton has more or less abandoned the narrative device, ends with ample abiguities that remind readers of the story's murky origins as a half-remembered, whispered second- or third-hand tale.
All these unreliable narrators might seem unnecessarily sophisticated for a collection of children's novels. Yet they are one of the many details that establish The Borrowers series as not mere juvenile light fantasy, but storytelling that roots itself in archetype to become classic fable.
January 6, 2023
Arrietty and her parents, Pod and Homily are little people, about six inches tall and they belong to a race called the Borrowers. They live at an old English country house in Firbank, under the floorboards of the kitchen. Their home comes out under the big grandfather clock in the hall, and that is why they are called the Clocks. There are other Borrower families – the Overmantels, the Rain-Pipes, the Harpsichords, the Bell-Pulls etc. They live by borrowing small, no-longer-needed or lost items from Humans. They cannot survive without Humans, and yet it is the worst possible fate for a Borrower… to be seen by one.
Mary Norton’s The Borrowers is one of the most charming children’s stories ever written, inspiring T.V. and film writers and other story writers all over the place ever since. Arrietty Clock, with her gentle, inquisitive curiosity and adventurousness wants to learn to go out borrowing with her father. It’s only natural and she’s going to have to learn if the family is to go on living, as her father is getting old. However, when she is seen by a Human boy and starts a conversation, she learns that maybe Human ‘Beans’ are not so threatening after all. But one way or another, no matter how friendly the Human Bean might be, there always ends up being trouble. So much so, that the Clocks are forced out of their home and must cross the perilous outdoors to find a new dwelling.
I loved all The Borrowers stories. Norton's attention to and depth of detail is so enjoyable; it makes this fantasy so realistic and believable. The stories are filled with so many adventures and misadventures, suspense, and danger, and yet retain such a homely, comfortable quality. Arrietty is growing more and more fond of the outdoors, Pod is ever practical and cautious, while Homily is always longing for the creature comforts of home – a soft bed and a means to make a cup of tea.
The Borrowers collection is funny, exciting, sad, moving, and endearing and it’s such a beautiful classic to read with young children. It sparks the imagination and warms the heart. I enjoyed it very much.
Mary Norton’s The Borrowers is one of the most charming children’s stories ever written, inspiring T.V. and film writers and other story writers all over the place ever since. Arrietty Clock, with her gentle, inquisitive curiosity and adventurousness wants to learn to go out borrowing with her father. It’s only natural and she’s going to have to learn if the family is to go on living, as her father is getting old. However, when she is seen by a Human boy and starts a conversation, she learns that maybe Human ‘Beans’ are not so threatening after all. But one way or another, no matter how friendly the Human Bean might be, there always ends up being trouble. So much so, that the Clocks are forced out of their home and must cross the perilous outdoors to find a new dwelling.
I loved all The Borrowers stories. Norton's attention to and depth of detail is so enjoyable; it makes this fantasy so realistic and believable. The stories are filled with so many adventures and misadventures, suspense, and danger, and yet retain such a homely, comfortable quality. Arrietty is growing more and more fond of the outdoors, Pod is ever practical and cautious, while Homily is always longing for the creature comforts of home – a soft bed and a means to make a cup of tea.
The Borrowers collection is funny, exciting, sad, moving, and endearing and it’s such a beautiful classic to read with young children. It sparks the imagination and warms the heart. I enjoyed it very much.
May 17, 2020
I really like some of the old childhood classics. This collection of The Borrowers I picked up a while ago for pretty cheap and I’m so glad I did. I love Arrietty and I think a lot of girls can relate to her heart and sense of adventure.
February 17, 2021
I loved the first book as a child and love it again as an adult. I also enjoyed most of the rest of the series...up until the (rewritten) ending of Book Four and most of Book Five, including its open-ended finish that I found 98% dissatisfying.
Maybe one day I'll read a copy of the earlier omnibus from the 1960s. That collection doesn't have a Book Five and hopefully has the original ending of Book Four, which sounds like a possibly imperfect but still much more fitting finish.
Maybe one day I'll read a copy of the earlier omnibus from the 1960s. That collection doesn't have a Book Five and hopefully has the original ending of Book Four, which sounds like a possibly imperfect but still much more fitting finish.
December 30, 2007
Boxed set of The Adventures of The Borrowers is by Mary Norton.
Consists of four books.
The Borrowers
The Borrowers Afield
The Borrowers Afloat
The Borrowers Aloft
This is about a miniature family who borrow things from the 'human beans'.
One of the main characters is a girl of about 14 years old and her name is Arrietty Clock. Yes... I have chosen her name as my internet name. She writes in her diary everyday. The family have to leave their safe home and go outside to find a new home and so the adventures continue.
I would say these are amongst my favourite books to read. Mary Norton certainly did well with these great children's books.
NB: The movie is nothing like the books.
Consists of four books.
The Borrowers
The Borrowers Afield
The Borrowers Afloat
The Borrowers Aloft
This is about a miniature family who borrow things from the 'human beans'.
One of the main characters is a girl of about 14 years old and her name is Arrietty Clock. Yes... I have chosen her name as my internet name. She writes in her diary everyday. The family have to leave their safe home and go outside to find a new home and so the adventures continue.
I would say these are amongst my favourite books to read. Mary Norton certainly did well with these great children's books.
NB: The movie is nothing like the books.
April 27, 2025
I read these stories individually as a child and re-read this compilation as an adult after my original books got damp in the attic. A keeper! I will definitely read it again in the future too 💕
Edit: having just moved into an old house with a “scullery” it seemed only fitting to read this again and I still adore the individual stories. Utterly charming and so well written. Now time to re-read Poor Stainless, another Mary Norton Borrowers story, but seemingly little known.
Edit: having just moved into an old house with a “scullery” it seemed only fitting to read this again and I still adore the individual stories. Utterly charming and so well written. Now time to re-read Poor Stainless, another Mary Norton Borrowers story, but seemingly little known.
January 31, 2022
4 ⭐
Age Rating: 8+
- The book was veryyy long.
- The stories were all different and I liked that they were each a continuation of the last.
- I liked that it was written like a fairytale.
Age Rating: 8+
- The book was veryyy long.
- The stories were all different and I liked that they were each a continuation of the last.
- I liked that it was written like a fairytale.
July 10, 2021
“Stories never really end. They can go on and on and on. It's just that sometimes, at a certain point, one stops telling them.”
― Mary Norton, The Borrowers
― Mary Norton, The Borrowers
June 3, 2021
This collection consists of the five books from "The Borrowers" series as well as a short story. I am putting my ratings for each book/story and then will sum up my overall thoughts at the end.
The Borrowers
I was obsessed with The Borrowers as a child. I really wanted to believe that they were real people and would leave things out for them to “borrow.” While the BBC miniseries from the 90s will always be my favorite, I remember enjoying the first three books as well.
For a children’s book I thought the author did a supreme job of developing the characters. I especially enjoyed Homily and her dramatic personality, though I liked the entire Clock family as well as “The Boy.”
I mostly listened to this one on audiobook and it was a lot of fun. This is definitely a great classic for kids—I feel like even kids today would be charmed by it. Cannot wait to get into the next one, which I remember liking even better.
4 stars!
The Borrowers Afield
Even better than the first book, just like I remember. I especially connected to Homily in this one. It was easy to become invested in their survival. The only thing I didn't much care for was how long it took for the narrator to get to the borrowers story again. Loved the introduction of Spiller as a character. The ending for this one is more finished than the previous one, though I am intrigued to see what happens next!
4.5 stars!
The Borrowers Afloat
The adventures of the Borrowers continues as Pod, Homily, and Arietty find themselves leaving their newest home. I liked this one almost as much as the last, though it did seem to take a while to get onto the main adventure, so I deducted a half star for that. There’s some interesting character development with Homily compared to the first book.
The audio is also a joy to listen to, though I don’t always understand some the terms, though there is enough context to get a general idea of what the item might be.
4 stars!
The Borrowers Aloft
The Borrowers return for another adventure when they are swept away from their current home in the miniature village of Little Fordham. Unlike other beginnings, I really enjoyed reading about how Little Fordham and its competitor came to be.
It seems like the poor Borrowers have been moving from place to place since they had to flee from their original home beneath the clock in the first book. This one was a lot of fun, especially when there are scenes involving a miniature hot air balloon!
Arietty and Pod show the most character growth in this one. I felt like Homily was less of a focus in this one and while she’s my favorite character as an adult, I’m also not mad about it because I liked seeing Pod and Arietty, as well as their father-daughter relationship, develop further.
I’m also enjoying the way in which Arietty’s crush continues to develop. The one thing I didn’t like about this one was how abrupt the ending felt. I hope the next one (I believe the final one) will finally bring the Clock family some happiness!
4.5 stars!
Poor Stainless
A short story set in the world of the Borrowers. Homily recounts to Arriety about how a young borrower named Stainless got lost when she was a child. Gave an interesting perspective of how things used to be for the Borrowers in the community when Homily was younger.
3.5 stars!
The Borrowers Avenged
I was nervous going into this one because a lot of people didn’t seem to like it at all. I’m happy to report that I wasn’t one of them. I really enjoyed this final installment into a house that seems truly the most perfect for all of them.
The side plot with the Platters was also fun and I liked the addition of Peacock and the ghosts. I ended up really liking the church setting as well. The Clock family has come a long way since their first book and it’s truly been an incredible journey.
My only real gripe is the abrupt ending/epilogue; it was really unsatisfying after all of that.
Overall, a lot more enjoyable than I was expecting and I thought it made for a great finale for the Borrowers’ story!
4.5 stars!
Overall, I loved re-visiting the first three books in this series and then continuing with the others. This is a fun series for children and the young at heart. I love that the collection is in one beautiful edition! The first two books brought back lovely memories and I enjoyed continuing the adventure afterwards. My only gripe is how short the epilogue is--I needed more!
Since I rated most of the books very favorably, I'm rating this collection at 4.5 stars!
The Borrowers
I was obsessed with The Borrowers as a child. I really wanted to believe that they were real people and would leave things out for them to “borrow.” While the BBC miniseries from the 90s will always be my favorite, I remember enjoying the first three books as well.
For a children’s book I thought the author did a supreme job of developing the characters. I especially enjoyed Homily and her dramatic personality, though I liked the entire Clock family as well as “The Boy.”
I mostly listened to this one on audiobook and it was a lot of fun. This is definitely a great classic for kids—I feel like even kids today would be charmed by it. Cannot wait to get into the next one, which I remember liking even better.
4 stars!
The Borrowers Afield
Even better than the first book, just like I remember. I especially connected to Homily in this one. It was easy to become invested in their survival. The only thing I didn't much care for was how long it took for the narrator to get to the borrowers story again. Loved the introduction of Spiller as a character. The ending for this one is more finished than the previous one, though I am intrigued to see what happens next!
4.5 stars!
The Borrowers Afloat
The adventures of the Borrowers continues as Pod, Homily, and Arietty find themselves leaving their newest home. I liked this one almost as much as the last, though it did seem to take a while to get onto the main adventure, so I deducted a half star for that. There’s some interesting character development with Homily compared to the first book.
The audio is also a joy to listen to, though I don’t always understand some the terms, though there is enough context to get a general idea of what the item might be.
4 stars!
The Borrowers Aloft
The Borrowers return for another adventure when they are swept away from their current home in the miniature village of Little Fordham. Unlike other beginnings, I really enjoyed reading about how Little Fordham and its competitor came to be.
It seems like the poor Borrowers have been moving from place to place since they had to flee from their original home beneath the clock in the first book. This one was a lot of fun, especially when there are scenes involving a miniature hot air balloon!
Arietty and Pod show the most character growth in this one. I felt like Homily was less of a focus in this one and while she’s my favorite character as an adult, I’m also not mad about it because I liked seeing Pod and Arietty, as well as their father-daughter relationship, develop further.
I’m also enjoying the way in which Arietty’s crush continues to develop. The one thing I didn’t like about this one was how abrupt the ending felt. I hope the next one (I believe the final one) will finally bring the Clock family some happiness!
4.5 stars!
Poor Stainless
A short story set in the world of the Borrowers. Homily recounts to Arriety about how a young borrower named Stainless got lost when she was a child. Gave an interesting perspective of how things used to be for the Borrowers in the community when Homily was younger.
3.5 stars!
The Borrowers Avenged
I was nervous going into this one because a lot of people didn’t seem to like it at all. I’m happy to report that I wasn’t one of them. I really enjoyed this final installment into a house that seems truly the most perfect for all of them.
The side plot with the Platters was also fun and I liked the addition of Peacock and the ghosts. I ended up really liking the church setting as well. The Clock family has come a long way since their first book and it’s truly been an incredible journey.
My only real gripe is the abrupt ending/epilogue; it was really unsatisfying after all of that.
Overall, a lot more enjoyable than I was expecting and I thought it made for a great finale for the Borrowers’ story!
4.5 stars!
Overall, I loved re-visiting the first three books in this series and then continuing with the others. This is a fun series for children and the young at heart. I love that the collection is in one beautiful edition! The first two books brought back lovely memories and I enjoyed continuing the adventure afterwards. My only gripe is how short the epilogue is--I needed more!
Since I rated most of the books very favorably, I'm rating this collection at 4.5 stars!
February 1, 2023
I had been wanting to reread the Borrowers for a while and then, all of a sudden, started to find it in every bookshop I went into. This happens sometimes. Bookshops, particularly those of the second hand kind that I tend to frequent, go through trends. A while ago it was The Da Vinci Code and then it was Twilight and then it was Fifty Shades of Grey and sometimes, it would be all three at once and a slightly stunned looking volunteer trying to figure out what to do with them. In this case, it was the Borrowers (the Complete Borrowers, to be precise) and I was very happy to take it all as a sign.
If you are not familiar with these stories then a brief precis: the Borrowers is a series written by Mary Norton (1903 - 1992) and features tiny people who 'borrow' from the humans and the houses that they live in. The first in the series was published in 1952 and the last in 1982. There was a further short story (novelette? novella?) - Poor Stainless - which was published in 1966 and set just prior to the adventures of the first book: The Borrowers. Norton should also be known for The Magic Bed-Knob: Or How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons which was destined to be adapted by Disney into Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
I had remembered something rich in the Borrowers, something that I had loved very much at the time that I had read them, but I also knew that I remembered very little about the content. This did not bother me so much because I tend to remember textures and feelings about the things I read. The way something felt to read. The way that my heart still has a place for it, even now, hundreds of years after actually reading it. Upon my return to the Borrowers, I was struck by how these feelings remained, for the most, unchanged. These are stories with such endless warmth to them. They are so British, so fiercely of their time and place, and at one point the entire story hinges on model villages. I mean, what is not to love about that perfect perfect set of circumstances?
What I was struck by, however, was the sense of peril that underpins this book. Norton creates a world that's so convincing and so real that you feel the constant danger that the Borrowers must wrestle with. It is remarkable. And it's not just the truth of this world that gets you involved, it's the way that Norton does it. She is classy and subtle and trusts that the reader both can and will follow her. She believes that you will believe and is full of such confidence in this, that you can't help but believe her.
I think about that idea of 'trusting a reader' a lot, about how to balance what I give the reader on a page versus what I ask them to find out or fill in the gaps by themselves. Sometimes I get it right, sometimes I get it wrong, but I'm always trying to work out that dance between what you need to know, right now, and what you can't live with out and what you can bring to this story yourself. The shades of grey, perhaps, between writer and reader. The twilight at the edge of the page. I want to know what happens there and I want the reader to be part of that. For Norton, for the Borrowers, this twilight is full of constant flux. Things change. The safe becomes the dangerous. The lost becomes the found. And she trusts you to understand that, to realise that there can be threat and danger in a footstep, that the sound of somebody answering the phone could be the most terrifying on earth, and that a cat might be the stuff of nightmares. She does not hold back and the books are stronger for it. Everything in these books are strong. Character, plot, tension, everything.
I devoured all of these stories with joy, rolling from one into the other with a sort of delirious joy. When you read somebody who's good, you want to keep reading. I loved it entirely. I could not get over how well done it is and for how long Norton did this for.
(It's also important to note that there are maybe a handful of references that have dated poorly but that's always something to bear in mind with books from this period. It's literally just a handful and if you're reading this aloud as a bedtime story - as indeed you should because the chapters will sing in these circumstances - just step right over them. You'll be rewarded with something utterly rich and wonderful and lovely, and an author at the utmost of her powers).
(Also the final few paragraphs of The Borrowers Avenged are some of the best I have ever read).
If you are not familiar with these stories then a brief precis: the Borrowers is a series written by Mary Norton (1903 - 1992) and features tiny people who 'borrow' from the humans and the houses that they live in. The first in the series was published in 1952 and the last in 1982. There was a further short story (novelette? novella?) - Poor Stainless - which was published in 1966 and set just prior to the adventures of the first book: The Borrowers. Norton should also be known for The Magic Bed-Knob: Or How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons which was destined to be adapted by Disney into Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
I had remembered something rich in the Borrowers, something that I had loved very much at the time that I had read them, but I also knew that I remembered very little about the content. This did not bother me so much because I tend to remember textures and feelings about the things I read. The way something felt to read. The way that my heart still has a place for it, even now, hundreds of years after actually reading it. Upon my return to the Borrowers, I was struck by how these feelings remained, for the most, unchanged. These are stories with such endless warmth to them. They are so British, so fiercely of their time and place, and at one point the entire story hinges on model villages. I mean, what is not to love about that perfect perfect set of circumstances?
What I was struck by, however, was the sense of peril that underpins this book. Norton creates a world that's so convincing and so real that you feel the constant danger that the Borrowers must wrestle with. It is remarkable. And it's not just the truth of this world that gets you involved, it's the way that Norton does it. She is classy and subtle and trusts that the reader both can and will follow her. She believes that you will believe and is full of such confidence in this, that you can't help but believe her.
I think about that idea of 'trusting a reader' a lot, about how to balance what I give the reader on a page versus what I ask them to find out or fill in the gaps by themselves. Sometimes I get it right, sometimes I get it wrong, but I'm always trying to work out that dance between what you need to know, right now, and what you can't live with out and what you can bring to this story yourself. The shades of grey, perhaps, between writer and reader. The twilight at the edge of the page. I want to know what happens there and I want the reader to be part of that. For Norton, for the Borrowers, this twilight is full of constant flux. Things change. The safe becomes the dangerous. The lost becomes the found. And she trusts you to understand that, to realise that there can be threat and danger in a footstep, that the sound of somebody answering the phone could be the most terrifying on earth, and that a cat might be the stuff of nightmares. She does not hold back and the books are stronger for it. Everything in these books are strong. Character, plot, tension, everything.
I devoured all of these stories with joy, rolling from one into the other with a sort of delirious joy. When you read somebody who's good, you want to keep reading. I loved it entirely. I could not get over how well done it is and for how long Norton did this for.
(It's also important to note that there are maybe a handful of references that have dated poorly but that's always something to bear in mind with books from this period. It's literally just a handful and if you're reading this aloud as a bedtime story - as indeed you should because the chapters will sing in these circumstances - just step right over them. You'll be rewarded with something utterly rich and wonderful and lovely, and an author at the utmost of her powers).
(Also the final few paragraphs of The Borrowers Avenged are some of the best I have ever read).
April 6, 2019
A friend of mine told me about borrowers
These are great books for the young and young at heart. I didn't read the books until i had children. Now that i have grandchildren, I am rereading them and they have "stood the test of time."
If you yearn for wide open spaces and the majesty of a wide sky or if you had a lonely childhood or if you had relatives you tolerated and tried to love, or "found friends in strange places" - maybe you will understand why I gave these books five stars.
I believed borrowers existed before I read the books.
These are great books for the young and young at heart. I didn't read the books until i had children. Now that i have grandchildren, I am rereading them and they have "stood the test of time."
If you yearn for wide open spaces and the majesty of a wide sky or if you had a lonely childhood or if you had relatives you tolerated and tried to love, or "found friends in strange places" - maybe you will understand why I gave these books five stars.
I believed borrowers existed before I read the books.
March 20, 2019
Not too bad. I'm glad I read this. I've been wanting to read The Borrowers for a long time, and I'm glad to have read the entire series. I wouldn't say that I would ever read it again, however. But, like I said before, I'm glad to have read it even once.
November 2, 2020
It was good.
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December 9, 2024
I read this to my daughter at night, and she loved hearing about the adventures the borrowers had. It's wonderfully written and great for a middle-grade reader. We never knew what Homily, Pod, or Arriety might find themselves in. But in each chapter, Mrs. Norton paints a well-told story.
October 20, 2018
Overall I found the series enchanting and wish I had read it as a child. The last book had some issues. Like many others, I almost wish I had ended at book 4.
April 1, 2019
This was such a cute collection of stories. I have always seen the movie, but never read the book. This was a delightful children's read.
February 5, 2023
The Borrowers Collection
I loved these stories as a kid and still love them now as an adult a cute way to use your imagination.
I loved these stories as a kid and still love them now as an adult a cute way to use your imagination.
July 19, 2025
MY CHILDHOOD
August 2, 2025
Still good 60 years later
I loved these books as a wee lad; I re-read them at 67 and enjoyed them again immensely. Fun reading for cats and chicks of all ages.
I loved these books as a wee lad; I re-read them at 67 and enjoyed them again immensely. Fun reading for cats and chicks of all ages.
May 4, 2020
The Borrowers: 5⭐️ I re read this 40 ish years after first reading this series as a child. Immediately it made me smile and get an overwhelming sense of peace. I felt like I was a kid again reading this whimsical story for the first time, yet knowing the story and characters
The Borrowers Afield: 5⭐️ I have a faint memory of how this series sparked my imagination as a child. A book report was done at some point about one of these books with a diorama and drawings of borrowers. I can’t say for sure but I think it was this series that made me love reading.
Ok...long story short 5⭐️For all the stories in this book. These stories were what sparked my imagination during the early years. I’m not sure if I got to read all of these but I definitely remembered the first book and Borrowers Aloft. Reading them consecutively like this made them so good and I wish elementary school me could have read this edition.
The Borrowers Afield: 5⭐️ I have a faint memory of how this series sparked my imagination as a child. A book report was done at some point about one of these books with a diorama and drawings of borrowers. I can’t say for sure but I think it was this series that made me love reading.
Ok...long story short 5⭐️For all the stories in this book. These stories were what sparked my imagination during the early years. I’m not sure if I got to read all of these but I definitely remembered the first book and Borrowers Aloft. Reading them consecutively like this made them so good and I wish elementary school me could have read this edition.
July 25, 2025
Spiller was the best
I first read The Borrowers (all five books -- in fact, I even have vague memories of Poor Stainless: A New Story About the Borrowers, but I'm not sure I'm not imagining those) well over 50 years ago. My sister had the entire collection in hardback, a gift, I think, from our famous Aunt Althea, who lived in New York City and always knew the best books. I won't describe the overall idea of the series, since the publisher's blurb does that well.
I remember it was not at the start one of my favorite book series. It was a little too bland and too nice for me. However, the series really kicked up a notch with the appearance of Spiller. Spiller is a kind of wild Borrower, an unsocialized Borrower who never learned all the rules the Clock family lived by, about how Borrowers are supposed to get along in a world dominated by Human Beans. Spiller doesn't actually know what his name is. He has a memory of a mother who told him he was a Dreadful Spiller, so he took that as his name.
Spiller was an inspirational character for me. He gave The Borrowers something that looked like true heroism.
Blog review.
I first read The Borrowers (all five books -- in fact, I even have vague memories of Poor Stainless: A New Story About the Borrowers, but I'm not sure I'm not imagining those) well over 50 years ago. My sister had the entire collection in hardback, a gift, I think, from our famous Aunt Althea, who lived in New York City and always knew the best books. I won't describe the overall idea of the series, since the publisher's blurb does that well.
I remember it was not at the start one of my favorite book series. It was a little too bland and too nice for me. However, the series really kicked up a notch with the appearance of Spiller. Spiller is a kind of wild Borrower, an unsocialized Borrower who never learned all the rules the Clock family lived by, about how Borrowers are supposed to get along in a world dominated by Human Beans. Spiller doesn't actually know what his name is. He has a memory of a mother who told him he was a Dreadful Spiller, so he took that as his name.
Spiller was an inspirational character for me. He gave The Borrowers something that looked like true heroism.
Blog review.
November 20, 2016
This is an 1,104 page collection of reprints of the five Borrowers novels plus the related novelette Poor Stainless. The books tell of the adventures of a family of tiny people who secretly live under the floors and behind the walls of a regular sized family's home in Victorian England. The new cover is a colorful and whimsical take on the original artists' black and white interior illustrations.
July 27, 2011
This was 700 pages of fine entertainment for my 9 year old son and I. The slow moving plot and intricate detail of the descriptions has hopefully helped make my son a patient listener. It has also developed his imagination and increased my vocabulary for early 20th century household items!
October 29, 2018
I truly enjoyed reading this series with my kids. Since it was my mother's favorite children's series, it was special for us to read it together. We loved hearing the tales of the Clock family through the years! We only wish that the tale continued!
June 8, 2019
Omläsning galore. Köpte denna i London för 5-6 år sedan för att läsa om på originalspråk. Hade några av böckerna hemma som barn och läste dem flera gånger. Roligt att återvända till Arrietty och hennes familj. Extra kul att det visade sig att jag inte läst sista boken.
January 28, 2021
This is 5 books in one, it's huge but well worth a read. This has been my sons sons bedtime story, which lasted months. A lovely story about a family of Borrowers and following them on their adventures.
October 23, 2021
This was THE book of my childhood!!
I have read this many times during my many many reading years and it still brings me joy! Reading was my way of escaping a traumatic childhood this helped me through many a traumatic night!!
I have read this many times during my many many reading years and it still brings me joy! Reading was my way of escaping a traumatic childhood this helped me through many a traumatic night!!
June 26, 2024
Cute, but repetitive. It works for what it is, a young children's book.
One question though: As a comedian whose name I cannot recall observed: Why are they called the borrowers if they never return anything?
One question though: As a comedian whose name I cannot recall observed: Why are they called the borrowers if they never return anything?
June 2, 2008
One of my all-time favourite series!
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