The Borrowers Afield

The Borrowers #2

by Mary Norton, Beth Krush (Illustrations), Joe Krush (Illustrations)

Driven from their home in the big house, Pod, Homily, and Arrietty take up life in a boot.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Fiction, Classics, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Adventure

238 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 1955

About the author

Mary 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.

Reviews

[☾❀Apple✩ Blossom⋆｡˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“It's so awful and sad,” she once admitted to Tom Goodenough, “to belong to a race that no sane person believes in.”



Arrietty and her family of Borrowers have escaped from their cozy home and are now afield. They find a temporary shelter inside an old booth, and spend some weeks in the wilderness. There, they will meet a lot of curious characters; some new, some long missed.



I am enjoying this series very much. I find it a very relaxing read, and it feels like reading an old childhood classic. I was also curious to know how the story goes on after the anime. I found out though, that the anime adaptation is quite different and often takes inspiration from events that take place in all the books in the series.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's too bad that this series of books about little people is in such danger of being dismissed as a cute or trite children's fairy story. They certainly shouldn't be described in that way. Once you can suspend your disbelief in the existence of small people living in and amongst normal humans, the books becomes adventure stories in the best sense--kind of a Robinson Crusoe story but with much more likable and more subtly depicted characters.

[Connie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Borrowers, minature people, had lived in a Bedfordshire home until one of them was seen by a human resident. The Borrowers are responsible for the disappearance of needles, match boxes, socks, bits of food, and other small items that are lost in our houses. A rat catcher was called to capture the Borrowers so they had to travel across fields to find themselves a new home. "The Borrowers Afield" tells of their adventures, and their temporary residence in an old boot. It's the second imaginative children's classic book in a five book series.

[The Dusty Jacket · Rating 5 out of 5]

It had been a year since Mrs. May told young Kate the story of the borrowers. Since that time, Kate had completely pushed their memory to the farthest corner of her mind until one early spring day when Mrs. May slipped her a letter and said, “This will interest you, Kate, I think.” And indeed it had since that letter had to do with Leighton Buzzard. Leighton Buzzard, as you might recall, was the country town where Great Aunt Sophy’s house was and it was in that house, as you might remember, where underneath the kitchen floorboards lived the Clocks: Pod, Homily, and Arrietty. But whatever happened to those poor Clocks? Last time we saw them, they had been smoked out of their comfortable home and left fleeing for their lives—never to be seen or heard from again. But worry not for there is one soul who knows exactly what happened to our dear friends and it is that very same person that Mrs. May and Kate—quite by chance—are about to meet.

Three years after writing The Borrowers in 1952, Mary Norton picks right up where she left off with The Borrowers Afield where our favorite trio are tirelessly trekking from Firbank to Perkin’s Beck in search of the badger’s set, home to the Hendrearies. In this book, Arrietty finally realizes her dream of living outdoors and becoming a true borrower; Homily begins to toughen up a bit, although required to become a vegetarian; and Pod continues to hold his family together while keeping an even temper and maintaining loving order. Their journey has them finding an unexpected abode, meeting several troublesome insects, and encountering a very helpful yet mysterious stranger.

Norton does not fail to live up to the expectations she established for her readers with her first book in the beloved Borrowers’ series. This next chapter is filled with adventure and ample amounts of danger, disappointment, and discovery. Through their ups and downs, the Clock family begin to not only learn more about themselves and their own capabilities, but they also learn more about one another, which results in a deeper appreciation for one another.

This book stresses family much more than the first as it truly is the Clocks vs the World. In doing so, our little troupe form a tighter bond and realize that if you’re with family, you’re already home. The Borrowers Afield is truly a fun frolic with plenty of action and suspense and every bit worthy of its predecessor.

We’re now posting videos of some of our book reviews! Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thedustyjacket or on Instagram @tdjreviews and join in on the fun!

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way these books have such an awareness of unreliable narrators, and of oral stories, for all that they're written down. First of all The Boy through Mrs May through Kate, and then Arriety through Tom Goodenough through Kate... There's so much uncertainty about whether it is or isn't a story. I imagine that frustrates some people, but I do like it.

I remember, all of a sudden, as a child, carefully leaving things on the lower shelves, for Borrowers. They never did take it, but maybe I was overestimating them. Or maybe they knew what I was doing, and never wanted to let on to a giant girl like me that they really were there. Who knows?

Anyway, I remembered The Borrowers Afield very fondly. It suffered more than the first book, I think, from my nostalgia for it: it just wasn't as good as I remembered, as the image the years of thinking about the Borrowers had made. Not enough really happens until the very end of the book.

Still, it's still wonderful to revisit this world, and there's also something satisfying about the way normal human feelings still play out in the books, as large as life -- Homily's insistence that she's teetotal until it's a matter of life and death, for example, and her bristling up at the Hendrearies having some of her furniture, etc.

Really, really happy I bought these again.

[Chantal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved book 2 more then book 1 so that was a plus! Great way of telling a story and mind really was seeing everything happening. I had so much fun reading this book!

[Trzcionka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jestem trochę rozczarowana. W porównaniu z pierwszą częścią ta wypada dość słabo. Język i styl Norton w parze z umiejętnością tworzenia przytulnego klimaciku nie zawodzą, ale fabuła już tak. W książce mało co się dzieje. Można powiedzieć, że jedynie początek i koniec jest ciekawy, a środek - choć długi - jakby nie miał treści..
Z przykrością muszę też stwierdzić, że mama Dominika, którą zachwycałam się poprzednim razem, zupełnie mi nie podeszła tym razem. Jej zachowanie było wielokrotnie bardzo nieprzyjemne i irytujące - aż sama się zdziwiłam, że to akurat ta bohaterka i jest to tak mocno akcentowane. Pozostali bohaterowie wypadli ok, ale bez większego szału.
Ostatnim minusem jest mniejsza ilość ilustracji. Te które są były wspaniałe, choć niektóre bardzo okrojone - zamiast jednego robaczka na białej stronie można być dodać jakieś tło.
Mam nadzieję, że to taki przejściowy tom i pod wszystkimi względami seria się poprawi w kolejnych częściach. Bardzo na to liczę, bo nadal lubię tę historię i jej klimat.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really so impressed with these books.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun, and so much more tense, as they venture out of their safe home!

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picking up where the first book left off, this sequel sees the Clock family outdoors and out of their element.

I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first one but it was still an entertaining read.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love seeing how the Borrowers survive in the wild, fighting off insects, gathering nuts and berries, and finding shelter in an old boot. The plot in this book has so many interesting little twists and turns, as the Clock family meet Spiller, a Borrower who lives in the fields and hedges.

They are such funny characters with grit and determination. Pod is resourceful and serious, but cracks a joke now and then. Homily is fearful, but has a reserve of inner fortitude that comes up in a crisis. Arrietty is adorable and sweet, plucky and adventurous and playful. Spiller is mysterious and taciturn. I just love them all!

The dialogue is fantastic! You can really imagine them all sitting round a candle fire, sipping rosehip tea from their acorn cups, having a heated conversation about how to make bread from wheat stalks or whether you couldn't grind up some corn instead. Their personalities shine through the dialogue, and propel the story forward.

I love this whole series! However, I could have done without the introduction story that tells how years and years later a human girl reads Arrietty's diary and how Old Tom tells her the story of the Borrowers. It broke up the pacing of the real story.

[Ionela Gomoja · Rating 4 out of 5]

În această continuare a poveștii din *„Omuleții”*, micuții oameni Arrietty, Homily și Pod – membrii familiei Clock – sunt forțați să părăsească locuința lor din casa mare a oamenilor, după ce sunt descoperiți.

Acum trăiesc **"sub cerul liber"**, adică în natură, un loc cu totul necunoscut pentru ei. Pentru niște omuleți atât de mici, lumea reală e plină de pericole: ploaie, animale, foame și frig. Dar Arrietty, mereu curajoasă și curioasă, începe să descopere și frumusețile naturii.

Pe parcursul aventurii lor, ei întâlnesc alți Borrowers (omuleți), cum ar fi Spiller – un personaj misterios, dar de încredere, care îi ajută să se adapteze și să supraviețuiască în libertate.

Cartea este despre **curaj, familie, adaptare și încrederea în forțele proprii**, chiar și atunci când te simți mic într-o lume uriașă.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the second book of The Borrowers series, Pod, Homily and Arrietty are on the run after escaping from the terrible Mrs Driver and the ferret. No long able to live snugly beneath the kitchen in the big house, they are forced to run, hide from field mice and insects, and sleep in ditches.

Finally they take up residence in an abandoned boot and adopt a vegetarian diet. Homily tries to be brave but is miserably out of her element. Pod is his usual resourceful self. Arrietty however is thrilled to be in the great outdoors. She ventures far and wide and when she meets Spiller, a mysterious and feral Borrower youth, she sets in motion the family's salvation.

I read this one as a child but didn't remember it as well. It is just as delightful and imaginative as the first book. I did not read the other two in the series because by the time The Borrowers Afloat was published in 1959, I was twelve years old and had moved on as a reader. I will be reading Afloat and Aloft soon though thanks to my Big Fat Reading Project*.

*See entry in "Writing" by going to my profile.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great, the families adventure in the out-doors kept my attention very well and was full of humourous situations that had me laughing. It was quite the adventure they had, made even better by the illustrations. Those brilliant line drawings that captured the events of the book so well.
We now need the Borrowers Afloat for our collection. I can’t wait for my wife to read them so we can talk about these adventures together.

[marysiaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

ta książka była tak nudna, że nie dziwię się że w wieku 9 lat zrobiłam na niej dnf 2 razy…

daje 3 gwiazdki tylko z sentymenty dla serii

[Erynn McKelvy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
I always love this series. It's so imaginative and fun, plus easy to read when you don't want to have to think too much about reading. Can't wait for the next ones!

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still lovely and full of vintage charm, but less comforting than the first. There's a dark, survivalist undertone to the series now that the Clocks have lost their cozy spot beneath the kitchen floor. Yet, the narrative manages to be cheerful and take lots of pleasure in the natural world. Re-reading it made me realize I don't recall anything about the following three books, so I am eager to see where they go. I remember something about a teakettle and the hot air balloon vividly stands out in my memory.

-----

The Borrowers Afield had the second inaccurate reference to the garb of the Ku Klux Klan in midcentury British literature that I've read in the past week. The Religious Body by Catherine Aird had the first. In Aird's book, someone comments on a nun's black robe looking like a KKK robe, though most of those robes are famously white. Nuns' faces are totally bare, though they are dressed and coifed alike, so the most distinct aspect of KKK garb, the triangular hood, is absent from the reference. In Afield, Arrietty dons a foxglove cap. When it slips over her eyes, Norton refers to it giving her a "ku-klux-klan effect" (147). As American illustrators Beth and Joe Krush demonstrate on the following page, the foxglove cap differs in color, shape, and proportional size to the hoods of the KKK, and lacks eyeholes.

I wonder if these inaccurate (and unnecessary) references stem from journalism about the KKK in England at the time. Perhaps incidents were reported without pictures, or with inaccuracies about the garb of the domestic terrorist group. Transatlantic antiracism crusaders, like Ida B. Wells-Barnett, raised awareness in England about the situation in the USA, so there was some element of firsthand testimony floating around. However, that was a generation before the 1950s and 1960s when Aird and Norton were writing. There must have been some level of cultural awareness of the KKK, but both references show that the awareness is vague and contains inaccuracies. In 1946, the Superman radio show aired a story arc, "Clan of the Fiery Cross," that was supposedly based on information from the Anti-Defamation League who had infiltrated the KKK, and it demythologized the Klan and hurt their recruitment. I don't know if this story arc was aired in England in the 1940s, but it might provide a clue regarding why the KKK was in Aird's and Norton's cultural awarenesses.

Black robes in the KKK symbolize a "security" position in the Knighthawks, but I doubt Aird's characters knew of these finer distinctions in KKK hierarchy. White robes were the most common ones. The banality of both references indicates to me that the authors were unaware of the KKK's symbolism and the extent to which they terrorized their local communities. Otherwise, why would Norton create a sunny scene of Arrietty, fairy-like, dressing in florals, then compare her to terrorists who operate under the cover of night and hood? Aird's reference hinted at the resolution of the mystery plot, but it drew me out of the story because it made me wonder if the nuns at that abbey wore white when I had pictured them in black. Like a KKK member, the murderer in The Religious Body disguised himself to commit his crimes. However, KKK members' identities were open secrets in the second wave since they occupied positions of legal power, so this reference still doesn't quite work. While this brief reference in Afield was likely offensive to some American readers in the 1950s, and did not reflect in my enjoyment of the book as a whole in 2022, it has made me curious about how an American domestic terrorist group was perceived by midcentury England, and whether Superman had anything to do with it.

[Nadine Keels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that they've been smoked out of the home they once had under a kitchen floor, the little Clock family—Pod, Homily, and their teenaged daughter Arrietty—must learn to survive in the daunting and unknown out-of-doors in The Borrowers Afield by Mary Norton.

Well! It's been nearly thirty years since I first read this classic children's fantasy novel, the second in a series. Some parts I remembered and plenty more I didn't.

One line I like most is an early reflection from Arrietty, who's long desired to see what lies beyond the kitchen floor and to learn to "borrow" items from human beings as male borrowers do: "Just because I was a girl, and not allowed to go borrowing, it doesn't say I haven't got the gift..."

Indeed, the Clock family has more to discover about their abilities and mettle out here in a world of birds, bugs, and weather, and how these family members truly feel about each other comes more to light in this book. I laughed out loud at some of the humor, and how happy I was to meet Spiller for the first time—again! I was waiting to bump into that fearless and field-smart little loner.

Now, the story calls a group of traveling people by an old term that should fall out of use. Of course, these novels portray all the anti-borrower villains as horrid caricatures, not just the villains of one culture or another. Doesn't make the use of the old exonym okay, though. That was the only real hitch in the read for me.

The "no going back" theme resonates through the novel, and there's some bittersweet longing at the end—which is actually a beginning. As the first two books are the only ones I read as a child, I'm looking forward to learning more about the Clocks (and hopefully Spiller?) in the following books.

[juliieet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Przez ten tom ta seria straciła sporo w moich oczach. Zdecydowanie mniej interesująca od pierwszej, nie trzyma już takiego poziomu i niestety nie sprawiła, że nie mogłam przestać o niej myśleć. Akcja wydawała mi się o wiele bardziej infantylna, nie była tak zaskakująca oraz nie miała już w sobie tej szczypty magii, która w poprzednim tomie ujęła mnie za serce i pozwoliła mi się w sobie zakochać. Chyba nie będę kontynuować, bardzo mi szkoda ale niestety męczyłam tę część okropnie :(

[Iryna Khomchuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Продовження пригод маленьких чоловічків захотілося прочитати, щойно ми з сином перегорнули останню сторінку першої частини "Роздобудьків". Тим паче, що події, описані наприкінці кожної (тепер я це знаю точно) книги, так і провокують відразу взятися на наступну, аби дізнатися: що ж трапилося далі? Однак доки ми розжилися наступною книгою серії, доки читали інші, не менш захопливі, історії, час минув, і це надало такої гострої радості від зустрічі з улюбленими героями, що ми прочитали досить об’ємну, як для п’ятирічки, книгу дуже швидко.

Про те, що чекало на крихітних утікачів із великого дому в полі, ми читали теж... у полі. Ну, майже))) Тож мали змогу бачити усі ті трав’яні джунглі, живопліт, потічки, жабок, жуків... Не повірите, але якось навіть наткнулися на практично такий самісінький, як у книзі, загублений шкіряний черевик! Щоправда, цей не був захований у нішу, а стояв на стовпчику у сподіванні, що знайдеться господар. Так і хотілося покласти його в якесь затишне місце: а раптом знадобиться якимось карпатським роздобудькам?)))

Про саму книгу нічого не казатиму: за мене вже розказала її популярність у світі, кількість перекладів та екранізацій. Додам лише, що, як на мене, вона того варта. Тож ми читатимемо далі)))

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been reading this to Seth in our morning time. It took a while to get into, but we did really enjoy the last half of the book.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every bit as charming as the first installment. I found on rereading this one decades later that I hadn't remembered the story at all, nor the fantastically described new character, Spiller. I suspect this is due to my imagination being more engaged at the idea of borrowers living indoors without humans suspecting their presence. I was never very outdoorsy, so Arrietty's fearless embrace of her new circumstances and her precocious willingness to wander off exploring is drenched, for me, in a feeling of impending disaster. The book justifies this anxiety by delivering plenty of peril, so for an impressionable young child already prone to view the unpredictability of the outside world with some skepticism, this book tends to confirm such views.

Some other nice touches in this installment: Four chapters of frame story at the beginning that build anticipation for the continuation of the Arrietty-focused narrative, and very cheeky use of epigraphs for all the chapters, hinting obliquely at events to come and also potentially piquing the interest of the child reading them about the historical events or figures mentioned.

[Bibliothecat · Rating 3 out of 5]

“It's so awful and sad to belong to a race that no sane person believes in.”

For all that I consider The Borrowers a clever and unique idea, I just can't seem to warm up to these books. I couldn't tell you what is amiss as there's really nothing that bothers me. I think Arrietty is a neat character and even her parents, Pod and Homily - who I didn't like so much in the first - have started to grow on me. There's also a new borrower introduced - Spiller. Spiller is about the only aspect of this sequel that was also included to the Ghibli movie adaptation. So all in all, this story was wholly new to me.

For books as short as these, I find they take me a very long time to get through - I just can't get myself invested. I do still believe, though, that this is probably a nice book to read with or as a child.

[Elinor Loredan · Rating 3 out of 5]

September 2022 reread:
Somehow I was not as captivated by this one as by the first. This one felt like like it just sort of drifted around, while the first was very focused and suspenseful, not to mention there is something infinitely cozier and more charming about the Clock family living under the floor of an old house. That being said, I do love the introduction of Spiller, and Homily is hilarious--for instance, when she thinks they are about to be killed by a ferret she apologizes to Pod for her sharpness, then when they are safe feels like she has been tricked into saying that. Then when they are reunited with the Hendreary family, she puts on a show of faintness to impress Aunt Lupy, her nemesis. I did not catch these bits of humor last time.

[Lostaccount · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as charming as the first book. The trio of borrowers (neurotic Homily, stuffy Pod and the wanderlusty Arriety) tramp about afield, hence the title, searching for borrower relatives, and end up living in a boot. We meet Spiller here for the first time, and at the end of the book, the rest of the little borrower nutcases. More childish than book one.

I suddenly feel like trampling on them all.

[Joann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the first book better but this was also very good. Living outside poses many problems but also many wonders. The Borrowers face dangers and difficulties. How to stay alive without humans to borrow from? What will happen as winter approaches?
There is a lot more description and the action is saved for the very frightening end. Now I have to read the next book but I may take a detour into Mary Norton's other books. Bed-Knob and Broomstick is next!

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite from childhood.

[Katelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my children as a bedtime story, and we all love it. I read it when I was a child and wanted my children to have the magic and wonder. This is an excellent series.

[ania · Rating 4 out of 5]

spiller🫶🫶

[Paula Vince · Rating 5 out of 5]

'What if it were only a story, so long as it was a good story? Keep your sense of wonder, child, and don't be so literal. And anything we haven't experienced for ourselves sounds like a story.'

Mrs May and Kate provide the framework of this tale again. When Mrs May inherits a small cottage at Leighton Buzzard, Kate goes along with her to do some sleuthing regarding the borrowers. She meets Tom Goodenough, an elderly tenant who was once the gamekeeper's young grandson. He was also the boy with the ferret who visited the day Firbank Hall was fumigated. To Kate's delight, Tom is able to continue the tale of the little Clock family where Mrs May's brother left off, for he became the next human friend of Arrietty, who told him, 'It's so awful and sad to belong to a race which no sane person believes in.'

This is a survival tale in the great outdoors.We all know Pod, Homily and Arrietty were forced to flee their home beneath the floorboards at Firbank Hall because their cover had been busted. 'Migration' is their only option, so they seek Uncle Hendreary's badger's set in Perkin's Beck, the nearby field; a tremendous trek for them. But Hendreary's home proves to be elusive, bitter winter is approaching, and the discovery of an abandoned boot appears to be a godsend. It's a modest temporary home but they have no other choice. Pod identifies it as a gentleman's boot which mollifies Homily. She might be living in some old boot, but at least it didn't belong to riff raff (as far as she knows, but the truth will out!). I love and admire these little dudes for their gumption, ingenuity and resourcefulness.

The highlight of this story is the introduction of Spiller, the scruffy urchin lad who helps himself to a few of their tools while they're out. Spiller represents everything Homily feared about living outdoors. 'Uncouth, unwashed, dishonest and ill-bred,' is how she describes him, for you don't 'borrow' from other borrowers. He's a product of a life spent alone in the wilderness, having brought himself up. (For any readers of Wuthering Heights, this borrower boy has strong Hareton Earnshaw vibes.) Yet the very qualities Homily deplores are those which provide his edge, enabling him to camouflage excellently and develop his field-smarts. By the end, they all benefit hugely from Spiller's acquaintance, which extends to saving their lives. He's a legend who is always in his element.

It's quite intriguing, as Arrietty wonders if enterprise and curiosity will always meet with disaster, for she seems to have both in spades. She wonders if it will really be necessary to keep a lid on it all forever. Poor Homily has her fair share of Children of Israel moments, and feels tempted to turn around and go home to Firbank Hall where she knows Mrs Driver will now be ever alert, but Pod reminds her that burning one's bridges is part of a borrower's philosophy. It's fun to see Homily adapt to the more rudimentary lifestyle to the extent of tucking into Spiller's hot meat, being super cautious not to ask him what it is!

There is some superb nature writing from Arrietty's delightfully limited viewpoint. Yet as this book ends, her prospects appear as grimly safe as they were beneath the floor at Firbank. She's holed up again, this time in a high, narrow wall as part of an extended family, which we already sense will become strained before long. Arrietty pines for Spiller, and I don't blame her. Something will have to give, which will be the focus of the next few books. Bring them on!