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Green Knowe #6
The Stones of Green Knowe
This last installment of the beloved series recounts the long-ago beginnings of Green Knowe, a time when Roger, the son of a Norman lord, was the first child to live in the grand old manor. Roger finds some ancient stones on the grounds, which magically transport him back and forth in time so he can meet and befriend Toby, Linnet, Susan, and Tolly--the future inhabitants of Green Knowe and the heroes of the five other magical books in the series.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
1 person is currently reading
603 people want to read
About the author
Lucy M. Boston
34 books110 followersLucy M. Boston (1892–1990), born Lucy Maria Wood, was an English novelist who wrote for children and adults, publishing her work entirely after the age of 60. She is best known for her "Green Knowe" series: six low fantasy children's novels published by Faber between 1954 and 1976. The setting is Green Knowe, an old country manor house based on Boston's Cambridgeshire home at Hemingford Grey. For the fourth book in the series, A Stranger at Green Knowe (1961), she won the annual Carnegie Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book by a British subject.[1]
During her long life, she distinguished herself as a writer, mainly of children’s books, and as the creator of a magical garden. She was also an accomplished artist who had studied drawing and painting in Vienna, and a needlewoman who produced a series of patchworks.
During her long life, she distinguished herself as a writer, mainly of children’s books, and as the creator of a magical garden. She was also an accomplished artist who had studied drawing and painting in Vienna, and a needlewoman who produced a series of patchworks.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
May 19, 2020
Green Knowe is the new manor house that is being built by a Norman lord in 12th Century Britain. His son, Roger, finds two magical stones in the woods shaped like thrones. When he sits on the larger stone he can wish to time-travel forward in time. Roger only tries sitting on the smaller stone chair once since it brought him back to the frightening conquest by the Saxons.
This is a delightful book for older children with lots of historical details. As Roger travels forward in time, he finds that he is the ancestor of the children living at Green Knowe in the future. Since industrialization is changing England, every trip to the future is a different experience. The manor house had a warm family history of sheltering the children through the centuries. Children will enjoy the adventures and magical qualities of this time-travel story, and the illustrations by Peter Boston (the author's son).
This is a delightful book for older children with lots of historical details. As Roger travels forward in time, he finds that he is the ancestor of the children living at Green Knowe in the future. Since industrialization is changing England, every trip to the future is a different experience. The manor house had a warm family history of sheltering the children through the centuries. Children will enjoy the adventures and magical qualities of this time-travel story, and the illustrations by Peter Boston (the author's son).
December 31, 2017
I loved reading this series this year!!
June 14, 2017
There is nothing like Boston's writing! She can take a simple story, and make it full of action and meaning. She can introduce a single character, and immediately you are completely invested in this person's world.
In this book, the magical stories of Green Knowe are told from the perspective of Roger d'Oldknow, whose father is building the new manor house of Green Knowe in the times of the Normans and Saxons. Roger is worried that the house he loves won't last or stand the test of time, but when he is whisked into the future, he sees the house in all its beauty and his descendants living there in peace.
Roger is a spirited and energetic person, with an eye for glory in even the small but important things. He truly cares about Green Knowe, and wants to see it prosper. I loved how protective he is of his family and how he feels responsible for everyone on his land.
He's also a lonely person, so when he discovers the other children in different times, he is so delighted to have people to relate to and have adventures with. And as the reader, I felt all this right along with him. I was that lonely person delighted to find companionship! I was the young person looking for some fun and adventure and wondering what the future would hold. The writing draws you in so entirely!
It was interesting to visit Tolly and Linnet and Alexander and everyone from the other side of time, since we've already heard their stories in the previous books. What a rich history that house has! You can really feel the centuries of time stretched out before you in this book. Brilliant writing!
In this book, the magical stories of Green Knowe are told from the perspective of Roger d'Oldknow, whose father is building the new manor house of Green Knowe in the times of the Normans and Saxons. Roger is worried that the house he loves won't last or stand the test of time, but when he is whisked into the future, he sees the house in all its beauty and his descendants living there in peace.
Roger is a spirited and energetic person, with an eye for glory in even the small but important things. He truly cares about Green Knowe, and wants to see it prosper. I loved how protective he is of his family and how he feels responsible for everyone on his land.
He's also a lonely person, so when he discovers the other children in different times, he is so delighted to have people to relate to and have adventures with. And as the reader, I felt all this right along with him. I was that lonely person delighted to find companionship! I was the young person looking for some fun and adventure and wondering what the future would hold. The writing draws you in so entirely!
It was interesting to visit Tolly and Linnet and Alexander and everyone from the other side of time, since we've already heard their stories in the previous books. What a rich history that house has! You can really feel the centuries of time stretched out before you in this book. Brilliant writing!
December 27, 2015
A beautifully realized finish to a great series. I don't do many "series," but Boston's writing is so evocative of a time and place, the feelings of comfort and serenity she conjures become addictive. The characters are indelibly etched in my mind - Grandmother Oldknowe, Tolly, Ping, Linnet, Toby and now Roger. These are magical books - fantasy - but subtle - the awe and the wonder sneak up on you and overwhelm on an emotional level - like when you see something in nature so beautiful that it actually takes your breath away. I highly recommend this series, and would read anything else by Boston I came across.
July 17, 2013
The Stones of Green Knowe, the sixth and final volume in the Green Knowe series, reveals the beginning of the manor house at Green Knowe, both in its physical and magical sense, and of the Oldknow family.
The book begins in 1100, when 11-year-old Roger d’Aulneaux — whose surname will eventually be corrupted into “Oldknow” — excitedly awaits the finishing of a grand new manor house, built in the most up-to-date Norman fashion. The new stone manor will replace the wooden, one-story Saxon hall where Roger, his sisters, parents and paternal grandmother live, along with some of their livestock! Roger, the second son of the d’Aulneaux family, will found the Oldknow line. Although Roger’s three-quarters Norman and one-quarter Saxon, he’s been taught English and the old Saxon tales by his Saxon grandmother — much to the dismay of Roger’s totally Norman mother. Roger’s the first child to move into the newly built manor, and he’s the first to discover the magic in the area, too, when he stumbles across two chairs — ancient even in the 12th century — that were each cut out of a single stone block.
Using these chairs, Roger discovers he can time-travel. First, Roger travels forward 540 years, where he finds Linnet, Toby, and Alexander, the children who were living at Green Knowe in the 17th century. (Those children would become the ghostly children alluded to in the title of the first book in the series, The Children of Green Knowe.) Roger is able to foil an attack on 6-year-old Linnet. Later, Roger travels even further ahead in time and meets other children who have called Green Knowe home, who were featured in the five other Green Knowe books, including 20th century Tolly Oldknow (The Children of Green Knowe, Treasure of Green Knowe, and An Enemy at Green Knowe) and 18th century Susan Oldknow and her freed slave, Jacob (The Treasure of Green Knowe). Roger also returns back 540 years and witnessed a Saxon invasion circa A.D. 600 of his ancestral land. Naturally, readers learn a great deal about Green Knowe, including the origins of the St. Christopher statue.
The Stones of Green Knowe will prove a great, if bittersweet, pleasure to fans of Green Knowe; however, readers who haven’t read the previous books will likely not enjoy it nearly as much, as they will miss much of the significance of the various time-traveling encounters.
The book begins in 1100, when 11-year-old Roger d’Aulneaux — whose surname will eventually be corrupted into “Oldknow” — excitedly awaits the finishing of a grand new manor house, built in the most up-to-date Norman fashion. The new stone manor will replace the wooden, one-story Saxon hall where Roger, his sisters, parents and paternal grandmother live, along with some of their livestock! Roger, the second son of the d’Aulneaux family, will found the Oldknow line. Although Roger’s three-quarters Norman and one-quarter Saxon, he’s been taught English and the old Saxon tales by his Saxon grandmother — much to the dismay of Roger’s totally Norman mother. Roger’s the first child to move into the newly built manor, and he’s the first to discover the magic in the area, too, when he stumbles across two chairs — ancient even in the 12th century — that were each cut out of a single stone block.
Using these chairs, Roger discovers he can time-travel. First, Roger travels forward 540 years, where he finds Linnet, Toby, and Alexander, the children who were living at Green Knowe in the 17th century. (Those children would become the ghostly children alluded to in the title of the first book in the series, The Children of Green Knowe.) Roger is able to foil an attack on 6-year-old Linnet. Later, Roger travels even further ahead in time and meets other children who have called Green Knowe home, who were featured in the five other Green Knowe books, including 20th century Tolly Oldknow (The Children of Green Knowe, Treasure of Green Knowe, and An Enemy at Green Knowe) and 18th century Susan Oldknow and her freed slave, Jacob (The Treasure of Green Knowe). Roger also returns back 540 years and witnessed a Saxon invasion circa A.D. 600 of his ancestral land. Naturally, readers learn a great deal about Green Knowe, including the origins of the St. Christopher statue.
The Stones of Green Knowe will prove a great, if bittersweet, pleasure to fans of Green Knowe; however, readers who haven’t read the previous books will likely not enjoy it nearly as much, as they will miss much of the significance of the various time-traveling encounters.
July 1, 2018
I enjoyed this the most of all the Green Knowe books. It has a much friendlier feel and none of the nightmare producing darkness of the others, especially in Enemy at Green Knowe.
Roger is the first boy to live in the manor house. He finds some ancient stones which he accidentally discovers have the power to grant a wish. As his wish was to see what his house would look like in a few hundred years, he meets Toby, Alexander and Linnet. On other visits to different times he also meets Susan, Jacob and Tolly.
As he travels in time, Roger finds the changes to the landscape bewildering and sometimes frightening, but is always comforted to find that, no matter what else changes, the manor house built by his father continues to stand the test of time.
Roger is the first boy to live in the manor house. He finds some ancient stones which he accidentally discovers have the power to grant a wish. As his wish was to see what his house would look like in a few hundred years, he meets Toby, Alexander and Linnet. On other visits to different times he also meets Susan, Jacob and Tolly.
As he travels in time, Roger finds the changes to the landscape bewildering and sometimes frightening, but is always comforted to find that, no matter what else changes, the manor house built by his father continues to stand the test of time.
February 16, 2012
Great ideas, like the time travel and the reappearance of many of the beloved characters from previous books. But the actual story didn't hold up. It seemed to be without purpose.
So, after reading all the Green Knowe books, the first two are the only keepers for me. So disappointing! But-I love something in each book. In all of them Boston displays wonderful descriptive power and atmosphere. And really, the first two make up for the rest.
So, after reading all the Green Knowe books, the first two are the only keepers for me. So disappointing! But-I love something in each book. In all of them Boston displays wonderful descriptive power and atmosphere. And really, the first two make up for the rest.
August 29, 2024
As a stand-alone, this book wouldn't make any sense, however as the final part of the series it really is a perfect ending. Lucy Bostons writing is at it's most polished and beautiful here. There is no real story or mystery, it felt more like a gentle meditation on life, death and change. I felt it was trying to say much more than the gentle text every overty states and I enjoyed this as it never tips over into being preachy or trite.
May 25, 2022
Green Knowe and Tolly and Ping and Susan and Jacob are Great New Friends
Some months back I was making the rounds of a bunch of Little Free Libraries I frequent, and I find something I had never heard of before, a children’s book called A Stranger At Green Knowe.
Turns out this is part of famous series of British kids books, The Green Knowe, and have been adapted several times, and the writer is a celebrity, the manor home featured is a tourist spot, and……
I had never heard of it.
So being an intrepid soul, I got all six books from my local public library and plunged into the world of Green Knowe and Tolly and Susan and Jacob and Ping and Ida and of course, the matriarch of this all, Mrs Oldknow. All written by the late L.M. Boston, who lived in the house the stories were based on.
With book one from 1954, The Children Of Green Knowe, we have young Tolly who is sent to stay for the holidays with his great grandmother Mrs Oldknow, who lives in the middle of nowhere in the huge manor house called Green Knowe. It is a ramblely, creaky place, and untold of centuries old, with Mrs Oldknow being the latest in an unbroken line of succession, and the keeper of the truths that she loves to tell to the attentive Tolly. And these stories include the power to communicate with the ghosts who inhabit the manor. Tolly interacts with several of these ancestor ghosts, who appear as children, and even becomes friends with Linnet and Alexander, who know he is from the future. He also gets a dog, Orlando, who can also play with these echoes. This is our introduction to the magic of this place, and so many of the things it can do, and it is interesting as well. You can tell other fantasy authors have read these books.
Months later, Tolly excitedly returns to Green Knowe for Easter and finds out from Mrs Oldknow that Green Knowe has financial difficulties. This, combined with more stories from hundreds of years past, leads Tolly to meet more ghosts from a different era, Susan and Jacob, and a mystery that might save the day. What makes book two, The Chimneys Of Green Knowe, so interesting is the liberal politics of the time on display. Jacob is a slave boy that Susan’s father, who finds slavery abhorrent, gives as a companion to his young blind daughter. They become like brother and sister, which really pisses off Susan’s actual brother. It is obvious Boston is trying to make a very progressive statement for 1958, when Chimneys came out, which is laudable but still feels somewhat stilted and slightly backwards. But she is trying, which is commendable.
And this trying leads to book three, the very different The River At Green Knowe, where the cast changes entirely with no explanation. Two old scientist woman have rented out Green Knowe and they are annoying as hell, but they take in several refugee children, Ping and Ida and Oskar, so they are not totally yucky. The kids spend their time going around the river on the property and meet all sorts of wild and colourful characters, maybe too much so for this series. I wonder if this was some sort Gulliver’s Travels idea, where each person represents some political idea Boston was parodying or outright mocking. And having refugee children making the point by humanizing the other side is a great idea, and the people of the time of 1959 probably understood it better since they knew the issues.
By 1961 and book four, Boston seems to have found a good common ground for her politics and a children’s story with A Stranger At Green Knowe. This is my favourite of the series, and interestingly enough, the only one with no magic in it. A gorilla is kidnapped from its tribe in Africa and out into a zoo, where he meets Ping, who was introduced in the previous book. Ping then sets out to Green Knowe to be with Mrs Oldknow, who is back with some explanation. At the same time, the gorilla Hanno escapes the zoo and winds up in, well Green Knowe of course, where Ping finds him and takes care of his new friend. This one is deeper with strong themes of friendship and loneliness and Mrs Oldknow is just perfect at the end with everything about her.
A crossover event happened in book five in 1964 with the darker An Enemy At Green Knowe, where Mrs Oldknow hosts both Tolly AND Ping! And the two boys get along like the best of buddies, loving adventure, exchanging tales, and of course protecting Mrs Oldknow. This is good because a mysterious woman moves in nearby Green Knowe and is very pushy trying to find something at the manor. Her persistence goes into crazy territory with hypnotism, ancient magic, and plagues of animals. But Tolly and Ping defend Mrs Oldknow and Green Knowe from all these attacks, until they finally defeat the enemy. This one had me laughing because of its dark humour and inventiveness, and many cool bits, which make this one just zip along.
The sixth and final book is The Stones Of Green Knowe, released in 1976, and is a tale largely set even further in the past then any of the other Green Knowe series. Roger is a young lad whose family is nobility, and they are building the home to be known as Green Knowe. While exploring the area, he comes across ancient thrones that might have belonged to elves or leprechauns, and without realizing it, he travels forward in time multiple times and meets the same ghosts, now just people, in their time periods, and becomes fast friends. He also learns to really appreciate the home his parents are building and how it last through the ages. Probably knowing this would be the last book, Boston gives us an Avengers Endgame style scene towards the end where Roger and Tolley and Susan and Jacob and so many more get together, but just to hang out, not fight a great battle. The themes of family and history and preserving nature and honoring the past is all through Stones, and it feels like a very fitting way to cap off the series. This is not surprising since L.M. Boston was 84 when this book came out, and she wanted one last chance to preach her thoughts on family and history and the magic of it all.
This magic should be a shoo-in for adaptations, and Green Knowe has been made into a radio drama and television miniseries and a movie. I have not consumed the radio show or miniseries, but the film, called From Time To Time, I have seen. It tells the story from Chimney, with Susan and Jacob, but it is not very good, with too many changes.
Boston might not have minded the changes, since she herself made so many to her own series along the way, with casts coming and going and themes always changing and evolving. Just like she did herself. L.M. Boston was born Lucy Marie Boston, who lived from 1892 to 1990, and in 1935 she moved into a manor home which she then fixed up. Years later at age 62, and inspired by the living history of her home, she writes the first Green Knowe story, making a total of six from 1954 to 1976. It is still their, as a testament to her stories, and tours are available.
It is fascinating to dive into and experience the power of such a legendary series, one that I had never heard of.
It is like seeing hidden magic.
Scoopriches
Some months back I was making the rounds of a bunch of Little Free Libraries I frequent, and I find something I had never heard of before, a children’s book called A Stranger At Green Knowe.
Turns out this is part of famous series of British kids books, The Green Knowe, and have been adapted several times, and the writer is a celebrity, the manor home featured is a tourist spot, and……
I had never heard of it.
So being an intrepid soul, I got all six books from my local public library and plunged into the world of Green Knowe and Tolly and Susan and Jacob and Ping and Ida and of course, the matriarch of this all, Mrs Oldknow. All written by the late L.M. Boston, who lived in the house the stories were based on.
With book one from 1954, The Children Of Green Knowe, we have young Tolly who is sent to stay for the holidays with his great grandmother Mrs Oldknow, who lives in the middle of nowhere in the huge manor house called Green Knowe. It is a ramblely, creaky place, and untold of centuries old, with Mrs Oldknow being the latest in an unbroken line of succession, and the keeper of the truths that she loves to tell to the attentive Tolly. And these stories include the power to communicate with the ghosts who inhabit the manor. Tolly interacts with several of these ancestor ghosts, who appear as children, and even becomes friends with Linnet and Alexander, who know he is from the future. He also gets a dog, Orlando, who can also play with these echoes. This is our introduction to the magic of this place, and so many of the things it can do, and it is interesting as well. You can tell other fantasy authors have read these books.
Months later, Tolly excitedly returns to Green Knowe for Easter and finds out from Mrs Oldknow that Green Knowe has financial difficulties. This, combined with more stories from hundreds of years past, leads Tolly to meet more ghosts from a different era, Susan and Jacob, and a mystery that might save the day. What makes book two, The Chimneys Of Green Knowe, so interesting is the liberal politics of the time on display. Jacob is a slave boy that Susan’s father, who finds slavery abhorrent, gives as a companion to his young blind daughter. They become like brother and sister, which really pisses off Susan’s actual brother. It is obvious Boston is trying to make a very progressive statement for 1958, when Chimneys came out, which is laudable but still feels somewhat stilted and slightly backwards. But she is trying, which is commendable.
And this trying leads to book three, the very different The River At Green Knowe, where the cast changes entirely with no explanation. Two old scientist woman have rented out Green Knowe and they are annoying as hell, but they take in several refugee children, Ping and Ida and Oskar, so they are not totally yucky. The kids spend their time going around the river on the property and meet all sorts of wild and colourful characters, maybe too much so for this series. I wonder if this was some sort Gulliver’s Travels idea, where each person represents some political idea Boston was parodying or outright mocking. And having refugee children making the point by humanizing the other side is a great idea, and the people of the time of 1959 probably understood it better since they knew the issues.
By 1961 and book four, Boston seems to have found a good common ground for her politics and a children’s story with A Stranger At Green Knowe. This is my favourite of the series, and interestingly enough, the only one with no magic in it. A gorilla is kidnapped from its tribe in Africa and out into a zoo, where he meets Ping, who was introduced in the previous book. Ping then sets out to Green Knowe to be with Mrs Oldknow, who is back with some explanation. At the same time, the gorilla Hanno escapes the zoo and winds up in, well Green Knowe of course, where Ping finds him and takes care of his new friend. This one is deeper with strong themes of friendship and loneliness and Mrs Oldknow is just perfect at the end with everything about her.
A crossover event happened in book five in 1964 with the darker An Enemy At Green Knowe, where Mrs Oldknow hosts both Tolly AND Ping! And the two boys get along like the best of buddies, loving adventure, exchanging tales, and of course protecting Mrs Oldknow. This is good because a mysterious woman moves in nearby Green Knowe and is very pushy trying to find something at the manor. Her persistence goes into crazy territory with hypnotism, ancient magic, and plagues of animals. But Tolly and Ping defend Mrs Oldknow and Green Knowe from all these attacks, until they finally defeat the enemy. This one had me laughing because of its dark humour and inventiveness, and many cool bits, which make this one just zip along.
The sixth and final book is The Stones Of Green Knowe, released in 1976, and is a tale largely set even further in the past then any of the other Green Knowe series. Roger is a young lad whose family is nobility, and they are building the home to be known as Green Knowe. While exploring the area, he comes across ancient thrones that might have belonged to elves or leprechauns, and without realizing it, he travels forward in time multiple times and meets the same ghosts, now just people, in their time periods, and becomes fast friends. He also learns to really appreciate the home his parents are building and how it last through the ages. Probably knowing this would be the last book, Boston gives us an Avengers Endgame style scene towards the end where Roger and Tolley and Susan and Jacob and so many more get together, but just to hang out, not fight a great battle. The themes of family and history and preserving nature and honoring the past is all through Stones, and it feels like a very fitting way to cap off the series. This is not surprising since L.M. Boston was 84 when this book came out, and she wanted one last chance to preach her thoughts on family and history and the magic of it all.
This magic should be a shoo-in for adaptations, and Green Knowe has been made into a radio drama and television miniseries and a movie. I have not consumed the radio show or miniseries, but the film, called From Time To Time, I have seen. It tells the story from Chimney, with Susan and Jacob, but it is not very good, with too many changes.
Boston might not have minded the changes, since she herself made so many to her own series along the way, with casts coming and going and themes always changing and evolving. Just like she did herself. L.M. Boston was born Lucy Marie Boston, who lived from 1892 to 1990, and in 1935 she moved into a manor home which she then fixed up. Years later at age 62, and inspired by the living history of her home, she writes the first Green Knowe story, making a total of six from 1954 to 1976. It is still their, as a testament to her stories, and tours are available.
It is fascinating to dive into and experience the power of such a legendary series, one that I had never heard of.
It is like seeing hidden magic.
Scoopriches
March 14, 2019
I enjoyed this short book that tied together most of the earlier books and presented a bit of context in which to understand the whole series. I could have wished for more history through the ages, but it was quite satisfying enough.
September 14, 2022
I put off reading The Stones of Green Knowe because I hated to see the end of this wonderful series. As much as I love middle grade fantasy novels, I can’t believe I only recently discovered these books. The first five books in the series were written in the 1950’s and 1960’s and this last book was published in 1976. The Stones of Green Knowe is a prequel to the series and explains how Green Knowe was built. Roger d'Aulneaux was the son of the Norman settler who built Green Knowe in the 11th century. Roger discovers some magic stone chairs and finds that these chairs allow him to travel back and forth in time. My favorite portions of the book are where Roger travels forward in time and meets all the other children from the other Green Knowe books. It was good to have one more time to read about these characters.
If you’ve read all the Harry Potter books and are looking for a new series, I highly recommend the Green Knowe books. Start with the first one – The Children of Green Knowe.
If you’ve read all the Harry Potter books and are looking for a new series, I highly recommend the Green Knowe books. Start with the first one – The Children of Green Knowe.
December 29, 2015
Originally read in December 2013, re-read in July 2015 as part of more general read through of the series. Review below from 2013.
One I hadn't read before, but I really liked this one. It picked up the 16th century Oldknows from The Children of Green Knowe, the C19th ones from the Chimneys etc and C20th Tolly from both books, and introduced all of the children to the Norman Roger d'Aulneaux, whose father is building Green Knowe in the C12th century. I thought the time slip aspects were well written, and my only complaint is that I'd have liked it to be twice as long. As a personal interest, the author had borrowed the St Christopher statue I wrote my dissertation on to stand in the garden of Green Knowe, and in this one she described the sculptor actually carving him while the house was being built. Ok, she set the book in 1120, when her house was first built, and the statue probably dates to 1400, plus or minus 20 years (and potentially to a more precise 1391), but when she wrote the book she hadn't seen him in almost 40 years and I love how accurate her description of him is. I've seen the film based on Chimneys (filmed as From Time to Time, if anyone is interested in seeking it out, and Maggie Smith is wonderful), but never read it, so I'm keen to seek that one out next year. And there's one more left in the series, An Enemy at GK. I've now read all the ones I have so far though, so I'd better try and motivate myself to get on and finish Larkrise to Candleford, which was started early enough to have been book 185, had I not kept moving on to more interesting books instead! It would be nice to complete it this year though.
One I hadn't read before, but I really liked this one. It picked up the 16th century Oldknows from The Children of Green Knowe, the C19th ones from the Chimneys etc and C20th Tolly from both books, and introduced all of the children to the Norman Roger d'Aulneaux, whose father is building Green Knowe in the C12th century. I thought the time slip aspects were well written, and my only complaint is that I'd have liked it to be twice as long. As a personal interest, the author had borrowed the St Christopher statue I wrote my dissertation on to stand in the garden of Green Knowe, and in this one she described the sculptor actually carving him while the house was being built. Ok, she set the book in 1120, when her house was first built, and the statue probably dates to 1400, plus or minus 20 years (and potentially to a more precise 1391), but when she wrote the book she hadn't seen him in almost 40 years and I love how accurate her description of him is. I've seen the film based on Chimneys (filmed as From Time to Time, if anyone is interested in seeking it out, and Maggie Smith is wonderful), but never read it, so I'm keen to seek that one out next year. And there's one more left in the series, An Enemy at GK. I've now read all the ones I have so far though, so I'd better try and motivate myself to get on and finish Larkrise to Candleford, which was started early enough to have been book 185, had I not kept moving on to more interesting books instead! It would be nice to complete it this year though.
May 16, 2013
My 2nd favourite book (almost runs hand in hand with the stranger at Green Knowe book) in the 5 book series.
I enjoyed the fact that all the characters come together through the auspices of time travel. And there is a new character, Roger, the boy who inhabited Green Knowe from the first day it was built. He meets children from other historical periods - 18th C, 20th etc.
I found the history and details like windows without glass made it more authentic. This is a great way to introduce children to the daily lives of people like Roger.
I loved the descriptions of the landscape and, while the deterioration of forests, land, bird and animal life over the 900 yr period between Roger and Tolly were sad, it is a very clever way of bringing up environmental issues.
A lovely little read. I recommend the series.
I enjoyed the fact that all the characters come together through the auspices of time travel. And there is a new character, Roger, the boy who inhabited Green Knowe from the first day it was built. He meets children from other historical periods - 18th C, 20th etc.
I found the history and details like windows without glass made it more authentic. This is a great way to introduce children to the daily lives of people like Roger.
I loved the descriptions of the landscape and, while the deterioration of forests, land, bird and animal life over the 900 yr period between Roger and Tolly were sad, it is a very clever way of bringing up environmental issues.
A lovely little read. I recommend the series.
July 17, 2011
The last in the "Green Knowe" series takes us back to the very beginning of the story, to half-Norman, half-Saxon Roger, who sees Green Knowe being built and becomes the first boy to live there and to love the place. Later he finds a pair of ancient, chair-like stones in a nearby wood, which prove to have magical properties, enabling him to travel back and forth in time and check on Green Knowe's safety in the future. This allows him to meet the children (or most of them) from the earlier books, although he's frightened and horrified by Tolly's 20th century world with reason, as the book ends with an act of heartwrenching vandalism.
July 28, 2013
I loved the series and was sad to put down this last book knowing there will not be another story to read. There was much history and facts hidden in the stories. Adventure is forever enjoyable, and I was quite taken by the warm feeling created by the Great Grandmother right from the beginning. It was safe to experience odd things in her house.
February 22, 2020
Featuring all the old characters from the Green Knowe series alongside the very first Green Knowe child of them all this was a fitting war of tying up the series . The Stones themselves were an odd introduction into the series at this late stage but overall a great addition to the stories of this old and very special house
December 15, 2022
The last of the six wonderful novels about Green Knowe. I had the privilege of being taken round the house this summer by Diana Boston, the present owner and custodian of the legacy. Wish I could get my grandchildren to read the books - wish I’d read them myself seventy years ago.
December 18, 2019
This does tie the ends of the previous 5 books off nicely......
Could, probably, have had more made of the story line.....
Could, probably, have had more made of the story line.....
January 24, 2022
The series finishes at the beginning; showing where the magic of Green Knowe started and the effect down time.
August 27, 2025
I just finished reading this last book in the series. I have enjoyed this series, but this last book was rather anticlimactic. Nothing much happens in the first half of the book besides Roger's watching the new stone house being built. About halfway through, we start seeing some hints of the supernatural mysteries that made the first novel so intriguing as Roger begins to meet some of the other characters from the series, and by the end of the book, there is a coming together of many of the other children who have lived at Green Knowe through the years. This book gives the reader interesting glimpses of how the estate looks in different centuries throughout British history, but there isn't much suspense except for one brief moment when Roger is afraid of a wolf. The conclusion ties up some of the loose threads of the series but strikes a bittersweet note as part of the magic is peeled away from the beloved grounds of Green Knowe.
I recommend anyone interested in this six-book series to definitely start at the beginning, as each book builds upon the previous ones.
I recommend anyone interested in this six-book series to definitely start at the beginning, as each book builds upon the previous ones.
March 30, 2024
Published in 1976, this is the last volume in the Green Knowe series, and it cannot be read profitably as a stand-alone. The premise is that Roger d'Aulneaux, a boy living a few decades after the Norman conquest of England, finds an ancient way to travel forward in time to meet future inhabitants of the stone house that his father is building. This is a great device that allows Boston to bring back children from earlier books in the series as Roger visits them in their times. When Roger travels to Tolly's time, in post-WWII England, he is stunned and devastated by all the changes that have occurred in the countryside. This amounts to an ecological critique of human effects on Nature and our increasing encroachment on animal habitats. At only 133 pages (2005 Odyssey classics edition), Stones of Green Knowe is more like a short essay that warns about modern threats to places of historical and natural beauty.
April 6, 2025
These books all share good writing, atmosphere and detailed observation of (and love for) nature and history. Maybe that ought to be enough. But reading several of these, I am struck by how precarious their recipe for success (interweaving of past and present) is. The River at Green Knowe relies too much on "set piece" events with no internal logic. The great majority of this book is straight children's historical fiction (like Geoffrey Trease of Rosemary Sutcliffe) with the "crossing times" theme very much an afterthought. Another oddity is that the illustrations (by Peter Boston) seem much less effective in a later book than in early ones. If he was trying a new style (rather than just losing interest) then I'm not sure it works. One for the fans but not to make converts.
October 4, 2022
This books goes back to the beginning of the building of Green Knowe. Roger is the son of a Norman lord, married to a Saxon woman. As he watches the house being built, he is excited. When wandering he finds The Stones (two giant stone chairs) near the wood. He discovers that the chairs provide time travel when he goes forward and meets Linnet and Tolly, the modern-day children of the house. I never decided if they were ghosts at this point or not. Roger shows the children the stones so they can come and visit him. But then the modern-day stones are removed, to their sorrow. A fascinating book.
March 5, 2024
I love the Green Knowe series of books - so beautiful yet so odd too. However I found the ending of this culmination of all that occurred in the previous books implausible and unsatisfying. I thought more could be made of the mysterious stones……if they were real I’m sure they’d have featured in some of the earlier stages of the story. Sad too that Ping didn’t get a look in!
July 6, 2017
The sentence construction isn't quite as lovely as the other five books, but all of the characters are still their dear selves... although it seems like kind of a fly-over because there is no opportunity to actually develop any of the characters except Mrs. Oldknowe.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2023
Mostly five stars for my sentimental attachment. These books are so lovely. My ultimate comfort reads. I don't know all that much about L.M. Boston but I love how she loved her old house enough to write this series.
January 9, 2024
Roger watches as the new house, with a stone fireplace is built, during the reign of William Rufus. In his explorations her discovers a pair of ancient stone thrones that somehow give him the ability to travel (briefly) through time, allowing him to meet other later inhabitants of Green Knowe.
November 27, 2021
glad to have read this series again
August 1, 2022
Such a great little series, very sad to come to the end of them. Although they are juvenile books I quite enjoyed most of them.
December 12, 2023
Not my favourite of the Green Knowe books, but what an achievement the whole series is. Shamefully forgotten.
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