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Flambards #1
Flambards
To tie in with their centenary celebrations, Oxford Children's Books are launching a new series, 'Oxford Children's Classics', a collection which brings together some of the most unforgettable stories ever told.
227 pages
First published January 1, 1967
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1523 people want to read
About the author
K.M. Peyton
109 books149 followersKathleen Wendy Herald Peyton MBE, who wrote primarily as K. M. Peyton, was a British author of fiction for children and young adults
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
October 14, 2022
'The horses are all right at Flambards,' he said. He did not put into words the obvious conclusion to this statement, but all three of them were aware of it.
'It's just the human beings...' William finished for him, after he had ridden away.
Flambards has been one of my favourite books for about twenty years, but this reread is especially wonderful because I now, finally, have a copy of the second book, The Edge of the Cloud. Which means that, at last, I can read the entire series. I'm very excited about it!
Something that was interesting about reading Flambards this time was how clearly I remembered Part One: 1908, the section that follows Christina at twelve, and how little I recalled of her older years. I had a similar experience with Jane Eyre, with her childhood vivid and the rest vague and forgotten. So, the first third of Flambards was familiar and comforting, and the rest felt brand new.
The book starts quite dramatically, with a fox-hunting accident that so perfectly captures the personalities of the two Russell brothers, Mark and Will. Christina arrives at Flambards at the same time as Will is carried home on a stretcher, to a father who seems to be unconcerned about his injuries. Christina soon learns that this household revolves entirely around horses, specifically hunting. She is expected to be hunting by Christmas (it is November) a prospect she initially dreads. But to her surprise, she loves riding, and adores hunting. If you are a reader who dislikes hunting scenes, this may not be the book for you. The focus is more on Christina's experiences as a rider in the field, but they are in pursuit of a fox, with the expected outcome mentioned at least once.
Will is in many ways as I remember him --sensitive, dedicated to flying (planes) and wildly unsuited to the household he has grown up in. He is more complex than I remembered though. And Mark is not as villainous either. Yes, he is arrogant and brutish at times, but he is likeable too. He can no more help that he does belong at Flambards as his brother can help that he doesn't. Then there is Dick, the groom, perhaps my favourite character in the book. He is the kindest character, but even he has his limits. Christina is drawn to each of them, though she is very naïve and doesn't quite know why.
I enjoyed the conclusion, that was very romantic and lovely, but grounded as well. The second book picks up directly from this one, and is excellent so far.
Updated after 2022 reread:
I think this book and this series, are pretty much perfect. Peyton's writing is beautiful, always, no matter the book. She is my favourite writer, and many of her books are 'favourites', but there is a particular magic to the "Flambards" books. 💖🐴
'It's just the human beings...' William finished for him, after he had ridden away.
Flambards has been one of my favourite books for about twenty years, but this reread is especially wonderful because I now, finally, have a copy of the second book, The Edge of the Cloud. Which means that, at last, I can read the entire series. I'm very excited about it!
Something that was interesting about reading Flambards this time was how clearly I remembered Part One: 1908, the section that follows Christina at twelve, and how little I recalled of her older years. I had a similar experience with Jane Eyre, with her childhood vivid and the rest vague and forgotten. So, the first third of Flambards was familiar and comforting, and the rest felt brand new.
The book starts quite dramatically, with a fox-hunting accident that so perfectly captures the personalities of the two Russell brothers, Mark and Will. Christina arrives at Flambards at the same time as Will is carried home on a stretcher, to a father who seems to be unconcerned about his injuries. Christina soon learns that this household revolves entirely around horses, specifically hunting. She is expected to be hunting by Christmas (it is November) a prospect she initially dreads. But to her surprise, she loves riding, and adores hunting. If you are a reader who dislikes hunting scenes, this may not be the book for you. The focus is more on Christina's experiences as a rider in the field, but they are in pursuit of a fox, with the expected outcome mentioned at least once.
Will is in many ways as I remember him --sensitive, dedicated to flying (planes) and wildly unsuited to the household he has grown up in. He is more complex than I remembered though. And Mark is not as villainous either. Yes, he is arrogant and brutish at times, but he is likeable too. He can no more help that he does belong at Flambards as his brother can help that he doesn't. Then there is Dick, the groom, perhaps my favourite character in the book. He is the kindest character, but even he has his limits. Christina is drawn to each of them, though she is very naïve and doesn't quite know why.
I enjoyed the conclusion, that was very romantic and lovely, but grounded as well. The second book picks up directly from this one, and is excellent so far.
Updated after 2022 reread:
I think this book and this series, are pretty much perfect. Peyton's writing is beautiful, always, no matter the book. She is my favourite writer, and many of her books are 'favourites', but there is a particular magic to the "Flambards" books. 💖🐴
May 4, 2015
Description: A totally absorbing novel about twelve-year-old Christina who is sent to live with her fierce uncle and his two sons in their decaying mansion, Flambards. Christina discovers a passion for horses and riding but finds herself part of a strange household, divided by emotional undercurrents and cruelty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlRoi...
Not the best of quality, yet it is a lovely story
February 21, 2019
3.5/5 Stars
Flambards is a YA novel by K. M. Peyton, first published in 1967. Alternatively, "Flambards" is the trilogy (1967–1969) or series (1967–1981) named after its first book. The series is set in England just before, during, and after World War I.
A twelve years old Cristina Parsons has been shunted around the family since she was orphaned at the age of five. Now she is sent to live with her uncle Russell and his two sons in their decaying mansion, Flambards.
Her uncle is a fierce man drinks pretty heavily. He was a horse rider and loves to hunting fox until he broke his leg in an accident. He is deeply obsessed with horses.
His elder son Mark is more like his father and the other son William is kind and has a great interest in flying machines but hates horse riding and hunting
When Cristina will turn 21 she will get money which her parents left for her. But uncle Russell has a plan to get that money for finance the upkeep of the Flambirds estate.
There, Cristina forced to ride horse, later on she starts to like it, also she feels a little bit crush on a stable boy.
I felt like this book is weak at the point of unfolding Cristina's relationship with William. It feels like just told, rather then describe.
But I appreciate this book because it's really engaging to read Cristina's arrival at the Flambards, her attachment with her mare which she rides, William's passion about flying machines and friendship with Cristina, Cristina's feelings and crush, and also this book end for new beginning.
Flambards is a YA novel by K. M. Peyton, first published in 1967. Alternatively, "Flambards" is the trilogy (1967–1969) or series (1967–1981) named after its first book. The series is set in England just before, during, and after World War I.
A twelve years old Cristina Parsons has been shunted around the family since she was orphaned at the age of five. Now she is sent to live with her uncle Russell and his two sons in their decaying mansion, Flambards.
Her uncle is a fierce man drinks pretty heavily. He was a horse rider and loves to hunting fox until he broke his leg in an accident. He is deeply obsessed with horses.
His elder son Mark is more like his father and the other son William is kind and has a great interest in flying machines but hates horse riding and hunting
When Cristina will turn 21 she will get money which her parents left for her. But uncle Russell has a plan to get that money for finance the upkeep of the Flambirds estate.
There, Cristina forced to ride horse, later on she starts to like it, also she feels a little bit crush on a stable boy.
I felt like this book is weak at the point of unfolding Cristina's relationship with William. It feels like just told, rather then describe.
But I appreciate this book because it's really engaging to read Cristina's arrival at the Flambards, her attachment with her mare which she rides, William's passion about flying machines and friendship with Cristina, Cristina's feelings and crush, and also this book end for new beginning.
July 30, 2022
https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/20...
Orphaned Christina is forced to go live with her Uncle Russell, and his sons, Mark and Will, at their home, Flambards, in the early 1900s. Mark and his father are obsessed with horses while Will is obsessed with machinery and aviation. To her surprise, Christina becomes deeply attached to Flambards, although her relationship with these three strong willed men is unpredictable and stressful.
Orphaned Christina is forced to go live with her Uncle Russell, and his sons, Mark and Will, at their home, Flambards, in the early 1900s. Mark and his father are obsessed with horses while Will is obsessed with machinery and aviation. To her surprise, Christina becomes deeply attached to Flambards, although her relationship with these three strong willed men is unpredictable and stressful.
June 30, 2012
Another of my re-reads. Once again, I still like it very much, but I had not remembered that the chapters were sometimes years apart.
This is historical fiction that takes place just before the beginning of World War I, in idyllic, semi-rural Great Britain, where the gulfs between the classes are large and no one seems to see anything wrong with the system. Christina, who is twelve when we first meet her, is an heiress, who will have no money of her own until she is twenty-one. She has been sent to live with her uncle Russell, who was a major fox hunter until he was injured in a fall. Now, he drinks pretty heavily. It is generally accepted by everyone, except Christina herself, that she will ultimately marry Russell's oldest son, Mark (who is very like him), and thus use her money to finance the upkeep of the Flambards estate. Russell's younger son, Will, hates fox hunting, and is mad for machinery: cars and the fledgling aeroplanes.
Since it's Flambards, it goes without saying that Christina must learn to ride and to fox hunt. Her teacher is the stable boy, Dick, who is a better rider than Mark, and much more gentle with horses and people, and also totally dependent on the Russells for his livelihood. Fortunately for Chirstina, she learns to love riding.
The people are fully rounded, the social mores acurately depicted and the resolution very satisfying. And it's even better when you realize that there are three more books in the series, taking you through a great deal more of the history and social changes of the times. This one is well worth reading and re-reading.
This is historical fiction that takes place just before the beginning of World War I, in idyllic, semi-rural Great Britain, where the gulfs between the classes are large and no one seems to see anything wrong with the system. Christina, who is twelve when we first meet her, is an heiress, who will have no money of her own until she is twenty-one. She has been sent to live with her uncle Russell, who was a major fox hunter until he was injured in a fall. Now, he drinks pretty heavily. It is generally accepted by everyone, except Christina herself, that she will ultimately marry Russell's oldest son, Mark (who is very like him), and thus use her money to finance the upkeep of the Flambards estate. Russell's younger son, Will, hates fox hunting, and is mad for machinery: cars and the fledgling aeroplanes.
Since it's Flambards, it goes without saying that Christina must learn to ride and to fox hunt. Her teacher is the stable boy, Dick, who is a better rider than Mark, and much more gentle with horses and people, and also totally dependent on the Russells for his livelihood. Fortunately for Chirstina, she learns to love riding.
The people are fully rounded, the social mores acurately depicted and the resolution very satisfying. And it's even better when you realize that there are three more books in the series, taking you through a great deal more of the history and social changes of the times. This one is well worth reading and re-reading.
September 12, 2020
I've asked the Librarians Group to change the date :
"Flambards is listed as having been first published in 1911. Even though it is partly set in 1912 and the author was born in 1929. Published in 1967 according to this interview with the author. https://www.theguardian.com/books/201..."
I never read this book as a child, and I never hunted, though I knew a lot about hunting thanks to the Pullein-Thompson sisters. I always had the impression this book was too much about the English upper class for me. And probably I would not have accepted the read the way I did My Friend Flicka, because the inequalities and brutalities are too strong. A young orphaned girl arrives on the scene from dainty rooms in London in 1910, and learns about horse pursuits fast. The Essex manor house Flambards, in this eponymous story (and that's the correct way to use eponymous) is becoming a neglected pile, since all the family money is being spent on maintaining a stable of horses for fox-hunting. The father / uncle, Russell, is a control freak devoid of affection. He was seriously injured and lost the use of his legs, and now lives vicariously while asserting his control over his sons.
Between the older lad taking boorishly and drunkenly after his father, a testament to the old droit de seigneur, and the withdrawn younger son plotting to escape and develop flying machines, a look to the future of science and warfare, the characters stand at a crossroads. When our heroine comes of age at 21 she will inherit money, and other relatives expect she will marry her elder cousin, who will put her money to use propping up the stable. Women at that time had few choices and we are shown that the servant class had fewer choices.
The horses are individual personalities, from the steady strawberry roan to the topping chestnut flyer. They get far more care and attention than the grooms. But a telling incident is when a good mare is badly ridden at a ditch and seriously injured; to save treatment, and escape a reminder of his ill-judgement, the rider condemns her. In 1914 horses will be bought up wholesale for the cavalry, such as the older brother; while the fledgling Royal Air Corps will be hoovering up mechanics and aviation-minded young men. Ominous mentions of war darken the 1912 later part of the story.
I can't help feeling that the characters are based upon people the author knew, with invented settings. Writing in 1967, she went back in time so she would not be accused of portraying those around her. According to the author, her first boyfriend was shot down over Germany.
What I do find unbelievable is that a young lady is left by her social circle to grow up without a woman or girl to guide her. I would have expected that her female relatives would invite her to stay during summer or send a girl to be a friend to her. Perhaps her uncle wanted everyone to forget about her but she's out in society attending hunt balls. She's also quite ignorant of how a servant girl is abused. I'd definitely have liked her to develop a bit more backbone. Riding should have taught her that at least. I'll look out for the rest of the books.
I read this book from the Raheny Library. This is a unbiased review.
"Flambards is listed as having been first published in 1911. Even though it is partly set in 1912 and the author was born in 1929. Published in 1967 according to this interview with the author. https://www.theguardian.com/books/201..."
I never read this book as a child, and I never hunted, though I knew a lot about hunting thanks to the Pullein-Thompson sisters. I always had the impression this book was too much about the English upper class for me. And probably I would not have accepted the read the way I did My Friend Flicka, because the inequalities and brutalities are too strong. A young orphaned girl arrives on the scene from dainty rooms in London in 1910, and learns about horse pursuits fast. The Essex manor house Flambards, in this eponymous story (and that's the correct way to use eponymous) is becoming a neglected pile, since all the family money is being spent on maintaining a stable of horses for fox-hunting. The father / uncle, Russell, is a control freak devoid of affection. He was seriously injured and lost the use of his legs, and now lives vicariously while asserting his control over his sons.
Between the older lad taking boorishly and drunkenly after his father, a testament to the old droit de seigneur, and the withdrawn younger son plotting to escape and develop flying machines, a look to the future of science and warfare, the characters stand at a crossroads. When our heroine comes of age at 21 she will inherit money, and other relatives expect she will marry her elder cousin, who will put her money to use propping up the stable. Women at that time had few choices and we are shown that the servant class had fewer choices.
The horses are individual personalities, from the steady strawberry roan to the topping chestnut flyer. They get far more care and attention than the grooms. But a telling incident is when a good mare is badly ridden at a ditch and seriously injured; to save treatment, and escape a reminder of his ill-judgement, the rider condemns her. In 1914 horses will be bought up wholesale for the cavalry, such as the older brother; while the fledgling Royal Air Corps will be hoovering up mechanics and aviation-minded young men. Ominous mentions of war darken the 1912 later part of the story.
I can't help feeling that the characters are based upon people the author knew, with invented settings. Writing in 1967, she went back in time so she would not be accused of portraying those around her. According to the author, her first boyfriend was shot down over Germany.
What I do find unbelievable is that a young lady is left by her social circle to grow up without a woman or girl to guide her. I would have expected that her female relatives would invite her to stay during summer or send a girl to be a friend to her. Perhaps her uncle wanted everyone to forget about her but she's out in society attending hunt balls. She's also quite ignorant of how a servant girl is abused. I'd definitely have liked her to develop a bit more backbone. Riding should have taught her that at least. I'll look out for the rest of the books.
I read this book from the Raheny Library. This is a unbiased review.
October 13, 2014
For starters this is not a horsey book - so if that's what you're looking for, based on Peyton's other works, you might be in for some disappointment. Personally I also didn't find it to be the great and multi layered classic it's lauded as. It might be that this is a book it's better to have come to as a child or if you haven't already found the themes it encompasses done better and with more sympathetic characters elsewhere. So if you've read Eva Ibbotson's adult books (or you watch Downton Abbey) for example, this might be a bit unsatisfactory.
Still, it was a quick easy read and I basically enjoyed it (apart from two areas where I became so disgusted with the characters' behavior that I was fuming - in that sense perhaps the book did do well in representing the social injustices of the time.)
The horses are there more as a comparison with the air craft: neither are given too much depth (although I could have done with about a quarter of the description of fox hunting tbh - not a supporter. Great British past time my a**e) but they serve to represent the old ways of the gentry and country side in comparison to the new coming ways of social equality, technological advancement and comparative freedom. There's no clear winner and there's a definite sense of sorrow for the passing of the times when a semi feudal state meant a land owner looking after his land and people and lived close to the land that supported him. (Not that the Russel family are great representatives of this but that is the beau ideal) this aspect of a nation already being pulled in two directions pre WWI was done well.
I enjoyed the start - orphans are rich fodder for stories of course and Christina couldn't have had a worse start at Flambards. I liked her practicality and resilience. And that's where it stopped because after that first hunt she falls into the same lazy way of thinking and acting as the rest of the family. She has moments of 'I ought to do something' but she doesn't follow through. In the end her willful ignorance, complete inability to show a hint of spine and flashes of gross cowardice nearly made me put the book down. I think she only appeared to advantage compared to the other other characters - her uncle a bitter, broken drunkard who is violent and intractable, her brutish and stupid cousin Mark and her arrogant and thoughtless cousin William. I'm sure the point was to show how a great family gone to seed had allowed the dark ages in which gave the new ways a foot hold but they were all equally detestable.
And yet I was engaged and did keep reading until the end, and will probably read the other books. There's definitely something here but a lot of Peyton's other books are much, much better.
Still, it was a quick easy read and I basically enjoyed it (apart from two areas where I became so disgusted with the characters' behavior that I was fuming - in that sense perhaps the book did do well in representing the social injustices of the time.)
The horses are there more as a comparison with the air craft: neither are given too much depth (although I could have done with about a quarter of the description of fox hunting tbh - not a supporter. Great British past time my a**e) but they serve to represent the old ways of the gentry and country side in comparison to the new coming ways of social equality, technological advancement and comparative freedom. There's no clear winner and there's a definite sense of sorrow for the passing of the times when a semi feudal state meant a land owner looking after his land and people and lived close to the land that supported him. (Not that the Russel family are great representatives of this but that is the beau ideal) this aspect of a nation already being pulled in two directions pre WWI was done well.
I enjoyed the start - orphans are rich fodder for stories of course and Christina couldn't have had a worse start at Flambards. I liked her practicality and resilience. And that's where it stopped because after that first hunt she falls into the same lazy way of thinking and acting as the rest of the family. She has moments of 'I ought to do something' but she doesn't follow through. In the end her willful ignorance, complete inability to show a hint of spine and flashes of gross cowardice nearly made me put the book down. I think she only appeared to advantage compared to the other other characters - her uncle a bitter, broken drunkard who is violent and intractable, her brutish and stupid cousin Mark and her arrogant and thoughtless cousin William. I'm sure the point was to show how a great family gone to seed had allowed the dark ages in which gave the new ways a foot hold but they were all equally detestable.
And yet I was engaged and did keep reading until the end, and will probably read the other books. There's definitely something here but a lot of Peyton's other books are much, much better.
December 11, 2010
It's hard to put my finger on why I didn't want to give Flambards more stars, but I felt lukewarm at the end rather than enthralled.
There were a lot of elements I liked. For instance, the way Christina arrives to a house in turmoil because her cousin William has been thrown from a horse; also the way she is treated almost like a servant, and forced to ride when she's not sure she wants to. I liked the way the plot forged bonds between Christina and William, and there is plenty of invention in the story of William and his desperation to escape his father's tyranny. Christina's crush on the groom Dick was well executed, and KM Peyton managed to hint at instincts the characters didn't themselves understand but knew were wrong. Complications are heaped on top of complications so the plot is always juggling a couple of troubles at once. There's a nice sense of time passing and the characters growing up.
All of this is good, but I felt overall Christina was passive and ineffectual, lurching from one crush to another. That may be an artefact of the time - perhaps now we expect our heroines, of whatever era, to be more proactive and to have more in their heads than a far-off notion of who they will marry.
But there was a deeper problem. I felt rather uninvolved in the characters' relationships. When Christina realises she loves William it is told rather than shown. He disappears for a week and Christina faces humiliation if he doesn't return to take her to the ball (a clever device to externalise her feelings) but I didn't feel his absence very keenly, I knew only that Christina was fretting. I felt rather uninvolved with the unfolding relationship, and so I didn't believe that this was the love that would form a fitting end to the book. Or perhaps she is meant to be uncomplicated at this stage of her life - after all, she's only a teenager and there are several more books to go.
Am I judging Flambards by today's standards, where we expect to be more involved with the characters and their relationships? Certainly I kept imagining what the writers of Buffy would have done with this material to bring these characters to life - and you could say that is unfair. But I also kept imagining what Jane Austen would have done with little moments that show how the characters spark. I didn't see much spark and genuine bonding between the characters here - and that seems to be what the book lacks.
In conclusion, I enjoyed Flambards, particularly the world it evokes. But I don't think it's the towering classic that its reputation suggests.
There were a lot of elements I liked. For instance, the way Christina arrives to a house in turmoil because her cousin William has been thrown from a horse; also the way she is treated almost like a servant, and forced to ride when she's not sure she wants to. I liked the way the plot forged bonds between Christina and William, and there is plenty of invention in the story of William and his desperation to escape his father's tyranny. Christina's crush on the groom Dick was well executed, and KM Peyton managed to hint at instincts the characters didn't themselves understand but knew were wrong. Complications are heaped on top of complications so the plot is always juggling a couple of troubles at once. There's a nice sense of time passing and the characters growing up.
All of this is good, but I felt overall Christina was passive and ineffectual, lurching from one crush to another. That may be an artefact of the time - perhaps now we expect our heroines, of whatever era, to be more proactive and to have more in their heads than a far-off notion of who they will marry.
But there was a deeper problem. I felt rather uninvolved in the characters' relationships. When Christina realises she loves William it is told rather than shown. He disappears for a week and Christina faces humiliation if he doesn't return to take her to the ball (a clever device to externalise her feelings) but I didn't feel his absence very keenly, I knew only that Christina was fretting. I felt rather uninvolved with the unfolding relationship, and so I didn't believe that this was the love that would form a fitting end to the book. Or perhaps she is meant to be uncomplicated at this stage of her life - after all, she's only a teenager and there are several more books to go.
Am I judging Flambards by today's standards, where we expect to be more involved with the characters and their relationships? Certainly I kept imagining what the writers of Buffy would have done with this material to bring these characters to life - and you could say that is unfair. But I also kept imagining what Jane Austen would have done with little moments that show how the characters spark. I didn't see much spark and genuine bonding between the characters here - and that seems to be what the book lacks.
In conclusion, I enjoyed Flambards, particularly the world it evokes. But I don't think it's the towering classic that its reputation suggests.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2020
I hadn’t heard of this book ever, but then I haven’t heard of so many books in classic children’s literature. ‘Flambards’ is more oriented towards YA, I think, rather than children. But this was so utterly delightful. Set in England at a time of a looming war, I was drawn into its world of horse-drawn carriages, crumbling estates, and well, horses. There are a lot of horses in this novel - many of them form almost the fourth or the fifth characters, but you will love them all. At heart, this is still a tale of young emotions. Ah! To be 16 and in love! Those were the days!
October 29, 2021
Christina is an orphan, sent from relation to relation, without any control over her life. But worst of all is Flambards: a huge, ramshackle house owned by her choleric uncle, and the home of her two cousins. Her uncle was injured in a riding accident, but still cares only for horses and hunting. Christina gradually finds a space for herself at Flambards, discovering that she is a talented rider and lovers horses. But living with her capricious uncle is hard for everyone, and when Christina tries to save an injured horse, she ends up hurting Dick, the groom and her only true ally. This is a fast-paced story but full of depth, touching on issues of loss, disability, war, child abuse, class and social and technological change. It has the more depth than most horse stories, but is also a beautiful portrait of riding and countryside.
November 14, 2025
I first read the Flambards books when I was ten and got given them by some well-intentioned relative who knew nothing about me other than that I liked to read and figured you can’t go wrong with horse books for pre-teen girls. I was actually still fully within my kid/teen detective series phase but would read literally anything I was handed and was certainly not above an occasional horse book.
What I didn’t know, and I suspect the relative didn’t either, was that the Flambards series is, of course, about a lot more than horses: It’s a coming of age story set at the dividing point between two eras (pre and post WW1), it’s populated by characters I would never forget, and it absolutely gives Downton Abbey and its ilk a run for their money when it comes to social commentary and authentic portrayal of the Edwardian era.
It's a comfort reread for me even though it’s absolutely gutting at times, and though I’m absolutely biased, I’m still very impressed with how much nuance KM Peyton can express through a fairly pragmatic, unsentimental style and a heroine who, though well-intentioned and as progressive as she can be, is definitely blinkered by the societal norms she grew up in.
Rereading it as an adult, some things always hit differently; this time around, I am absolutely heartbroken for Violet, who from Christina’s perspective is dismissed as a sly, flighty piece of work from the get-go Ugh.
This story does complicated familial relationships so well. Russell can seem like such a despicable figure until his horrid tyrant ways and his absolute power over his horses, his servants (and initially, his sons) manifest in real, life-altering consequences, and then it’s actually chilling. I still love the way Christina’s complicated relationships with the boys evolve over the years, although the romantic entanglements are absolutely hilarious, like, I still think the whole Will thing came out of nowhere, lol. Team Dick forever (don’t talk to me about the fourth book, it is a character-assassinating travesty and does not exist).
What I didn’t know, and I suspect the relative didn’t either, was that the Flambards series is, of course, about a lot more than horses: It’s a coming of age story set at the dividing point between two eras (pre and post WW1), it’s populated by characters I would never forget, and it absolutely gives Downton Abbey and its ilk a run for their money when it comes to social commentary and authentic portrayal of the Edwardian era.
It's a comfort reread for me even though it’s absolutely gutting at times, and though I’m absolutely biased, I’m still very impressed with how much nuance KM Peyton can express through a fairly pragmatic, unsentimental style and a heroine who, though well-intentioned and as progressive as she can be, is definitely blinkered by the societal norms she grew up in.
Rereading it as an adult, some things always hit differently; this time around, I am absolutely heartbroken for Violet, who from Christina’s perspective is dismissed as a sly, flighty piece of work from the get-go Ugh.
This story does complicated familial relationships so well. Russell can seem like such a despicable figure until his horrid tyrant ways and his absolute power over his horses, his servants (and initially, his sons) manifest in real, life-altering consequences, and then it’s actually chilling. I still love the way Christina’s complicated relationships with the boys evolve over the years, although the romantic entanglements are absolutely hilarious, like, I still think the whole Will thing came out of nowhere, lol. Team Dick forever (don’t talk to me about the fourth book, it is a character-assassinating travesty and does not exist).
February 12, 2014
Christina Russell's arrival at Flambards is overshadowed by her cousin William being stretchered to his room with a badly broken leg after riding accident. Moving from the genteel security of her aunt's home in London, to a faded country mansion, she finds herself in a household dominated by her drunken and embittered uncle - himself crippled in a riding accident - and a family obsessed with hunting and riding.
In order to survive at Flambards, Christina is forced to take up riding and forms a strong friendship with Dick, one of the grooms working at Flambards who is assigned the task of teaching her to ride. Dick is kind and under his tutelage, she becomes a competent rider.
William's accident is met with derision by his father and brother, Mark, and Christina discovers William's hatred of riding and the cruelty and dark reactionary values prevailing at Flambards. William is a disappointment and scapegoat to his father and Mark and considered a family misfit. Model flying machines hanging from the ceiling of William's room give Christina a clue that her cousin is harboring a secret which she later discovers.
Set at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, in the years preceding the First World War, Mark and William symbolize the feudal and outdated values of the old century stubbornly opposing the promise of new ideals and progress of the new. I will definitely be reading Flambard's sequel...
In order to survive at Flambards, Christina is forced to take up riding and forms a strong friendship with Dick, one of the grooms working at Flambards who is assigned the task of teaching her to ride. Dick is kind and under his tutelage, she becomes a competent rider.
William's accident is met with derision by his father and brother, Mark, and Christina discovers William's hatred of riding and the cruelty and dark reactionary values prevailing at Flambards. William is a disappointment and scapegoat to his father and Mark and considered a family misfit. Model flying machines hanging from the ceiling of William's room give Christina a clue that her cousin is harboring a secret which she later discovers.
Set at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, in the years preceding the First World War, Mark and William symbolize the feudal and outdated values of the old century stubbornly opposing the promise of new ideals and progress of the new. I will definitely be reading Flambard's sequel...
September 25, 2018
Set within the grounds of a slowly-aging Essex Manor (Flambards), Peyton's novels sets the grounds for the end of an era and celebration of a class and the age of a new dawn which heralds cars and planes but also war. When twelve-year old Christina Parsons is sent to live with her uncle and two sons she feel that her destiny has already been written. When she comes of age, she will run into her family's fortune and will be expected to marry Mark, the eldest of the Flambard family who is as cold, brutal and selfish and his drunken father.
Yet the horses of the manor, and a stablehand, Dick as well as the youngest Flambard, William offer her hope of escape and a sense that her life could be different should she choose to escape that which has already been written for her. What comes across in the novel, for me, is the physicality. The horses, their tempers and the physical challenges of the characters set a power and strength in here that I find fascinating. There is also, in Christina, a sense of a young woman steadily challenging the gendered norms that her society expects. It is slight but it is there. I am left to wonder how much is grows in other Flambards novels.
Yet the horses of the manor, and a stablehand, Dick as well as the youngest Flambard, William offer her hope of escape and a sense that her life could be different should she choose to escape that which has already been written for her. What comes across in the novel, for me, is the physicality. The horses, their tempers and the physical challenges of the characters set a power and strength in here that I find fascinating. There is also, in Christina, a sense of a young woman steadily challenging the gendered norms that her society expects. It is slight but it is there. I am left to wonder how much is grows in other Flambards novels.
March 8, 2017
I really expected this to be rather boring, but it was not. I enjoyed it immensly. The first few pages took me a little bit to get into the writing style, but once I did I was hooked.
Christina moves to Flambards to live with her uncle, Russell, and cousins, Mark and William. Little does she expect the kind of people she will meet there. Uncle Russell, impassioned with his love for hunting, wants both his sons to love it just as equally. Mark takes after Russell, but William has dreams of his own.
Christina settles in the lifestyle and even finds she does like horses. So I really did think the whole book would be about horses. Much to my delight I found that William loves aeroplanes. I literally squealed inside. As the story progresses you see more and more of this love. It was so delightful and enthralling. The scene where he flies crazily had me snickering.
Mark is one of those love-hate sort of characters. Sometimes I so did want to tell him a thing or two, but I did feel for him just a tad. But he is a little wild and I'm glad Dick gave him what for. Speaking of Dick...I had a really hard time knowing if I liked Dick or William better. They both are different, yet so dear. I think William wins, just because he loves flying so. He's splendid and I loved him at the end.
I wasn't too keen how Dick just kinda disappears from the story. That and the content below lowered my rating by one star.
Content:
-Some swearing.
-Some drinking.
-Mention of a girl having a baby out of wedlock. Not detailed.
I've heard the next in the series isn't as good, but I am curious to read the others. For a book I didn't expect to enjoy so much, I was pleasantly surprised :)
Christina moves to Flambards to live with her uncle, Russell, and cousins, Mark and William. Little does she expect the kind of people she will meet there. Uncle Russell, impassioned with his love for hunting, wants both his sons to love it just as equally. Mark takes after Russell, but William has dreams of his own.
Christina settles in the lifestyle and even finds she does like horses. So I really did think the whole book would be about horses. Much to my delight I found that William loves aeroplanes. I literally squealed inside. As the story progresses you see more and more of this love. It was so delightful and enthralling. The scene where he flies crazily had me snickering.
Mark is one of those love-hate sort of characters. Sometimes I so did want to tell him a thing or two, but I did feel for him just a tad. But he is a little wild and I'm glad Dick gave him what for. Speaking of Dick...I had a really hard time knowing if I liked Dick or William better. They both are different, yet so dear. I think William wins, just because he loves flying so. He's splendid and I loved him at the end.
I wasn't too keen how Dick just kinda disappears from the story. That and the content below lowered my rating by one star.
Content:
-Some swearing.
-Some drinking.
-Mention of a girl having a baby out of wedlock. Not detailed.
I've heard the next in the series isn't as good, but I am curious to read the others. For a book I didn't expect to enjoy so much, I was pleasantly surprised :)
August 25, 2013
I enjoyed reading this first book in the Flambards trilogy very much. Firstly, it's a book about horses (always a winner with me); secondly, it's a book about my next great passion - country houses. It's also a book about changing times and England just prior to the first world war, class systems and what would really be the last years in the great country estates of England.
Already in the book, Flambards is "dying", subsiding into decay due to the owner's inability/disinterest in maintaining it. There's a stark contrast outlined in the story between the traditional values of the hunting field, the lower working classes who are striving so hard to keep the upper classes in comfort, and getting sparse thanks for their efforts, and the inexorable march of progress as embodied in the development of the aeroplanes which William is so interested in, and the early warnings of the onset of the war "to end all wars".
The story is told by Christina, cousin of Mark (embodying the traditional) and William (representing the new times to come). At first, it seems she has a foot in each camp: she adores the horses and the hunting field, but finds Mark strangely uncouth and repellant. There are also certain aspects of this "traditional" class system of values which she finds very hard to swallow: Dick's family, for instance, gets an extremely rough deal out of it all with his mother ending her days in the workhouse, Violent being sent away in disgrace and Dick being sacked for a very tenuous and arbitrary reason. Instead, it is William's sensitivity she ultimately finds more appealing. Indeed, in the end, (inevitably) progress wins the day, ending in Christina leaving Flambards and her beloved horses behind.
This is a very easy to read book (intended for children in 1967 when it was originally published) but it contains much that would be of interest to adult readers.
Already in the book, Flambards is "dying", subsiding into decay due to the owner's inability/disinterest in maintaining it. There's a stark contrast outlined in the story between the traditional values of the hunting field, the lower working classes who are striving so hard to keep the upper classes in comfort, and getting sparse thanks for their efforts, and the inexorable march of progress as embodied in the development of the aeroplanes which William is so interested in, and the early warnings of the onset of the war "to end all wars".
The story is told by Christina, cousin of Mark (embodying the traditional) and William (representing the new times to come). At first, it seems she has a foot in each camp: she adores the horses and the hunting field, but finds Mark strangely uncouth and repellant. There are also certain aspects of this "traditional" class system of values which she finds very hard to swallow: Dick's family, for instance, gets an extremely rough deal out of it all with his mother ending her days in the workhouse, Violent being sent away in disgrace and Dick being sacked for a very tenuous and arbitrary reason. Instead, it is William's sensitivity she ultimately finds more appealing. Indeed, in the end, (inevitably) progress wins the day, ending in Christina leaving Flambards and her beloved horses behind.
This is a very easy to read book (intended for children in 1967 when it was originally published) but it contains much that would be of interest to adult readers.
July 6, 2015
I found the story so charming. It reminded me very strongly of Anne of Green Gables, and I’m sure it would have been one of my favorites if I’d read it when I was reading Anne. I love the passages about the hunt, horse-riding, and the passages about flying. These beautiful scenes romanticize both sports. Though, of course, with riding the romanticism is curtailed by the inclusion of Will’s and Mr. Russell’s accidents. In the first book, flying is definitely the safer sport. It won’t stay that way through the series, but the first book seems to be saying, “Yes, flying might be dangerous, but look at how dangerous our ancient and beloved sport of hunting, or horseback riding is? And how much damage it has wrought?”
The story is also very isolated and lonely. First, Christina lives with her Aunt Grace. Then she is unceremoniously packed off to her Uncle Russell’s. There is no point where she is seen to have any girl friends or to even know any girls her own age except Violet, the kitchen maid, who is beneath Christina socially and a rival (even if only temporarily) for Mark’s affections. So it’s very much a story about a girl whose life is framed by men and boys, and whom it seems, is only waiting to be married off. She has little or no power over anything and she’s penniless until she’s twenty-one, and if she’s married to Mark, presumably he’ll have control over her estate at that point. And it just seems so tragic.
It’s refreshing when she runs away with Will even though they are so responsible about it. This is definitely a novel about restraint. Christina always acts so properly. She’d probably even marry Mark without complaint except that she’s so smitten with Will’s newfangled ideas and willingness to fight his father’s authority, and perhaps she’s afraid without some leverage that Mark will treat her just like Uncle Russell treats her: a means to her money with no regard for her own wishes.
The story is also very isolated and lonely. First, Christina lives with her Aunt Grace. Then she is unceremoniously packed off to her Uncle Russell’s. There is no point where she is seen to have any girl friends or to even know any girls her own age except Violet, the kitchen maid, who is beneath Christina socially and a rival (even if only temporarily) for Mark’s affections. So it’s very much a story about a girl whose life is framed by men and boys, and whom it seems, is only waiting to be married off. She has little or no power over anything and she’s penniless until she’s twenty-one, and if she’s married to Mark, presumably he’ll have control over her estate at that point. And it just seems so tragic.
It’s refreshing when she runs away with Will even though they are so responsible about it. This is definitely a novel about restraint. Christina always acts so properly. She’d probably even marry Mark without complaint except that she’s so smitten with Will’s newfangled ideas and willingness to fight his father’s authority, and perhaps she’s afraid without some leverage that Mark will treat her just like Uncle Russell treats her: a means to her money with no regard for her own wishes.
January 24, 2016
One thing I am aiming for in 2016 is to read all (or get close) to reading all the books that I own but have not gotten around to reading yet. And I have many! Being a teacher, I buy lots of children's book, and also a travelling Book Fair comes to my school 3 times a year. I want to support my school (as we get some of the profit) so I buy books. But this means that I have quite a lot of children's books lying unread.
So this is how I got this lovely edition of Flambards, an Oxford Children's Classic. I did not read this as a child myself so I don't have the nostalgia that a lot of the other reviews have, but I did enjoy it as an adult.
The story has got a few things going for it that I know some older children (10+) would enjoy. It has the horses, a little romance, and a little daring. I personally enjoyed reading about the horses more than the other stuff, mainly because I had the typical little girl dream of having a horse of my own (sadly never a reality!), and I enjoyed feeling like that little girl again, dreaming of horses. I thought the description of riding and the feelings that Christina felt was lovely. One thing I learnt about horses (not a subject I know an awful lot about anyway), was that there is a breed call Strawberry Roan, so called because they look sort of pink! So I had to look up on the internet to see for myself, I have chosen a picture that was the most 'pinkish' one on offer!
I doubt I will read on in the series, but if I ever came across them - well I might do.
So this is how I got this lovely edition of Flambards, an Oxford Children's Classic. I did not read this as a child myself so I don't have the nostalgia that a lot of the other reviews have, but I did enjoy it as an adult.
The story has got a few things going for it that I know some older children (10+) would enjoy. It has the horses, a little romance, and a little daring. I personally enjoyed reading about the horses more than the other stuff, mainly because I had the typical little girl dream of having a horse of my own (sadly never a reality!), and I enjoyed feeling like that little girl again, dreaming of horses. I thought the description of riding and the feelings that Christina felt was lovely. One thing I learnt about horses (not a subject I know an awful lot about anyway), was that there is a breed call Strawberry Roan, so called because they look sort of pink! So I had to look up on the internet to see for myself, I have chosen a picture that was the most 'pinkish' one on offer!
I doubt I will read on in the series, but if I ever came across them - well I might do.
February 12, 2017
Twelve-year-old Christina, an orphaned heiress waiting for her 21st birthday, is shipped off to Flambards to live with her uncle and his two sons, Mark and William, presumably because Flambards is failing and and the uncle wishes to marry Christina off to Mark for her inheritance. Christina isn't sure how she feels about this, especially when she arrives and is treated like a servant, and she sees how cruel her uncle is about anything but horses. Mark is just like him, too, and odd William is bed-bound on purpose to escape the horses. But as the kind stablehand Dick teaches Christina to ride, she discovers she loves the horses, which leads her to have mixed feelings about Flambards in general.
This was an enjoyably old-fashioned read. You have to read between the lines in a lot of places, such as Christina avoiding explicitly saying that she has a crush on Dick, or that Dick's sister Violet . Some of Christina's lack of choices was really frustrating, because she is unable to leave Flambards to go live elsewhere, and she can't allow herself to love a servant. Things are somewhat worked out by the end, but I imagine there will be much more drama in store.
This was an enjoyably old-fashioned read. You have to read between the lines in a lot of places, such as Christina avoiding explicitly saying that she has a crush on Dick, or that Dick's sister Violet . Some of Christina's lack of choices was really frustrating, because she is unable to leave Flambards to go live elsewhere, and she can't allow herself to love a servant. Things are somewhat worked out by the end, but I imagine there will be much more drama in store.
January 16, 2016
I first read this book when I was about 12, the age of the heroine Christina and loved it. My feelings for the story further intensified when Yorkshire Television thoughtfully produced an adaptation in 1979. I'm not sure what made me order a copy on my kindle 30+ years later but after I devoured it in one sitting, I realised I still love this story and can't recommend it highly enough!
This book has everything from horses, to orphans to love interest a-plenty. I was going to say it's the perfect foil for the current vogue for dystopian fiction (Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Divergent, et al). However, it is set in the stifling confines of pre-war Edwardian Britain and maps the trials of an oppressed adolescent: Christina is an orphan who has been handed around the family until sent, at the beginning of this story, to the eponymous crumbling manor in Essex. Poor girl has to put up with the family's obsessive behaviour and try to find her place in this world without any say in what happens to her .
The book really stands up and is a lovely read whether you are child or adult. I'm surprised that more people don't know it. Maybe it's time to rerun the 79 telly series?
This book has everything from horses, to orphans to love interest a-plenty. I was going to say it's the perfect foil for the current vogue for dystopian fiction (Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Divergent, et al). However, it is set in the stifling confines of pre-war Edwardian Britain and maps the trials of an oppressed adolescent: Christina is an orphan who has been handed around the family until sent, at the beginning of this story, to the eponymous crumbling manor in Essex. Poor girl has to put up with the family's obsessive behaviour and try to find her place in this world without any say in what happens to her .
The book really stands up and is a lovely read whether you are child or adult. I'm surprised that more people don't know it. Maybe it's time to rerun the 79 telly series?
December 17, 2009
I do love a good horse story. And this, all other considerations aside, is a damn good horse story. There's also a plucky orphan and some misunderstood boys and some downtrodden servants and an evil sot of an uncle. So it's not like there's nothing for you non-horsey folks. There's plenty of fox-hunting that ends badly for the foxes, so do be warned about that if you're squeamish about fox blood smeared on people in a ritualistic manner and the like. (Is that a spoiler? I don't think so, but I'll tick the box on the review anyway. Just in case.)
I was surprised at how absorbing I found this book. I want to read the rest of 'em now.
I was surprised at how absorbing I found this book. I want to read the rest of 'em now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2018
I loved this series - and it was remarkably racy for kids' reading. The heroine, Christina is drawn to two men, but chooses her cousin, Will - the one who deliberately falls and smashes his leg so that he won't have to do any more riding in the great Flambard's tradition. Then he is killed in the first world war and Christina returns to a Flambards where the older brother has let things go - drinking as well, but the groom is still there - Dick - the one who taught her to ride - the one she has always had the secret hots for. I can't remember what happens to the cruel older brother - is it Tom - but he gets his cum-uppence.
Like I said racy stuff for a 10/11 year old.
Like I said racy stuff for a 10/11 year old.
April 21, 2017
Really loved it. Can't explain why. The plot was nothing exciting, I guess, but I loved the way it was written. The descriptions were so evocative and the characters were fascinating and complex. And it was set in a time period that I find interesting, too. I just wanted it to keep going forever, so I was thrilled to learn there are sequels!
My only complaint was that Christina's realisiation at the end that she loved William seemed really sudden and almost tacked-on. Didn't feel any build-up or real sense of passion behind it - they are VERY different people, not suited I think.
My only complaint was that Christina's realisiation at the end that she loved William seemed really sudden and almost tacked-on. Didn't feel any build-up or real sense of passion behind it - they are VERY different people, not suited I think.
February 14, 2011
One from my collection. The opening pages took me right back to 1977. Delicious.
Later...How I love this story. Re-reading it again for the umpteenth time took me straight back to my teenage years. I actually felt a shiver down my spine as I started reading it, the descriptions of the Essex countryside mingling with my own recollection of that area, and then the theme tune from the tv series popped into my head and I was transported back to the 1970s!
Later...How I love this story. Re-reading it again for the umpteenth time took me straight back to my teenage years. I actually felt a shiver down my spine as I started reading it, the descriptions of the Essex countryside mingling with my own recollection of that area, and then the theme tune from the tv series popped into my head and I was transported back to the 1970s!
August 10, 2022
Young Christina has been an orphan since the age of five and has been shuffled from relative to relative. Now her uncle Russell has requested that she come to live with him and his two young sons at Flambards, a once impressive estate, although it is now in disrepair. All the money (and there's not much of it anymore) at Flambards goes to the stables, as horses and hunting is the only passion Russell and his eldest son, Mark, have. Christina is nervous at first to be thrust into such an unknown life, especially since she suspects her uncle's motives may have something to do with the big pile of money she will age into at 18. But she takes to riding quickly. The younger son, William, has absolutely no interest in horses, and delights in his fate - he will remain lame after a fall from his horse and will not ride anymore. Instead, he is in love with the new-fangled idea of flight. Christina finds herself growing into a young woman caught between the differing passions of not only the Flambards men, but also of a certain young stable hand as well.
I enjoyed this story, although on the whole I think it has some flaws. It starts out as a coming-of-age, overcoming-a-hard-childhood type story but then seems to shift gears - and too abruptly - into a who-will-she-chose sort of love story. So the whole thing goes through a bit of an identity crisis, it seems, but nonetheless I liked the story enough not to mind so much.
I enjoyed this story, although on the whole I think it has some flaws. It starts out as a coming-of-age, overcoming-a-hard-childhood type story but then seems to shift gears - and too abruptly - into a who-will-she-chose sort of love story. So the whole thing goes through a bit of an identity crisis, it seems, but nonetheless I liked the story enough not to mind so much.
January 8, 2024
I had just read the obituary of KM Peyton, a childhood favourite of mine. Delighted to return to this pre war hunting fantasy with female protagonist.
June 23, 2019
Old book and old story without any shock and horror but easy and enoyable to read
Read
May 12, 2018Saw this mentioned on Twitter and it looked just my sort of thing. Turned out my instincts were right! A young heiress is sent to live with her uncle and cousins at their crumbling country estate. To me it read like WUTHERING HEIGHTS if rewritten by D.E. Stevenson. Definitely continuing with the series.
August 27, 2022
- I love this series
- I love Will
- I love Mark
Honestly I couldn’t ask for more 😂👌
- I love Will
- I love Mark
Honestly I couldn’t ask for more 😂👌
July 27, 2011
K. M. Peytonin Christina-kirjat: nuortenkirjallisuuden klassikko, joka voisi olla myös aikuisten klassikko. Suomeksi Christinat on julkaistu 80-luvulla (4 osaa).
Christina-sarja alkaa osalla Christina : kartanon varjoissa. 12-vuotias orpo Christina on asunut tätinsä luona kunnes eno Russell ehdottaa, että tyttö muuttaisi hänen luokseen Flambards-nimiseen kartanoon Englannin maaseudulle. Enolla on kaksi poikaa ja hän toivoo, että Christina menisi myöhemmin naimisiin vanhemman pojan kanssa, jotta Christinan täysi-ikäisenä saama perintö voitaisiin sijoittaa kartanon ylläpitoon. Eletään 1900-luvun alkupuolta. Kartanossa kaikki on rempallaan, Russell-eno on äkkipikainen ja Christinan täytyy opetella aivan uusi ajanviete; ratsastaminen ja ketunmetsästys. Ainoa, mistä kartanossa todella pidetään huolta on hevoset. Teini-ikäiset serkkupojat eroavat toisistaan kuin yö ja päivä; vanhempi serkku on kuin isänsä, intohimoinen hevosmies, raisu ja omapäinen, nuorempi serkku on älykäs, kiinnostunut lentokoneista ja lentämisestä eikä ollenkaan metsästysperinteistä.
Kirjasarja kaipaisi uudelleenjulkaisua. Aihepiiri on suhteellisen harvinainen: 1900-luvun alun historia, aito englantilainen kartanoelämä sekä lentokoneiden ja lentämisen alkuvuodet. Nuortenkirjallisuudessa ei tällä hetkellä ole paljoakaan vaihtoehtoja, jos haluaa lukea autenttisen historiallisen romaanin oikeasta elämästä ilman superseikkailuita, salapoliisitarinoita tai vähintään joitain kummitusjuttuja. Tällaistakin kirjallisuutta tarvitaan! Joskus pitää olla lupa rauhoittua myös tavallisen tarinan äärellä. Vaikka kirjat on kirjoitettu 60-luvulla ja käännetty suomeksi 80-luvulla, ei aika ole syönyt näitä muun kuin kannen kuvituksen osalta. Tosin, kuvittaja Matti Kota oli aikoinaan lempikuvittajani, joten itse en kansia moiti, myyviä ne eivät enää tosin ole.
Christinan tarina jatkuu myöhemmissä osissa. Koetaan ensimmäinen maailmansota ja sen vaikutukset ihmisten elämiin. Christinan elämä kulkee omia uomiaan rakkauden, menetysten ja saavutusten maustamina. Kirjat ovat hyvin elämänläheisiä ja sopivat mainiosti myös aikuislukijallekin. Olen lukenut kirjat useita kertoja ja yhä edelleen ne miellyttävät niin kerronnan kuin harvinaisehkon aiheensa puolesta. Kaikesta ei lukemastaan tarvitse pitää; perinteinen englantilainen ketunmetsästys on mielestäni vastenmielistä, mutta kirjan autenttiset kuvaukset metsästyksestä antavat tietoa siitä, millaista oikeasti on, kun metsästysperinteet istuvat tiukassa ja innostus saa ihmiset täpinöihin. Kirjat valottavat myös perienglantilaisia säätyeroja, palkollisten asemaa, köyhyyden vaikutusta ihmisiin, teknologian muuttumista arkiseksi sekä sodan vaikutuksesta yhteiskunnan hitaaseen muuttumiseen. Suosittelen lämpimästi!
Christina-sarja alkaa osalla Christina : kartanon varjoissa. 12-vuotias orpo Christina on asunut tätinsä luona kunnes eno Russell ehdottaa, että tyttö muuttaisi hänen luokseen Flambards-nimiseen kartanoon Englannin maaseudulle. Enolla on kaksi poikaa ja hän toivoo, että Christina menisi myöhemmin naimisiin vanhemman pojan kanssa, jotta Christinan täysi-ikäisenä saama perintö voitaisiin sijoittaa kartanon ylläpitoon. Eletään 1900-luvun alkupuolta. Kartanossa kaikki on rempallaan, Russell-eno on äkkipikainen ja Christinan täytyy opetella aivan uusi ajanviete; ratsastaminen ja ketunmetsästys. Ainoa, mistä kartanossa todella pidetään huolta on hevoset. Teini-ikäiset serkkupojat eroavat toisistaan kuin yö ja päivä; vanhempi serkku on kuin isänsä, intohimoinen hevosmies, raisu ja omapäinen, nuorempi serkku on älykäs, kiinnostunut lentokoneista ja lentämisestä eikä ollenkaan metsästysperinteistä.
Kirjasarja kaipaisi uudelleenjulkaisua. Aihepiiri on suhteellisen harvinainen: 1900-luvun alun historia, aito englantilainen kartanoelämä sekä lentokoneiden ja lentämisen alkuvuodet. Nuortenkirjallisuudessa ei tällä hetkellä ole paljoakaan vaihtoehtoja, jos haluaa lukea autenttisen historiallisen romaanin oikeasta elämästä ilman superseikkailuita, salapoliisitarinoita tai vähintään joitain kummitusjuttuja. Tällaistakin kirjallisuutta tarvitaan! Joskus pitää olla lupa rauhoittua myös tavallisen tarinan äärellä. Vaikka kirjat on kirjoitettu 60-luvulla ja käännetty suomeksi 80-luvulla, ei aika ole syönyt näitä muun kuin kannen kuvituksen osalta. Tosin, kuvittaja Matti Kota oli aikoinaan lempikuvittajani, joten itse en kansia moiti, myyviä ne eivät enää tosin ole.
Christinan tarina jatkuu myöhemmissä osissa. Koetaan ensimmäinen maailmansota ja sen vaikutukset ihmisten elämiin. Christinan elämä kulkee omia uomiaan rakkauden, menetysten ja saavutusten maustamina. Kirjat ovat hyvin elämänläheisiä ja sopivat mainiosti myös aikuislukijallekin. Olen lukenut kirjat useita kertoja ja yhä edelleen ne miellyttävät niin kerronnan kuin harvinaisehkon aiheensa puolesta. Kaikesta ei lukemastaan tarvitse pitää; perinteinen englantilainen ketunmetsästys on mielestäni vastenmielistä, mutta kirjan autenttiset kuvaukset metsästyksestä antavat tietoa siitä, millaista oikeasti on, kun metsästysperinteet istuvat tiukassa ja innostus saa ihmiset täpinöihin. Kirjat valottavat myös perienglantilaisia säätyeroja, palkollisten asemaa, köyhyyden vaikutusta ihmisiin, teknologian muuttumista arkiseksi sekä sodan vaikutuksesta yhteiskunnan hitaaseen muuttumiseen. Suosittelen lämpimästi!
June 9, 2023
When I was a young girl I read many of K. M. Peyton’s novels, particularly the Ruth Hollis series and the Flambards series. I’ve decided to revisit them.
The main character in the Flambards series is Christina Parsons, an Edwardian era orphan with prospects. She is an heiress, raised by aunts in London; and at the age of twelve Christina is sent to live with her mother’s half brother and his sons on the family estate, Flambards. The ulterior motive behind this is for her to eventually marry her cousin Mark and restore the estate to its former glory with her inheritance.
Her Uncle Russell is a hard, bitter man, crippled in a hunting accident. He expects everyone to be as dedicated to hunting as he is and has no patience with people who aren’t. Mark is selfish, reckless, arrogant and even though he is a good rider, he is the worst type of horseman. He is also good natured, fun-loving, forgiving and a surprisingly good sport. His younger brother, William is a budding socialist and reformer who completely rejects the mores and standards of British Edwardian society.
The Russells live the life of sporting gentry and the household is obsessed with horses, hounds and hunting, with the exception of William. William is fascinated by flight and airplanes and is determined to devote his life to being a pilot and aircraft engineer. As a result he is the black sheep of the family and the target for his bitter, intolerant father’s frustrations.
Christina becomes an avid hunter and horsewoman; but she also shares William’s passion for flight, which draws them closer and deepens their friendship. The result of this drives the plot to an ending much different than the path her family had chosen for her future.
The characters in this book are complex, realistic humans; all of them flawed and none of them perfect, by any means. .As a character, Christina is a resilient, smart and resourceful girl, doing her best in the circumstances that life has given her. She disobeys her uncle and saves the life of an injured horse that she loves and then tries to right the wrongs that result from her actions but fails. I can’t help but think that if this book were written by current standards, this teenage girl would have re-educated and enlightened her uncle, transforming him into a new person, before going on to single-handedly prevent the outbreak of the first world war and saving the entire world, making it a paradise for all of humanity. Unfortunately, this book was written at a time when fictional characters acted like real human beings instead of idealized comic-book super heroes, so it has little appeal at this time. There are no flags in this book for the virtue-signal readers to wave.
As for myself, I enjoyed the trilogy and will continue on with my re-read of the next two books.
The main character in the Flambards series is Christina Parsons, an Edwardian era orphan with prospects. She is an heiress, raised by aunts in London; and at the age of twelve Christina is sent to live with her mother’s half brother and his sons on the family estate, Flambards. The ulterior motive behind this is for her to eventually marry her cousin Mark and restore the estate to its former glory with her inheritance.
Her Uncle Russell is a hard, bitter man, crippled in a hunting accident. He expects everyone to be as dedicated to hunting as he is and has no patience with people who aren’t. Mark is selfish, reckless, arrogant and even though he is a good rider, he is the worst type of horseman. He is also good natured, fun-loving, forgiving and a surprisingly good sport. His younger brother, William is a budding socialist and reformer who completely rejects the mores and standards of British Edwardian society.
The Russells live the life of sporting gentry and the household is obsessed with horses, hounds and hunting, with the exception of William. William is fascinated by flight and airplanes and is determined to devote his life to being a pilot and aircraft engineer. As a result he is the black sheep of the family and the target for his bitter, intolerant father’s frustrations.
Christina becomes an avid hunter and horsewoman; but she also shares William’s passion for flight, which draws them closer and deepens their friendship. The result of this drives the plot to an ending much different than the path her family had chosen for her future.
The characters in this book are complex, realistic humans; all of them flawed and none of them perfect, by any means. .As a character, Christina is a resilient, smart and resourceful girl, doing her best in the circumstances that life has given her. She disobeys her uncle and saves the life of an injured horse that she loves and then tries to right the wrongs that result from her actions but fails. I can’t help but think that if this book were written by current standards, this teenage girl would have re-educated and enlightened her uncle, transforming him into a new person, before going on to single-handedly prevent the outbreak of the first world war and saving the entire world, making it a paradise for all of humanity. Unfortunately, this book was written at a time when fictional characters acted like real human beings instead of idealized comic-book super heroes, so it has little appeal at this time. There are no flags in this book for the virtue-signal readers to wave.
As for myself, I enjoyed the trilogy and will continue on with my re-read of the next two books.
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