The Vine-Clad Hill

by Mabel Esther Allan

Seventeen-year-old Philippa Wynyard was planning to take a job in London when unexpectedly invited to supervise her cousins who are skiing in Switzerland. When her Aunt Millicent Hamlin, a patronizing upper-class matron asks her to look after the Hamlin children, Clemency, beautiful, almost 18, her mother's darling, Gay and Gordon, rebellious, troublesome nuisances, and Tilda, an awkward adolescent overshadowed completely by Clemency's grace and beauty, Philippa accepts so she can earn money for university.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

A prolific British children's author, who also wrote under the pen-names Jean Estoril, Priscilla Hagon, Anne Pilgrim, and Kathleen M. Pearcey, Mabel Esther Allan is particularly known for her school and ballet stories.

Born in 1915 at Wallasey on the Wirral Peninsula, Allan knew from an early age that she wanted to be an author, and published her first short stories in the 1930s. Her writing career was interrupted by World War II, during which time she served in the Women's Land Army and taught school in Liverpool, but the 1948 publication of The Glen Castle Mystery saw it begin to take off in earnest. Influenced by Scottish educator A.S. Neill, Allan held progressive views about education, views that often found their way into her books, particularly her school stories. She was interested in folk dance and ballet - another common subject in her work - and was a frequent traveler. She died in 1998.

Reviews

[Elizabeth]

So fun, as always with MEA! I unwittingly timed this perfectly as it takes place mostly in August in Switzerland very near the Italian border. The sense of place was marvelous. Philippa is a lovely heroine. She has to put up with a lot with Aunt Millicent, Gay, and Gordon, but I thought it had a good arc. I loved her relationship with Tilda! And Timothy is a dear. Clem wasn’t as bad as anticipated. 😂

[Gina House]

I adored this lovely and fascinating Collins Seagull Library, book! I'm totally addicted to this series now—after reading two 5 star books, I'm SO excited to read more.

This charming Mabel Esther Allan story is about 18-year-old Philippa—"Phillip" or aka "Pippa", which she despises—and her reluctant decision to help her snobbish and harassed Aunt Millicent. She agrees to help keep an eye on the Hamlin children (boisterous twins, Gay and Gorden, and painfully awkward and shy Tilda) while on the long trip from London to Bellinzona.

When they are all reunited with hardworking, but slightly oblivious Uncle Richard, who is working between Bellinzona and parts of Italy and Switzerland, the adventure really begins. When she's not busy guarding over the children and helping her aunt with chores and errands, Phillipa is able to snatch a little bit of time to enjoy the beautiful area before attending Cambridge in the fall.

This lovely story is full of hot summer sun, thunderstorms, harrowing situations with the children, meeting new friends, frustrating encounters with her older cousin Clem, sight-seeing trips to glorious churches and beautiful mountains. I fell in love with The Vine-Clad Hill on the very first page and I was so incredibly sad to reach the end. I wish there was a sequel so I could find out what happens to Phillip once she starts Cambridge.

Although I tend to read books in the season they're in, I loved reading this hot, summery little book during the coldest part of the winter. This was an absolute joy and I know I'll be reading it again soon! Highly recommended!

[Capn]

AT FIRST Philippa Wynyard had doubts about spending her holiday looking after her four somewhat obstreperous young cousins, even though it meant a whole summer in Switzerland. But once she arrived, all her doubts vanished; she was enchanted with Bellinzona from the first moment when she stood on her balcony loking out at the vineyards and castle on the hillside. True, there were plenty of difficulties to cope with: there was Aunt Millicent's snobbishness; the moods of fourteen-year-old Tilda; the unfriendliness of her two youngest cousions, Gay and Gordon - and lovely, spoilt, selfish Clem, her own age, who was staying at a villa in nearby Locarno. But in spite of these problems, Philippa spent one of the happiest summers of her life - and the most important part of it was her chance encounter with Timothy Randal, on the slopes of one of Bellinzona's vine-clad hills.

inside flap summary


Philippa is arguably my favourite Mabel Esther Allan character, as is Aunt Millicent (but for very different reasons!). Another trip to Ticino, this time based in the castle-rich city of Bellinzona. Includes trips to the gorgeous, quaint villages of Gandria and Morcote, which are still beloved by tourists today. Word of advice - have some ice and Cinzano Rosso on hand. I ended up feeling parched reading about the heat and not being able to slake my thirst with their cooling (and very retro!) tipple of choice.

One little annoyance is Guilia. This name is correctly spelled "Giulia" (think Giuseppe!), and is the Italian form of the given name Julia. It is a commonly misspelled name, so I affix no particular blame to MEA or her publishers. But it drove me bonkers.

You can read more about travelling to these places in real life in the Mabel Esther Allan Group here on Goodreads (see the discussion on Stories placed in Switzerland). I live nearby (in Switzerland) and am happy to help advise on trips to Ticino and elsewhere in this region. Pricey, but a worthwhile destination, certainly! MEA obviously felt this way, too!

The Vine-Clad Hill is also known as "Swiss Holiday" in the US. It has also been translated into Dutch (Vakantie in de Bergen) and in French (Les Vacances des Cécile).

Please join the Mabel Esther Allan Goodreads Group and help spread the word about Mabel Esther Allan, a real hidden gem of an author in today's world.

[Kirsti]

After the horror of a book I'd just finished, this book came as a fresh breath of air. perhaps it was the truly awful book before it, but this book was so good in contrast that maybe I liked it more than I ought.

I think it's because I enjoyed the main character's thoughts on everything. She was smart, sensible, given to thinking a little low of herself but not letting that get her down. She isn't fixated with romantic notions, and treats Tilda (who reminds me of myself) with respect. She gives her opinions freely, but checks herself for politeness sake.

A very nice example of the British literature of it's time. Now I want to see everything Philip and Tilda did, and through their creative eyes.

[Carolynne]

Philippa visits southern Switzerland with her uncle's family. She makes friends with 14 year old Tilda and meets not one but two intriguing guys, Pietro and Timothy.

[Ruth Weaver]

Fabulously entertaining- I devoured it in a day. Pure escapism and a delightful story.

[Derek Henderson]

What a dreadful book. Absolutely flat characters and prose. Nothing happens for pages and pages. Tried reading this in French but had to give up.

[Sharon Buxton]

C. contemporary fiction, mom's stash, discard