The Watching Eyes

by Barbara Corcoran

In her desperate attempt to escape custody of her cruel uncle, thirteen-year-old Gail finds refuge with the Partridges, a strange family living isolated in a spooky house in the woods. Mrs. Partridge, like the rest of the family, believes in the lore of ancient Egypt, and seems to live in two worlds at once.

Genres: Young Adult

188 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

This is not the Shark Tank celebrity, but an author of children's books. The books are mostly realistic fiction about older children and teens who come from families that are dysfunctional or at least face interesting challenges.

Also used the pseudonym Paige Dixon and Gail Hamilton.

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I lent this book to someone twenty-five years ago and she didn't give it back. I STILL miss it.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost like this story of a girl escaping from her violent uncle into the snowy night of North Dakota, and finding a mysterious mansion with a mysterious old woman and her slightly less mysterious son, who shelter her. But I found rather jarring the contrast between the rather old-fashioned story and the author's attempts to make the girl seem a tough 1970s teen, au currant with all the drug dealing etc of the mean city streets that were her home when she lived with her mentally ill mother. The girl doesn't have much of a character other than the toughness and reserve acquired by taking on all the responsibility for her mother for years, and doesn't unfold and blossom in her new refuge as much as I'd have liked. Also I didn't find it believable how her absent father who's been ignoring her for years shows up in response to a letter she wrote to the last known address, and is actually loving and wonderful and is welcomed by all into the mansion household. Also the titular "winds of time" were so metaphoric they almost didn't exist.

[Jm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-reading of a favourite book from grammar school.

15 year-old Gail is in a fix. Her mother has just had a nervous breakdown and is in the hospital for treatment for a while, leaving her on her own. She is used to taking care of them both, but her social worker contacts her guardian to take care of her.

Gail does not like or trust her uncle because of past run-ins. She does not want to live with him, let alone become adopted to live in another state. When there is a chance accident on her journey through the Rockies, she runs away with her cat, Sylvester.

What she finds is unbelievable: a family living far away from the bustle of modern life, basenjis, a ballroom, the absence of tv or radio, and a nerve-wracking lack of questions about how herself. Gail has to work through her distrusts and fears before she finds what she was really looking for: a home where she feels safe and cared for, and reconnection with her long-lost father.

A well-written book with many off-beat elements that could have been distracting and odd, but end up contributing to a rich, harmonious tale. I enjoy re-reading it periodically.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was at a used book store and came across many books I had read over twenty years ago at the age of ten. I bought this book called The Watching Eyes, but the original title was The Winds of Time. This book was originally written in 1974, but the way the author wrote it is timeless.

This is the story of Gail who is forced to go with her uncle due to her mother’s nervous breakdown. The uncle refuses to wait for Gail’s father to return. The uncle is not as nice as others think he is. Since her mother is unable to overcome her mental issues, Gail has no choice other than going with her uncle. When the uncle crashes the vehicle, she manages to escape into the wilderness. She stumbles on a family that shows compassion, friendship, loyalty, and such.

The uncle shows up looking for Gail.

[kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just as I remembered as a child. Nice read.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

C. fiction, YA; teenage girl runs from difficult circumstances; from stash, discard