Brother Dusty-Feet

by Rosemary Sutcliff

In Elizabethan England, eleven-year-old Hugh Copplestone runs away from the home of his cruel aunt to seek his fortune in the company of strolling players who travel throughout the countryside

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Childrens, Fiction, British Literature

248 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Rosemary Sutcliff, CBE (1920-1992) was a British novelist, best known as a writer of highly acclaimed historical fiction. Although primarily a children's author, the quality and depth of her writing also appeals to adults. She once commented that she wrote "for children of all ages, from nine to ninety."

Born in West Clandon, Surrey, Sutcliff spent her early youth in Malta and other naval bases where her father was stationed as a naval officer. She contracted Still's Disease when she was very young and was confined to a wheelchair for most of her life. Due to her chronic sickness, she spent the majority of her time with her mother, a tireless storyteller, from whom she learned many of the Celtic and Saxon legends that she would later expand into works of historical fiction. Her early schooling being continually interrupted by moving house and her disabling condition, Sutcliff didn't learn to read until she was nine, and left school at fourteen to enter the Bideford Art School, which she attended for three years, graduating from the General Art Course. She then worked as a painter of miniatures.

Rosemary Sutcliff began her career as a writer in 1950 with The Chronicles of Robin Hood. She found her voice when she wrote The Eagle of the Ninth in 1954. In 1959, she won the Carnegie Medal for The Lantern Bearers and was runner-up in 1972 with Tristan and Iseult. In 1974 she was highly commended for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Her The Mark of the Horse Lord won the first Phoenix Award in 1985.

Sutcliff lived for many years in Walberton near Arundel, Sussex. In 1975 she was appointed OBE for services to Children's Literature and promoted to CBE in 1992. She wrote incessantly throughout her life, and was still writing on the morning of her death. She never married.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/rosema...

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this so much! 🥰 If you love a story with a gentle, thoughtful, story-telling surrogate father/elder brother, read this! When the story opens at a farm in Tudor England, young Hugh Copplestone is at the mercy of his terrible Aunt Alison after the death of his beloved parents before the story opens. Hugh’s father was a vicar and so has taught Hugh to read and write. His mother loved periwinkle so Hugh’s most beloved possession is a pot of periwinkle. (I loved Hugh from this point on.) Hugh’s other love is his companionable dog Argos. When Aunt Alison threatens to do away with Argos, Hugh has had it and he takes his dog and his periwinkle and hits the road, headed for Oxford where his father was a servitor. (I learned that a servitor is a poor student who is able to attend Oxford by serving a wealthy student.)

This seems like a recipe for disaster except that the other Rosemary Sutcliff I’ve read gave me hope that this orphan would land in good company. And so he does! He meets up with a group of traveling actors called Players and these merry men take him into their company gladly. They reminded me so much of the Crummles from Nicholas Nickleby whom I adore. The Players are a wonderful mix of quirky and good-hearted and Hugh stays with them for over a year, touring from village to town. They have many adventures and Hugh finds the belonging and soul nourishment that he never would have had if he stayed at his aunt’s.

Hugh’s story is so lovingly told and Sutcliff has that Elizabeth Goudge touch of bringing both the natural and the sacramental world to life in a way that makes me hold my breath occasionally with wonder. Sutcliff makes the world of the past alive in a kindly way, too. Much more could be written but the joy of the novel is hitting the road with the Players and casting your lot in with this rag-tag but noble group. Don your doublet and take to the road.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stopped reading books from the Children's/YA sections of the library when I was 10, so I have a lot of catching up to do. Sutclif is an aouthor I missed completely, but the catching up process is a pleasure.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4 Extra:
Adaptation of Rosemary Sutcliff's acclaimed Elizabethan England children's novel.

Ten year old Hugh is an orphan, forced to live on a farm with his Aunt Alison, who treats him cruelly. When she threatens to get rid of his dog, Argos, for running after the ducks, Hugh feels there's only one thing they can do. It's a decision which leads him onto the roads of Elizabethan England, where many adventures are to befall him.

Hugh ..... Josef Lindsay
Narrator ..... Adjoa Andoh
Aunt Alison ..... Jane Whittenshaw
Tobias Pennyfeather ..... Allan Corduner
Jonathan Whiteleaf ..... Peter Hamilton Dyer
Tom O'Bedlam ..... Carl Prekopp
Nicky Bodkin ..... Gwilym Lee
Zachary Hawkins ..... James Lailey

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was rooting around my shelves and discovered one lurking in the layer at the back that I'd totally forgotten - Brother Dusty-Feet, by Rosemary Sutcliffe. I think it must have 'fallen off' my old bookshelves into my suitcase when I was visiting my parents a few years back, and I intended to re-read it but forgot. I clearly bought it from a library sale at some point, and it was elderly when I got it, but it was utterly sweet and charming. Set in Elizabethan England (although with odd bits acknowledging the modern reader by explaining how it was different in the old days), and telling the story of 11 year old Hugh, who has been orphaned and lives with his uncle and aunt. The only 2 things left to him from his life before his father died are his dog, Argos, and a small pot of periwinkles from the garden, and when his aunt announces her plans to have his dog killed, he gathers the two and sets out on the open road. His father used to tell him about studying in Oxford, and that's become his dream, so he decides to work his way across country to Oxford and hope to find someone who'll take him on as a combined companion and servant, as happened to his father. Instead, on his second day of travel, he encounters a band of travelling players who invite him to join them in a vagabond life - they need a new boy to play the female roles, because the existing lad is getting too big, and they can write parts in for Argos too. The dog was my favourite character - he was very good at making sure the pot of periwinkles didn't run away!

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dramatised for radio by Shaun McKenna

blurb - Ten year old Hugh is an orphan, forced to live on a farm with his Aunt Alison, who treats him cruelly. When she threatens to get rid of his dog, Argos, for running after the ducks, Hugh feels there's only one thing they can do. It's a decision which leads him onto the roads of Elizabethan England, where many adventures are to befall him.

Hugh ..... Josef Lindsay
Narrator ..... Adjoa Andoh
Aunt Alison ..... Jane Whittenshaw
Tobias Pennyfeather ..... Allan Corduner
Jonathan Whiteleaf ..... Peter Hamilton
Dyer Tom O'Bedlam ..... Carl Prekopp
Nicky Bodkin ..... Gwilym Lee
Zachary Hawkins ..... James Lailey

Producer/Director ..... Marion Nancarrow.

Lovely story.

[Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remembered loving this book as a child and was thrilled when I found it. Having said that, I actually remembered very little of the plot. I did enjoy re-aquainting myself with this world, and enjoyed the characters and the images of that period of history and the places they toured. I don't know whether I will be able to interest modern day children in it - I think books written more recently have more action and less description. Will I read it again - certainly. Would I recommend it? Yes, to people who like gentle plots and historical settings. Quite possibly wasted on children!

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I am dense, I read this mistakenly after having intended to read Marian Magoon's Little Dusty Foot, which is set in the time of Charlemagne. This book is instead set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, which is yet to come in this year's history studies. Ah well - it was enjoyable nevertheless.

It is about strolling players and we get to travel the roads of England with occasional encounters (one with Sir Walter Raleigh) and also tales from history. Sutcliff is a great writer who can put together sentences that are glorious to read aloud.

Illustrations by Walter Hodges are predictably wonderful. Probably would benefit from a map that shows the paths between the cities and villages that are visited.

Happy to have read this, but now I guess I'll have to wait a couple of years before getting to Magoon's (earlier) book of similar title.

[Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't think it possible, but Sutcliff had at least one poor book. I likely would have given it 3 stars for another writer, but I expect high quality from Sutcliff! This book was....precious. Phrases such as "dear little" abound in this story. The ending relies on complete coincidence after an unlikely sighting by the enemy and quick work by Hugh's friends to protect him. I started this at work which is why it took so long to read. There was an unnecessary scene that was a tear jerker, but it all ended happily with the dog finding his way back to his beloved owner. Again, definitely on the precious side of writing. I DID enjoy the various English legends mentioned in the story.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never read this before. I was charmed by it and I loved the references to a couple of her other early books which I had read. Young Walter Ralaegh was a hoot. I have read most of Rosemary Sutcliffs's later books and loved them. This is well worth reading if you have liked her other books.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really one of her best I'd say! A bit more light- hearted than some of her YA historical fiction novels. I never read this one as a kid; glad I read now!

[Rtrv2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of my favourite books by Sutcliff. The plot wanders around without really going anywhere, but the descriptions of the countryside are nice, and it features a lot of "Puck of Pook's Hill"-style encounters with characters from history and legend.

I noticed that it is one of her earliest books, so perhaps it was written before she found her usual formula. It's the second-worst Sutcliff I have read, the worst being one that was set in the bronze age and was about a boy looking for a missing sheep (I can't remember the title).

Which being said, this one is still worth the read if you are a Sutcliff fan!

[Katharine · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I really thought I’d read this but it turned out that I hadn’t. One of the author’s early books so much lighter in tone than her later ones though the darkness is starting to creep in round the edges. These earlier books have an endearing sweetness and note of magic to them that make for a very comforting read. A lovely end of year pleasure to find a Rosemary Sutcliff novel I hadn’t read.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike much of Sutcliff’s historical fiction, this book is meant for a young audience. Hugh, a boy fleeing abusive relatives, ends up joining a troupe of traveling performers. As they travel, they run into normal issues such a troupe might have as well as some strange events and historical figures. I was swept along though and did want to know what was going to happen, especially to Argos, the dog. The book has a satisfying conclusion, but I really wish there had been an epilogue.

[Charise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in almost one sitting with my own collie curled up beside me. Having him beside me made the sections with Argos all the more gripping and emotional, I'd also run away with nothing but my dog to save him if necessary!
This book would be perfect for 8 -12 year olds, wholesome, beautifully written and characters that were very easy to feel attached to.

[Ness Kingsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet, episodic tale of a runaway and his adventures on the road.

[Bernadette Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

She writes so simply and so beautifully.

[Luiz Felipe Iagalo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like reading a Miyazaki movie...

[Elizabeth Scheller Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminded me so much of the Joliffe the Player Series by Margaret Frazer. Thank you Internet Archive for having this book and making it available.

[Diego · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this was an good book. In this book Hugh and his dog Argo run away to the town of Oxford on his way there he runs into a group of puppeteers. Hugh decides that he will join them and he soon learns what it is like to be one of them while they all make their way to oxford. This book was really good because it wen by fast. It is not a descriptive book that is slow. I enjoyed this because it went along very quickly. I recommend this book for people that want a book to go by fast and not for people that like very detailed books.

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author has a very interesting writing style. And it's kind of cool the different things about the culture she puts in with a nice explanation, but not as though the reader actually never heard of them (even when I hadn't).

[Derek Lux · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was good, but it is not my type of book. It was also kind of difficult to read some the vocab that was included in the book.

[Margareth8537 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable way to learn about Elizabethan theatre

[Doodles McC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great period piece - story from my beloved author I loved as a child, Good for 12 year old girls

[Masha · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Croatian translation: Prašni bratac.