Listen to the Nightingale

Madame Holbein's #2

by Rumer Godden

When she wins a scholarship to a famous ballet school, Lottie, an orphan reared by the costume mistress for a London ballet company, is torn between her lifelong dream and her love for a newly adopted puppy

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, British Literature, School Stories, Young Adult

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Margaret Rumer Godden was an English author of more than 60 fiction and non-fiction books. Nine of her works have been made into films, most notably Black Narcissus in 1947 and The River in 1951.
A few of her works were co-written with her elder sister, novelist Jon Godden, including Two Under the Indian Sun, a memoir of the Goddens' childhood in a region of India now part of Bangladesh.

Reviews

[Infosifter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story with an old-fashioned vibe. I would recommend this for people of all ages who enjoyed books like The Little Princess or The Secret Garden. The characters are brilliantly written, which will not surprise fans of this highly talented author. Reading this now as an adult was a joyful experience, but I can't help wishing I had discovered this book when I was a preteen — I'm sure I would've loved it even more!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listen to the Nightingale and King of Shadows - my two favorite books when I was eleven. This one is buried near the bottom of my bookshelf, but a quick read of the book flap of Jepp, Who Defied the Stars, just the mention of the word "Infanta," motivated me to pull it out and reread it. And I still love it.

And now I see that it's second in a series, something I'd never known. I must hunt up the first book.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book almost as much as I love Thursday's Children by the same author. I didn't feel the need to reread it immediately, as I do with Thursday's Children, but I will certainly reread it again very soon. Another ballet book - a little girl who is accepted to the Royal Ballet School at Queen's Chase, but doesn't want to be separated from the puppy she rescued. The characters are so well written you feel as if you have really met them, even the minor ones. The ballet school and the teachers are the same as in Thursday's Children, although the other characters from that book do not appear - I'm not sure which one was written first. Very lovely read and also very re-readable.
April 2022 Re-reading.
December 2022 Re-reading.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the parts about the dog made me anxious, but it was all okay in the end!

This was very nice. I really liked that Charlotte kept her dancing and that it was shown to be important to her. I don't like the books that are about talented people who just want to be "normal." I'm reading the book because I want to learn more about the cool thing you do! I already know about "normal"!

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Godden is an excellent writer for both adults and children, and I especially love the quiet way religion appears in this book, in little snippets, such as saying a "Hail Mary" before an important audition, keeping a candle going before an icon, the Catholic wedding...if you didn't know you were looking for it, you'd never see it. I like books like that--not everything needs to be deeply religious, or set in a convent, but just that little backdrop makes it seem more home-y.

Only problem is I don't speak Italian, I wish that there had been translations when the characters spoke that language (although Godden, knowing her audience, did a good job of picking cognates). I just wish it had been longer!

[Felicity · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book even more than Candle to St Jude.

Lottie is auditioning for King's Chase Ballet school and she has her own set of trials and tribulations to face when she falls in with the wrong crowd.

A lovely ballet book which talks about how the arts industry can be a hot house and the strength of character and humility you need to survive it!

A perfect read for a busy week!

[Bethany]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I didn’t expect theft and forgery in the first few chapters. 😂 Also cringed over the charming and aggressive Salvador and how Lottie seemed to be scolded and judged more than he was for her “weak” response to his bullying. Even so, I found this to be a compelling story and did enjoy reading it. How many stars do you give that? 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming story that I would probably have adored at 10.

[Ines · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a sweet book

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listen to the Nightingale, what an odd title. It really didn't have the story I was expecting. However, when I finished the reading I understood. The story begins with a little girl named Lottie. She is 10 years old and her greatest dream is to enter a very distinguished, expensive Ballet school. The school is called Queen's Chase. Her recently departed ballet instructor wanted nothing more for her but to go to that school. In the final preparations she saves a stolen puppy. Instead of returning him to the pet shop she keeps him. The story then involves her meeting new people, deciding who are her real friends, confiding in teachers/family, and ultimately doing the right thing. Prince, the puppy, plays a role as well. He comforts a little girl who has a brace on her leg. She doesn't like walking but when she meets Prince she quickly takes him by the leash and begins to walk without thinking of what others will think of her.

While using this in my tutoring I asked the student if she knew what it meant to Listen to the Nightingale? In the beginning of the book it briefly suggests that listening to the nightingale was a phrase Madame's grandmother would say to her. This gives an opportunity for the student's do discuss what it means to them. Making inferences and conclusions of the story at the beginning may be hard for students. However, I believe this will benefit them to think about what it means. In the end, it is revealed as to what it means to Lottie and her family but what does it mean to you the student? We could make posters of the different parts of the story that we liked the best...and describe the lesson learned in that chapter. Lottie is growing up and although she is a good girl she does struggle to find the right path. This book will increase student's awareness to being kind friends as well as gain insight of the Ballet culture. A good example of the Ballet culture is the fact that the instructions are either in French or Italian. I could also show parts of the Nutcracker ballet to the students.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't have known it when I picked it up, but this was exactly the book I needed to read on the first day of the new year.

I will have to come back to this and give it a more helpful review at some point. For now I just want to say that if you haven't read A Candle for St. Jude, you should go read that first. If you have read that, this book will mean more to you.

[Alina White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Someone else described Rumer Godden's books as bittersweet, which is apt. This one wasn't as bitter as I was expecting, despite Mrs Cuthbert (ugh! that woman!) and Irene. I guess my main issue with Godden is that while there is obviously a lot of depth to her characters and her writing is beautifully spare, the story always seems a little remote, like hearing it from someone who heard it from someone else. Does that make sense?

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading childhood favorites as an adult, with this one I'm struck by how much jumping around Rumor Godden does. She's constantly giving us reactions from characters who hear about an event later or letting us in on what someone might have said or would have liked to have said. It's an interesting trick, and she does it all over the place.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful story that was perfect in so many ways, except for the way in which it made me absolutely sob buckets when Lottie had to leave behind her beloved dog! That was beyond heartbreaking, and it was only temporary!

[Wangũi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always spare time to listen to the nightingale!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of Rumer Godden but I saw hints of the books I love. Sweet and short. (it really didn't take me 4 days, I skipped a couple in between ;-)

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this children's book about a little girl who was training to be a ballerina.