My book review of 'The Great Godden' by Meg Rosoff
This latest novel from a much-loved author is aimed at the 'young adult' readership but will also appeal to adults who are not quite so young.
Set in a landscape that's reminiscent of both the Suffolk coast and Cape Cod in the US, it is a nostalgic yet contemporary account of a family spending one summer together.
Sparsely written yet beautifully evocative of that timeless, magical period we can all recall when the sun always shone, life was all about the next swim, and there was a new realisation of aspects of life and love previously unknown.
Our nameless narrator tells of how two sides of a family gathered together in a holiday home by the sea. They were joined by two boys, one is charismatic, the other surly. Both play a part in the momentous events of that one summer.
This book is perfect for a long, hot afternoon in the garden. You'll devour it in one sitting, and you'll reach the final page wanting to start it all over again, lost in the lives of the characters you've just met
It reminded me of two other coming-of-age novels, the classic 'I Capture the Castle' by Dodie Smith, and 'We Were Liars' by E Lockhart, so these might be two more books to pick up for a summer's afternoon's reading!
