Tom's Midnight Garden is a children's novel by Philippa Pearce. It won the Carnegie Medal in 1958, the year of its publication. It has been adapted for radio, television, the cinema, and the stage, and it a worthy addition to these wonderful children's books that I am listing. Having read it as part of an Open University Course on Children's Literature, it was one book that I wished I had written.
The book is regarded as a classic, but it also has overtones that permeate
other areas of Pearce's work. We remain in doubt for a while as to who
exactly is the ghost; there are questions over the nature of time and
reality; and we end up believing that the midnight garden is in fact a
projection from the mind of an old lady. These time/space questions
occur in other of her books, especially those dealing with ghosts. The
final reconciliation between Tom, still a child, and the elderly Hatty
is, many have argued, one of the most moving moments in children's
fiction.
7 comments:
I had forgotten this book! Thanks for the memory, Carole.
Lovely, it's great to find something you'd long forgotten, isn't it, Glynis :0)
Yes. I remember 13 O'clock and a pretty garden. I must read the book again!
It is so cleverly written, Glynis, and the description of their skating on the river is breathtakingly lovely.
Isn't that cover super adorable Carole! Makes me want to read it again.
Denise
I do return to old favourite's Denise, and as a children's author I learn so much.
It took me a while to discover this book. I think I was in University when I first read it - and loved it!
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