by Elizabeth Gouge
Beautiful, friendly little gem.
I thought it was a little too beautiful at times. The movie they made from this book changed the plot considerably--I like the book's plot better. The book's adversaries are "wicked" men who steal cattle and sheep from the decent, hardworking villagers. But in the movie, the wicked men are simply an estranged family who live by hunting and trapping. No mention is made of wickedness or theft.
But the movie kept the quirky characters nearly true to form--Maria, Loveday, Mrs. Heliotrope, Digweed and Wrolf are all there; and the moviemakers created the enchantment of Moonacre Valley with magic and inspiration. And you have to love Marmaduke, the dwarf, master chef and housekeeper who makes up for his small stature by his monumental vocabulary. Marmaduke is a hoot.
If I'd read it as a kid, I'd have been enchanted. And as usual, the story would have gone on in my head to places yet undiscovered, adventures unknown. What better praise can you give a book?
As soon as I finished, I gave my copy to the library. There was no point in it languishing on my shelves when it could be passed on to a kid who might love it as I would have.
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