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Monica Edwards! books

34 replies

JPinkertonSnoopington · 24/01/2018 20:39

Having seen threads on here devoted to the Chalet School, I feel I will be understood when I say that I love Monica Edwards' books even though I am nearly 64 years old. Most of all, I love the depiction of happy, harmonious family life because mine was anything but. I had half a dozen of the books already and the remainder came to the forefront of my mind recently. I thought of those that I had lost and not been able to track down the last time I tried (some time ago).

Recently I posted about my mother deciding that I was "too old" for them any more, and throwing them away. It had taken me ages to track down some of them and I was bitterly upset and extremely angry. It made me feel that I didn't have any right to own anything or to make any kind of decision about my own life.

This week I went on to Amazon and found that the majority of the books were now available at fairly reasonable prices ( I hadn't known about girls gone by publishers before). So I ordered the bloody lot except for one which was eye-wateringly expensive and I now have a nice row of Monica Edwards books on my bookcase. (I have started reading Punchbowl Midnight). It is great to know that nobody is going to be coming into my home shouting the odds and chucking my belongings away. (I do read books other than Monica Edwards'!)

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Original poster
JPinkertonSnoopington · 27/01/2018 22:26

Yes, I saw the memorial to the fisherman. My mum was awful, she insisted on controlling every aspect of my life and I could not argue with her because she would hit me. When I got a bit older, I ran around with the hippies and dressed accordingly, sometimes making a garment from a charity shop find such as a little jacket and a velvet maxi skirt made out of an old curtain. Anything she particularly hated, she would cut it up. She would buy me the most horrible ghastly clothes from the market – think floral A line skirts and pastel coloured cardigans and a neat little blouse underneath. Oddly enough, in about 2003 this suddenly became the height of fashion and I was looking into teenage clothes shop windows and giggling.

My next favourite to the summer of the great secret is "No Going Back" which I originally borrowed from the inter library loan service, for which I worked. I also borrowed "the wild one" at a time when there was only one copy in the entire country. I was terrified of damaging or losing it and I was required by the agreement from the British Library only to read it at work.

I somehow missed out on Malcolm Saville as a child but I think I will get a couple as they sound like the kind of books I like.

Great to hear that today's children are enjoying Monica Edwards books as much as we do.

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Bowerbird5 · 27/01/2018 05:21

I've just cleaned and tidied all my books last week and have now started on my daughter's bookcase where I found a Monica Edwards and I put it in my pile of books to read. That was awful of your mother. I asked DD 26 to go through the books she has left at home and cull what she didn't want. I admit I then went and put some of the culled books back!
I am going to look for black Hunting Whip and read it. I listen to Yr 5 readers and they love me to recommend books. Some of them love spooky books so I'll read it and then take it for them to read. I have thenm reading some of the classics and they love them often reading the whole series. I go to the charity shops and buy them and found a shop recently in the next town selling them for 50 p there was Monica Edwards but that day I bought Michael Morpurgo x3 for £1:50!
Thanks for starting this thread😀 I am going to read the recommendations on here and pass them onto year five if suitable.

Witchend · 26/01/2018 08:14

Yes Malcolm Saville (where my username comes from "Witchend"). Roman one was Treasure at Amorys-set near Rye.

Black Hunting Whip is very spooky. Spirit of Punchbowl Farm is also spooky, but not quite as haunting.

Squirrel Envy

UnRavellingFast · 26/01/2018 00:13

Ah Malcolm Saville! Is that right? I loved those. The Roman one was extremely spooky- loved that. My mum lives on the borders of Shropshire and I always think of Peter and her old father at a sign that says something like witchend. I'm so glad I grew up without internet because I spent my life reading everything - I used to sit in a disused chicken shed to escape everyone else and just read.

Witchend · 25/01/2018 08:17

I love the line "...stink by London". I have been known to say it frequently when we're choosing fish.
My favourite probably is The White Riders-partially that was the first one I had, but I would be hard put to choose a second favourite. Possibly Storm Ahead-did you see the memorial for the lifeboat men?

Ds was put out that Jim and the ferry hut was no longer there.

We also went to look at The Gay Dolphin in Rye (Mermaid Inn) which is his favourite Lone Pine book. I (and ds had a lovely time) There's a Meryon Street/Road/Something in Rye too.

SquirrelWatcher · 25/01/2018 01:03

Ah I've got Joan Goes Farming somewhere at my parents house!

Original poster
JPinkertonSnoopington · 25/01/2018 01:00

Hi Witchend and unravelling - nice to meet some kindred spirits! I too have visited Rye Harbour and recognised the vicarage, the Martello tower and the William the Conqueror pub. I couldn't find Castle farm though, much to my disappointment. I heard that some of the Armada's were abridged, so avoided those and the Goodchild reprints which were "brought up to date" (quite unnecessary). My favourites is The Summer of the Great Secret both for the adventures with the fisherman turned smugglers and Tamzin participating in a film. "If it's mackerel it'll stink by London" was her one line and it has stuck in my mind as mackerel certainly is not a fish that keeps well.

I had to wait until I was 25 for my "wish for a pony " to be fulfilled and that brought me my wonderful old Ben who was seven when I got him and 24 when he had to be put down because he had metatastic cancer and there was nothing to be done for him. I still miss him although that was over 20 years ago. Just have to to hope he is waiting for me at the rainbow bridge!

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UnRavellingFast · 25/01/2018 00:24

I love them too. Black Hunting Whip is my favourite- very spooky! I am going to have to dig my old books out now Smile

Witchend · 24/01/2018 22:35

I love Monica Edwards books. they're what started me on book collecting when I read one of dm's (White Riders) and asked if there were more. She couldn't answer so I wrote to a children's book specialist and he sent me a full list.
I now have them all except Joan goes farming.
Dd2 and ds love them too.
Some of the armada versions are cut though, and the modernised Goodchild versions are quite disappointing compared with the originals.

I've been to Wrestling (Rye Harbour) and admired the Martello Tower, and looked at the outside of her vicarage, which is quite recognisable from some of the pictures in Summer of the great Secret, and visited the Punchbowl too (and peered over the gate at her farm).

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