Fotografía de autor

Ruth Elwin Harris

Autor de The Silent Shore

5 Obras 321 Miembros 5 Reseñas 4 Preferidas

Series

Obras de Ruth Elwin Harris

The Silent Shore (1986) 106 copias
The Beckoning Hills (1987) 73 copias
The Dividing Sea (1989) 69 copias
Beyond the Orchid House (1994) 68 copias

Etiquetado

Conocimiento común

Fecha de nacimiento
1935
Género
female
Nacionalidad
UK
Lugar de nacimiento
Bristol, UK

Miembros

Reseñas

I see this compared to Anne of Green Gables... I agree, and, that's a strike against it, for me.  I also see that others say the start is slow... I agree.  They say it picks up as Sarah grows older, during the War years... but I want to read of her childhood....  Well, anyway, I have decided to give up, on p. 105 of 288.  Just not my thing, sorry.
 
Denunciada
Cheryl_in_CC_NV | 3 reseñas más. | Jun 5, 2016 |
The first of four novels devoted to the lives and adventures of the Purcell sisters - Sarah, Frances, Julia and Gwen - who grow to adulthood in the shadow of Somerset's Quantock Hills, The Silent Shore is told from the perspective of the youngest sister, Sarah. In fact, in the United States the book has been published as Sarah's Story, and that's just what it is, following Sarah from the time of her mother's death, in 1910, through her years being raised by her sisters (as well as the family maid, Annie), to the day she is ready, as a young woman, to go off to study at Oxford. In between is happiness and heartbreak, as Sarah studies under the tutelage of the Purcells' neighbor, and the village Rector, the Rev. Mackenzie; is wrapped up in the Purcells' complicated relations with the Mackenzie boys; endures the tragedy of World War I, and the loss it brings to her family circle; and comes to terms with the fact that, unlike her sisters, she is not an artist, and must follow another path.

Starting out in a quiet - one almost might say, slow - fashion, with the aftermath of Mrs. Purcell's death, The Silent Shore felt immediately authentic, and completely convincing, to me. Sarah's concerns, and her perspective, are genuinely those of a seven-year-old, which I appreciated. I also appreciated the fact that, as Sarah grows, her narrative seems to widen and deepen. Her love for Gabriel, the eldest Mackenzie boy - himself deeply in love with Frances - her friendships with Antony and Geoffrey Mackenzie, her gradual awakening to her own calling as a writer and a scholar: all were deeply satisfying themes within a larger story that was itself very satisfying. I did feel that, with the exception of Frances, the other two Purcells - Julia and Gwen - don't really come alive, but then, I guess I will have to read their books! In sum: a work I would recommend to anyone who enjoys quality historical fiction, or emotionally resonant family stories. Those with an interest in the relationships between sisters will find it particularly appealing, I think!
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2 vota
Denunciada
AbigailAdams26 | 3 reseñas más. | Jul 18, 2013 |
The Silent Shore is the first book in a quartet about four sisters who live near the Quantock Hills in Somerset. The Purcells are orphaned by their mother's death in 1910. Seven year old Sarah is younger than her sisters - or any of their guardian's family, the Mackenzies. The older Purcells are artists and painters, more interested in art than traditional education, but Sarah is bookish and academic. She has lessons (including Latin and Greek) with Mr Mackenzie and his youngest son, climbs trees, and lies around reading books and eavesdropping on the others' conversations. Her mostly-idyllic childhood is changed by the outbreak of WWI.

The Silent Shore is poignant and picturesque. It has an artist's eye for detail - and I imagine many scenes as if they were one of France's paintings, with the light, seasons and weather all being important. It captures a landscape - Hillcrest and its garden, the villege, the Quantock Hills beyond, as well as an era - the 1910s and (some of) the ramifications of WWI.
But mostly, it is about the Purcells and the Mackenzies, and more particularly, Sarah's experiences of growing up and trying to make sense of the world.

The subsequent books in this quartet cover a similar time-frame to The Silent Shore, but from the perspective of one of Sarah's sisters. Since the Purcells all have quite different experiences of WWI and these books are about relationships, characters and characters' reactions to events, rather than those events themselves, reading all the books together is like putting the pieces of a jigsaw together.
So while The Silent Shore stands on its own, perhaps what I love most is how it is in dialogue with its sequels. Together they paint a much bigger picture. I can't think of anything else quite like them.
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Herenya | 3 reseñas más. | Dec 21, 2012 |
The Beckoning Hills is the second book in a quartet about four sisters, who are orphaned by their mother's death in 1910, and the impact World War I has on their lives. The Beckoning Hills is about the oldest sister, Frances, who is 17 when her mother dies. Frances is determined that she and her sisters be allowed to remain in their family home, Hillcrest, near the Quantock Hills in Somerset. She's also determined to go to art school.
Her single-minded ambition to be a painter puts her at odds with others - if not her generally understanding sisters, then the family of their guardian, the Mackenzies. Mrs Mackenzie is disapproving, and while Frances becomes friends with the Mackenzies' eldest son, she and Gabriel do not always agree. (This feels like a slight understatement.)
And then war breaks out, and threatens to turn all their lives upside down.

I absolutely love this story, about growing up, a young woman's determination to remain independent and be an artist, and WWI. The entire quartet is about the ramifications of WWI on two families and their surrounding community, but The Beckoning Hills is also about Frances reconciling with her own role (or perhaps, lack thereof) during the war and the choices she's made.
"The whole world goes up in flames but never mind, Frances Purcell paints on. A bit like Nero, isn't it?"

I would say that this is my favourite (it's the one I've reread the most), but it is ultimately impossible to truly separate the four books. There is a lot of overlap between them - the first three all begin during 1910 - but although they cover some of the same events, the sisters ultimately have very different experiences of the war (experiences they do not always share with each other!) and each book focuses on different aspects of life at Hillcrest. Furthermore, these books are about relationships, characters and characters' reactions to events, rather than those events themselves. Part of what makes this quartet so wonderful is how reading them is like putting the pieces of a jigsaw together. I can't think of anything else quite like them.
The Beckoning Hills certainly stands on its own - all of them do - but the four books together paint a much bigger picture.
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Herenya | Feb 10, 2011 |

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Estadísticas

Obras
5
Miembros
321
Popularidad
#73,715
Valoración
3.9
Reseñas
5
ISBNs
24
Idiomas
2
Favorito
4

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