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An evocative account of a childhood summer spent beside the sea in Norfolk by brother and sister, Eustace and Hilda.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
After studying the novel "The go-between" for my advanced subsidiary level earlier this year, I was pleasantly surprised to find that L. P. Hartley's fantastic talent in portraying adolescence and the issues related to this, is further enhanced through the novel "the shrimp and the anemone". The book, set in Edwardian times, centres around a nine-year old boy named Eustace. The opening scene provides the reader with a brief insight into his kind nature, as well as introducing his rather formidable sister, Hilda, who is three years his senior. Eustace is marvellously portrayed in the novel, and one can genuinely assume that there are broad parallels in this book with "the go-between". I throughly recommend that one reads "the go between" either before or after reading this novel since it compliments the book to a great extent. The shrimp and the anemone is a tale about growing up and the problems one faces. Hartley does well in writing this book since funerals and inheritance are not commonplace amongst the dilemnas which a young child has to face! The story developes and little twists emerge in the plot, subtlely, however as effective to the reader as could possibly be. A marvellous read for anyone who is interested in Hartley's work or even those who love to read about people and relationships. As well as providing a thoroughly enjoyable tale, Hartley gives one insights into the time in which the novel is set in, and so the issues of class differences, a rigid social hierarchy and the value placed on moral issues are underlying factors. A masterpiece in it's own right, although, in my opinion, even more so when viewed alongside the other masterpieces of LP.Hartley!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is a wonderful evocation of Edwardian life, full of finely drawn characters and descriptions of middle-class suburban life, the seaside and family relationships. But above all, it is a classic account of the distorted relationship between a brother and sister.
Eustace is a quiet, conscientious little boy whose natural subservience is unconsciously exploited by his older sister, Hilda. Always the leader, the arbiter, the instigator, her domination both forms and warps his character. Forced by her to approach the crippled invalid, Miss Fothergill, he initially balks but then obeys. To his dismay, he is then invited to tea and, imagining untold horrors if he is to see her veil-less and glove-less, he plays truant and joins a paper-chase with the elegant Nancy Steptoe. Inevitably, the outcome of this uncharacteristic rebellion is near disaster with Eustace, soaked to the skin, becoming dangerously ill.
After his recovery, a new and more successfull attempt is made to persuade him to visit Miss Fothergill and he then takes up the acquaintance with some enthusiasm. This leads to a reversal in his fortunes. We realise, however, that no matter how easy his future financial circumstances, his emotional life will always be on hold.
Eustace is a quiet, conscientious little boy whose natural subservience is unconsciously exploited by his older sister, Hilda. Always the leader, the arbiter, the instigator, her domination both forms and warps his character. Forced by her to approach the crippled invalid, Miss Fothergill, he initially balks but then obeys. To his dismay, he is then invited to tea and, imagining untold horrors if he is to see her veil-less and glove-less, he plays truant and joins a paper-chase with the elegant Nancy Steptoe. Inevitably, the outcome of this uncharacteristic rebellion is near disaster with Eustace, soaked to the skin, becoming dangerously ill.
After his recovery, a new and more successfull attempt is made to persuade him to visit Miss Fothergill and he then takes up the acquaintance with some enthusiasm. This leads to a reversal in his fortunes. We realise, however, that no matter how easy his future financial circumstances, his emotional life will always be on hold.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This classic tale continues to entertain and delight readers of all ages. It is set in Hunstanton, on the NW Norfolk coast, called Anchorstone in the novel, and fully conveys the fresh atmosphere of the English seaside of a century ago.
For the mature reader, a great deal of the novel's literary value lies in Hartley's ability to represent the child's mind, not only taken up with childish activities, but also casting puzzled glances into the adult world, encountering the elderly and the not-so-beautiful and struggling to understand adult concepts and conversation. Then there is the relationship between Eustace and his older sister, as she seeks to replace their dead mother and guide him in his growing up: a relationship which was meant to explain that of their later years; but frankly, the rest of the trilogy is something of an anti-climax. Better for most readers to go on and tackle his weightier masterpiece, "The Go-between".
For the mature reader, a great deal of the novel's literary value lies in Hartley's ability to represent the child's mind, not only taken up with childish activities, but also casting puzzled glances into the adult world, encountering the elderly and the not-so-beautiful and struggling to understand adult concepts and conversation. Then there is the relationship between Eustace and his older sister, as she seeks to replace their dead mother and guide him in his growing up: a relationship which was meant to explain that of their later years; but frankly, the rest of the trilogy is something of an anti-climax. Better for most readers to go on and tackle his weightier masterpiece, "The Go-between".
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