I found this Noel Streatfeild novel hard to put down. Maybe it's because I love British writers, or perhaps it's the time period, it was published in 1936.Great Uncle Matthew, GUM they call him, lived in London. Sylvia, his niece ran his home. GUM traveled all over the world a great deal. Upon his travels and on three different occasions he brought home three orphaned baby girls. Pauline, Petrova, and Posy.
GUM, once again took off to travel. This time he informed Sylvia he would be gone longer then usual and left her money enough for five years. Five years came and went and no letter or sign of GUM reached them. They were on the brink of poverty. Sylvia decided to take in boarders.
One of these boarders worked for Madame Fidolia's School of Dance. She said the school would take the girls no charge. Payment would come when the girls reached twelve (the legal age to perform on stage). The school would get a percentage of their earnings.
The girls enrolled. Pauline, excelled in acting and played many roles on stage. Petrova, did well in dance but disliked it very much, pretending to love it because she knew her family needed the money. Posy, excelled in ballet and for the first time in the history of the school, was taken by Madame herself to be trained exclusively.
This sounds like a great book. I'm going to look for it. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I started the book last night. Style is reminiscent of that time period.
ReplyDeleteYes, I love reading period novels. You really get a window into the time. Although, I'm sure you will agree, you get a window into the past with Richard Peck, and he wasn't there. Now that's a gift! Someday...
ReplyDeleteYep. Richard Peck does give you a window into the past. I love reading A Year Down Yonder, A Long Way From Chicago, and Teacher's Funeral. I read Ballet Shoes and it reminded me a little of C.S.Lewis.
ReplyDelete