24 in ’24 Challenge – Book 25 “An Episode of Sparrows” by Rumer Godden

Rumer Godden’s book An Episode of Sparrows is set just after WW2 in London where the rich and powerful live in neighbouring streets with the poor and struggling. The book tells the story of Lovejoy, a girl who has been neglected by her mother, who steals a packet of seeds and then makes a garden in the wreckage of war. It’s a short book but the author makes every word count and I found myself gripped by what appears to be a slight story.

The book contrasts the inhabitants of the square who have an enclosed, private garden and a Garden Committee with the efforts of Lovejoy and her companions Tip and Sparkey who have to beg, borrow and occasionally steal everything they need. The author is very realistic about the lives lived by Lovejoy and her companions in families struggling with debt and ill health. She contrasts these with the people who live in the square who are, in comparison, rich beyond belief but actually no more happy.

This is a book about hope and redemption. As the garden grows we see that things can be different for these children and that beauty can transform their lives. The man who parents Lovejoy has a restaurant that strives to be the best against all the odds because he thinks that good things are important. In the end it looks like all will fail but the author has a better ending in store for all her character, even the ones that we don’t really like.

I loved the way that the author told this story and how she seemed to get into the minds of all the characters but especially the children. I liked the way that she was clear that just because they were poor that her characters didn’t have to live without beauty or hope. I have read some of this author’s books previously (see my review of one I particularly enjoyed here) but I think that this is the best so far.