Things that fire my imagination…2. Novels.

Some of my very well worn books!

My favourite reads as a child and teenager.

Watership Down.

I read this book over and over again until the cover fell off and was captivated by the tale of these brave rabbits. It was also a good early lesson in how not to behave towards the fellow creatures who share the earth with us.

The Chronicles of Narnia.

A childhood must! Like many children, I discovered The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe first although it was The Magicians Nephew I adored. It explains how the whole story begins, but I think my favourite book was The Dawntreader because as ever, I was hooked by a tale of sailing on the sea.

Ballet Shoes.

I could relate to this on so many levels. I was a stage school child, learning to sing, dance and act as Pauline, Petrova and Posy were and was fascinated by the house on Cromwell Road where the children and the tenants lived, especially the retired English teachers. This setting had a strange parallel with my next favourite childhood story.

The Hobbit.

I discovered this story whilst rehearsing for the London stage production of Annie. All the children were required to do three hours of school lessons at the theatre during the rehearsal day and we had wonderful tutors to oversee this. I remember Helen who read us this novel and straight away I was hooked; I realized I was lucky to be benefiting from another style of teaching in addition to that in my own school.

Lord of the Rings.

Where the Hobbit goes, the Lord of the Rings must follow and my brother gave this book to me when I was nine, a little young perhaps but I couldn't wait to see what happened to Bilbo next and dived in. I loved this tale so much that even whilst on the Caribbean island of St Thomas with my parents I wanted to take it to the beach with me to read. My mother said no, assuring me that once I saw the paradise to which were were going I would have no desire to spend time with my book. To be fair, she was right.

Flambards.

This series of books introduced me to a world of English country life in the years before the First World War and to how a young girl of that time might navigate the world in which she found herself; I adored all four books despite the hunting theme, which I am opposed to.

A Traveller in Time.

The first period in history which began to interest me was the sixteenth century, in particular the life of Mary Queen of Scots. This novel had the appeal of a girl stepping back in time to the 1580's and Wingfield Manor where the Babington plot took place and helped open the door to a more serious study of Tudor history.

Wuthering Heights.

For my English O Level, it was actually Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall that was set and introduced me to the famous sisters of Haworth. I enjoyed Anne's novel and passed my English language and literature O Levels a year early so for my last year at school I had these periods free. During those hours I decided I would see what Charlotte and Emily had produced and like so many others cried for poor orphaned Jane Eyre, but found Emily's tale utterly captivating. I read Wuthering Heights many times, following Heathcliff and Cathy up to the moors in my imagination.

The Canterbury Tales.

My interest in history was extending backward in time during my mid teens and after reading Anya Seton's novel about Katherine Swynford, mistress then wife of John of Gaunt I decided to give the famous Chaucer tales a go. I won't deny I found them hard work, but enjoyed them when I managed to concentrate hard enough!

Brave New World.

I confess I saw a TV adaptation of this story which prompted me to read the book, a strange and disturbing futuristic novel that was not my usual fare but I enjoyed entering into the world that Aldous Huxley created.

Jamaica Inn.

Cornwall was not a place I had had much to do with, but after reading Jamaica Inn I started to petition that we go there on holiday, eager to see the strange wild world that had so captivated Daphne du Maurier. Another great favourite of her novels was The House on the Strand with its time travelling gothic elements.

Gone with the wind.

Well, if you’re only ever going to write one novel, read 'Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm…' and you’re away. Margaret Mitchell drew me into the old South of her memories and handed down tales effortlessly. The book opened the door to the study of the history of the American Civil War, aided by Ken Burns' 1990 masterpiece TV series.