Clare Mallory (1913–1991)

Lynette Hope Oliver, known to all as Lintie, was an irrepressibly imaginative young girl, prone to getting in trouble for her storytelling and high spirits. The youngest senior at the somewhat drab St. Anne's Orphanage, the New Zealand girl hadn't a soul in the world who belonged to her, save her fellow orphans. When she joined the Hillingdon Club - a special children's section of the local newspaper, set up to encourage young people in writing and other forms of creative endeavor - she made new friends, earned some prize money, and made a name for herself as a writer. That name however, was Lynette Hope, as Lintie embarked on a double-life, determined not to let the authorities at the orphanage know what she was up to. Her earnings went toward supporting some of her fellow St. Anne's girls, in their various fields of interest, but her own dream remained the same: finding a family...

New Zealand children's author Clare Mallory - real name Winifred Constance McQuilkan Hall - published ten books from 1947 through 1951, nine of them school stories. The Two Linties, originally published in 1950, and the second to last of ten titles to come out, was the single non school-story, although school does figure in it. Nowhere near Mallory's best, it is nevertheless a sweet tale, featuring a winsome heroine with a positive, can-do attitude, and a distinctly unselfish character. I enjoyed reading Lintie's story, although perhaps not as much as I had expected to, given my great love of many of Mallory's other books. It's interesting to note that the author did write two other non-school-stories - Candy Neville and Anna ~ Charlotte - which were published posthumously in 2012 and 2016, respectively, as I think these hitherto unpublished manuscripts were in fact superior to The Two Linties. Leaving that aside, this was still quite enjoyable, and is one I would recommend to Clare Mallory fans, and to readers interested in vintage New Zealand children's fare, or in orphan stories.… (plus d'informations)

The friendship of second form schoolgirl Anna Greenwood with High School student Charlotte de Havilland, and the effect that this has on both, forms the crux of this powerful middle-grade novel from New Zealand children's author Clare Mallory. Desperately unhappy, after the arrival of spiteful, jealous new girl Gwensie Morrison, who successfully isolates her from the rest of her form, Anna is friendless at the beginning of the book. Her home life is similarly bleak, with a gentle but alcoholic father who must sometimes be fetched home from the racetrack, and a kind but mostly absent mother, working hard in the family shop to support them, and too busy to pay much attention to Anna and her troubles. Into this situation comes Charlotte, a girl who seems to lead a charmed life - beautiful, graceful, popular, well-clothed, a good athlete, a school prefect, and the possessor of a lovely home and a happy family - and the two become unlikely friends. Charlotte helps Anna with many things, from her poorly chosen and poorly kept clothing to her dismal social situation. She even effects a change in Anna's home, both inside and out. Slowly however, as Anna grows in confidence, it becomes apparent that the friendship is changing Charlotte as well...

Anna~Charlotte was written some time between 1949 and 1950, at the same time as Mallory's Candy Nevill, and, together with that story, remained unpublished in the author's lifetime, deposited as a typewritten manuscript at the Alexander Turnbull Library in New Zealand. Both were published posthumously by the small British press, Margin Notes Books - Candy Nevill in 2012 and Anna~Charlotte in 2016. This is the eleventh of Mallory's twelve published books that I have read - The Two Linties will be the final one - and like Candy Nevill, it ranks amongst my favorites, of her many wonderful books. I wondered, in my review of Candy Nevill, that no publisher decided to publish it at the time it was written, but with Anna~Charlotte I am not so surprised. I do not think I have ever read a book from this era (or before) that managed to combine so many of the charming elements of vintage girls' books - the school story elements, the friendships, the satisfying self-improvement narratives - with such a realistic, sympathetic and non-sensational depiction of bullying, family dysfunction, and alcoholism. This story addresses real problems, but it does not feel like a "problem novel," as they would come to be called, a number of decades later. Anna's misery is acute, and Mallory skillfully captures her sense of despair, and the deep depression into which she has fallen. She also captures Anna's simultaneous feelings of love and shame, when it comes to her father, and there were moments in the story where I found myself close to tears. According to the brief introduction from Jane Palmer and Lisa Migo, Mallory herself had to contend with a father who was an alcoholic, and no doubt that personal experience leant her story a great feeling of authenticity and pathos. Tellingly, although this is a hopeful book, and covers the year-long process whereby Anna's life improves, the issue of her father is left unresolved, and one gets the feeling that this was something that just had to be accepted, because it couldn't be changed, an attitude I think probably would not have made it into a contemporary story of this kind.

In any case, Anna~Charlotte was just a marvelous book - well-written, entertaining, engrossing, and emotionally involving. I am so very glad to have managed to track a copy down, and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys realistic middle-grade, whether vintage or contemporary. Sadly, given the fact that it really deserves a wider readership, it can be difficult to obtain, but if one does happen upon a copy, I highly recommend that they read it.… (plus d'informations)

Candy (Candida) Nevill was the youngest and seemingly least significant of the four Nevill children, being neither a talented sportsperson and a great social success like the twins, Mark and Roslyn; nor brilliantly gifted intellectually, like Bets (Mary Elizabeth). Her father, Dr. Nevill, valued achievement in his children, and while he wasn't unkind, it was clear that he wasn't sure what to make of the shy, awkward, non-achieving Candy, who was clumsy in games, and seemingly uninterested in her schoolwork. Candy's one area of interest - cooking - didn't particularly strike her family as an important one, although her contributions to the household chores certainly made home more pleasant for the entire family. Slowly, over many years, in school and at home, Candy gained greater confidence as a person, and grew in her culinary skill. She also demonstrated, time and again, far more important qualities than either good cookery or scholastic achievement. Namely: an honest, upright nature, and a kind and generous heart. In the end, these qualities were put to the test, and only afterward did the Nevill family realize how much their youngest member had sacrificed for them, and how her seemingly insignificant contributions had allowed the rest of them to shine...

Originally written from 1949 through 1950, while New Zealand author Clare Mallory (real name: Winifred Constance McQuilkan Hall) was living in London with her husband, Candy Nevill was never published in its author's lifetime. It remained as a type-written manuscript in her papers, until the London-based Margin Notes Books published it, in 2012. Thank goodness they did, as this is simply a marvelous book! I am amazed that no one wanted to publish it, especially in Mallory's own country, where the story is set. Engaging, entertaining, and ultimately heartwarming, this is a story of a child overshadowed by her elders, and underestimated by almost everyone in her life; a child who knows she isn't the best and brightest, but who always manages to do her best, when it comes to the activities she enjoys, and the people she loves. As Mr. Howard notes at the end, Candy has something even better than medals and prizes: she has a loving and generous heart. Although nothing like Candy when I was young myself, I entered wholeheartedly into her story, and was continually rooting for her. I loved reading about her different cooking adventures, her Saturday morning excursions with Bets, the ups and downs of her friendship with Ianthe Howard - in short, everything in the book was delightful. The conclusion, in which the Nevills finally really see her, is deeply satisfying, and is made all the sweeter, for both reader and heroine, as it is a reward that has been long-delayed. I found myself tearing up, while reading it.

Candy Nevill is the tenth children's novel I have read from Mallory, whose work I greatly enjoy, and it is the first of her two posthumously-published titles I have encountered. Unlike the earlier nine books, it is not a school story, although it is set partially at school, and has school story elements. Unexpectedly, given how much I have enjoyed the earlier titles, I think this is my favorite so far, of Mallory's books, which is saying something indeed! I found Candy a fascinating figure, partially because she is so very endearing, and partially because I am working on a fanfiction (my very first work of fiction, in a field entirely unrelated to this) that features a similar type of character. I was more emotionally involved with her story, than with any other Mallory character I have thus far encountered, and finished the book with a deep sense of satisfaction. Highly recommended, to anyone who appreciates well-written, entertaining, and emotionally satisfying middle-grade fiction.… (plus d'informations)

Tony (Antonia) Frensham goes to war against the prefects in this girls' school story from New Zealand author Clare Mallory, first published in 1949. Only recently come to Chillingham from a much smaller school, Tony is not used to the prefect system, and resents the authority of these older girls, especially Games Captain Gail Hamilton and Head Girl Jessica Carey. Matters are not helped by the fact that these two are strict disciplinarians and, in Tony's opinion, unjust in their punishments. Over the course of the term, Tony plays a variety of pranks on the prefects - serenading them outside their studies, organizing a pointed poetry reading that highlights each prefect's qualities, good or otherwise - and suffers a variety of punishments in consequence. On the hockey field, she slowly begins to develop an admiration for her seniors, and a better relationship seems to be in the offing, when a misunderstanding ruins everything. Will Tony finally go too far, in her desire for revenge...?

Tony Against the Prefects is the ninth book I have read from Mallory (real name: Winifred Constance McQuilkan Hall), who published ten books in her lifetime, and had two published posthumously. It was the last of her school stories I had yet to read, which makes its completion bittersweet, as I have greatly enjoyed all nine of her books in this genre, and regret that there are no more to be had. Still, I do look forward to reading her three other non-school stories, which I am sure will be just as charming. In any case, I found the narrative here engrossing (as always with Mallory's books), and vacillated in my sympathy, between Tony and the prefects. The latter seemed completely unreasonable at the beginning, more driven by pride and vanity, than a just concern for the rules, and I was all on Tony's side. In particular, the episodes where she and her cadre are punished, even though they have not technically broken any rules, struck me as terribly unjust - I too would have chafed at such authority as a youngster. Truth be told, I chafed at all authority as a youngster, but that's another story. Later in the book however, especially in the final episode, it was Tony's behavior that struck me as unjust, as she assumed that she had been betrayed, without any conclusive evidence. Perhaps this gets to the crux of the story: it isn't simply that Tony likes to defy authority, it's that she doesn't trust authority, which seems a perfectly reasonable attitude for someone who has, in her family life, suffered a great deal of benign neglect. The story, with its ups and downs, back and forth, is really about how she learns to trust and accept that her seniors, whether the prefects or the staff, are truly interested in her wellbeing, even when they don't act as she would wish them to do. All in all, a very engaging tale, one I would recommend to readers who enjoy the school story genre, or who are interested in vintage New Zealand children's fiction.… (plus d'informations)