Online Book Club Session 9

This online session moved us to the first Jillies book, Redshank's Warning.

A dozen of us met to share our enthusiasm for the Jillies and particularly Redshank's Warning, which proved to be several members' favourite non-Lone Pine book.

Some of our observations:

• We thought the opening chapters were especially strong. We enjoyed meeting this sophisticated family, who went out for dinner AND ate spaghetti (far from everyday occurrences in 1948). We also enjoyed the car journey with 'Benjamin'.
• The development of the characters and the children's relationships were really well drawn - they made a wonderful team!
• The flirtation between Mandy and Guy was compared to Penny and Jon's relationship.
• Tim is like Dickie - always hungry!p
• JD's character was greatly enjoyed.
• The strong sense of place was appreciated: the bird life, the nature and the moonlit descriptions, the magnificent church with its tower... The geography of Blakeney has changed since 1947. Patrick reminded us that there were no seals back then! Also, that the little dog could well have been injured by barbed wire left over from the war. Several members recalled Society trips to North Norfolk.
• The exact significance of the 'redshank's warning' to the plot wasn't completely clear. Patrick had counted 10 mentions of the redshank in the book. 
• First editions - and wartime editions - were shared.

So - does the Jillies series measure up to the Lone Pine series? 6 books written over a 5 year span meant there was no time for the children to grow older. The Ambermere Treasure didn't round off the series in the same way that Home to Witchend did. Maybe Saville intended to write more...

Changing times - what would a modern child make of sorting the  post, booking accommodation by contacting the local post office and sending telegrams?