REVIEW: The House of the Paladin
The House of the Paladin: Violet Needham, Collins, 1957
To enjoy this junior Ruritanian yarn, one has to be in a slightly forgiving mood. The story begins with a fifteen year old English boy drinking beer and contemplating spending the rest of his continental walking holiday alone. But if you’re willing to squash your ‘As if’ and go along with that wish-fulfilment, you’ll get a gripping and suspenseful story.
Hugh Vallance is the English schoolboy hero who is descended from a lesser Flavionian prince, drawn into adventure and intrigue centering around the eponymous House of the Paladin, really a castle on an island in the Duchy of Oronowitza (I don’t think any of the places referred to correspond to somewhere real and will therefore create a new tag ‘continental setting: ruritania’). A sinister marquis and a thoroughly decent English governess (even if Hugh is horribly patronising about her old maid status in his mind - at least she knows how to get clothes laundered, my lad) draw the boy into the plight of the orphaned duchess of Oronowitza. Tweleve-year-old Anastasia, recently orphaned/rid of an abusive father, is in grave danger. Her uncle is both her guardian and heir.
Decent Hugh, once he comes to see that she really is in danger, means to help, but apart from being English and good on the water, he has little to offer and really needs the assistance of a contemporary named Dick - a character who is adventurous enough to have a reputation and the alias of the Stormy Petrel. Anastasia has had a curious upbringing, is now under the control of a newly hired governess and sinister doctor hired by her uncle, increasingly isolated on her island for all her strength of personality and popularity among her people. Can the boys rescue her?
I found it involving, although I think I’d have benefited from knowing the backstories of the royalty and aristocrats that Hugh comes across. This is the first book by Needham that I’ve read.
As I said, there’s a lot of wish-fulfilment, but there’s also a nice balance between creating a tense atmosphere and remembering down-to-earth issues like timing. The plot is far more complex than in most children’s adventure stories and Anastasia’s position reminded me of that of heroines in romantic suspense novels, except she is even more vulnerable as a child. The story was satisfying enough that I didn’t get too riled by the English nationalism, attitudes towards class and chauvinism that are present. There was a sort of Bugsy Malone effect of having children, or young people, playing at roles that grown-ups more often fill.
Edited on 10/9/15.
This entry was originally posted at http://feather-ghyll.dreamwidth.org/92040.html. Please comment wherever you prefer to.
To enjoy this junior Ruritanian yarn, one has to be in a slightly forgiving mood. The story begins with a fifteen year old English boy drinking beer and contemplating spending the rest of his continental walking holiday alone. But if you’re willing to squash your ‘As if’ and go along with that wish-fulfilment, you’ll get a gripping and suspenseful story.
Hugh Vallance is the English schoolboy hero who is descended from a lesser Flavionian prince, drawn into adventure and intrigue centering around the eponymous House of the Paladin, really a castle on an island in the Duchy of Oronowitza (I don’t think any of the places referred to correspond to somewhere real and will therefore create a new tag ‘continental setting: ruritania’). A sinister marquis and a thoroughly decent English governess (even if Hugh is horribly patronising about her old maid status in his mind - at least she knows how to get clothes laundered, my lad) draw the boy into the plight of the orphaned duchess of Oronowitza. Tweleve-year-old Anastasia, recently orphaned/rid of an abusive father, is in grave danger. Her uncle is both her guardian and heir.
Decent Hugh, once he comes to see that she really is in danger, means to help, but apart from being English and good on the water, he has little to offer and really needs the assistance of a contemporary named Dick - a character who is adventurous enough to have a reputation and the alias of the Stormy Petrel. Anastasia has had a curious upbringing, is now under the control of a newly hired governess and sinister doctor hired by her uncle, increasingly isolated on her island for all her strength of personality and popularity among her people. Can the boys rescue her?
I found it involving, although I think I’d have benefited from knowing the backstories of the royalty and aristocrats that Hugh comes across. This is the first book by Needham that I’ve read.
As I said, there’s a lot of wish-fulfilment, but there’s also a nice balance between creating a tense atmosphere and remembering down-to-earth issues like timing. The plot is far more complex than in most children’s adventure stories and Anastasia’s position reminded me of that of heroines in romantic suspense novels, except she is even more vulnerable as a child. The story was satisfying enough that I didn’t get too riled by the English nationalism, attitudes towards class and chauvinism that are present. There was a sort of Bugsy Malone effect of having children, or young people, playing at roles that grown-ups more often fill.
Edited on 10/9/15.
This entry was originally posted at http://feather-ghyll.dreamwidth.org/92040.html. Please comment wherever you prefer to.