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22nd out of 100 books
—
8 voters
Bilgewater
by
Jane Gardam
Growing up in a boys' school where her father is housemaster, Marigold is convinced of her own plainness and peculiarity. Ripe for seduction by the wrong sort of boy, Marigold suffers comically in her pilgrimage through adolescence.
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
May 6th 2001
by Abacus Books
(first published 1977)
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Jan 28, 2012
Bettie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Bettie by:
Overbylass
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
1 like · like · see review
view all 3 comments
You can read more reviews at my blog, The Armchair Librarian.
Help! Help! I'm trapped in a James Joyce knockoff!
You know what's cool about being a classic? You can be as insipid and cliche ridden as you please, but because you're a classic, you can get away with it.
Bilgewater takes place in the 1970s. It is about the daughter of a housemaster of an all boys' boarding school. Do you smell a rude and awkward tale of sexual awakening coming up? I do!
The girl's name is Marigold but for reasons I forg...more
Help! Help! I'm trapped in a James Joyce knockoff!
You know what's cool about being a classic? You can be as insipid and cliche ridden as you please, but because you're a classic, you can get away with it.
Bilgewater takes place in the 1970s. It is about the daughter of a housemaster of an all boys' boarding school. Do you smell a rude and awkward tale of sexual awakening coming up? I do!
The girl's name is Marigold but for reasons I forg...more
1 like · like · see review
Jul 26, 2010
Hallie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Hallie by:
Hirondelle
This was just lovely. The wild eccentricity of most of the characters, with as Hirondelle said, a surreal edge, could have made for incredibly uncomfortable reading. But the book seemed to me to steer a very nicely balanced path between sentimentality (which was always avoided) and the kind of harsh humour that makes you feel kind of guilty for laughing (which was also avoided). I can't think of that many books that manage to do this, though I suppose I can't think of many books even remotely li...more
1 like · like · see review
This is a wonderful book that shows the truth of adolescence - gawky, uncertain, and full of rapid emotional hairpin turns, even as it takes place in slightly surreal circumstances.
Marigold Green (nicknamed Bilgewater) is the daughter of a widowed headmaster at an English boarding school in the 60s. She's surrounded by barely functional academics, whose other-worldliness leaves her woefully unprepared to be an teenaged girl. And yet, she finds her way through, finds herself and eventually trium...more
Marigold Green (nicknamed Bilgewater) is the daughter of a widowed headmaster at an English boarding school in the 60s. She's surrounded by barely functional academics, whose other-worldliness leaves her woefully unprepared to be an teenaged girl. And yet, she finds her way through, finds herself and eventually trium...more
I looked for this book after hearing it discussed in a BBC Podcast, and I am so glad I did. It is a lovely story of a young girl brought up in an almost exclusively male home environment, at a time in her life when she is changing from a child to a young adult. She has no feminine grace, no idea of how to behave or dress, and at school is seen as odd and sometimes stupid. One of the reasons this gentle story appeals to me is that I recognise elements of my own life: insecurities, lack of 'cool'...more
Apr 21, 2013
Sally Whitehead
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-read-in-2013
I am clearly missing something here because the majority of the reviews for this book are really positive.
Quaint, quirky and eccentric?
Sorry, all I got was stylistically irritating prose about an utterly alienating cast of one dimensional characters.
It all felt a bit like those times I have had the misfortune of hearing Sarah Kennedy on the radio talking about her utterly unrelatable lifestyle.
Lovely I imagine, if you like that sort of thing. Not for me.
Quaint, quirky and eccentric?
Sorry, all I got was stylistically irritating prose about an utterly alienating cast of one dimensional characters.
It all felt a bit like those times I have had the misfortune of hearing Sarah Kennedy on the radio talking about her utterly unrelatable lifestyle.
Lovely I imagine, if you like that sort of thing. Not for me.
Just got this book back from a friend. While I don't recall many details, I do remember liking the main character quite a lot (a motherless girl circa 16 years, struggling to fit into her own skin).
Second book read in Seefeld on holiday.Really enjoyed this. Set where I grew up but also rather poignant ending. Passed it on to my daughter as I think she will identify with the main character.
I fall in love with Gardam's characters. Again.
Lovely book, really funny in a dour way and characters that you really care about. Bilgewater is the quintessential awkward, confused 70s teenager -- bright but spotty, infuriating but likable. A little reminiscent of 'I Capture the Castle'. Bilgewater's castle is the school where her father is a housemaster. I really enjoyed this, most of it. But why oh why do all British books post 1960 have the mandatory dose of sordidness? YAs don't have to have it rammed down their throats, let them hang on...more
A very funny, clever novel.
Wonderful book
What can I say? I think Jane Gardam is an amazing writer. And this book perfectly captures the angst of a bookish teenager. Loved it.
This was my first read by this author. It was OK, the characters a bit eccentric and not entirely believable, particularly the Marigold (Bilgewater). A light quick read, I would not be put off reading another book by this author but will not be rushing out to find more.
Jul 06, 2010
Hirondelle
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult,
literature
I was totally charmed, without expecting to, by this book. A growing up story, a bit like I Capture the Castle but different, slightly surreal and perhaps a more opaque read. But so lovely.
Slightly spoilerish, I am tremendously confused by when the main action is supposed to take place, 1970 really?
Slightly spoilerish, I am tremendously confused by when the main action is supposed to take place, 1970 really?
Charmingly predictable.
Marigold is the bright (but dyslexic) daughter of a housemaster in a boys' school. The book is about her teenage years, her growing awareness of how other people live, and her honest thoughts. Oddly written in places, but enjoyable anyway.
I liked it, but it's not as pulled together or easy to follow as "A Long Way from Verona", which I loved. Has a smart and quirky teenage heroine, set in Great Britain some years back.
This is one of Nancy Pearl's favorite books, and while I enjoyed it, and love Gardam, it didn't knock my socks off.
Jane Gardam writes powerful, evocative, heartfelt and aching stories of loneliness.
This was an unusual book and I enjoyed it because of that
May 12, 2013
Merrie
marked it as to-read
May 02, 2013
Candice Mclean
marked it as to-read
Apr 30, 2013
Chandler
marked it as to-read
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Jane Mary Gardam OBE is a British author of children's and adult fiction. She also reviews for the Spectator and the Telegraph, and writes for BBC radio. She lives in Kent, Wimbledon and Yorkshire. She has won numerous literary awards including the Whitbread Award, twice. She is mother of Tim Gardam, Principal of St Anne's College, Oxford. Jane has been awarded the Heywood Hill Literary Prize for...more
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“The astounding thing about Paula is that she looks like Tess of the D´Urbervilles, and she sounds like Tess of the D´Urbervilles, and she thinks like Tess of the D´Urbervilles and yet she is so different from Tess of the D´Urbervilles. I expect she comes from a different part of Dorset.”
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