Ruth Elwin Harris’s Followers (23)

Ruth Elwin Harris

Born

Bristol, England, The United Kingdom

Genre

Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction

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Ruth Elwin Harris says that her historic quartet of novels, THE SISTERS OF THE QUANTOCK HILLS, had its beginnings while she was growing up during World War II. To escape the wartime bombing, she and her brother were sent to live with their grandfather in rural Somerset, England. His house and garden became the model for Hillcrest, the Purcell sisters' family home in the four-part series.

Another influence came later, when Ruth Elwin Harris emigrated to Canada at the age of twenty-one . "There was no such thing as e-mail then," the author says, "and the telephone was rarely used -- it was expensive and calls had to be booked. Letter writing was the way we kept in touch. Friends and family wrote often, and I was amazed at how accounts of the Ruth Elwin Harris says that her historic quartet of novels, THE SISTERS OF THE QUANTOCK HILLS, had its beginnings while she was growing up during World War II. To escape the wartime bombing, she and her brother were sent to live with their grandfather in rural Somerset, England. His house and garden became the model for Hillcrest, the Purcell sisters' family home in the four-part series.

Another influence came later, when Ruth Elwin Harris emigrated to Canada at the age of twenty-one . "There was no such thing as e-mail then," the author says, "and the telephone was rarely used -- it was expensive and calls had to be booked. Letter writing was the way we kept in touch. Friends and family wrote often, and I was amazed at how accounts of the same incidents and people were often so different."

Years later, when Ruth Elwin Harris sat down to tell the story of the orphaned Purcell sisters, she remembered those letters and their different viewpoints and incorporated the idea into her writing. Each book has a different sister as heroine, and the story is told from that sister's point of view. "It was strange how partisan I became," the author says . " When I was writing SARAH'S STORY, the first in the series, I became very indignant about the way Frances was behaving, yet when I came to write about the same incidents in FRANCES'S STORY Frances's behavior seemed to me absolutely logical and right."

Ruth Elwin Harris won writing competitions as a schoolgirl, and also dramatized a children's novel for a school production. Before starting on the Quantocks series she wrote short stories for the British Broadcasting Corporation and for magazines. While researching the background for JULIA'S STORY, she came across a collection of family letters in the Imperial War Museum in London, which resulted in her only nonfiction book, BILLIE: THE NEVILL LETTERS 1914-16.

The author enjoys gardening ("very good for working out writing problems in one's mind"); music, particularly opera; traveling; and, of course, reading. She lives with her husband in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England.
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Ruth Elwin Harris’s books

Average rating: 3.94 · 886 ratings · 84 reviews · 9 distinct works • Similar authors

	Sarah's Story 3.82 avg rating — 311 ratings — published 1986 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Frances's Story by Ruth Elwin Harris, Rebecca Floyd (Illustrator) 4.04 avg rating — 211 ratings — published 1987 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Julia's Story 4.13 avg rating — 191 ratings — published 1989 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Gwen's Story 3.84 avg rating — 172 ratings — published 1994 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Billie: The Nevill Letters: 1914-1916: Billie: The Nevill Letters: 1914-1916 it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 1991 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sociological Views on Political Participation in the 21st Century (Research in Political Sociology, 10) by Ruth Elwin Harris, Betty A. Dobratz, Timothy Buzzell 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2002	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Julia across the sea (3 daughters of Hillcrest) (1992) ISBN: 4001155206 [Japanese Import] 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Dividing Sea 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Billie - The Nevill Letters 1914-1916 by Ruth Elwin Harris (1991-09-05) by Ruth Elwin Harris, Unknown Author 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars