The Castle on the Hill (by Elizabeth Goudge)

I have slowly been re-reading my novels by Elizabeth Goudge, interspersed with other books. A week or so back I picked up ‘The Castle on the Hill’, which I last read in 2007 I did not remember much about it, other than three characters: a Jewish street musician, and two small sisters, one of whom loved the book ‘Peter Rabbit’.

I had entirely forgotten the main protagonist, Miss Brown. She is forty-two and never uses her first name. She is efficient, responsible and loyal, but when we meet he...