Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters

by Lesley M.M. Blume

Eleven-year-old Cornelia is the daughter of two world-famous pianists—a legacy that should feel fabulous, but instead feels just plain lonely. She surrounds herself with dictionaries and other books to isolate herself from the outside world. But when a glamorous neighbor named Virginia Somerset moves next door with her servant Patel and a mischievous French bulldog named Mister Kinyatta, Cornelia discovers that the world is a much more exciting place than she had originally thought.

An unforgettable story of friendship and adventure that takes readers around the world and back again, Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters is a dazzling first novel by Lesley M. M. Blume.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Adventure, Childrens, Young Adult, Historical Fiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published July 11, 2006

About the author

Lesley M. M. Blume is an author, columnist and journalist. She did her undergraduate work at WIlliams College and Oxford University, and took her graduate degree in history from Cambridge University.
She now regularly contributes to Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal and Departures magazine.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was not at all what I expected. Even once I got into it, I thought I would/should like it very much. A neglected daughter of a famous pianist (who would hate that I just called her that!), Cornelia hides behind large words and dictionaries, wishing her mother would spend time with her instead of jetting off to various parts of the world to give concerts all the time. I appreciate intelligent, quirky young heroines and I hoped Cornelia would be no exception. However, for all her seeming maturity and self-possession, I often found her behavior discordantly juvenile, and at times too vindictive (for example, always taking her frustrations out on the housekeeper who seemed, as far as I could tell, a sympathetic and kindly person).

I expected the Somerset Sisters to be a group of girls who moved in next door to Cornelia. She could be like kind of like poor, caged Laurie from "Little Women" and the Somerset girls would be like the March sisters.

Actually, an elderly woman moves in next door. Virginia Somerset, the last surviving of four sisters, and her friend and butler Patel transform the New York apartment into tangible settings from Virginia's vibrant past. An Indian bedroom, an old English library, a Moroccan sitting room... As their friendship develops, Virginia shares her stories with Cornelia. She tells of the time in the late 1940s and early 1950s when she and her sisters traveled the world. The main stories involve Morocco, France, England and India--all places where Cornelia's mother is traveling.

I should have loved the Somerset sisters' stories. I love travel stories, and I love the time period. I love intelligent, fun-loving, daring women. But, I just didn't really like how the Somerset sisters came across. Too often I felt they flaunted local custom, then were offended (and sometimes behaved badly) when those whose rules they had broken got upset with them. The Somerset sisters were made to be the heroines, but sometimes I thought they were just troublemakers and should have behaved better. For example, it is one thing to feel strongly about women's equality--but it's another to behave badly as visitors to your father's men's club and get him kicked out of it--then have no remorse and feel it "was for the best" just because *you* didn't like the men and customs there. I much prefer Our Hearts Were Young and Gay: An Unforgettable Comic Chronicle of Innocents Abroad in the 1920s as a humorous (true!) story of two young ladies traveling Europe and getting in and out of scrapes while still managing to be polite and respectful (well, most of the time!)

I also felt the mother-daughter story didn't ring quite true. Lucy was so distant that the eventual (and I don't think this is much of a spoiler given that it seems pretty obvious from the beginning) reconciliation feels too sudden and forced.

I did love the wisdom and spirit of the elderly Virginia Somerset and her storyline was very touching. Even though I saw the end coming (and guessed the "surprise" gift left for Cornelia, too), it was still touching.

Too, I'm not quite sure to whom this book would appeal. While I am a huge fan of multi-generational stories, and I fully understand the fascination Cornelia had in Virginia's stories (children love to hear stories about people they know!), I am not sure that the average 8-12 year old will enjoy reading about four twenty-something women traveling in the 1950s.

All in all, the writing was decent and I was touched by the ending. But I never felt compelled to pick this up and actually ended up skimming Virginia's stories toward the end in my impatience to finish the book. So, three stars, but a bit of a let-down.

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although the book description for Lesley M.M. Blume's Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters sure does sound like a premise that would and really even should generally much appeal to me (with a neglected by her pianist mother bookish eleven year old girl befriending her elderly neighbour), I do with both sadness and frustration have to admit that for the most part author Lesley M.M. Blume's presented narrative has not really all that much if even at all spoken to me in a positive manner, that I have indeed found Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters neither truly engaging nor all that personally relatable (and yes, therefore not all that pleasant a reading experience either and by any stretch of my imagination).

For one (and yes indeed also first and foremost), while I can definitely understand and from my own personal experience even quite massively appreciate that the main protagonist of Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters, that young Cornelia Englehart is a loner, that she feels neglected by her mother but that she in fact would also much rather be solitarily reading than trying to make friends of her own age, far far too often, Cornelia's behaviour (and especially so in first half of Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters) has felt more than a bit overly juvenile for an eleven year old, and often more like a toddler with a long running and smouldering temper tantrum, in fact. And really, Cornelia's way of approaching and verbally poking nasty fun at the poor (and from what I am reading in Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters) generally kind and well disposed to her housekeeper with big words and scathing verbal abusiveness, this really does rub me the wrong way and certainly makes it difficult to actually see in Cornelia Englehart's character a genuine and authentic potential kindred spirit (for while I do understand and feel Cornelia's pain and that her off colour and rather harsh behaviour might well be a protective weapon for her, it is still quite too often majorly nasty, even unmannerly and really does make Cornelia Englehart appear as both annoyingly immature and really also not as not someone I would desire to have as a friend or even as an acquaintance, as yes, I would always be afraid of her sharpening her tongue on me via insults and acting "holier than thou" with her supposedly superior verbal skills).

And for two, while (after Cornelia befriends her elderly new neighbour Virginia Somerset) the many stories of especially travel and adventure the latter tells to Cornelia are certainly interesting to a point, the so-called audacious escapades of the Somerset sisters (from the book title) are also (in my opinion) and in fact really often not truly tales of simple adventure and daring but rather and too much so stories and accounts of four rich young women travelling alone, heedless of conventions and often deliberately flaunting culture and tradition, acting like entitled know-it-alls and never (or hardly ever) considering that their collective behaviours might be an affront and an insult to local customs and mores, basically using their wealth and influence to travel without much caring and considering the possible consequences. And indeed, with the Somerset sisters, their behaviour whilst travelling is to and for me often simply a case of tourists behaving badly or at least heedlessly and unappreciatively (and even though, I do happen to find the developing friendship in Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters between Cornelia Englehart and Virginia Somerset rather sweet and definitely a positive development for in particular Cornelia as a person, the nature of the presented travel tales and that there is hardly ever any criticism of this and of the four Somerset sisters by author Lesley M.M. Blume within the pages of Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters, this all does majorly and personally chafe, as I indeed do think that this rather condones and maybe even enables instances of travellers, of well-heeled and full of themselves tourists behaving badly and thoughtlessly).

And finally, while the ending of Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters is certainly touching enough (and yes, I do appreciate that Cornelia receives the late Virginia Somerset's dog as a parting gift from her so to speak), the entire scenario of Cornelia's mother after one quick meeting with Virginia Somerset suddenly no longer being an absent and uncaring parent to her daughter and embracing her motherhood and Cornelia as though this has always been the case, considering how totally absent and lacking in parental care and love Lucy is shown as being for almost the entire length of Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters, sorry, but that positive ending makes no logical sense whatsoever and feels at best unrealistically artificial and superimposed.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cornelia is the daughter of a famous pianist, Lucy. And, unfortunately for Cornelia, that's all anyone ever seems to care about. When she's invited over for a new play-date with a possible-new-friend, it's typically because the parent wants to find out what Lucy is like, or somehow befriend Lucy via Cornelia. Add to this the fact that Lucy is always traveling and never takes Cornelia with her, and that when Lucy is home she's often busy with her music, Cornelia decided to seek refuge in long, complicated, and rarely used words. They are her barrier -- if someone starts asking her too many questions about Lucy, Cornelia delves into a profusion of words that no one else can understand and it's not long before the conversation wanes.

So, when a new and fascinating neighbor (Virginia) moves in, Cornelia is thrilled to discover that Virginia is not only a lover of words, too, but a writer. And best of all, Virginia seems interested in Cornelia, and Cornelia alone - not her mother. So, Cornelia visits Virginia often, each time learning about some new and amazing adventure in a different country that Virginia and her three sisters had experienced when they were in their early twenties. Cornelia is fascinated by the stories, and little by little we wonder what effect they will have on her own life and relationships.

I think the book is well written. The prose is good and flows well, and I think Blume does have a nice way with words. But, sadly, there were several things about the book that just didn't sit right.

For one, I'm not really sure who this book would appeal to. I like the idea of kids enjoying tales about older girls traveling the world - and think it is possible. But there seemed little in these travels that would appeal to young readers. Even I found them a wee bit boring from time to time. And, there really wasn't very much with Cornelia herself. There was at the beginning and the end, but everything in between was very focused on Virginia, and I wonder if that would also lose some young readers' interest.

But, what really bothered me was the lack of responsibility and thoughtfulness in the book. For Cornelia's part, what bothered me the most was her disdain, and often downright rudeness, to her (in essence) nanny of several years. Could the nanny be a bit nosy or sometimes push in on Cornelia's privacy? Yes. But she was also one of the only people in Cornelia's life that tried to show interest in Cornelia's life, and Cornelia treated her with annoyance and contempt. This wasn't ever really addressed, either, and it really made me not pull for Cornelia as much as I would have liked to.

Then, we have the stories of Virginia and her sisters. Interestingly enough, I liked the older Virginia. She, her hilarious dog, and her incredibly sweet assistant, were all lovely characters, very vivid, and I enjoyed reading about them. But travel back in time 50 or so years and Virginia and her sisters become a little less vivid, and they proceed through their travels with an utter lack of respect for any of the cultures or people they visit. So many times I cringed over their antics, that were presented in a supposedly "good" way... I got the sense that the whole point of their travels was to experience the "real life" of India, Morocco, England and the like. But these four girls, traveling on the expense of their father's wealth, have such disdain for most people of wealth or position (be it a maharaja in India or a queen of England). Hypocritical perhaps? But even more concerning was that the girls would often judge the culture and the people in it before they ever took the chance to understand its ways.

Examples (there will be spoilers in this section)

Paris: after one of their dogs escapes into he catacombs, the four girls rush in after him. And when the lady at the entrance tries to collect payment, all the girls do is fling some random amount of money at her. Okay, I could handle this since they were trying to catch their dog and didn't have time to spare. But when the lady tries to collect the money on the girls' way out (once they have their dog) it's made out that the lady is at fault - called "a witchy old thing" by Virginia herself.

England: When one of the sisters decides to enter her dog in the Crufts Champion dog show (indeed, the queen's dog is entered in the competition) the other sister decides to, in essence, rig the show, causing all dogs - except her sister's - to get disqualified. Is there any sign of remorse that she ruined something that several people have spent years and lots of money preparing for? No.

Also in England the girls are allowed to stay in a very fine establishment because the owners know the girls' father. It's basically a men's club, but, provided the girls stay out of the men's dinning area, etc., then the owner will let it pass. Do you think the girls could possibly accept this kind offer without intrusion? Nope. They end up meddling again because they think it's a stupid rule (forget the fact that it's not their club) and - after some dreadful antics - end up getting kicked out of the club, and getting their father kicked out as well. But, as Virginia said, "We figured he was better off without it." Again, tossing their own views onto someone else without asking first.

India: In India the maharaja and his other wealthy friends are portrayed in such a dreadful way. But, what concerned me the most was the sisters split-second decision about the caste system and untouchables. I'm not saying they should have agreed or disagreed with it, but they didn't pause for any explanation before basically, once again, throwing their views on the maharaja just because they could. And they did it, not to better the world or try and help, but simply because it gave them delight to do it. Now, in regard to their actions and reactions about the little boy I thought that was fine -- good in fact. But regarding what they did to the maharaja... can't really condone that.

India also includes another line that pretty much says it all. When one of the sisters realizes there a place called a Thieves Market, she says, "Now, that sounds exciting to me. I've always wanted to learn how to steal something. Let's go learn from the professionals." Was it addressed that stealing wasn't a good thing? No.


I'm not saying I agree with all the views of the cultures. And in some cases I very much disagree with them. But I felt the judgments were passed far to quickly. And for girls who wanted to experience different cultures, all they seemed to do was try and change the cultures to fit their views without understanding them first. And just as bad, the ways in which they tried to change things - more often than not - was not to make things better, or to help people see another side of things, but either in underhanded ways that wouldn't really help anyone, or simply for their own enjoyment.

This all sounds really harsh, but it bothered me a lot. Which is sad because I think Blume has lots of writing ability. But the lack or morals or ethics or kindness peppered throughout the book overpowered everything else.

I did enjoy the last few chapters, and they kept me captivated to push through to the end. I was even tearing up and rather touched. Which, even though the end was fairly predictable in part, it was a nice ending -- though very quick and a bit too rushed given all the issues that had built up over the book (and Cornelia's life prior to it).

I really wanted to like this book more than I did... I wish I could have.

[Janeen-san · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cornelia Street Englehart is possibly the most lonely girl in the entire area of Greenwich village. Her mother, Lucy, is a famous pianist, and barely spends any time with her. She never knew her father.
Her legacy should feel wonderful, but instead Cornelia is miserable and lonely. Privacy is as rare as diamonds. Making a fortress of difficult words, Cornelia hides behind it often.
One day while running home from school, Cornelia sees something strange. Parked in the middle of the street is a giant moving van, and on the pale sidewalk are dozens of large boxes. Cornelia begins to feel even more curious when she hears banging and other loud noises from inside the house.
Later in the week, a french bulldog runs out of the house and into the street. Cornelia lures him inside with some cupcakes she had bought at the bakery. The man who had been chasing the dog thanks her, opening the door for the women who had just came in. They are quickly introduced and Cornelia is invited to come over again. And thus the doorway to many worlds is opened...

I liked this book a lot. At first, I thought it was silly. It's about an old lady telling a child stories. So what?
But my view of it was totally changed when I read it thoroughly. Virginia Somerset has lead an adventurous life with her sisters--Gladys, Beatrice and Alexandria--and now she is telling all of it to Cornelia. The author tells the reader about four hilarious journeys the Sisters take across the world to England, Morocco, Paris and India. My favorite character was Gladys, because she was adventurous, funny and clumsy, leading the Somerset Sisters into most of their troubles. I liked Cornelia too, because she was just like me: a total bookworm! I also liked the character of Cornelia because she learned to exit her dome of words, and step out into the real world, along the way realizing something extremely important about herself and her mother.
I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a funny, brilliant read. I enjoyed it immensely. To find out what Cornelia found out about herself, you will have to read the book!

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, let's see. Lucy is so heedless of her daughter's years of requests for affection that an hour with an old lady reforms her into a model Mum? Everyone, including the old lady, know that Cornelia is wrong to prefer to make friends and have adventures at her own pace? The Somerset sisters are spoiled rich girls, limousine liberals, but held up as role models? We can't get to know Cornelia through her books because almost none of them are mentioned?

What nonsense!

I think the following line, from the Acknowledgements, pretty much shows up the author's attitude, which shines through in this pretentious little NYC fairy tale: "I am much obliged to Miss Sarah Lyon... for [her] insights into the social world of bookish eleven-year-olds, therefore making plausible to children what is otherwise a work about the lives of sophisticated adults." Well la-di-da and hoo-rah... ty, Ms Blume, for revealing that you really don't have a clue about children, insulting them so blatantly like that.

Btw, this is my second attempt to enjoy the story. :sigh:

[Terri Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is another children's book that has captured my imagination, made me feel so many emotions, and then made me cry bittersweet tears.

Eleven year old Cornelia Englehart is the daughter of two world famous concert pianists though she has never met her dad who left them for another woman before Cornelia was born. Cornelia lives with her mother Lucy and with their French housekeeper who loves the child but is frustrated when the young book lover purposely uses complicated words as an emotional shield to drive her away. Lucy is gone away most of the time, often to glamorous places and lonely Cornelia has no friends.

Things change in a breathtakingly magical way when a famous writer, Virginia Somerset, who is in her 80's moves in the fabulous apartment next door complete with a painter named Patel who is a fine painter and also her butler and a scrappy little French bulldog. It is when Cornelia helps Patel catch the little runaway dog by luring him with food that she meets this amazing household.

Virginia has lived a life few women of her generation was able to live, a life filled with adventures, trouble (of a good kind), and travel. Soon the lonely Cornelia is sitting in this amazing apartment which Virginia has decorated with rooms devoted to different countries she has traveled to and loved (imagine coconut trees growing in a room IN the floor surrounded by marble with a huge plaza fountain full of water and large goldfish)listening to the amazing stories of the adventures of Virginia and her three sisters all over the world.

These stories are Cornelia's doorway to friendship with three girls in her school but Virginia has a deadly secret that will break Cornelia's heart even as it opens it up to others.

This is an amazing book in every way. I have savored it and will return to it over and over in the future only to marvel and to cry again. Don't let the label of "children's book" hold you back. This is a rich story for everyone who loves a good story that makes them think, feel, and live.

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cornelia is the child of two very famous pianists, now divorced. Her mother is always away, performing in exotic locales, and Cornelia’s never met her father. She’s a very solitary, lonely, bookish girl. Then, one day, Cornelia meets Virginia Somerset, an older woman who has just moved into her apartment building. Virginia is a talented storyteller, writer, and eccentric who becomes Cornelia’s best friend. She regales Cornelia with tales of her and her sisters, telling her about all of the places they lived and all of the adventures they had together. Cornelia really cherishes her relationship with Virginia, and Virginia is very taken with Cornelia as well – she writes about her! Their friendship enables Cornelia to reach out to other people, including girls her own age and her somewhat distant mother.

This was one of those nice books (and I mean that in the best way!) - there’s nothing terribly bad or objectionable content-wise. The “escapades” of the Somerset sisters are on par with the escapades of The Penderwicks, or the escapades of the children in From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. It’s good, wholesome fun. I quite enjoyed hearing about the Somersets – I was hoping they really existed (independently outside of Lesley Blume’s story). Alas, they are fictional. I was heartbroken when Virginia died and when her friend and companion, Patel, settled her affairs and then chose to move back to India. And the destruction of her whimsically designed apartment was also hard to bear. I found myself wishing these places and people were real, so that I could find out more about them.

[Avital · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't get to the good part, but my mom says I'll like it.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Withdrawing into a world of words, eleven-year-old Cornelia S. Englehart keeps the hurtful elements of her life - an absent father and a distant mother (both world-famous pianists), an interfering housekeeper/child-minder, classmates whose only interest in her was for the sake of her famous parents - at bay in this debut children's novel from Lesley M.M. Blume. But when seventy-something Virginia Somerset, together with her companion Patel, and her French bulldog Mister Kinyatta, moves into the apartment next door, the young New York girl finds herself drawn, through the very medium that she had used to isolate herself, into the wider world. For Virginia, a noted author and international bon vivant, begins to relate some of the many escapades into which she and her three sisters were drawn, as young women touring the world. Through these tales, and through Virginia's entrance into her life, Cornelia comes to see that words are meant to connect people, rather than to shut them out...

Chosen as our April selection, over in The Children's Fiction Book Club to which I belong, Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters is a book that I have struggled to rate, vacillating between a two and three stars. All the elements for an engaging tale are there - disaffected young heroine, quirky secondary characters, adorable animal, a plot-line involving the power of words - but somehow the end product, through most of the course of my reading, was irritating, rather than charming. I felt as if Blume were simply trying too hard, and the result was somewhat forced, as if the narrator were shouting at me: "Hey kiddies, look! Look how super-special, cosmopolitan, and quirky I am!!!" If you're going to write a "poor little rich girl" story, than you have to get past that obnoxious aroma of privilege and self-entitlement that it evokes, and I never felt that Blume quite succeeded. On the other hand, I did care enough about the characters that, the (completely foreseeable) ending having come, I was moved. So, in sum: a low three stars. I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped to, although there were some elements that had promise.

[Audacious Society of Literary Critics · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in elementary school, I think the 4th grade. And then I reread it in 7th grade.

Although it's been a while since then, this book is me. I love Cornelia and I love the adventures of the sisters. Morocco was especially memorable and it's because of this book I love to read, I love to travel, and I love to learn. This book is my absolute favorite book in the world and this review doesn't do the stories of the Somerset sisters justice.

I recommend this book to every 10 year old kid, so that they can get a picture of a fulfilling life and a carpe diem attitude.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful fun. I was a bit thrown by the stories "told" by one of the characters. 95% of those stories are indented, and they don't for one second sound like something a person would say aloud as a story. I was confused about this type of story-telling within the story until I noticed the book's title (which I remembered as Cornelia and something something something. So . . . fair enough).

Other than that, it's a really fun read with some real depth here and there. I tend to love children's books that focus on nerdy kids who love books or storytelling or thesauri or things related to those things. I also love India, and India as presented in many books, and although the India part is only a small percentage, it's important.

I read this rather quickly, and I doubt I'll remember it very well, although I did love imagining some of the rooms in the book. But I liked it enough that I will certainly pass it on; even if I don't send it to California, I'll prevail upon my sister Dena to find it and read it when she needs something quick and distracting.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Stephen who recommended this lovely book! I loved it!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know, I've read a lot of sad books. I've read historical fiction books - which usually ALWAYS make me cry - and books about dying babies and WWII pilots. But sometimes, I don't even shed a tear when I read those books! But with this one? I was bawling like a baby at the end!

It wasn't sad - well, okay, it was a little - but the majority of the book had be laughing out loud! It's just such a beautifully written story that I can't even handle it. :)

I LOVED the main character, Cornelia. She's an eleven-year-old girl who loves words as much as her famous pianist mother, Lucy, loves music. But she's sick of being in the shadow of Lucy, and devours privacy and dictionaries like one devours chocolate! Then she means her new neighbor, Virginia Somerset, who has traveled the world and met Indian princes and the Queen of England and possibly even King Arthur's ghost! In each chapter, Virginia tells Cornelia a story of one of her and her sisters' adventures (or should I say, audacious escapades). As the book progresses, Cornelia is inspired by Virginia's stories and starts to come out of the shell that she's built around herself.

My favorite part of the book was Virginia's stories; she'd been to so many incredible places and met so many amazing people. All of the adventures that she went on made up her life, and who she was. It really inspired me... as well as Cornelia. ;) Virginia understood Cornelia, because they were both readers and writers, and they both loved words. At first, Cornelia doesn't tell her mother she's visiting Virginia next door, because she wants to keep her to herself. (As would I!) She doesn't want to be seen as "Lucy's daughter" to Virginia, she wants to be seen as Cornelia. But of course, eventually, Lucy finds out, and the ending is just so wonderful. (Even though it made me cry!)

The ending came together so beautifully. I had a hunch how it would end, and I was right - and even though in my gut feeling I saw it coming, it was like I still didn't believe it, and so it still touched me! It was just... simply beautiful! I can't say enough about this book. I loved it!

Five stars, five stars, five stars! And two thumbs up!

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Try saying this title ten times fast :)

I loved this book. It was everything I ever dreamed a proper book worm should be. How they should act, feel, and exist. Cornelia is a rather peculiar child. She has a great capacity for knowledge and knows words that would send you running. In fact, that's one of the main reasons she knows so many words. She thinks that people just don't want to be her friends, so eventually she stops trying to be a friend. She hides herself behind a fortress of books and uses words like a saber to keep potentials friends at bay. Cornelia is very, very lonely. Most nights she cries herself to sleep so great is her despair. She feels that the pattern of her life is never going to change: her mother will always be touring (she's a famous pianist) and that she'll always be lonely, that is until her new neighbors move in.

Enter Virginia. She's everything that Cornelia wishes she could be. Virginia is an old lady but you wouldn't think she was based upon the way she talks to Cornelia as an equal! Virginia's lived all over the world and knows just about everything there is to know. Best of all, she shares Cornelia's love for words. Virginia tells the most wonderful stories about when she was a young lady traveling the world with her sisters (The Somerset Sisters). From India to Paris their adventures are marvelous and exciting to hear about.

Never has Cornelia been happier. She has a secret of the best kind and a friend to interact with. For the first time in a long time Cornelia is no longer lonely. But when her mother returns for an extended leave from touring and begins to question where Cornelia has been escaping off to, Cornelia fears her secret may be lost to her forever.

If you like books about intelligent girls, adventure, and big words than this book is so perfect for you. Books worms will particularly enjoy this story. Despite the bitter-sweet ending this book is so pleasant and breezy that you'll love it right away. I heartily recommend it. 5 stars :)

[Arlene Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet, almost old-fashioned read. Cornelia is a shy bookish type who hides behind big words. Her mother is an international concert pianist, and most of her schoolmates' afterschool invitations are at the behest of their star struck mothers. When the amazing eccentric Virginia Somerset move in next door, she finds a kindred spirit, and her own sense of identity in the relationship.It is not sappy or saccharine, although the ending is a bit predictable. What prevented me from giving this a full five stars was the feeling of being talked down to; the author seems aware she is writing a children's book and instead of aiming up, at the level of a child like Cornelia, she aims down. her constant explaining of Cornelia's big words is part of the problem - the book would have worked better without them, encouraging readers to either look up the word or use their imagination, or both.

I will look forward to seeing how Blume's writing will progress, I think there is great potential in her work.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me forever to read this even though it wasn't that long. Cornelia is a young girl who loves words and who is very lonely. She meets the elderly Virginia Somerset who tells Cornelia about adventures she and her sisters shared long before. Virginia was an interesting lady but showed little or no respect for the customs of the countries she and her sisters visited. To me they seemed immature and quite self absorbed. I did enjoy the story of how they met Patel... I really liked him. But while I felt sorry for Cornelia, I didn't identify with her or find the other characters that likable. I would have njoyed this more if the Somerset sitters had been young and Cornelia had participated in their adventures.

[Prince William Public Libraries]

A lonely, eleven year old reading machine named Cornelia immerses herself in books and literature to insulate herself from everything of the outside world. A new neighbor befriends and enlightens Cornelia to a new perspective: the world is an exciting globe of opportunity and possibility and adventure. This absolutely outstanding book is one of my favorites.
-Ella, PWPLS Teen Summer Reader

Click here to find the book at the Prince William County Public Library System.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cornelia is the daughter of a famous piano player who never seems to be around. She herself prefers words (the fancier the better) to music, and loathes other people as a general rule. That all changes when someone new moves in across the hall - an old lady with a chien bizarre who tells Cornelia stories about being one of the audacious Somerset sisters on adventures throughout the world.

Entertaining and sweet, along the lines of The Penderwicks.

[Melinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay novel about a lonely young girl who befriends the old lady next door who tells her wonderful stories about the escapades of the traveling Somerset sisters. That's about it. The dog on the cover, supposedly owned by the author, is cute, and I did like Cornelia's penchant for words, but the novel itself seemed forced and flat. It will probably be made into an okay film. Look for it at theaters near you!

[Kora · Rating 3 out of 5]

her mom never notices her and gets used by people at school for her mom to play piano. her mom is a famous piano player but every one bullys her at school. at the end of the story she figures out the happy part about life instead of what she thought it was like.

[Laura (kroosreadsandreviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! This was a real tear jerker for my 5th grade daughter

[Amelia Daly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to reread because I read it when I was 13 and couldn't put it down and honestly made me remember all the joys of being a child and I need more happy go lucky books in my life.

[Camilla Nourie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decided to reread my favorite childhood book and let me just say, I had great taste from the start. Or my mom did. Either way this book felt so nostalgic and like a return to myself. The playful, rioting independence of four sisters as they adventure around the globe and the captivating storytelling of their adventures never fails to entertain. But shy, socially shut off Cornelia provides a contrasting but equally relatable character. Also have a new understanding and appreciation of companionship and taking care of someone older. Will never stop thinking about and loving this book

[Avonlea Gal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, this book was under my age level and and still stinkin loved it. Cornelia is named after a street, which may or may not be a Taylor Swift reference. Regardless, I loved it.

[grace fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could pick only one book to describe myself, my dreams, and my personality, it would be this one. Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters will always have a very treasured place in my heart. I read it for the first time at 8 years old and immediately fell in love. I saw myself in Cornelia and Virginia, and the storytelling spoke to my soul in a way no other book (save for Harry Potter) had thus far in my reading life. Rereading it now, I’m transported back to how I felt, discovering a whole new world of adventures, but ones that could happen in real life. For that’s what this book is. It makes you feel like you’re reading a fantasy, the storytelling is captivating and it’s escapism at its finest, but it shows you the wonder in places and people that exist in our world. Looking at this book, I’m astonished at how much of my personality, my incessant wanderlust particularly, that I’ve picked up from this story. Reading this book in my formative years truly helped to change me into the person I am today. This story speaks to my soul and will always live in my heart, and to say I adore it is an understatement. Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters will always be one of my favorite books of all time and I know I’ll reread it many more times over the years, when I want to feel the childlike sense of wonder I always do when experiencing this book. There are absolutely not enough words to describe how I feel about the story and these characters, since I don’t think anything but the book itself could ever do them justice.

[Amy Holiday · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I liked this more than I expected to. I liked Virginia immensely, of course, and identified with Cornelia....but somehow, having someone tell you a story about their adventure is never quite as exciting as *actually* going on the adventure yourself, although I did like how Cornelia turned the adventures into a way to make friends. Loved Virginia's apartment, also (marble floors with a fountain in the middle? #housegoals).

Anyway, recommended for kids who like historical, international adventures, although in the ten years or so since this book has been written, I've no doubt there are much more interesting stories than those of an old lady who traveled abroad making a ruckus with her sisters in the 1950s. (Although for the record, I think I was that sort of historical, international adventure-liking kind of kid.)

[Mary Louise Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eleven-year-old Cornelia Englehart's parents are world famous concert pianists, but she's never met her father and her mother is always traveling around the world. Poor little rich girl,Cornelia, has so-called friends who want to get to her mother through her. Her real friends are her books, especially her dictionaries that give her complicated words to shield her away from people. Then, an older, famous writer, Virginia Somerset moves into the apartment next door and wants to be friends with Cornelia, not with her mother. Each room in the apartment is decorated in the style of a country Virginia has lived in and she shares these exotic places with Cornelia through her stories, which open the doors to Cornelia's world.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that this book uses some higher vocabulary words and it tells you what the word means. I learned that you can do anything that you put your mind to and you can choose what you want to do in life. There are many decisions to be made in life and if you make the wrong decision someone can correct or help you through it. If you are ever in a weird situation, you can ask for help from another person. Like when Virginia helped Cornelia make friends and when Virginia helped Lucy learn that Cornelia is as important as she is because Lucy is a famous pianist and she gets all the attention. Now it was Cornelia's turn for more attention.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cornelia, the lonely daughter of famous pianists and a lover of words, becomes friends with legendary famous author Virginia Somerset. As Virginia shares stories of her world travels, Cornelia overcomes shyness and becomes closer to her mother.


Cornelia was appealing. I wish I'd spent more time with her than in the stories of Virgina and her sisters--the author believed them more entertaining and fabulous than they were. The stories were long, improbable, and something adults, not children, may be interested in. The ending was contrived.