The Exiles in Love

The Exiles #3

by Hilary McKay, Bill Farnsworth (Illustrator)

Love is in the air Romantic love enters the lives of the four Conroy sisters when Ruth develops a crush on the school bus driver. Next she finds herself pining for Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre, smitten with the Temporary English teacher (to whom sister Naomi is attracted as well), and infatuated with Alan Adair from the butcher's shop. Meanwhile, the younger girls have other things on their minds as Rachel longs to become May Queen and Phoebe practices to become an international spy. But when Big Grandma arranges for Philippe, a French boy, to stay with the Conroys, will all the girls fall head over heels for his charms?

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, France

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1998

About the author

Hilary McKay was born in Boston, Lincolnshire and is the eldest of four girls. From a very early age she read voraciously and grew up in a household of readers. Hilary says of herself as a child "I anaesthetised myself against the big bad world with large doses of literature. The local library was as familiar to me as my own home."

After reading Botany and Zoology at St. Andrew's University Hilary then went on to work as a biochemist in an Analysis Department. Hilary enjoyed the work but at the same time had a burning desire to write. After the birth of her two children, Hilary wanted to devote more time to bringing up her children and writing so decided to leave her job.

One of the best things about being a writer, says Hilary, is receiving letters from children. She wishes that she had written to authors as a child, but it never occurred to her to contact them

Hilary now lives in a small village in Derbyshire with her family. When not writing Hilary loves walking, reading, and having friends to stay.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehhhhh. The format felt unnecessary, the story fragmented, and quite frankly it wasn't very funny, the way Hilary McKay can be. I also didn't think the characters were developed very well - Naomi was the literature girl and Rachel the slob and Phoebe the spy and Ruth the stereotypical teenager. Phillipe was probably the most well-rounded character and all he did was react to the girls, though that did make him very relatable. And considering all the good grandparents in literature, Big Grandma was a disappointment.

[EJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable, if not (due to the subject matter) as good as the former one.

[Ankita A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute favourite still to this day.

[Jelka · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5*

This is definitely the weirdest book in the trilogy.

[Miz Lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Third book in the Exile series. Ruth, Naomi, and Rachel all fall prey to "the family failing" of instantaneous and multiple crushes and are taken to France for a holiday by Big Grandmother (who is suffering from her own crush) for a cure. Phoebe is the only one to stay more-or-less immune as she practices becoming an international spy. This is definitely the weakest of the three books in this series. While it is nice to re-visit the characters and learn a bit about French food, the story is a bit trite and rather plodding. The French words and phrases are fun for readers who know or are interested in learning some French. Might have greater appeal to Canadian and British children who are more likely to be exposed to French language and culture than most American children.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lower four than the others. I still enjoyed it, but it wasn't as laugh out loud funny as the rest and the format didn't entirely work for me.

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may just have to read this series again! Love the writing, the characters and their adventures.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to miss these exiles! I was really sad this was the last book in the series--I love how real the girls' world feels and how their reactions to thing are unique to them, but also feel very kid/tween/teen-like. While not as funny as the second one, this was still quite funny, and when you realize what the talking at the beginning of the chapters means, at the end of the book, it's truly a delight. Just funny and enjoyable and these were the perfect books for me right now. I would highly recommend them to anyone who likes kids books!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very funny and adventurous conclusion to this series. I loved reading it out loud to a 10yo and there were many chapters where we both spent a good deal of time laughing out loud. It was great to see the sisters come into their own a bit and encounter new challenges! Also to have the grown ups' difficulties acknowledged a bit more as well. We'll miss the Exiles.

[Amber Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book responsible for my love of reading. My middle school self would be disappointed if I didn't rate it 5 out of 5.

[Sherry Mackay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. A fun read about the "family failing" I.e. Constantly falling in love. Funny and heartwarming.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Look at them smirking!
Good old Rachel, she got him at last!”

[Meg GlitteryOtters · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Chel O Neill · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect ending to The Exiles series.

[Frankie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the first exiles but still enjoyable. Love how it shows the french culture too.
Recommend:7.8/10

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Definitely the weakest book in the trilogy. The narrative device of having snippets of conversation between the grown-up Conroy sisters at the beginning of each chapter distracted from the story, which didn't feel very cohesive on the whole. I didn't enjoy the concept of the Family Failing, and I find it impossible to believe that Rachel, who's literally described as the maggot of the family lsdfjdsklfs, would go on to marry the hot French exchange student she met as a child. The whole Love At First Sight trope is... really weird when it happens between kids. And especially since Philippe was the one to give her a makeover and reveal her ~true beauty~ or whatever.

Phoebe remains the best thing about these books:

It was hard for Phoebe to be an international spy all the time; she was only eight years old.

Also, I still don't understand the ending? Big Grandma is a little too friendly with Monsieur Carodoc and his wife is jealous. They accidentally get locked in a barn overnight and talk over their "misunderstandings", and when they say goodbye Madame Carodoc kisses Big Grandma four times, hard, and Phoebe reflects that "there is no cure for love". In the final scene set in the future at Rachel's wedding, "Big Grandma and Madame Carodoc fall into each other's arms" and I'm left to assume they..... are in some sort of open/polygamous relationship???? Which seems a bit much for a children's book written in the 1990s, but what else am I supposed to infer?

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third in the trilogy about the Conroy girls: Ruth, Naomi, Rachel and Phoebe.

A little different from the others, this is told in flashback form, primarily. At the start of each chapter there are snippets of conversation, evidently from the point of view of the girls when they are adults, reminiscing about the summer when they developed the 'family failing' of falling in love with unsuitable people. Often several at once.

The story takes us through several crushes on Ruth's behalf, including a teacher at their school. Around half way through we meet the handsome and charming Philippe, grandson of an old friend of Big Grandma's; he comes to stay and rather revolutionises their chaotic household, with offers of doing chores, and general politeness.

The last few chapters feature a stay in France which is theoretically to cure the older girls... and by the last couple it becomes clear what the 'current day' event is going to be.

I liked the structure once I became used to it, and I enjoyed reading this short book that tied up a lot of ends and made a good finale to the trilogy. More appropriate for young teenagers than little girls, I doubt if this would appeal to boys at all as the four main characters are all female. Some gentle humour, often involving caricatured characters, and a bit more insight into the lives of this delightful family.

Recommended if you've read the other two in the series, although it could stand alone.

[Carolynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one who has read _the Exiles at Home_ will expect love to go smoothly in this story of how the three older girls fall in love and how their relationships are resolved with the help of usually sensible Big Grandma. I say "usually sensible" because Big Grandma herself unexpectedly proves not to be immune to romance. Predictably, there is one embarassing situation after another. This book even has a villainess, Madame Caradoc--but even she turns out to be less sinister than we are led to believe. Not quite as funny as _The Exiles at Home_, this book is still amusing and sweet. An unexpected twist revealed at the end makes me think that sadly there may be no more (semi-autobiographical?) books about the funny Conroy family.

[Jenn Estepp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Least favorite Exiles book. And not just because the Casson's still have my heart. I *hated* the interloping-by-grown-up-girls at the start of each chapter - ultimately the reason for it was revealed and yes, it was sweet, but crazy-distracting and I think it led to the disjointed feel of the book, which too-often felt like vignettes instead of an entire narrative. Phillipe and France were charming though - wish there were more of them. And even mid-range McKay is pretty good, so please publishers listen to my earlier plea and give these another go w/not-crappy covers.

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. She tried something a little different at the beginning of each chapter where the girls are "looking back" unfortunately I don't think it worked very well. I liked the notion of the "Family Failing" (being in love). I loved Phoebe as international spy and Rachel grew on me a bit more as well - but overall the book doesn't really live up to it's promise. I liked it - as I liked the others but I wanted to like it more than I did.

[Turrean · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters are as wonderfully daffy as ever, though the focus on the "family failing," a tendency to fall in love, makes this the weakest of the three "Exiles" books. McKay has a "thing" about love-at-first-sight as kids--it's a plot point in two of her series--that I find grating, but this is a safely minor point. McKay's stories are a joy to read.

[Jenn Ginder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adored this series so much as a kid and didn't know there was a third book in the series. Reading about the Conroy sisters as an adult wasn't quite the same. If I'd picked this up in middle school, I would have given it five stars. The plot didn't have enough happening like the previous two books. Maybe I'm just getting old, but the sisters didn't seem as funny.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are random but so funny and quirky. I love a book I can laugh out loud to. The second was my favorite. These four sisters and their outrageous personalities will stay with me for a while I think!

[Anja Schuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich mochte die ersten beiden Bände um die liebenswerten Conroy Schwestern am liebsten. Aber auch dieses Hörbuch ist mit seinen feinen Soundeffekten im Hintergrund ein Hörgenuss. Nur die Handlung ist nicht ganz so gut ausgearbeitet.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the parts at the start of the chapters where Naomi and Ruth talking in the church about the family failing and at the end it turns out to be Rachel and Philippe's wedding.

[Maureen E · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t love this one as much as I loved the first two books, sadly. It was still fun, though. It just didn’t induce painful laughter. [Nov. 2010]

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful as always. Good ol' Hilary McKay.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

And again, not a cover that says "family comedy". This looks like a very dated ad for some sort of children's allergy medicine.

Library copy

[Jannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always love these mad sisters

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Oh, I'd forgotten how much I liked this series.
Hilary McKay writes such great characters.