World's End in Winter

World's End #3

by Monica Dickens

Father and Mother join the four children for an unusual winter at the country cottage called World's End.

Genres: Animals, Childrens, Horses

163 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1972

About the author

From the publisher: MONICA DICKENS, born in 1915, was brought up in London and was the great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens. Her mother's German origins and her Catholicism gave her the detached eye of an outsider; at St Paul's Girls' School she was under occupied and rebellious. After drama school she was a debutante before working as a cook. One Pair of Hands (1939), her first book, described life in the kitchens of Kensington. It was the first of a group of semi autobiographies of which Mariana (1940), technically a novel, was one. 'My aim is to entertain rather than instruct,' she wrote. 'I want readers to recognise life in my books.' In 1951 Monica Dickens married a US naval officer, Roy Stratton, moved to America and adopted two daughters. An extremely popular writer, she involved herself in, and wrote about, good causes such as the Samaritans. After her husband died she lived in a cottage in rural Berkshire, dying there in 1992.
http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/page...

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

We loved this series to begin with, this one became a struggle to finish. This still has good points, we loved the story line with Bristler and the general idea of rejecting social norms and living a basic lifestyle and rescuing animals. This one seemed to rely too much on stereotypes, was too farfetched and farcical in places and the author, although coming from a view point of helping animals seemed to have some misplaced ideas. For example some wild birds captured from other countries as Christmas gifts, are bought and released, one of the siblings asks if they will die, the child that bought them answers "probably, but they will die free" the author has completely missed the idea that by buying them the children have increased the demand. This also happened in a previous book with a monkey.

There are some horrible stereotypes of overweight people and the parents characters seemed farfetched. The parents do nothing to help their children, they didn't even seem to think it their responsibility to provide food, heating or clothing.

There was a really heart-breaking scene, where a family member receives a beetle brooch that is actually alive and adorned with jewels and a chain, she was quite rightfully horrified.

Unfortunately this series started off well but ended up seeming like a caricature of itself. I would highly recommend the first book in the series.

[Michael Kavanagh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it as part of my nostalgic re-read of the 'World's End' books after nearly 50 years - yikes!
The basic formula still applies - although it is still enjoyable - the rehabilitation by riding of the unfortunate wheelchair bound 'Bristler' (Michael's take on Priscilla) sub-plot is novel enough and was actually thought provoking back in the days when I first read it.
The freezing house and rickety barns continue to fill up to the brim with animals, the rather feckless parents are sort of around in this book and there is quite a poignant description of the death and subsequent funeral of Dusty the dog - which Aunt Val gate crashes to some comic effect!

I loved the book then and like it now but recognise nowadays that the franchise was already wearing thin with this third volume.
Monica was wise to chop the series with the next fourth and final book.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay sort of read. I realise that kids like formula fiction--some just want to read the same book over and over again. This time the parents are physically present but hardly ever really there. Dad is supposedly writing a book about his adventures at sea, and Mum is around in the background--but neither of them ever seem to do any actual parenting, like say cooking a meal or providing some income. No, that's up to the kids.

I had hoped that all of the kids would get some "air time", that the focus would go from one to another--four kids, four books? But the main focus is on Carrie the horse-mad girl, with a little help from Michael. This time Carrie sets up a riding school for the handicapped. Uh-huh. You heard it. The kids come up with all the ideas and the adults tag along. No regulation, no anything.

There's another in the series, that I started to read and stopped because I realised this one came first. Now I see that there's no real link between this one and the last in the series, I'm not sure I'll read it. I'm getting tired of horses, possibly because I'm no longer 12.

[K.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main focus here is the children trying to help rehabilitate a crippled young neighbour learn to walk and ride again despite the wishes of her parents. The children's parents are mostly absent again, and more animals join the menagerie

[Juliann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this the least entertaining of this series. the Fielding kids are still trying to save animals and now they're trying to save a person too. the plot here is a little weak but it's fun to be back with the gang. it's just that you get to the end and realize nothing really happens in this book

[Jannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this series as child and have good memories of it. Wish I could read it again..

[Rae-Ellen Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life is so much richer with animals

Around the time this book was first published my sister and I would ride our ponies to our Pony Club grounds for the newly formed RDA in Templestowe, Victoria Australia. For several hours we would lead our ponies around as the RDA volunteers taught riding to children with disabilities. We marvelled at the quieter attitude of our ponies during these sessions. One of the girls joined the pony club and my friendship group who still meet up for regular reunions. As we got older we were on the junior committee organising events for younger riders. As an adult she represented Australia in paralympic dressage. To me her abilities have always outweighed her disabilities. This book was special for me as it brought back so many of my own memories of growing up with animals; the many births, deaths and illnesses all taught me something. And my mother's open house also ensured we sometimes had a stray teenager who also found healing with animals.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suffers slightly from being more about people than animals. But still great.