The Secret of the White Peacock

Stormy Petrel #7

by Violet Needham, Joyce Bruce (Illustrator), Gerald Harford (Preface)

"When Laurette is left an orphan and taken to live with her rich, surly guardian, Count Schillinger, the one really precious possession that she takes with her is a white china peacock that belonged to her scientist father. At her new home there is a real white peacock who preens himself on the terrace, as well as everything else, ponies, party frocks, pearl necklaces, that the Count can think of to spoil her with. Laurette finds her guardian a fierce, lonely man, with only one great desire in life. This is to discover a mysterious formula that would make him, as he tells her, 'master of the world'. It is only gradually that Laurette discovers how her precious white peacock could help him in his search. What happens when she reveals her secret, how she is involved with plots about which she never guessed, and how she is helped and befriended by some of the delightful characters who come into earlier books about The Stormy Petrel, makes another wonderful story set in Violet Needham's unique, romantic world of make-believe."

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

Author of 19 books for children published between 1939 and 1957. Although she came to writing late — she was 63 when her first book, The Black Riders, was published — her books achieved immediate and lasting popularity with young reader

Reviews

[Jennifer Kloester]

I love Violet Needham's books, especially her tales of the 'Stormy Petrel', the charismatic Richard Fauconbois. I only discovered The White Peacock recently and it was a lovely summer read. Not one of her great novels but because the book is set several years after my favourite Needhams there were many delicious references to a number of her iconic characters. It was fun to discover who'd married who and what had happened to them. A slight book on its own but a fun read for Needham fans.

[grosbeak]

Well this sure is a unique take on atomic-age existential dread.