The Horn of Merlyns

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

In The Horn of Merlyns Violet Needham has written a story of mounting excitement. The chief characters are twins, a boy and girl of eleven, christened Giles and Gillian Alvington but called Jack and Gill. They were orphaned when they were six, and the death of their grandmother is the cause of their moving from a cramped existence in London to the enjoyment of all the pleasures of life in a country house. The house is named Merlyns and it has been in the family for many generations. It is said to be cursed, and the story of the curse is bound up in the loss of an ivory horn. Certainly the latter history of the Alvingtons seems to prove the truth of the old story of a curse. But it is also said that on Midsummer Eve " twain shall the magic Horn retrieve," and this is what the twins accomplish.

Readers of Violet Needham's earlier books The Stormy Petrel, The Emerald Crown and The Black Riders know how well she tells a story of adventure. In The Horn of Merlyns the thrills of whispered magic, and the enchantment of the lovely setting of house, garden, woods and ponies is added to a lively story of hazard and daring.

Genres: Childrens

300 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1943

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

[Kate Forsyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1943, this beautiful book about the lost horn of the Merlyn family is exactly the sort of book I would have loved when I was a child. A grand country house that lies under a curse, a prophecy, twin children who set out to find the lost horn and break the curse, a mysterious old man who wanders the woods – it has all the best kinds of enchantments to offer. An old treasure found in a second-hand bookshop, with dust jacket intact – lovely!

[Jane E · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Violet Needham books but reading as an adult makes you notice how unrealistic the plot is. However a good read that I couldn't put down and I would have enjoyed it even more as a kid.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is about eleven-year-old twins who are sent to stay with their aunt and uncle in an old country house called Merylns. It’s a lovely place, but not a happy one; their uncle suffered a terrible tragedy, and their Aunt is disabled/

Jack spends most of the year in school; Gill slowly settles in, and gets to know an eclectic mixture of local people, as well as learning about the history of the house, which includes a missing horn and a strange curse...

Violet Needham’s writing flows effortlessly; I found myself quickly drawn into the story, feeling for Gill as she explored her new environment nervously, expecting constant reproofs or worse, puzzled when she is shown kindness. I liked Julian and Elfrida too, and was intrigued by the adventure part of the story. I found it quite difficult to stop once I had got into it, and overall enjoyed it very much.

It’s a children’s book, so it was evidently going to have a happy ending, but it was still quite tense in many places; there’s an oddly mystical element too - a ragged old man plays quite a large part in the story, and Gill sometimes wonders exactly who he might be...

All in all, a very enjoyable book. Written as contemporary fiction in 1943, it gives a nice picture of everyday life in the countryside in the war years.

Recommended to older children or teens who like a good story with likeable characters, set in the past.

[sparrowcrazy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found an old swedish translation of this at a book give-away and I'm not even sure why I took home.

What a goldfind! I never expected to enjoy it that much but I was glued to it from the first page.
Why have they stopped printing these books? From what I've read from reviews most of Violet Needham's books seem great. Now I have a obsession with finding more of them but all are out of print.
I'm going to look for them from now on.

Kids today are missing out big time!

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read and reread Violet Needham for many years and always with much pleasure.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Well written family/adventure/mystery story. Good ending, skillful use of the illness ending, but without being too far fetched.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book as a child. Would have to re-read it to remember details.