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A Traveller in Time
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Friday, July 28th, 2017: A Traveller in Time
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Katie Ruth, The Lady with Megan-Follows-as-Anne-of-Green-Gables Hair
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Jul 08, 2017 07:40PM
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Aside from the entire historical and time travelling premise, I so much love how early 20th century Britain also comes to life and is so lovingly and often with minutely descriptive detail portrayed. One actually seems to get, to obtain both a Tudor era historical and a more recent early 20th century education so to speak (of both historical and early 20th century rural Derbyshire).I also like the simplicity of the time travelling itself. There are no special time machines, no incantations, no special directions that need to be followed or adhered to in order to move from 20th century Thackers' farm to the Tudor era, to 16th century Thackers' farm, it is simply a case of main protagonist Penelope (who has supposedly inherited "second sight" from her ancestors) opening a series of doors and moving seamlessly from the present to the past and then back again to the present.
And interestingly enough, the concept of staying in the past, of not returning to the present is right from square one considered both impossible and in fact a serious danger to life and limb. The one time that Penelope becomes indeed stuck in the past (when she is imprisoned in the cellar by jealous and petty Arabella, Francis Babington's arrogant and nasty cousin, the present day Penelope is basically caught in a faint, in a coma until deaf but overly sensitive Jude senses that something is wrong and mounts a rescue, letting Penelope escape from the locked cellar and return to the present, and with the opening of the door, return her comatose 20th century self to conscience and health).
Now I do wonder a bit now what actually would have happened had Penelope made an active choice not to return, not to open the door back to the 20th century, but considering how haphazard the door opening and closing time travelling always seems to have been (Penelope simply opens a door and wham she is either in the present or vice versa in the past), that kind of an active and deliberate personal choice might not actually have ever been possible. For the only reason Penelope could not get back to the present, could not open a door back to the present when she is locked up in the cellar is simply because she is stuck there and cannot get out, but if she were not thus stranded, even if she might have deliberately wanted to remain in the past even with this being a threat to her 20th century self, that (potential and imagined by me) wish and desire might not even have been a possibility, as she would simply have opened some random door and been transported back, as there is never really all that much personal choice as to when and how Penelope's time travelling episodes seem to occur.
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Katie Ruth, The Lady with Megan-Follows-as-Anne-of-Green-Gables Hair
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Katie Ruth, The Lady with Megan-Follows-as-Anne-of-Green-Gables Hair
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I read this book a few years ago for the second time, and I remember the wonderful old house and the way history was brought to life in the experiences of the time traveller.
I love how objects of the past are linked to the same objects in the present, and how that actually seems to be one of the time traveling threads for Penelope, like how the Aunt's Bobbin Boy in the past was Jude's carved little man.
I'm a bit behind with my re-read. I'm only about a third of the way through so far.Some initial thoughts...I do like how it begins with the children leaving London and heading to a country house. It reminds me a bit of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe in that sense (although without the war!). And I agree with Manybooks, I like the way the time traveling works where you just open a door and you are there. There have been times when I've been in historic places in England and it just feels like if you open a door you could easily find yourself in another time period. Past and present co-exist in places like that.
I'm only on her first visit to the past so I don't know if this is something she always experiences but I did think it was a bit strange that she couldn't really remember her parents when she was asked about them in the past.
Indiana wrote: "I'm a bit behind with my re-read. I'm only about a third of the way through so far.Some initial thoughts...I do like how it begins with the children leaving London and heading to a country house...."
This not being able to remember the present when in the past and actually vice versa seems to be a rather standard time travelling novels plot device. Sometimes, it does make sense, especially if the distance between time eras travelled is not too long a time, but for Penelope, I have always thought it kind of superfluous as Tudor era England and early 20th century England are really too far removed for her parents, for Penelope's 20th century existence to have any influence on the Babbingtons and even Penelope's 16th century relatives.
Interesting, I haven't encountered it before in the time travel novels I've read. I think the closest I've come is in the Narnia novels which isn't really time travel. But Lucy, Susan, et all spend decades in Narnia before returning home and then a good amount of time passes between visits so I can see where things might not be remembered entirely. But in the other time travels I've read, especially ones where people only spend a hour or day or week in the past, they remember past and present quite well. Even in the Outlander series, Claire always seems to remember both time periods pretty well.So not a complaint on my part, just different from my other time travel reading experiences.
I just finished reading this and I LOVED it! It was so rich! I loved all everything was woven together: the history, landscape, the folklore, the house and the treasures therein. The reminder of how the past is always present. It was beautiful! I'm so glad I read it. I just wish I had read it when I was young.
Margot wrote: "I just finished reading this and I LOVED it! It was so rich! I loved all everything was woven together: the history, landscape, the folklore, the house and the treasures therein. The reminder of ho..."Yes, but there is also something something sweet about finding a new and favourite book. Kind of envious of you discovering Penelope, for rereading is grand but sometimes not as special as the first time.
