Comments on things mean a lot: The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotson

Stephanie: Aw <3 I missed you a lot too. Chri...

2012-01-30T12:04:05.715Z

Stephanie: Aw <3 I missed you a lot too.

Chris: Oh, excellent! It will be a while before I can get Pink Smog, but then again I haven't even read Necklace of Rubies yet.

Chacic: Yes I am, and that this rate it won't take me very long :P And I know just what you mean about them having the feel of old favourites.

Anna: Yes! Especially because of your interest in war literature. The two world wars often play a big role in her plots.

Sounds like I should read this author!

2012-01-26T16:06:30.233Z

Sounds like I should read this author!

Yay, you're going through the rest of Eva Ibbo...

2012-01-25T11:44:05.482Z

Yay, you're going through the rest of Eva Ibbotson's backlist! I remember reading this one but I can't recall the details anymore (maybe it's time for a reread). What I like about Eva Ibbotson's writing is how easy it is to fall into them and I feel like I'm reading an old favorite even if it's the first time I've encountered the book.

Ooooh, I'm thinking maybe this is where I shou...

2012-01-25T02:41:57.095Z

Ooooh, I'm thinking maybe this is where I should start with Ibbotson? I've been wanting to read her. guess what I'm reading right now?? Pink Smog!!!! The new Weetzie Bat book that came out today :D :D :D

I forgot just how much I love to read your reviews...

2012-01-24T19:22:04.523Z

I forgot just how much I love to read your reviews! Of course, you make everything sound so good that my list would never stop growing if I added all your reviews to it!!

This book sounds wonderful though. i have never read anything by Ibbotson, so I guess this will have to be the first! I'm spending the day trying to catch up with blogs and adding new books to my TBR. Thanks!!

Kathy: Yes - give me a flawed but human character ...

2012-01-24T19:17:19.869Z

Kathy: Yes - give me a flawed but human character and I'll be happy!

Memory: Oooh - bumping it up the priority list!

Belle: I can't believe I still haven't read any of her fantasy novels! I need to do something about that.

Bettina: She's quickly becoming a favourite writer of mine :)

Zibilee: There are so many moving bits! But it's also full of humour and charming moments :)

Jenny: Yes, that's the perfect way to put it. I want to go on holidays inside one of her books :P I look forward to hearing what you think of this one. And I'm so sorry you're having a crappy January :( I'm NOT a fan of January in general. Go away, month >:(

Heidenkind: Oh, yes, that's an excellent point. I think those social changes are definitely a concern of hers.

Christy: That article gave me pause too exactly because this is something I've done in the past. I think there's more than one reason to dislike a character who is too perfect - sometimes it's just that this signals shallow characterisation and black-and-white writing, and being annoyed is perfectly legitimate - but it worries me that many of us seem do do this more with female characters than male ones.

Kaye Forsyth: Yes, I love that about them too. You can tell she appreciated the arts, and she always adds that to her books.

Jessica: So sorry I missed your reviews! I did love te more mature elements in this one. I can't wait to try A Company of Swans, which Memory suggested above.

Debi: lol! That's pretty hilarious, but I swear it doesn't mean I secrely think of you as "elderly" :P It's just that for the whole duration of the book, they were 70-something in my head. I can't believe that not only does Ibbotson gives us their ages, but I actually TYPED that bit without my mental imagine being changed one bit :P So much for the myth that I'm a perceptive reader ;)

Okay my dear, first let me say how much I enjoyed ...

2012-01-24T19:02:40.175Z

Okay my dear, first let me say how much I enjoyed this review...and I think I'm now even more eager to read this one than The Secret Countess.

But now that I've got that out of the way, I have to tell you that I literally snorted tea out my nose (and yes, it's still burning) because something you said struck me as so funny! You called Miss Maud and Miss Violet "elderly ladies" and if I read that one passage correctly, they're 43- and 46-years-old! Ana!!! You just called me "elderly"! :P

I would agree with others that this is my favourit...

2012-01-24T17:53:27.484Z

I would agree with others that this is my favourite book of Ibbotson's. I really loved Ruth's character and how she over came so many obstacles. I also agree that there was sometimes a darker and more adult element to this book, which just set apart a bit from her other books. I still have plenty more of her books to read though.

Check out my review here:
http://thebookwormchronicles.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/the-morning-gift-eva-ibbotson/

I've been enjoying wtching you read your way t...

2012-01-24T06:39:23.372Z

I've been enjoying wtching you read your way through Eva Ibbotson, who is one of my favourite writers. 'The Morning Gift' is not my favourite, but I do love it. As always, her minor characters are a delight and I agree the love affair is well done. Yes, she does write impossibly sweet heroines sometimes, but I actually find that refreshing. And I love how her books are always full of music and dance and art.

I have only read The Secret Countess of Ibbotson&#...

2012-01-24T03:19:06.007Z

I have only read The Secret Countess of Ibbotson's books. At the time I blogged about it, I found Anna of The Secret Countess (a.k.a A Countess Below Stairs) to be "impossibly good" and "unbelievably humble." I just found her too cliched for my tastes. But there's usually a story behind every person's tastes, and that's no different here. When I was growing up, I read a lot of Christian or inspirational romances. It seemed to me, then, that this genre was heavily populated by effortlessly perfect and humble women and men. I tired of them, especially the effortless aspect, and Anna just seemed to be cut from a similar mold in my eyes. Anyway, not sure there was a point in any of this, but I sincerely hope that my criticism of an Ibbotson heroine's perfection is not me subconsciously bashing strong female characters. (I read that link to the Zoetrope article and it was very thought-provoking.) There was a recent character in an Angela Thirkell novel, who was liked by nearly everyone she met (except her selfish mother and another self-involved character). And I really enjoyed her. Final note in an already long comment - I haven't written off Ibbotsen, because I did like her humor, and The Morning Gift sounds intriguing, so thanks as always for your thoughtful review.

My library has a limited number of Eva Ibbotson bo...

2012-01-24T03:18:33.278Z

My library has a limited number of Eva Ibbotson books, and this isn't one of them. :( I will keep an eye for it at used book shops, though.

I also found her attitude toward class interesting. For examples, in The Reluctant Heiress, Guy, the self-made millionaire, is hailed as being completely indifferent to society; but it's obvious that the honor and traditions of Pfaffenstein are important, too. However, I took this to just be an extension of the gradual dissolution of the pre-War social system. It sounds like this book has a similar balance.

Hey, speak of the devil! I was having a crappy Jan...

2012-01-24T00:21:02.488Z

Hey, speak of the devil! I was having a crappy January last week (still true! actually has gotten much worse!) and ordered several comfort reads from PaperbackSwap, and The Morning Gift arrived in today's post. I think I have maybe read it before, but ages ago and I don't remember, so I'm excited to read it again. Eva Ibbotson's YA books are so, I don't know, so relaxing and pleasant to read.

This does sound like a really special book, and I ...

2012-01-23T22:42:46.724Z

This does sound like a really special book, and I like the points you make about the growing of intimacy and trust between the two characters. I can see how this book must have affected you, as reading your synopsis really affected me as well. Fantastic review today!

That sounds fascinating! I haven't read anythi...

2012-01-23T20:43:43.064Z

That sounds fascinating! I haven't read anything by Ibbotson before, but your review really made me want to.

I have only read (and enjoyed) Ibbotson's fant...

2012-01-23T20:26:31.733Z

I have only read (and enjoyed) Ibbotson's fantasies. MORNING GIFT sounds like a beautiful read.

Regarding Ibbotson on sexuality, you should also r...

2012-01-23T19:29:15.054Z

Regarding Ibbotson on sexuality, you should also read A COMPANY OF SWANS. I was surprised at the book's frankness when it came to the heroine's desire to be "ruined," and the hero's reservations about doing so with this particular girl.

Sometimes it's hard to love perfect characters...

2012-01-23T18:45:59.627Z

Sometimes it's hard to love perfect characters, but when they're well written, they can be brilliant. This sounds wonderful.

Fiona: I also really love the fact that she's ...

2012-01-23T18:25:00.762Z

Fiona: I also really love the fact that she's never sorry to give her heroines their happy endings. And from what I've read so far, the nostalgic element of her novels is nowhere near as problematic as that of other fictional universes. She might not get everything right, but she's extremely compassionate and acknowledges that the gilded age she writes about had a dark side.

Kelly: Yes you do! She's quickly becoming one of my favourite authors.

Alex: I completely understand why you felt the way you did about it - and even if The Morning Gift still doesn't convince you, that's a perfectly valid response. We all have different things that make us decide we can't get along with certain authors. (PS: my father too! In fact, he broke his hipbone the night of the revolution and spent his first nine months as a citizen of a free democracy in a hospital bed. He loves to tell this story :P)

Claire: Many thanks to you and Fiona for encouraging me to read it sooner rather than later :)

What an absolutely wonderful review! I'm so g...

2012-01-23T16:34:58.771Z

What an absolutely wonderful review! I'm so glad you enjoyed this.

I've added it to the wish-list, you had me at ...

2012-01-23T16:16:22.882Z

I've added it to the wish-list, you had me at "left behind entirely on her own".

I'm also curious about my own take on the class and entitlement side of "The Morning Gift". I suspect I have a tendency to give it too much importance (Portuguese lower-class family with father very much involved in the 25th of April?). It also put me off Georgette Heyer, who I feel I *should* like.

I have never read anything by Ibbotson. I am going...

2012-01-23T15:59:25.983Z

I have never read anything by Ibbotson. I am going to have to remedy that one of these days!

I love your reviews. And I'm glad you loved th...

2012-01-23T15:49:08.667Z

I love your reviews. And I'm glad you loved this book too - it is as you know my favourite Ibbotson.

I do like that she is unapologetic about her pretty much perfect female characters. Ibbotson's books exist in a realms where princesses get their happy endings, with castles and moats and lakes... It's fairytale - and it isn't trying to be real in that way. I think that's why I can accept the obvious criticisms of her novels. Yes they do romanticise the idea of nobility and class - but why must we these days reject all this, just because we've moved on and have different ideas and beliefs?

I think like with programmes like Downton Abbey- we do still like to romanticise the idea of class society, maybe out of nostalgia for the past when everything seemed bright ant easy.

What I love about Ibbotson is that she provides that sort of feel goodness novels, without being overly airy or empty like some others might be.