The Skylarks’ War

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Clarry and her older brother Peter live for their summers in Cornwall, staying with their grandparents and running free with their charismatic cousin, Rupert But normal life resumes each September boarding school for Peter and Rupert, and a boring life for Clarry at home with her absent father, as the shadow of a terrible war looms ever closer When Rupert goes off to fight at the front, Clarry feels their skylark summers are finally slipping away from them.Can their family survive this fearful war The Skylarks War is a beautiful story following the loves and losses of a family growing up against the harsh backdrop of World War One, from the award winning Hilary McKay. Free Read Kindle ePUB The Skylarks’ War By Hilary McKay – kino-fada.fr This story engaged us from the start, in fact the first part of this book that covers the characters childhood was perfect We started with the birth of Clarry and then with the loss of one parent and the other three not being interested the three children are pretty much on their own Such real characters, wonderful descriptions, happiness, sadness and such humour We loved the descriptions of the perfect summers enjoyed by Rupert and his cousins Peter and Clarry with grandparents who also didn This story engaged us from the start, in fact the first part of this book that covers the characters childhood was perfect We started with the birth of Clarry and then with the loss of one parent and the other three not being interested the three children are pretty much on their own Such real characters, wonderful descriptions, happiness, sadness and such humour We loved the descriptions of the perfect summers enjoyed by Rupert and his cousins Peter and Clarry with grandparents who also didn t really want t...What an amazing and moving story My wife read it first and couldn t put it down She kindly passed it on to me and I read it in a day I am a history teacher and often have issues with books set in the World Wars as the writers tend to make obvious errors but this was beautifully written and I felt captured the mood of the war years I was moved almost to tears in places It reminded me of so many amazing books like War Horse, the Railway Children and maybe Swallows and s With All quiet What an amazing and moving story My wife read it first and couldn t put it down She kindly passed it on to me and I read it in a day I am a history teacher and often have issues with books set in the World Wars as the writers tend to make obvious errors but this was beautifully written and I felt captured the mood of the war years I was moved almost to tears in places It reminded me of so many amazing books like War Horse, the Railway Children and maybe Swallows and s With All qui...These are the kids from Binny in Secret, right I m not making that up Anyway, this is a short book, but it FEELS big It also feels old school, the way it follows Clarry from childhood to adulthood I miss books like that.It also doesn t pull it s WWI punches, wow.I recommend it.This book is written for 9 12 year olds but I ve thoroughly enjoyed it It has won so many awards I really wanted to see what it was all about I knew I d love it for the Cornwall references alone, but it is also a beautifully written account of a young family who all become teenagers during the Second World War who are torn apart in various ways, not just the obvious ones Many of the issues are pretty deep would soar over the heads of the average 9 year old but written in such a wa This book is written for 9 12 year olds but I ve thoroughly enjoyed it It has won so many awards I really wanted to see what it was all about I knew I d love it for the Cornwall references alone, but it is also a beautifully written account of a young family who all become teenagers during the Second World War who are torn apart in various ways, not just the obvious ones Many of the issues are pretty deep would ...Very much a deserved winner of any book award Slow and steady in pace, Skylark s War gently promenades us through the early years of our protagonist, Clarry as she spends her youth between her insular and deeply self centred father I realise there ishere than McKay lets on and her grandparents on the coast As we peer at this world over Clarry s innocent and ignorant shoulder, we see it change and darken with the advent of war and the loss of those that she loves Relationships change a Very much a deserved winner of any book award Slow and steady in pace, Skylark s War gently promenades us through the early years of our protagonist, Clarry as she spends her youth between her insular and deeply self centred father I realise there ishere than McKay lets on and her grandparents on the coast As we peer at this world over Clarry s innocent and ignorant shoulder, we see it change and darken with the advent of war and the los...This is so meticulously plotted that I don t quite know how to untangle what didn t work for me from what absolutely did I ll start by saying that, as a war book, this isn t as successful to me as The Road Home or Rilla of Ingleside. It s too contemporary for that Something about it screams historical fiction instead of product of its time Part of that might be Clarry, who s oblivious for a good chunk of the book, which blunts its impact Part of that is the way the book tries to be every This is so meticulously plotted that I don t quite know how to untangle what didn t work for me from what absolutely did I ll start by saying that, as a war book, this isn t as successful to me as The Road Home or Rilla of Ingleside. It s too contemporary for that Something about it screams historical fiction instead of product of its time Part of that might be Clarry, who s oblivious for a good chunk of the book, which blunts its impact Part of that is the way the book tries to be everything at once a family storyMcKay absent parenting and a found family story and an empowerment story and a war book It s small scale and large scale at once, and so ambitious that it becomes unbalanced.It has incredible high moments Clarry had had private worlds before, but they had all been in her head She had never had a private w...Clarry was 3 days old when her mother died The Skylarks War is a poignant narrative following the lives of Clarissa Clarry , her brother Peter and cousin Rupert Growing up at a time when the world outside was amidst turmoil, the three and their friends build happy memories together that are at stake during the world war The pity of war that Owen once wrote about has been brought out once again from the perspective of a kids growing into adults Although the book does get a bit draggy o Clarry was 3 days old when her mother died The Skylarks War is a poignant narrative following the lives of Clarissa Clarry , her brother Peter and cousin Rupert Growing up at a time when the world outside was amidst turmoil, the three and their friends build happy memories together that are at stake during the world war The pity of war that Owen once wrote about has been brought out once again from the perspective of a kids growing into adul...Occasionally, very occasionally, you read a book that slips so perfectly into the canon that it seems as if it was always there That you read it as a child, reread it over and over, until it forms part of you along with Anne Shirley and Jo March, the Fossil sisters, Jo Bettany and Veronica Weston and Nicola Marlowe the Skylarks War is such a book.Clarry s birth coincides with her mother s death, and her father, who only misses out on tyranny through indifference, thinks it s a shame she did Occasionally, very occasionally, you read a book that slips so perfectly into the canon that it seems as if it was always there That you read it as a child, reread it over and over, until it forms part of you along with Anne Shirley and Jo March, the Fossil sisters, Jo Bettany and Veronica Weston and Nicola Marlowe the Skylarks War is such a book.Clarry s birth coincides with her mother s death, and her father, who only misses out on tyranny through indifference, thinks it s a shame she didn t depart along with the wife he s too selfish to mourn Somehow Clarry holds on and, along with her brother Peter, is half brought up by a series of well meaning neighbours, housekeepers an...I quickly realised why this book had won The Costa and was amazed it hadn t wonyet.Clarry, Peter and their older cousin Rupert are characters to take into your heart forever Told through the innocent childhood eyes of Clarry, McKay is able to tackle some heavy issues Family dysfunction, bullying, sexism and feminist issues, homosexuality and the hardships of war are all in this book McKay hints at stuff, leads us up to a point, but she never tells us or explains She leaves us to w I quickly realised why this book had won The Costa and was amazed it hadn t wonyet.Clarry, Peter and their older cousin Rupert are characters to take into your heart forever Told through the innocent childhood eyes of Clarry, McKay is able to tackle some heavy issues Family dysfunction, bullying, sexism and feminist issues, homosexuality and the hardships of war are a...This is what a children s book ought to look like.Whoa Okay This book.The Skylarks War is a beautiful children s novel, the latter half of which is set against the backdrop of WWII We follow Clarry Penrose, her beloved brother Peter and favourite cousin Rupert, from childhood to adulthood while World War II is raging Where to begin with unpicking this book First of all, the prose is absolutely, gloriously beautiful From the descriptions of Clarry s Skylark summers in Cornwall to the gutting depictions of the front lines One particular Whoa Okay This book.The Skylarks War is a beautiful children s novel, the latter half of which is set against the backdrop of WWII We follow Clarry Penrose, her beloved brother Peter and favourite cousin Rupert, from childhood to adulthood while World War II is raging Where to begin with unpicking this book First of all, the prose is absolutely, gloriously beautiful From the descriptions of Clarry s Skylark summers in Cornwall to the gutting depictions of the front lines One particular line I loved was the description of the line as a well fed long lopsided smile A terrifying visual Although the book is targeted towards a younger demographic, the writing feels raw and hard hitting, and I d honestly recommend this book to anyone, no matter their age.The characters are heartbreakingly lovable The gaggle of schoolboys, Simon, Peter and Rupert, who go from childish antics at boarding school to growing up to fight a war Rupert, who for Clarry,...Hilary McKay s storytelling is so very lovely the structure of her sentences so supple and clear her characters so utterly real You don t have to want to be there with them, you are This is called Love to Everyone in the US but I like the British title better.I feel like each book of Hilary McKay s is a gift to the twelve year old I wish I d been I actually don t think I would have had the sophistication at that age to appreciate her stories adequately She gives us a cast of earnest, messy characters, often caught in difficult family situations, who seem to thrive on their shared devotion of each other I believe this is her first historical fiction, and while we gotthan a glimpse of horrors of the Western Front during the Great War, it was I feel like each book of Hilary McKay s is a gift to the twelve year old I wish I d been I actually don t think I would have had the sophistication at that age to appreciate her stories adequately She gives us a cast of earnest, messy characters, often caught in difficult family situations, who seem to thrive on their shared devotion of each other I believe this is her first historical fiction, and while we gotthan a glimpse of horrors of the Western Front during the Great War, it was softened by our Clarry s drive to improve her lot in life, as she also beetles about keeping everyone in her hemisphere safe view spoiler I should really knock a star or two off for this, but I can t seem to I m beyond sad that she had to kill off Simon I knew the moment it was clear he was gay and i...Darn you, Hilary McKay You made me cry.First, I love McKay s writing and will follow her anywhere When her Binny books first wove in a historical thread, I was completely surprised and intrigued Now here is the story of the Penrose cousins, front and center, which answers all the questions first posed in Binny in Secret Hilarious, touching, tragic, and hopeful it s all there McKay s trademarks are there, too dysfunctional parents for which she makes no excuses , kids with a full range Darn you, Hilary McKay You made me cry.First, I love McKay s writing and will follow her anywhere When her Binny books first wove in a historical thread, I was completely surprised and intrigued Now here is the story of the Penrose cousins, front and center, which answers all the questions first posed in Binny in Secret Hilarious, touching, tragic, and hopeful it s all ther...Two wordsAbsolutely Marvellous

The Skylarks’ War
  • English
  • 03 August 2018
  • Hardcover
  • 320 pages
  • 1509894942
  • Hilary McKay
  • The Skylarks’ War