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An Episode of Sparrows
A Virago Modern Classic
Series: Virago Modern Classics
Brief Description
By the author of Black Narcissus and The River 'A masterpiece of construction and utterly realistically convincing' — JACQUELINE WILSON 'Godden's rich understanding of human nature, her humour and her beautiful prose inevitably leave one aglow' — CHICAGO TRIBUNE 'Godden here tries her deft writing hand...
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Format: Paperback / softback
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See moreFrom the esteemed author of Black Narcissus and The River, comes another captivating classic novel about a poor girl striving to create beauty among the bombsites of postwar London.
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Description
By the author of Black Narcissus and The River
'A masterpiece of construction and utterly realistically convincing' — JACQUELINE WILSON
'Godden's rich understanding of human nature, her humour and her beautiful prose inevitably leave one aglow' — CHICAGO TRIBUNE
'Godden here tries her deft writing hand at landscaping a child's heart' — TIME
*
Someone has been digging up the private garden in the Square. Miss Angela Chesney of the Garden Committee is sure that a gang of local boys is to blame, but her sister, Olivia, isn't so sure. She wonders why the neighbourhood children — 'sparrows' she calls them — have to be locked out: don't they have a right to enjoy the garden too?
Nobody has any idea what sends Lovejoy Mason and her few friends in search of 'good garden earth'. Still less do they imagine where their investigation will lead them — to a struggling restaurant, a bombed-out church, and, at the heart of it all, a hidden garden.
'Only Rumer Godden could make a simple tale of a forbidden garden pulse with suspense' — NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE BOOK REVIEW
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Someone has dug up the private garden in the Square and taken buckets of dirt, and Miss Angela Chesney of the Garden Committee is sure that a gang of boys from Catford Street must be to blame. Angela's sister, Olivia, isn't so sure. She wonders why the neighbourhood children—the 'sparrows' she sometimes watches from her window—have to be locked out...Paperback$2399Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
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Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780349017518
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 07 August 2025
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Virago Press Ltd
Audience: Children
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 22.0mm
Width: 126.0mm
Height: 196.0mm
Weight: 231g
Pages: 288
About the Author
Rumer Godden (1907-1998) was the acclaimed author of over sixty works of fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. Born in England, she and her siblings grew up in Narayanganj, India, and she later spent many years living in Kolkata and Kashmir. Several of her novels were made into films, including Black Narcissus, The Greengage Summer and The River, which was filmed by Jean Renoir. She was appointed OBE in 1993.
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An Episode of Sparrows
Someone has dug up the private garden in the Square and taken buckets of dirt, and Miss Angela Chesney of the Garden Committee is sure that a gang of boys from Catford Street must be to blame. Angela's sister, Olivia, isn't so sure. She wonders why the neighbourhood children—the 'sparrows' she sometimes watches from her window—have to be locked out...Paperback$2399Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Dark Horse
By the author of Black Narcissus and The River '[Godden's] distinctive, poised and unsentimental books have never lost a shred of their almost hypnotic appeal' — ROSIE THOMAS, GUARDIAN 'One of our best and most captivating novelists' — PHILIP HENSHER '[Godden has] a genius for storytelling' — EVENING STANDARD 'All horses can walk - some badly, some well, but to...PaperbackSold Out -
Five for Sorrow Ten for Joy
By the bestselling author of Black Narcissus and The River 'One of our best and most captivating novelists' - Philip Hensher Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy is about growth, choice, struggle, and the freedom of the soul - Joan Chittister '[Godden's] distinctive, poised and unsentimental books have never lost a shred of their almost hypnotic appeal' - Rosie Thomas,...PaperbackSold Out -
In this House of Brede
INTRODUCED BY LAUREN GROFF 'Rumer Godden's novels have a timeless shimmer' GUARDIAN 'One hundred years after her birth, Rumer Godden's novels still pulse with life' MATTHEW DENNISON, TELEGRAPH 'Her craftsmanship is always sure' NEW YORK TIMES 'The motto was Pax but the word was set in a circle of thorns. Peace, but what a strange peace, made of unremitting toil...PaperbackSold Out -
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The River
By the bestselling author of Black Narcissus and The Greengage Summer The River will make you laugh, make you cry and, in its way, change you forever' JULIE MYERSON 'Her prose is pure, delicate, and gently witty' NEW YORK TIMES 'Bold, beautiful . . . everyone’s appetites will be satisfied' ELLE The River is Rumer Godden's beautiful tribute to India...PaperbackSold Out -
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