Details for 'The Great Godden' by Meg Rosoff

The Great Godden

by Meg Rosoff
Recommended age: - teens
The story of one family, one summer, in a holiday home by the coast. A wonderful escapist coming-of-age read.
The Great Godden
by Meg Rosoff
My review:

A family is staying at a holiday home on the coast. Siblings and cousins, parents and friends, they're full of expectation and excitement for the summer together. There is a wedding to plan, and the added excitement of more guests - two brothers, the charismatic Kit and insolent Hugo.

While this is a slim book, sparsely and simply written, it is deceptively so, being wonderfully and beautifully evocative of summer, holidays, family and adolescence. It feels luxuriant and indulgent to read and, on finishing, I wanted immediately to turn back to the beginning.

It reminded me of Dodie Smith's 'I Capture the Castle' (one of my favourite books) and 'We Were Liars' by E Lockhart, with a flavour of both the Suffolk coast and Martha's Vineyard?!

The audio book is read by actor Andrew Scott.

Take a look at my conversation with Meg about this book and her writing career here.

 

 

Date of my review April 2020
Book publication date: 9th July 2020