Thursday's child (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m re-reading my collection of books by Noel Streatfeild. I discovered some of her books when I was about eight or nine, read more as a teenager, and have gradually acquired almost everything that she wrote for children. It was over ten years since I last read ‘Thursday’s child’, so that’s the one I have re-read over the past few days.

The story is about a feisty, intelligent child called Margaret who was abandoned on the steps of a vicarage when she was a baby. She was supplied with three of everything, all the best quality (as she tells everyone she knows), and each year a sum of money was left somewhere in the church for her keep. She has been living with two elderly sisters, looked after by their housekeeper Hannah - who is also not young. Margaret loves them and does what she can to help in the house, but they’re concerned that they may not be sufficient guardians for her.

Then the money stops coming. The only thing that can be done is to send Margaret to an orphanage, one that is recommended by someone known to the vicar. She’s devastated to be leaving her house and friends, but there doesn’t seem to be any other option.

Inevitably the orphanage turns out to be a dreadful place - hopefully exaggeratedly so, but this is set at the turn of the 20th century when there were fewer checks in place. The matron is greedy and cruel, and the children often go hungry. This isn’t an uncommon trope in children’s fiction, of course, but this one seems particularly unpleasant. However, Margaret makes some friends on her way there: fourteen-year-old Lavinia who is to go in service at a stately home nearby, and her younger brothers Peter and Horatio, who are also sent to the orphanage.

It’s a very well-written story with three-dimensional main characters whom I felt quite fond of by the end. I had quite forgotten the plot, although it was inevitable that Margaret was going to run away at some point. I did not recall what the trigger was, or where they went, although I did have a vague memory of another subplot running alongside, where someone thinks they may know someone else’s relatives. 

I liked Margaret very much. She’s a bit pushy, perhaps, and reminds everyone rather too often of her rather romantic origins. She’s inclined to embroider the truth, but she tells a good story so nobody really minds her exaggerations. She’s full of courage and loyalty too, and very hard-working. I liked Peter, too. He’s a bit of a dreamer; not as strong as Margaret, but very intelligent. Peter loves reading more than anything, so I could relate to him there. He finds it physically painful to be without a book to read.

Some of the minor characters are stereotypes - not just the nasty ones, but some of the nice ones, too, including the various people who look after Margaret and her friends when they manage to escape. But that doesn’t matter; it makes them easy to distinguish, and they don’t have huge roles to play.

There is lots of adventure in this book, which doesn’t feature anyone who starts out highly talented in the arts, although there’s a hint of that towards the end. And the end is really the only part that slightly disappointed me. Noel Streatfeild’s books often end rather abruptly after the climax to the story, with a few things resolved and others left open. So I shouldn’t have been surprised when reunions happen and there’s a potential happy-ever-after, with Margaret making a decision that should affect her future. And that’s the end.

I know there’s a sequel to this, ‘Far to go’, which I’ll re-read in a few weeks. But as far as I remember, the mystery of Margaret’s origin is never solved.

Recommended anyway - I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading this book. Suitable for anyone from the age of about six or seven and upwards, although some of the brutality of the orphanage might disturb a sensitive child. There are no gratuitous details, but it's clear that there are beatings, and a lot of other unpleasant punishments. I think it would make a great read-aloud too.

I'm pleased to see that this book, which used to be hard to find, has been reprinted in paperback more than one and is now readily available online. 

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews