The Exiles (by Hilary McKay)

(Amazon UK link)

After I finished re-reading Hilary McKay’s wonderful series about the Casson family, I decided to re-read the other series I have by her, which starts with ‘The Exiles’. I last read it (aloud) in 2017, so I had forgotten most of the detail. 

I did recall that four sisters go to stay with their grandmother in Cumbria, and that the overall storyline reminded me of Noel Streatfeild’s book ‘The growing summer’, which is also intended for older children or young teens. The theme in both is of children reluctantly staying with an elderly relative who makes them do chores and take a lot more responsibility than they are used to. 

However there are also a lot of differences. And I’m rather shocked to discover that the ‘elderly’ relative in ‘The Exiles’, known to the four girls as ‘Big Grandma’, is actually rather younger than I am. She lives on her own in a rambling house, and is considered eccentric by the local villagers…

The story starts just before the end of the summer term in the household. Ruth and Naomi (13 and 11) go to a secondary school, while Rachel (8) and Phoebe (6) are at a local primary school. They’re all looking forward to being out of school for six weeks over the holiday, but not expecting to do anything much other than hang around the house and read. 

Meanwhile their parents have had an unexpected letter telling them about a legacy which will enable them to do some essential house repairs. So they’re going to take up Big Grandma’s generous offer to have the girls to stay for the whole of the summer break. They don’t tell the girls about this until everything is arranged.

As in ‘The growing summer’, the girls are quite stressed at first, living with a somewhat bohemian grandmother who isn’t easy angered, but who expects them to be a lot more independent and helpful than they would naturally choose. And she doesn’t seem to have any books, other than a few cookery books and some large volumes of Shakespeare’s works. Each of the girls has brought two of their own books, but they’re a very mixed selection, nowhere near sufficient for these four bookworms.

But gradually they discover the joys of cooking their own food at the beach, of exploring and meeting new people. Naomi becomes quite keen on growing things in her grandmother’s garden, and Ruth collects bones whenever she can find them. Rachel seems to have an enormous appetite, and keeps track of everything she eats… and Phoebe takes great pleasure in ‘fishing’ in a bucket of water.

There’s a lot of gentle humour in this character-based book. There are caricatures of course, but everyone is memorable, and likeable too, in their different ways. I thoroughly enjoyed rereading this - there was so much more than I had recalled. The writing is good, the pace just right for my tastes.

At the ending there’s a shocking event which I had remembered - it’s foreshadowed somewhat, but I had forgotten the extent of what happened. It makes an exciting climax to the book, and - in a sense - draws the girls closer to their grandmother. However they had already become quite fond of her, and were not looking forward to leaving the wilds of Cumbria and returning to their school.

Intended for children of around eight or nine and upwards. But this is one of those crossover books which can be enjoyed just as much by adults, either reading aloud, or, as I was this time, to themselves. 

Definitely recommended.

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