Gemma and Sisters (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

Rereading my Noel Streatfeild books is always a joy, and my favourites of all are those in the ‘Gemma’ series. They feature the Robinson family and their cousin Gemma, who was a child film star but is now ‘resting’ while her mother works in the United States. I re-read the first book in the series, ‘Gemma’, at the end of January and have just finished the second book, ‘Gemma and Sisters’, which I last read in 2015.

The title refers to the talented group who have performed at a concert: the oldest Robinson, Ann, is an excellent singer, although she’s rather shy. The middle child, Lydia, is a very promising ballet dancer, who is far from shy, and not averse to a bit of deception. The youngest, a boy known as Robin, is a pianist and chorister who loves nothing more than to ‘swirl’ well-known tunes in a new arrangement.

Along with Gemma, who produces them as well as playing her banjo and singing, and Robin’s friend Nigs, who is a drummer, they delight their audiences with their diverse talents. This book sees the group becoming popular locally, attracting interest and more invitations. Alongside that are several subplots. 

Lydia’s ballet teacher doesn’t like her students performing in public, but when she makes concessions to her other students, Lydia is so angry that she does something stupid with potentially tragic consequences. Ann is quite academic and very conscientious, and isn’t too sure how much she wants to continue singing with Gemma and Sisters.  And Gemma herself is asked to take on a significant role in a historical play being produced at her school. 

It’s not a long book, and once I had got into it, it was hard to put down. The characters, if a tad caricatured at times, are still three-dimensional and believable. Noel Streatfeild wrote very well about highly talented children, particularly ballet dancers, but this story focuses more on the Robinsons’ life as a family. They are quite close, and I found several of the scenes very moving.  

This series was first published in 1968, so inevitably it feels a bit dated in places. The Robinsons’ delight at being given a car might surprise today’s children, who take cars for granted. There obviously a complete lack of any modern technology, but it doesn’t much matter.  The book gives a broad picture of life as it was in the 1960s, and while nuclear families are less common today, the people and their motivations and actions are recognisable as normal, likeable but flawed humans.

I enjoyed rereading this very much, having forgotten much of the detail; I wasn’t even worried by the odd chronology error, in that Christmas is celebrated - almost in passing - and then the action moves backward, to a month or two before Christmas. I didn’t even notice it as a child. 

The book might be too slow for some of today’s children, but for those who like a good, family-based story, I would recommend this highly. It was intended for children aged about eight to twelve (which is roughly the ages of the Robinson family in the first book) and would make a good read-aloud for children of almost any age, so long as they like books with only a few line drawings rather than full illustrations.

I’m glad that these books are regularly reprinted, and also widely available second-hand in a variety of editions.

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews