Gemma in Love [Goodbye, Gemma] (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

As a teenager I read and reread the books by Noel Streatfeild that I borrowed or acquired. I liked them all, but my favourites were the ‘Gemma’ series. These four books feature the talented Robinson family who live in a small town in the UK. Their cousin Gemma comes to live with them and is the catalyst for the singing/dancing group that they set up for charity performances.

The last book in the series was originally published as ‘Goodbye, Gemma’. But my copy had been read so many times that it was falling to pieces. I ordered a replacement second-hand, and received a modern edition; the text is unchanged, as far as I know, but the line drawings are gone and the cover is (in my view) quite unappealing. I last read it in 2015. 

But it’s the story that matters, and once again I was quickly drawn into the delightful Robinson household. Ann has an incredible voice which is just being discovered by the pop industry. But Ann is quite a shy and academic person who hates attention. She loves to sing, but dislikes any kind of stage presence. 

Lydie is a talented dancer who’s also quite self-centred. She loves her family, but her ballet comes first. When she learns that her teacher is going away for a few months, she behaves quite badly. And then she does something which causes enormous stress to her family. She realises she should have let someone know what she was going to do, but still feels that her actions were justified, given her passion and talent. 

Robin is the youngest, a pianist with an excellent voice, but what he loves most is ‘swirling’ folk songs - we never learn exactly what swirling is, but perhaps ‘jazzing up’ would be a rough equivalent. His best friend Nigs is a drummer. Robin is excited about accompanying Ann when she makes her first record. 

Gemma, meanwhile, is asked to play the part of Juliet in the local university production. Some of the university students are unhappy that she is given the role, and there are protests before she’s accepted.  And she develops rather a crush on the young man who’s playing Romeo…

So there are lots of different strands in this book although it’s only a little over 150 pages long. The characterisation is excellent; I often find myself caught up in the emotions of the moment. I could appreciate Lydie’s parents’ anxiety when she vanishes. I could empathise with her frustration when she has to experience some logical consequences of her actions (they call it ‘punishment’ although it’s clearly not revenge; they’re not a family who believe in punishments in general). 

I also found the final chapters very moving and poignant, when Ann has her eyes opened to something she had not thought of. I knew it was coming - I’m very familiar with these books, so there are no surprises as I reread. But that doesn’t matter. I’m already looking forward to re-reading this series yet again in another decade or so.

'Gemma in Love' stands alone, but is best read after the first three books in the series:

• Gemma
• Gemma and Sisters
• Gemma Alone [Gemma the Star]

Definitely recommended for older children and younger teenagers, or of course for adults like me who loved Noel Streatfeild's books when we were younger. 

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews