The Little GirlsIn 1914, three eleven-year-old girls buried a box in a thicket on the coast of England, shortly before World War I sent their lives on divergent paths. Nearly fifty years later, a series of mysteriously-worded classified ads brings the women reluctantly together again. Dinah has grown from a chubby, bossy girl to a beautiful, eccentric widow. The clever, reticent Clare has blossomed into an imperious entrepreneur of independent means. And Sheila--who was once the pretty princess of her small universe--has weathered disappointed aspirations to become a chic and glossily correct housewife. As these radically different women confront one another and their shared secrets, the hard-won complacencies of their present selves are irrevocably shattered. In a novel as subtle and compelling as a mystery, Elizabeth Bowen explores the buried revelations--and the dangers--that attend the summoning up of childhood and the long-concealed scars of the past. |
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Page 11
... idea'd never occurred to us . " " Though , little is gained by brooding , " said Mrs. Coral . " How I agree ! But the thing is , one should give pos- terity a break . One must leave posterity some clues ! " Mrs. Coral coughed . She then ...
... idea'd never occurred to us . " " Though , little is gained by brooding , " said Mrs. Coral . " How I agree ! But the thing is , one should give pos- terity a break . One must leave posterity some clues ! " Mrs. Coral coughed . She then ...
Page 38
... idea . " " Goodness , haven't you ? " Clare asked , almost with awe . " Don't be so pompous at me . You never said . " " Hardly thought that was necessary . " " Well , I'll tell you one thing you're not , Clare , from the way you go on ...
... idea . " " Goodness , haven't you ? " Clare asked , almost with awe . " Don't be so pompous at me . You never said . " " Hardly thought that was necessary . " " Well , I'll tell you one thing you're not , Clare , from the way you go on ...
Page 67
... idea being that it should stun appetite before the chops ( which were cutlet - size ) took the field . The idea had been Francis's , on the strength of which he personally handed the omelette round . " Does your butler speak English ...
... idea being that it should stun appetite before the chops ( which were cutlet - size ) took the field . The idea had been Francis's , on the strength of which he personally handed the omelette round . " Does your butler speak English ...
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Common terms and phrases
Agatha's Applegate Artworth asked Clare asked Sheila aunt Beaker better Blue Grotto bowl Burkin-Jones butter knife cave chair charabanc child coffer colour Coral Cousin Roland cried dark Delacroix Diana Dicey Dinah door drawing-room Emma escallonia eyes face Fagg Feverel Cottage Francis Frank gave gelignite gin and tonic girls glance glass gone hand happened head heard Herne Bay Hillman hope idea look Macbeth Major Wilkins mean Midwich Cuckoos minute Miss Ardingfay Miss Kinmate Mopsie Pye morning mother Mumbo never nice once Piggott Pocock Ravenswood Gardens rose round runaway train sandshoes seemed Sheikie Sheikie's sofa sorry Southstone stared stood stop suppose tell there's thing thought told took tray treacle tart Trevor turned wait walked watched What's window wonder wore worry