Post by tintin on Dec 6, 2012 17:27:15 GMT 1
This book is second in the Augusta and Christina series and focuses on Christina who indeed is introduced in this book.
Christina is the young lady who has everything. She has a lovely house, which her family has just moved into, with servants, three beautiful horses with a groom to look after them and rich doting parents.
Unfortunately for poor Christina she has moved into a new area. All the time she is judged, but it is not really her that is being judged, but an image or stereotype of what people think she is. Even her parents do this and you gain the impression they may even be trying to relive their lives through her.
What makes this worse is that Christina is actually a very nice girl who wants to do the right thing by everyone.
Christina’s plight is worse than Augusta’s, in my opinion, for several reasons. Firstly Augusta knows her own mind better, partly because her life has a much more solid foundation in her relationship with her mother. Secondly Augusta’s tormentors are straightforwardly dreadful and, although hectoring and patronising do not mean any harm to the girl. Christina’s tormentors do not like her, relish her downfalls and are duplicitous, conniving and two faced, particularly Charlie who is a vile person.
You really do feel for the poor girl. Fortunately Augusta and Christina meet at a riding camp where there are quite a number of scrapes, including two really good ones in the kitchen. There are also some nicer children who are more neutral about her who you see more of in the later books.
Christina’s father is one of those people for whom biggest is always best. He buys her an Irish Wolfhound, Shannan, a completely unsuitable dog for a young girl. Shannan is very naughty and destructive, although loyal and affectionate. I knew someone who looked after the Irish Guards Wolfhound and they can be enough of a handful for a man.
The book is, as you would expect, well written, but in my opinion piles far too many troubles and misfortunes on the heroine, a bit like a soap opera. Although still enjoyable, to me at least, the weakest of the four being comparatively down beat and having more than its share of the worst side of human nature displayed in really petty ways.