Green Knowe

Green Knowe is a series of six books written by Lucy M. Boston, published between 1954 and 1976. They feature a very old house, Green Knowe, which is based on Boston's then-residence, The Manor in Hemingford Grey, Cambridgeshire. Some books in the series feature a boy called Toseland (Tolly for short) and his great-grandmother, Mrs. Oldknow. The house is inhabited by the spirits of children who lived there in ages past. More than one of these spirits that Tolly knows as children later grow into adults. Other supernatural entities which appear in the series include the demonic tree-spirit, Green Noah (manifesting as a large tree on the grounds of the manor house), and an animated statue of St. Christopher.

Synopses

The Children of Green Knowe (1954)

The Children of Green Knowe is the first of the six books written by Boston about the fictional manor house of Green Knowe.

The novel concerns the visit of a young boy, Toseland, to the magical house of Green Knowe. The house is tremendously old, dating from the Norman Conquest, and has been continually inhabited by Toseland's ancestors, the d'Aulneaux, later Oldknowe or Oldknow, family. Toseland crosses floodwaters by night to reach the house and his great-grandmother, Linnet Oldknow, who addresses him as Tolly.

Over the course of the novel, Tolly explores the rich history of his family, which pervades the house like magic. He begins to encounter what appear to be the spirits of three of his forebears — an earlier Toseland (nicknamed Toby), Alexander, and an earlier Linnet — who lived in the reign of Charles II. These meetings are for the most part not frightening to Tolly; they continually reinforce the sense of belonging that the house embodies. In the evenings, Mrs. Oldknow entertains Tolly with stories about the house and the children who lived and live there. Surrounded by the rivers and the floodwater, sealed within its ancient walls, Green Knowe is a sanctuary of peace and stability in a world of unnerving change.

The book was adapted for television in 1986 in the BBC production The Children of Green Knowe, starring Alec Christie as Tolly, Daphne Oxenford as Mrs. Oldknow and Polly Maberly as Linnet Oldknow.

The Chimneys of Green Knowe (1958)

The Chimneys of Green Knowe also features Tolly, who has returned to Green Knowe for the Easter holidays. As she mends a patchwork quilt, Mrs. Oldknow continues telling Tolly stories about the previous inhabitants of the house. This time, her stories concern Susan Oldknow, a blind girl who lived at Green Knowe during the English Regency, and the close bond of friendship that developed between her and a young black page, Jacob, brought back from the West Indies by Susan's father, Captain Oldknowe. The plot also concerns the whereabouts of the jewels of Maria Oldknowe, which may or may not have been stolen by the unscrupulous butler Caxton.

This book was published in the United States as The Treasure of Green Knowe and was adapted for film in 2009 as From Time to Time, with Maggie Smith as Mrs. Oldknow and Alex Etel as Tolly.

The River at Green Knowe (1959)

Main article: The River at Green Knowe

In The River at Green Knowe, Mrs. Oldknow and Tolly are absent. It is summer, and the house has been rented by two old ladies: the archaeologist Doctor Biggin and her friend, Miss Bun. Doctor Biggin has invited her niece Ida and two "displaced" refugee children, Oskar and Ping, to stay with her at Green Knowe.

The children arrive and begin to explore the river and canals round Green Knowe by canoe. The magic of Green Knowe is much more fantasy-based in this novel: the children see flying horses, meet a giant, and witness a Bronze Age moon ceremony. The subtext, of homeless children being protected and healed by the house and its enchantments, is particularly strong.

A Stranger at Green Knowe (1961)

The Chinese boy, Ping, has returned to Green Knowe alone to stay with Mrs. Oldknow. During a visit to a zoo in London prior to his arrival at Green Knowe, he is fascinated by the giant gorilla Hanno, with whom he, as a refugee, feels a powerful bond. After Hanno escapes from the zoo and makes his way to Green Knowe, Ping befriends him. The early chapters of the book detail Hanno's life as a young gorilla in Africa and the trauma and cruelty of his capture with great compassion and finesse. A Stranger At Green Knowe was awarded the 1961 Carnegie Medal in Literature.

An Enemy at Green Knowe (1964)

This novel takes a darker turn than previous novels in the series. Both Tolly and Ping are staying at Green Knowe. Mrs. Oldknow tells them the story of Doctor Vogel, a tutor and necromancer who came to a diabolical end at Green Knowe centuries before. The next day, Professor Melanie D. Powers appears, hunting for Vogel's occult papers. Professor Powers' interest is far from academic, however, and a mounting confrontation between the holy magic of Green Knowe and the forces of Evil, represented by Melanie Powers, commences.

The Stones of Green Knowe (1976)

This novel, the last in the sequence, tells the story of Roger d'Aulneaux, the son of the original Norman settler who built the manor house of Green Knowe. Whilst exploring the overgrown countryside, Roger discovers two throne-like stones that allow him to access, first the turbulent time of the Conquest, then the later periods of Linnet, Susan and Tolly, and they to visit him in turn.

Reception

Anthony Boucher praised the first novel as "sheer literary magic: subtle, tenuous, enchanting and wholly convincing."

Adaptations

The Children of Green Knowe was adapted into a BBC drama serial comprising 4 episodes in 1986. It was broadcast on BBC 1 between 26 November and 17 December 1986. The dramatisation was adapted from Boston's novel by John Stadelman.

The Children of Green Knowe was dramatised by Brian Sibley as a radio play directed by Marilyn Imrie for BBC Radio 4, 18 December 1999.

Based on The Chimneys of Green Knowe a film, From Time to Time, was produced in 2009.