ISBN: 1417770171

Library Binding, [EAN: 9781417770175], San Val, San Val, Book, [PU: San Val], San Val, Aimed at both children and adults, this book is a celebration of the English countryside, a suspense… Mehr…

Library Binding, [EAN: 9781417770175], San Val, San Val, Book, [PU: San Val], San Val, Aimed at both children and adults, this book is a celebration of the English countryside, a suspenseful mystery and an ecological adventure all rolled into one. Never hurried, but rarely dull, the story unfolds in short, considered chapters and depicts the hidden world it’s magical Cornish location with considerable skill. In many ways, The Valley of Secrets is a life’s work for author Charmian Hussey. Her debut novel began life as a modest, locally-published volume. Inspired by the childhood fantasies of her son, now in his thirties, Hussey’s book was seized upon by book collectors and began to change hands for four-figure sums. This new, mainstream edition brings her story to a wider audience and, importantly, it deserves attention. It is the story of a teenage boy called Stephen Lansbury who, after living his whole life in care homes in London, is informed by a crusty old solicitor (who could have been lifted from a Dickens novel) that he is the sole beneficiary of his uncle’s estate. Stephen inherits a large country house in Cornwall, Lansbury Hall, and sets off at once to take up residence there. Apparently unoccupied, the dusty pile sits amidst a vast expanse of overgrown gardens and hidden valleys. Protected by high walls and shrouded in mystery, the house and its secretive owners are almost a legend amongst the locals and they are duly agog when this young man arrives to make his home there. But not all is as it seems. Stephen’s uncle was an Amazonian explorer, and when Stephen discovers and reads the journal of his relative’s last voyage overseas, it becomes clear that he brought something back with him… which may still survive. This is a defiantly old-fashioned story, which revels in its environmental messages and glories in its sumptuous descriptions of the local flora and fauna. It’s a fascinating book and is certain to be enjoyed by many. (Age , 291759, Action & Adventure, 291747, Fiction, 69, Children's Books, 1025612, Subjects, 266239, Books, 291749, Mysteries & Detective Stories, 291747, Fiction, 69, Children's Books, 1025612, Subjects, 266239, Books, 62, Fiction, 275035, Adventure Stories & Action, 275116, Anthologies, 426316031, Biographical Fiction, 590912, Classics, 590756, Contemporary Fiction, 72, Crime, Thrillers & Mystery, 275040, Erotica, 275050, Family Sagas, 279254, Fantasy, 598310, Film & Television Tie-In, 590800, Gay & Lesbian, 10790401, Historical, 63, Horror, 426359031, Humour, 590930, Lad Lit, 590934, Literary Fiction, 426309031, Medical, 590794, Metaphysical & Visionary, 275053, Myths & Fairy Tales, 426362031, Poetry & Drama, 590796, Political, 426310031, Psychological, 275054, Religious & Inspirational, 88, Romance, 279292, Science Fiction, 275380, Short Stories, 590792, Sport, 275060, War, 275065, Westerns, 590760, Women Writers & Fiction, 1025612, Subjects, 266239, Books, 52, Young Adult, 5346594031, Action & Adventure, 5346475031, Art & Music, 280199, Biographies, 5346498031, Comics & Graphic Novels, 5346499031, Computers & Internet, 280219, Education & Reference, 280208, Historical Fiction, 5346569031, History, 280210, Horror, 280211, Literature & Fiction, 280217, Love & Romance, 280218, Mysteries & Thrillers, 5346606031, Personal Health, 280222, Religion & Spirituality, 5346621031, Science & Nature, 280229, Science Fiction & Fantasy, 280244, Social Issues, 280250, Sport & Outdoors, 1025612, Subjects, 266239, Books<

ISBN: 1417770171

Bibliothekseinband, [EAN: 9781417770175], San Val, San Val, Book, [PU: San Val], San Val, The tradition of the cozy English children’s mystery, so sweetly portrayed in classics like… Mehr…

Bibliothekseinband, [EAN: 9781417770175], San Val, San Val, Book, [PU: San Val], San Val, The tradition of the cozy English children’s mystery, so sweetly portrayed in classics like Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce and Mandy by Julie Andrews, has been revived in Charmian Hussey’s exquisitely wrought The Valley of Secrets. Stephen Lansbury never knew his parents. So the orphan is stunned to receive a letter informing him he has inherited a large estate in the English countryside from his long lost great-uncle Theodore. Upon his arrival to Lansbury Hall, two things immediately strike Stephen: the exotic plant life that seems to bloom everywhere, and the meticulous upkeep of the old manor. When Stephen finds the water-stained journals of his uncle’s youthful travels up the Amazon River, the unusual greenery suddenly makes sense. But who (or what!) is maintaining the tidy kitchen garden and replenishing his woodbox? As Stephen pores over his uncle’s journals, his curiosity and apprehension grow. Are plants the only thing Uncle Theodore brought back from the rain forest all those years ago? Charmian Hussey has given the stale orphan premise a clever 21st century twist by inserting loads of facts and figures about the devastating deforestation of the Amazon into her old-fashioned tale. There is even a list of mentioned flora and fauna included for aspiring young naturalists, who will no doubt be charmed by Stephen’s surprising "discovery" of a whole new species. For more mystery melded with Amazon lore, follow up The Valley of Secrets with Eva Ibbotson’s equally wonderful Journey to the River Sea<