Books Reviews

The Haunting of Charity Delafield – Book Review

By Angela Youngman Feb 4, 2012, 15:45 GMT

A delightful, entertaining story about a girl who has grown up in a house isolated from all other children.  She lives an extremely restricted life, forbidden from exploring the house, speaking to strangers or even going beyond the tall iron gates at the entrance.

Told she suffers from a mysterious 'condition' Charity is not allowed anything to stimulate her imagination.  But dreams cannot be stopped.  She keeps dreaming of mysterious music, of visits to a hidden part of the house and the activities of her cat.  With the help of a young sweep's boy, she manages to unlock the secrets of her past - and in doing so, brings happiness to more than one person.

The world of faerie comes very close in this lovely story, helped by the gorgeous illustrations.  This is a book to capture the imagination of any child who enjoys fairy stories, mystery and magic. Charity is a fascinating child, and it is interesting to see how she develops her curiosity throughout the story.