(pb; 1967)
From
the back cover
“Something
is scratching around in the attic above Alison's room. Yet the only thing up
there is a stack of grimy old plates. Alison and her stepbrother, Roger,
discover that the flowery patterns on the plates, when traced onto paper, can
be fitted together to create owls-owls that disappear when no one is watching.
With each vanished owl, strange events begin to happen around Alison, Roger,
and the caretaker's son, Gwyn. As the kids uncover the mystery of the owl
service, they become trapped within a local legend, playing out roles in a
tragic love story that has repeated itself for generations... a love story that
has always ended in disaster.”
Review
This
folk fantasy- and horror-themed children’s book is so-so. It has some effective
spooky scenes (many of them involving owls), elements and rural atmosphere, but
these elements are scattershot. The book is slow-paced ─ sluggish enough to be called
a is-it-done-yet crawl ─ and a lot of the scenes are repetitive-not-progressive,
making them pointless. There is a lot to like here, theme-, atmosphere- and
tale-wise; that said, judicious cutting would have made this inconsistent
effort something amazing to behold, a true classic (as some have claimed it
is). It is not. Check this out from the library before committing money
to it.
#
Peter
Plumber directed the resulting eight-part UK television miniseries, which aired on Granada Television between
December 1969 and February 1970. It was scripted by book author Alan Garner.
Gillian
Hills played Alison Bradley. Francis Wallis played Roger Bradley. Michael
Holden played Gwyn. Dorothy Edwards played Nancy. Edwin Richfield played Clive
Bradley. Raymond Lllwellyn played Huw.
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