Also titled "The Painted Garden."

The Painted Garden is typical Noel Streatfeild. It's very engaging, especially at the beginning where it introduces the Winter family, John, Bee, Rachel, Jane and Tim. If these names are a bit run-of-the-mill for Streatfeild, don't worry, Peaseblossom the family friend/organiser/helper, and Chewing-Gum the pet dog are there to inject a little offbeat naming. Rachel and Tim Winter are talented (naturally), with Rachel anticipating a career in dance, and Tim in piano. Jane is a bit of a blip in the Streatfeild universe. She seems to have no particular artistic talent, and is grumpy, pushy, outspoken and - shock, horror - plain! John Winter is seemingly deep in some kind of depression which prevents him from earning a living as a writer, and everyone, especially wife, Bee, worries endlessly about him. Fortunately he has a sister in California who the entire family (sans Chewing-Gum) goes to stay with for 6 months to give John a chance to recover. The story is very entertaining as it describes their ship-board journey to the US and their establishment in Aunt Cora's household. From there it becomes a bit tedious as the talented Winters (Rachel and Tim) manoeuvre and manipulate (politely, of course) the various adults around them into facilitating dance lessons and the delivery of a piano. Meanwhile, Jane simply follows a lost dog on the beach and almost literally falls into the arms of a movie director who immediately recognises her as the perfect child to play "Mary" in his soon to be shot movie of The Secret Garden. Never-mind that she has no acting experience and no interest. What I liked most is that the children are entirely human - for the first half of the book, they are constantly sniping and fighting; they are jealous of each other, and more than a little selfish. Streatfeild did not create perfect, likeable children and it does make the book more true to life. Once Jane is signed up to act in the movie, however, it gets bogged down in the difficulties the child actors in the movie have in simply getting along. I did skip a bit here, as the plot seemed to lose its way. All in all, it is a very readable book, but although it has many things in common with Ballet Shoes, White Boots and other of Streatfeild's work, the writing seemed less focused and more in need of a good edit.

A beautifully written book about life in California and working in a movie (as a child actor) in the early 1950s. I love how Noel makes the characters imperfect but understandable, never a caricature, and how none of them is forced to become "nice" so there can be a "happy ending." This would make a great Miyazaki movie.

I've loved Noel Streatfeild since I discovered Ballet Shoes, my favorite book of all time, at age 9. It's always a joy to find a new "Shoes" book, as most of them are out of print in the US; this one wasn't my favorite of the series, as the British setting of the others was always part of the magic (and the non-English 'dialects' were truly dreadful) but still a pleasant read.

This book is very much a “wish fulfillment” story for children, especially girls who aspire to be professional dancers or child actors. As in the other “shoe” books, the children, although talented, must work through challenges and develop life skills, such as patience, to succeed. Young readers should also note that their parents or guardians need to be supportive, adults in their lives need to have connections, and they also need good old-fashioned luck.

In this story, siblings Rachel (12), Jane (10), and Tim (8), all students at Mme. Fidolia’s Academy, reluctantly move to Los Angeles for their father’s health. They are staying at an aunt’s house on the beach, poor things, and endure home schooling. They love the wonderful food and weather there as compared to London’s cold, foggy and rainy clime, where food rations are still in effect as England recovers from WWII. Los Angeles seems a paradise. Plus, Lo and Behold, Jane, the contrary one, who, unlike her musical prodigy brother and pretty, talented dancer sister, meets neighbors who just happen to be casting a girl to play Mary in a film of The Secret Garden because a famous child actress is suddenly unavailable. They choose Jane because she, like the Mary they envision, is contrary, critical, rude, and more plain than pretty. Jane can memorize quickly, a plus. Jane gets the part, and now formerly unwelcoming, wealthy Aunt Cora is pleased to be a Hollywood insider and to hang around the movie set. The family feels less like the needy, poor relations they have been.

The children need to earn their own pocket money, and that is why Jane is eager to do the work, however tedious it becomes. She also wants to shine, for once, in her family. Tim plays piano for a restaurant, then moves up to radio. Pauline from Ballet Shoes reaches out to Rachel, they bond, and Rachel’s dancing career moves forward. Their father, a writer, recovers and is happier than he’s been for a long time. The mother? She’s just a homemaker so no career is in play for her. She’s just ever so pleased that her loved ones are doing well and that their severe lack of money is lessening.

There are stereotypes (in addition to the mother) in the book, which is firmly set in the 1950’s. Aunt Cora’s Black maid is fat, happy, old, jolly, wise, and capable. Italian restaurant owners match stereotypical speech and mannerisms, and Maurice, a spoiled child actor who makes Jane miserable, and his doting stage mother, are also straight from central casting. Nevertheless, these flaws are forgivable in a book written so long ago. The story is still delightful. Parents might point out the “types” of certain individuals to young readers.

A note about Jane: a child with her characteristics and behaviors might be “on the spectrum” in today’s parlance… perhaps Asperger’s Syndrome. Possibly Tim as well.

Quotes: Tim could not believe he had an aunt so dead to decency that she could live without a piano. (p. 39)

On board the Mauretania, sailing to the US: "We may not all be equally talented but we can all be equally nice people." (mother said). Jane said no more. She climbed into her bunk with indignation sticking out all over her. (p. 61)

The series is recommended.

L

Not as good as Ballet Shoes, and yet, I found the story of the children very compelling. The narrative is very similar to Ballet Shoes, but played out against the backdrop of Englishness in the USA. I enjoyed seeing the country described through English eyes. Having Posy turn up was especially nice.

The painted garden is a heartwarming book and was recommended to me by my mother. It can occasionally be dry and boring but is normally engaging. It explores the theme of self discovery. It is about the Winter family, mainly the middle child, crabby Jane, and their adventures during their trip to America.

In this story, the Winter family moves from England to the US for six months so that the father can recover from an accident in the nice southern California weather. Coming from war-ravaged London where food is still rationed even though the war (WWII) has been over for a couple of years, the Winters bask in the sunshine and the unlimited fruit and butter.

The eldest child, Rachel, is a ballet dancer (at Madame Fidolia's school, of course), and the youngest, Tim, is a talented pianist. Jane, the ornery middle child, has never shone at anything and is even the plainest of the three. When she gets the chance to play Mary in a movie of "The Secret Garden," she hopes that she will be the important Winter for once. But because the famous Posy Fossil arranges ballet lessons for Rachel and Tim finds a way to earn money playing the piano, Jane doesn't become quite the star of her family that she had hoped.

[Author:Noel Streatfeild] has a keen perception of children (or at least it seems so to me, as I do not). She captures vividly their ambitions, their irritations, their varied relations with their families. Even if no one else understands the difficult Jane, Streatfeild does, and she makes her more likable.

But of course she is known most for her focus on the performing arts. My first introduction to ballet was probably Ballet Shoes. And everything I know about "The Blue Bird" is definitely from that book. In addition to dance and theatre, Streatfeild incorporates literature into her books. Movie Shoes is all about The Secret Garden. Jane has read the book several times before being cast as Mary, and I agree with her ideas about Mary's character. It's great when the director tells her something he wants her to do, and she protests (futilely), "But Mary wouldn't do that!"

How much I enjoy the Shoe books! Because only three (Ballet Shoes, Dancing Shoes and Theatre Shoes) are in print in the US, I've had to collect the others from used book sales and a trip to Scotland. Movie Shoes was a happy find at a book sale a couple of months ago.

I know this as The Painted Garden, and my copy was my mothers.

I'm surprised I didn't like this! But I didn't. I didn't like the way the family interacted, the pacing, all the mundane details, the writing style, Jane's sour moods, and the fact that no one seemed to really see or love her as anything but a grumpy little girl who occasionally provided amusement.

It was recommended to me by Goodreads as Movie shoes, then Marineke recommended this as a book by the same author, but it´s the same book! So now I want to read all the other `shoe` books as well. I think this is the series Meg Ryan is explaining about at the Fox bookstore in ´You´ve got mail`?