Musings: The Penderwicks

Even if the infallible Jenny had not piqued my interest in this series, I would have snatched this book up based on the cover (love the stencil-like artwork!) and the title (love overly descriptive titles!).  The Penderwicks:  A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy is just a really sweet book to read.  I finished it in less than a day and am now chomping at the bit to read the second and third books in the series. 

This light read won the hefty National Book Award and while I admit I enjoyed the book thoroughly, I can imagine other authors that year being somewhat chagrined by this book winning. The Great American Novel, this is not.  There isn't great symbolism.  There isn't an epic class struggle.  No one encounters racism (or, it appears, other races).  It's just a simple story, really- or just a series of vignettes about four sisters and their summer vacation.  It's set in contemporary Massachusetts, but takes place in a very isolated setting so feels like it's set much earlier.

I really just enjoyed this story because the four sisters- Rosalind, Skye, Jane and Batty- are so fabulous.  They all have such distinct personalities, and really interact with each other just as real siblings do.  They are loyal, yes, but they also go their own ways.  I personally fell very much in love with adorable little 4-year-old Batty (who, I admit, has a pretty impressive vocabulary for a 4-year-old), who wears butterfly wings everywhere and, when scared, tries to hide herself behind urns, sisters and trees, often unsuccessfully.  But truly, I liked all the sisters.  Rosalind was a bit too perfect as the oldest, always taking care of her younger sisters, being patient and kind and understanding, but she had such a great storyline with her first crush on a boy- it was so true and kindly described by Birdsall.  I also loved Jane, who wants to be an author, and the amazing thoughts that went on in her head as she considered the next development in her book's plots.

And of course there's the poor little rich boy, Jeffrey, who befriends the girls and whose life is forever changed by them.  This is a really lovely tale about girls (and a boy) coming of age- whatever age that might be.  They all confront situations that are applicable to their age, face them with courage, and come through with some scrapes and a lot of humor.  I'm very grateful to Jenny for bringing this series to my attention- the book was a great delight, and I look forward to reading the rest in the series!