The Lark by Edith Nesbit Paperback Book 9780241983485

A charming and brilliantly entertaining novel shot through with the lighthearted Nesbit touch Penelope Lively from the introductionquotWhen did two girls of our age have such a chance as weve got to have a lark entirely on our own No chaperone no rules noquotquotNo present income or future prospectsquot said LucillaIts 1919 and Jane and her cousin Lucilla leave school to find that their guardian has gambled away their money leaving them with only a small cottage in the English countryside In an attempt to earn their living the orphaned cousins embark on a series of misadventures cutting flowers from their front garden and selling them to passersby inviting paying guests who disappear without paying all the while endeavouring to stave off the attentions of male admirers in a bid to secure their independenceTo come upon any Nesbit today hitherto unread is like receiving a letter from a friend whom you have believed dead New York TimesA wry charming delight of a book The Pool