8 /10 1 Votes
Country United Kingdom and US Series The Borrowers Pages 284pp (UK); 298pp (US) ISBN 722658044 | 4/5 Goodreads Language English Publication date November 1982 Originally published November 1982 Preceded by The Borrowers Aloft | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Publisher Viking Kestrel (UK)
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Genres Fantasy, Speculative fiction Illustrators Pauline Baynes, Joe and Beth Krush Similar Mary Norton books, The Borrowers books, Classical Studies books | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Borrowers Avenged is a children's fantasy novel by Mary Norton, published in 1982 by Viking Kestrel in the UK and Harcourt in the US. It was the last of five books in a series that is usually called The Borrowers, inaugurated by The Borrowers in 1952.
Contents
The Borrowers Avenged was written more than 20 years after its predecessor The Borrowers Aloft (1961). It is about twice as long as the others at nearly 300 pages; the 1966 British omnibus edition of four novels was only 699 pages. Pauline Baynes succeeded Diana L. Stanley as illustrator in the U.K. while Beth and Joe Krush continued as U.S. illustrators.
The book received a positive reception by critics. New York magazine called it a "well-drawn portrait ...wittily told" while Country Life called it "a modern classic in the making".
Plot
The Borrowers Avenged details the events following the escape of the tiny Clock family from the attic of the scheming humans Mr and Mrs Platter and their search for a new home. After returning to the Little Fordham model village, the Clocks set out in Spiller's boat for their new home, the rectory of the local church. They make a night journey down the river, barely missing the Platters who are looking for them. When they arrive at the rectory they discover that their relatives Lupy, Hendreary and Timmus are living in the church next door. Arrietty also meets another borrower named Peagreen Overmantel who shows them a place to live under a window seat.
The Clocks settle in comfortably and Arrietty is allowed to go outside and do all of the borrowing for the two borrower families. She discovers that her human friend Miss Menzies goes to the church to arrange flowers, but she is forbidden to speak to her. The Platters, having severely damaged the model village in their hunt for the borrowers, decide to use one of Homily's old aprons to help the local "finder" Lady Mullings locate the borrowers. Miss Menzies recognizes the apron and becomes suspicious. Meanwhile, the Platters spot Timmus in the church and break in after hours to catch him, but they accidentally ring the church bells and are caught by the humans in suspicious circumstances.