''Flambards'' is a novel for children or

young adults In medicine and the social sciences, a young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence, sometimes with some overlap. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages ...

by K. M. Peyton, first published by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

in 1967 with illustrations by

Victor Ambrus Victor Ambrus (born László Győző Ambrus, 19 August 1935 – 10 February 2021) was a Hungarian-born British illustrator of history, folk tales, and animal story books. He also became known from his appearances on the Channel 4 television ...

. Alternatively, "Flambards" is the trilogy (1967–1969) or series (1967–1981) named after its first book. The series is set in England just before, during, and after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The novel ''Flambards'' (book one) features a teenage orphan and heiress Christina Parsons, who comes to live at Flambards, the impoverished

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

estate Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representativ ...

owned by her crippled and tyrannical uncle, William Russell, and his two sons, Mark and Will.

Novel summary

Christina Parsons, who has been shunted around the family since she was orphaned at the age of five years in 1901, is sent to live at Flambards with her mother's half-brother, the crippled Russell. Her Aunt Grace speculates that Russell plans for Christina to marry his son Mark to restore Flambards to its former glory using the money that she will inherit on her twenty-first birthday. Mark is as brutish as his father, with a great love for hunting, whereas the younger son William is terrified of horses after a hunting accident and aspires to be an aviator. Christina soon develops a love for horses and hunting. She also finds friendship with the injured William, who challenges her ideas on class boundaries. William and Christina eventually fall in love and run away from the hunt ball to London, hoping to marry.

Series

The fourth book controversially reversed the ending of the original trilogy, twelve years later and following the television series. * ''Flambards'' (Oxford, 1967) * '' The Edge of the Cloud'' (Oxford, 1969) * '' Flambards in Summer'' (Oxford, 1969) * '' Flambards Divided'' (1981) For ''The Edge of the Cloud'', Peyton won the annual Carnegie Medal from the

Library Association The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP, pronounced ) is a professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers in the United Kingdom. It was established in 2002 as a merger of th ...

, recognising the year's best children's book by a

British subject The term "British subject" has several different meanings depending on the time period. Before 1949, it referred to almost all subjects of the British Empire (including the United Kingdom, Dominions, and colonies, but excluding protectorates ...

. She was a commended runner-up for both the first and third books, the latter in competition with her Medal-winning work. She also won the 1970

Guardian Children's Fiction Prize The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award was a literary award that annually recognised one fiction book written for Children's literature, children or young adults (at least age eight) and published in the United Kingdom. It was conf ...

, conferred by ''The Guardian'' newspaper and judged by a panel of British children's writers. Ordinarily the prize recognises one fiction book published during the preceding calendar year; exceptionally Peyton won for the Flambards trilogy completed in 1969. The trilogy was

adapted In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...

as a 13-part television series in 1979, '' Flambards'', starring

Christine McKenna Christine McKenna (born 1951, Glasgow) is a British actress active during the 1970s and 1980s, best known for playing Christina in the television series '' Flambards''. Early life McKenna was a drama student at the Royal Scottish Academy of M ...

as Christina Parsons. World Publishing issued a US edition of the first book in 1968, retaining the Ambrus illustrations. World (Cleveland and New York) also published US editions of the second and third books in 1969 and 1970, also with the original illustrations, although all three novels were reset with a greater page-counts.

Notes

References

External links

* —immediately, first US edition *
a ''Flambards'' forum

Flying Dreams
– a ''Flambards'' fan page
a ''Flambards'' fan page
{{authority control British children's novels Children's historical novels Guardian Children's Fiction Prize–winning works Pony books Novels set in Essex Novels about orphans Novels by K. M. Peyton 1967 British novels Series of children's books 1967 children's books Oxford University Press books Children's books set in Essex Children's books set in the 1910s Children's books set in the 1920s Children's books set during World War I

Novel summary

Series

See also

Notes

References

External links