Description
This is third book in the “Persia” series. The stories are about children from two families, and take place on a farm in Exmoor and the surrounding moors and open country as well as a small nearby town. Both families are what I would call upper middle class. Bridget, Anthony and Frances Hunterly have been sent to stay at the Exmoor farm of The Fradds, who rent out rooms to children as well as Exmoor ponies to ride where they will. The Hunterly’s parents are away in Sumatra (a common solution for such books). Peter and Jennifer Cleverton live in the next farm year round with their father, who works in London, and is therefore not around much, another familiar tactic for getting adults out of the way. They have their own ponies.
The third book, “Oxus in Summer” takes a different turn when Maurice finds the Hunterlys in his cabin seemingly reading his diary. Furious, he sets fire to the cabin and declares war on them, enlisting help from a local family Maurice has met. The Hunterlys want desperately to find Maurice and tell him they were not reading his diary, but are stymied at every turn until a long chase across the countryside finally reunites them, and leads to an even crazier adventure where they stay out all night.
These books are great reads, and well written, with appealing characters and clever plots that never drag. I don’t like them quite as much as Arthur Ransome’s books, but they’re almost as good.
Description taken from Todds Blog.
First edition 1939, this version (sixth impression August 1944) printed under wartime conditions, therefore lower quality paper.
312 pages.
