What do you think?
Rate this book
Punch Bowl Farm #4
Spirit of Punchbowl Farm
It is a fine yew tree that for many hundreds of years has protected Punchbowl Farm from gales and storms. Lindsey loves it and feels certain that it holds the spirit which guards their home and that to destroy it would be wrong and might cause some dreadful disaster. But Dion, who has taken the many problems of running the farm on his practical young shoulders, knows only that its poisonous branches are a constant menace to his herd and even to their beloved ponies. They cannot afford to have the tree fenced and so, he says, it must come down. But Lindsey is determined that some other solution must be found; that somehow the yew must be preserved yet the cattle protected. It seems that they will never understand each other's point of view, until they are linked together by strange and enthralling experiences which reveal to them the past history of the tree, and, in sympathy at last, they see what must be done.
156 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1952
30 people want to read
About the author
Monica Edwards
74 books22 followersMonica Edwards (November 8, 1912 - January 18, 1998) was a British children's and young adult writer.
Monica spent spent much of her childhood at Rye Harbour in East Sussex, encountering the fishermen and rural characters that later appear in her "Romney Marsh" series of books. In 1933 she married Bill Edwards and began publishing articles and verses in a variety of publications. She spent eight years as editor of a Correspondence magazine for parents before the publication of her first book Wish for a Pony in 1947.
In 1947 the Edwards family moved to Punch Bowl Farm in Thursley, South West Surrey, which became the setting for her other main series of books (as Punchbowl Farm).
Monica differed from many of her contemporaries - notably Enid Blyton - in that her characters grew older with the books until they reached the edge of adulthood, and the atmosphere of the books changed with the times.
In 1968, Monica's husband, working Punch Bowl Farm, was seriously disabled in a tractor accident. Monica stopped writing fiction. By the end of 1970, the Edwards had left Punch Bowl Farm.
Series:
* Romney Marsh
* Punch Bowl Farm
Monica spent spent much of her childhood at Rye Harbour in East Sussex, encountering the fishermen and rural characters that later appear in her "Romney Marsh" series of books. In 1933 she married Bill Edwards and began publishing articles and verses in a variety of publications. She spent eight years as editor of a Correspondence magazine for parents before the publication of her first book Wish for a Pony in 1947.
In 1947 the Edwards family moved to Punch Bowl Farm in Thursley, South West Surrey, which became the setting for her other main series of books (as Punchbowl Farm).
Monica differed from many of her contemporaries - notably Enid Blyton - in that her characters grew older with the books until they reached the edge of adulthood, and the atmosphere of the books changed with the times.
In 1968, Monica's husband, working Punch Bowl Farm, was seriously disabled in a tractor accident. Monica stopped writing fiction. By the end of 1970, the Edwards had left Punch Bowl Farm.
Series:
* Romney Marsh
* Punch Bowl Farm
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 28, 2017
Based on life at Monica Edwards's own farm, this is a fictional tale of a farm family. The father is a book illustrator and sketches the ponies or nature while the kids both go to school and work the farm or help their mother. I like that Lindsey the daughter helps in the farmhouse but also does the farm work. The farm - this was 1950s - is already outdated as they have just stopped using horses to pull a plough and got a tractor, but don't have proper harrows for the tractor and end up getting two ponies to pull holly bushes instead. The kids can drive a tractor and a pony and trap.
The story is somewhat fraught with the main tension introduced by a poisonous yew tree near the house. In this area the farmers plant a yew at the southwest corner to shield the house from severe storms. But the livestock can be poisoned very easily and this young farmer Dion wants the tree down, not to mention the wood is valuable. Lindsey wants to save the tree and goes around asking everyone for legends or information about yew trees; she also tries to raise money for fencing.
Expect a dead animal or two, but this is balanced by the successful raising of a premature foal, which is a great lesson. Also nature observations such as badgers and lovely country descriptions. When the parents are ill, the three kids rally around and do a great deal of house and farm work by hand, including oil lamps and hand washing. Quite a few risks are illustrated by the drawings, like riding without a hard hat and sitting up on a tractor with no cab. You wouldn't let kids do it now. Monica Edwards's husband was later injured when a tractor rolled over on him, causing them to sell their farm; related in memoir The Valley And The Farm.
This old paperback has an ad in the back from World Wildlife Fund warning that lions, giraffes, elephants, rhinos and cheetahs could all be extinct in the reader's lifetime. Plus ca change.
The story is somewhat fraught with the main tension introduced by a poisonous yew tree near the house. In this area the farmers plant a yew at the southwest corner to shield the house from severe storms. But the livestock can be poisoned very easily and this young farmer Dion wants the tree down, not to mention the wood is valuable. Lindsey wants to save the tree and goes around asking everyone for legends or information about yew trees; she also tries to raise money for fencing.
Expect a dead animal or two, but this is balanced by the successful raising of a premature foal, which is a great lesson. Also nature observations such as badgers and lovely country descriptions. When the parents are ill, the three kids rally around and do a great deal of house and farm work by hand, including oil lamps and hand washing. Quite a few risks are illustrated by the drawings, like riding without a hard hat and sitting up on a tractor with no cab. You wouldn't let kids do it now. Monica Edwards's husband was later injured when a tractor rolled over on him, causing them to sell their farm; related in memoir The Valley And The Farm.
This old paperback has an ad in the back from World Wildlife Fund warning that lions, giraffes, elephants, rhinos and cheetahs could all be extinct in the reader's lifetime. Plus ca change.
January 22, 2015
Or “Be Yewself” (no, seriously, I made that up).
A hugely enjoyable read, most likely for girls, because in the search to avoid fellings (intentional spelling), much is underpinned by emotional expression and about what’s ‘right’. The plot is one of survival in its many guises, and needless to say (for a British 1963 childrens book) all concludes happily.
Most striking is the amount of skilled help rendered by Dion, Lindsey and Peter when their parents fall ill with influenza. They step in to run the family’s Surrey farm (near Godalming) without close direction from the adults; because within their upbringing they have learned how to cope, and to do so without unnecessary fuss. That's not to say that they don't have their differences: which is how the plot arises).
For those who are grandparents or great-grandparents, this book will fulfil a nostalgic pleasure; a vivid reminder of farming a (fictional) mid C20th small, mixed family farm; where money was tight. Tractors were used for field work, pony and trap for travelling into town.
The plot is interesting, very well sustained and never flags. Given that this is a childrens' book, I really was surprised by just quite how much I enjoyed it. It’s a book full of that certain richness of language which inspires the imagination and satisfies the soul (and very different from Enid Blyton’s mass-market success).
CORRECTION 06-Feb-2014: "Surrey" substituted for "Sussex".
A hugely enjoyable read, most likely for girls, because in the search to avoid fellings (intentional spelling), much is underpinned by emotional expression and about what’s ‘right’. The plot is one of survival in its many guises, and needless to say (for a British 1963 childrens book) all concludes happily.
Most striking is the amount of skilled help rendered by Dion, Lindsey and Peter when their parents fall ill with influenza. They step in to run the family’s Surrey farm (near Godalming) without close direction from the adults; because within their upbringing they have learned how to cope, and to do so without unnecessary fuss. That's not to say that they don't have their differences: which is how the plot arises).
For those who are grandparents or great-grandparents, this book will fulfil a nostalgic pleasure; a vivid reminder of farming a (fictional) mid C20th small, mixed family farm; where money was tight. Tractors were used for field work, pony and trap for travelling into town.
The plot is interesting, very well sustained and never flags. Given that this is a childrens' book, I really was surprised by just quite how much I enjoyed it. It’s a book full of that certain richness of language which inspires the imagination and satisfies the soul (and very different from Enid Blyton’s mass-market success).
CORRECTION 06-Feb-2014: "Surrey" substituted for "Sussex".
March 13, 2016
Monica Edwards really has a talent for describing the magic of the land, and in this particular story, the magic of trees.
I loved the way history intertwined with 'modern' day and the ending was shocking yet lovely.
This is my favourite out of the series.
I loved the way history intertwined with 'modern' day and the ending was shocking yet lovely.
This is my favourite out of the series.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews