Posted by Colin Havard on March 12, 2001 at 21:13:50 from 199.217.240.61:
In Reply to: Favourite Book posted by Mike Dennis on March 11, 2001 at 19:47:51:
I agree with you in that WH has always been my favourite among the books. Among the things that originally delighted me and that I rediscovered when I read it to my son were:
The introductions to the D's and the account of their meeting and acceptance by the S&As. I think the D's are wonderful and there is something particularly heartwarming in their diffidence and inexperience as city children and their delight in being accepted by the others. As a rather shy city dweller (and son of an academic) myself, I felt a strong identification with them and their situation.
Then there was the winter itself. The winters of my childhood rarely involved snow or ice skating for more than a day or two and the vision of the Lakes as a wonderland was entrancing.
The treatment of Nancy's absence so that she is there but not there throughout the book is masterful.
Finally it has (perhaps along with the Timothy mystery in PP) a really amusing and surprising plot. The encounter of the D's with Captain Flint and mix-up over the signals at the culmination of the book still delight me every time I re-read it.