Posted by William Tozer on August 16, 2001 at 20:42:46 from 24.69.232.61:
In Reply to: Re: Matterhorn - they were children posted by Peter H on August 08, 2001 at 19:36:55:
I have always thought that Jim was the younger and like AR not an actual combatant. My thought was that Bob's death ("HE was father") was a war related one. perhaps before peggy's birth I always thought her to be about the age of Susan but not as mature. Jim shares the black sheep monicker with AR within his own family and after many travels is back at around the age of forty around '28. No firm dates are given but it follows with the time of publishing of the first book.
I am still convinced that Bob was not an approved playmate but rather like the swallows in GA's mind. The rescue would have been literal he got them to pull a nancy and slip away. Would that have been a part of the attraction he had for Molly? and was he a bit of a role model for young Jim and for Nancy herself? Ah well, as you say there is nothing concrete that we can hang our hats on. All good authors have a story or two they never reveal about their characters to make them more real.