Book Description
Originally published in the fall of 1982, the wonderfully wise and strikingly simple story of a leaf named Freddie has become one of the most popular books of our times. How Freddie and his companion leaves change with the passing seasons, finally falling to the ground with a winters snow, is an inspiring allegory illustrating the delicate balance between life and death.After offering solace for a generation of adults and children alike, The Fall of Freddie the Leaf arrives in a classic edition with a beautiful new package that will appeal to todays readers at a time when stories of comfort and inspiration have become more important than ever.
Customer Reviews:
More Than Grief Counseling.......2007-09-23
Many people first encounter "Freddie" during the times surrounding the deaths of loved ones, but the value of the book goes far beyond grief counseling.
The story of Freddie the Leaf is ultimately not just about death, but about becoming attuned to the cycles of life. As such, it should be bought and read to children regardless of whether a loved one is dying. A large part of the story is concerned with how Freddie lives and relates to the world around him: the other leaves on his tree, the tree itself and to the world surrounding the tree, the people and creatures inhabiting that world and so on.
This is a book about how we relate to the Universe, how we find a place in it that is right for us, and how we see ourselves as part of its inevitable movement. Death is only a part of that movement.
The grief caused by death is, after all, not about the death itself, but rather about the absence of the loved one. The understanding of death does not lessen the pain of that absence, but it does place it in a context that is larger than any specific death.
Freddie's reluctance to let go and fall, is really about his failure to relax into his place in the larger context. Once he sees himself as a part of the Universe, he finds peace and contentment in it. As such, "The Fall of Freddie the Leaf" is an extraordinarily effective way of introducing, not only discussions about death, but discussions with children (and adults, I might add) about the rhythms of life, and how making a good death is largely dependent on living a good and authentic life, as Freddie did.
The book is, after all, sub-titled, "A Story of Life for All Ages," and as such, it deserves to be on everyone's bookshelf whether they are dealing with a death in the family or not.
One of my favorite books.......2007-08-05
One of my favorite books. I send this book instead of flowers to people who have lost a loved one. Will make you cry but in a good way.
Must Have.......2007-05-15
Great book for young kids dealing with the loss of a loved one.
A great comfort..........2007-03-17
I received this book after my grandfather passed away. Coincidentally it was the same year this book was published. I still have it to this day. It is one of the few books that I truly cherish.
Fabulous.......2007-03-14
I love this book. I did a lot of research before purchasing several books for my neices and nephew after their grandpa died at age 62. It is a simple, well written and wonderful book for both children and adults to understand the cycle of life. I'm glad I chose this one.
Average customer rating:
- Victor Vito And Freddie Vasco
- victor and freddie are cool!
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Victor Vito And Freddie Vasco
Laurie Berkner
Manufacturer: Cartwheel Books
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Victor Vito
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Laurie Berkner Songbook Bk/CD
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Victor Vito: Two Polar Bears On A Mission To Save The Klondike Cafe!
ASIN: 0439915295 |
Book Description
Victor Vito and Freddie Vasco leave their failed Klondike Cafe in search of zesty new foods from around the 50 states. Along the way, they stop in New Mexico for burritos, South Carolina for rutabagas and collard greens, and NYC's Little Italy for the spaghetti that made this song famous!
Kids can now sing the words to their favorite Berkner hit as the lyrics pop off the pages and come to life in the hilarious illustrations of Henry Cole.
Customer Reviews:
Victor Vito And Freddie Vasco.......2007-08-23
It arrived timely and performed as promised. Sure wish the CD were a DVD instead, though.
victor and freddie are cool!.......2007-06-28
2 great laurie berkner songs and an adorable book. what more could you ask for? my 4 year old and my 11 year old both sing along when i put in this cd.
if you are a berkner fan you should have this in your collection
Amazon.com
The Freddie Stories is a collection of strips from Lynda Barry's weekly cartoon, Ernie Pook's Comeek. As the title suggests, all the strips feature Freddie, a gentle misfit and self-described "fag" who goes through a wrenching year. Though Barry's drawing style is whimsical and her protagonists are kids, this is definitely not a book for young children. The haunting--and sometimes downright disturbing--stories cover everything from the fluid nature of friendships to special ed. class to arson. Not only do Freddie's peers misunderstand him, his mother is cold and distant and makes no secret of the fact that she dislikes him. Tough odds, but luckily Freddie has his exuberant sister, Marlys, to help him through. Though the bright spots in The Freddie Stories are few and far between, it's a nearly impossible book to put down once you've started it. Barry's young characters are as painfully real as her drawings are hypnotic. --Ali Davis
Book Description
Here is the first new collection of Lynda Barry's nationally syndicated cartoons in three years. The Freddie Stories, featuring sisters Marlys and Maybonne and their spunky little brother Freddie, continues Barry's brilliant, raw, and original exploration of youth, coming of age, friendship, attitude, and being in the world.
Customer Reviews:
Made me cry........2006-05-29
I'm somewhat familiar with the Marlys books, I always found them interesting but not usually all that gripping. This book grabbed me as soon as I read it. It's emotionally powerful and funny. Sure, some of the story elements are extreme (arson, sexual abuse, death, and hallucinations), but the thing about the Marlys-world is that -- from the kids' point of view -- mundane reality is constantly mixed up with horror and tragedy, and also with beauty and joy. Their lives are white-trashy (sorry), ordinary to the point of being grotesque, and at the same time rich with imagination, almost bubbling over with dream-invention. It's a naive way of a seeing the world -- all mixed-up, not divided according to cultivated, adult notions of beauty/ugliness, propriety/impropriety, normality/abnormality.
Lynda Barry embraces this primitiveness and mixed-up-ness almost totally. Her dream-imagery and dream-language arrive whole, without the impediment of symbolism, and her stories seem to flow forth without being forced artificially into endings or plot arcs. That's not to say her writing isn't controlled and orderly, because in some ways it is (look at how the book ties Freddie's story together thematically at the end). But I think it may be meant to be read in a childlike state of mind, with total absorption and empathy. The most bizarre parts speak mainly to the intuition, not the rational mind. (By the way, for those annoyed by the weird babytalk or dream-language Freddie uses -- try reading it out loud, fast. It's meant to make sense on this same intuitive, slangy, associative level.)
Gets real without being a total downer...the magic is there........2005-09-27
I avoided this book for years, even though I'm a Lynda Barry fan, because I was afraid it would be too wrenching.
But I finally got up the guts to take it down off the shelf. I took it on a weekend retreat with me, and even after I'd read it all the way through I kept looking at it all weekend. The way the language and the lettering and the pictures all went together. The story it told.
Bad things happen to Freddie, definitely. He ends up with some mental problems, as noted matter-of-factly by Marlys. He does not have the most supportive environment in the world, but he does have allies. And he has a voice, the voice of this book. Under Lynda Barry's fingers, that's enough for this to be a book of hope and beauty, no matter how dark it gets.
The book is made of several stories, each happening over multiple four-panel spreads. Altogether it is the story of a year in Freddie's life, with glimpses of Marlys and Maybonne too. So it's okay, in case you've been eyeing it like I did. Go ahead and hang out with it. Then, like me, you'll find yourself wondering at odd moments what's up with Freddie and Marlys and Maybonne these days.
my favorite of the lynda barry canon.......2005-02-10
The Freddie Stories is my favorite of all The Funk Queen of the U.S.A.'s work, and that INCLUDES 100 Demons--no small feat. Barry's masterful handling of some very dark subject matter floored me.
Tragic, Poetic.......2003-12-26
I've been a big fan of Lynda Barry's cartoon-format books. This is certainly the darkest, most poignant one. It deals with the character Freddy,an odd child who tries to cope with his outcast status by boldly embracing his oddness and eccentricities. However, as is the case with all of Lynda Barry's cartoon books, the theme that people can be cruel and exploitative of weakness, particularly in childhood, takes over. The mother, who obviously suffers from an undiagnosed major depression, takes out her life's discontent on him; a sadistic classmate and an unsympathetic teacher further poor Freddie's descent into mental illness, which becomes fully manifest after recovery from a near-fatal illness (which, to drive home the point about the complete lack of love and attention this child so desperately needed, occurred because his babysitting sister was too busy getting stoned to realize he was falling into unconsciousness with fevers). The ending is painfully tragic, almost too difficult to read. What makes this book, like all of Ms. Barry's books, so fantastic is the recollection she has of how people of this age group talk. The choice of words, the cadence of speech, are written as if they are taken from a diary of a seventh grader. What I love about these books is we can all relate to some aspects of these stories to some extent through our own experiences, and other aspects vicariously (remebering a friend's mother or father who was neglectful or abusive), and the writing style makes it that much easier to get into that frame of mind/reference when reading the book. One takes away from these books (this one in particular) both a sense of nostalgia for childhood, as well as a realization that it wasn't always as wonderful as we remember; there were bad times too, and in many ways, we are lucky to not have had to endure what so many others like Freddie went through.
What a great and scary place the world is..........2003-03-22
It is hard to write a review of a Lynda Barry novel that would do justice the greatness she puts in her books. All Barry's characters are full of life and life problems, some more optimistic than others. The Freddie Stories is a collection of comic strips in the same world as The! Greatest! Of! Marlys! It is much darker than the novel about Marlys and her shining personality. Although it made me cry at the end at the saddness of humanity (and all cheesy phrases like this), The Freddie Stories is an excellent read, once again dazzling with Barry's art, wit, and humor. A must read for Lynda Barry's fans.
Customer Reviews:
Great Participatory Book.......2004-11-01
"That's What GRANDPARENTS are for" is a great participatory book between grandparents and grandchildren,
whether they share all the fun activities together such as going to the zoo, gardening, fishing, kite flying or being allowed an extra portion of cotton candy.
In simple, yet profound verses, Arlene Uslander has nurtured a book of love and companionship. It is sometimes difficult to create a bond between a grandparent and a grandchild, particularly if they don't see each other very often. Reading this delightful book to our grandchildren will help encourage such a warm relationship.
Freddie Levin's illustrations are charming and very expressive. Her colors are bright and engaging.
The multiplicity of characters makes it universal for all the grandparents of the world.
One shortcoming of the book, however, was that I felt that closeness and intimacy were somewhat lost. This seemed to be the result of not zeroing in on one particular family. This may have been the author's intention, nevertheless I found this somewhat distracting.
"That's what GRAND PARENTS ARE FOR" will still prove to be a good bedtime read, particularly when grandparents are called upon to baby-sit their grand children.
Reviewed by Lily Azerad-Goldman, reviewer for Bookpleasures.com
A Feel Good Book.......2003-07-22
Arlene Uslander has written a great book, which would make an ideal gift. It is entitled That's What Grandparents Are For. What a happy, sunny feel good book, which captures with its drawings and words, the true essence of grandparenthood.
A Charming Book.......2003-02-01
"On the day you were born, when I first looked at you, I knew for
certain that dreams do come true." From "That's What Grandparents are For" This charming book looks at the special relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren. You may have a hard time choosing between reading and singing Arlene Uslander's delightful, lilting prose! Whichever you do, children will be lulled by it's cadance. Colorful illustrations by Fredie Levin compliment Uslander's text beautifully and will attract even the youngest grandchildren. From the zoo to a camping trip, school to the park, Uslander explores the fun and deep love grandparents and their grandchildren share."That's What Grandparents are For" emphasizes hugs, positive re-enforcement and estabilshing a sense of security and trust. This book is a wonderful shower gift, gift from grandparent to grandchild or grandchild to grandparent. It is aimed towards children 4-8, but is so sweet and sincere that it will likely become a treasured keepsake, enjoyed into adulthood.
Reviewed by Denise's Pieces Book Reviews.......2003-01-20
What a delightful book! The author and illustrator have combined their talents to create a truly enjoyable story. I read this book a few times and found it to be heartwarming and creatively written to capture the love that exists between grandparents and their grandchildren. The verses were both humorous and touching; the illustrations were beautiful.
I decided to put this book to the real test. Since I am the grandmother of three, all under the age of six, I knew I could assemble a captive audience. It took some time to get through the first read with the grandkids. They kept giggling and interrupting to reminisce about the times they had done similar things in the book with their grandpa and me. By the fifth time they asked me to reread the story, I knew we had found a new favorite. They loved the book and I loved the bonding moments we were sharing by reading it. That alone would guarantee my highest recommendation. THAT'S WHAT GRANDPARENTS ARE FOR is a wonderful new addition on my bookshelf and I am sure it will be read over and over again.
Treasured Love.......2002-10-04
Enjoyed this precious book, even my 14 year old daughter snatched it up and read it too. Really captures the sweetness of such a treasured relationship.
Customer Reviews:
His Life As Told By His Mother.......2006-05-24
I suppose a mother couldn't tell his story any better and she did a good job, although in reading other articles about Freddie's life, it appears that she left certain things out, like his prior suicide attempt (how serious it was I don't know) when his first love left him, that he used to play Russian Roulette with his gun, that he started using cocaine at age 16 and that there was a suicide note. I don't remember reading any of this in the book, but I read this in 'Morbid Curiosity-Celebrity Tombstones Across America'. Quite possibly she figured the readers didn't need ALL the gory details.
I don't know--Freddie seemed like a really good guy and a great son, but I did find him demanding and mostly thinking of himself before others. He wanted to get to the top and wouldn't stop until he got there. But like his manager Ron DiBlasio said at Freddie's funeral that "...he remained a child in a very adult world." Another example of Hollywood destroying a life.
Freddie deserves to always be remembered, and I am glad his mother wrote this book to perpetuate his memory.
Freddie Prinze Sr........2004-08-20
I read this book over and over again and I love it. It gives you alot of information from the day he was born until he died. I thought his mother did an exceptional job writing this book and letting the newer generation know his legacy. Reading this book I felt like I was there. I definetly give this book 5 stars and recommened any fan of Freddie Prinze Sr. to buy it.
I love freddie prinz Jr.......1999-09-15
I would like to have a summary on Freddie Prinz Jr, but i can't find anything and everything i do find i have to pay for it?
Customer Reviews:
The four seasons of life.......2003-01-16
A thoughful look at death and dying through a child's eyes.
Customer Reviews:
Unbelieveably tragic.......2005-05-27
I read this book as a recommendation for parents to be aware of pediophiles and how to spot them. Having children, I was compelled to know how to protect them. Here is a story I will never forget - part of that is indespensible. Worse, I cry for the countless victims of sexual abuse. When you see ( very thoroughly ) in this detailed account, just how far reaching the devistation is, you can only pray for such victims and strive to protect the ones you love and educate every one else!
I couldn't put it down, as the story grew more horrifyingly unbelievable, I kept thinking it couldn't get worse, but it did - for everyone involved.
In the end, I had to search the internet to see where Tony Leyva was today -- and found that he'd died in prison in 2003. I couldn't help but wonder if his victims rejoiced at the news? Yet a man's fate was hopelessly and finally sealed with the more infinite punishment I am sure awaits him.
As for author Mike Echols, that internet search was even more disturbing. He, too, died in 2003. But I won't tell you how, or where, or other circumstances. You can look that up for yourself after you finish the book. See for yourself what his searching, his quest for justice finally led him to.
You'll realize that you can't go anywhere near any and all things pornographic without being affected by it.
Victim of Leyva's reviews Echols' book........2001-02-09
I am a survivor of Tony Leyva's crimes and was not mentioned in the book. My experience with him was in the early 70's. I have first hand knowledge of how he operated and can truly say Mr. Echols' report on Leyva is completely thorough and accurate. Relatively few people will work to expose this type of behavior. Echols is to be congratulated. A must-read for parents.
ANOTHER TRAGIC STORY OF TRUST BETRAYED!.......1999-07-26
Mike Echols does an outstanding job of chronicling the history of abuse "Brother" Tony, an evangelical itinerant preacher, inflicts upon the children of families who came to look up to him and trust him with their sons. Brother Tony is clearly a psychopathic predator who took advantage of hundreds and hundreds of boys during his roving ministry. Echols well illustrates that pederasty has not just been a problem in the Catholic Clery but in the fabric of many who betrayed the sacredness of the trust that was bestowed upon them in a number of arenas. While Brother Tony eventually gets jailed, it's fairly clear that it's far too little, too late. Brother Tony will be back in action within the next few years and parents need to look out for their kids.
Brother Tony's Boys illustrates again the importance of parents talking forthrightly to their children about potential predators who might be as close as relatives or as trusted as men of God. A sad story which chronicles a tremendous betrayal and the damage that these young people will need to come to grips with as their lives progress. An excellent edition to books dealing with similar issues in differing settings: "Scouts Honor" chronicling the sad story of abuse in the boy scouts, Jason Berry's outstanding book on Catholic Clergy, "Lead Us Not Into Temptation" Parents might read these along with some of the books on averting and treating some of these issues, i.e., author Mic Hunter is among the treatment pioneers in this field and his books are available on Amazon.com. A frightening subject -- yet not one to simply be ignored. Parents and educators need to be proactive about these kinds of predators! Highly Recommended! Daniel J. Maloney
Senate members and Congress men(members of Nambla).......1999-06-07
Good book I guess but you can not truelly investigate Namblaa until you have made a list of alll government members all the way up to the whitehouse who are actual members of nambla until you expose them you will never be able to truelly battle Nambla
Brother Tony to get out of prison soon.......1998-05-10
The subject of Mike Echols' book, Pentecostal evangelist Brother Tony Leyva, is to get out of prison this fall unless the U.S. Parole Commission decides to keep him in prison to serve his full prison term (he has now served 10 years out of the 20 years to which he was sentenced).
Mike Echols is trying to get people to write letters to stop Tony Leyva's parole.
Average customer rating:
- Classic Brooks, Fun and Insightful
- Solid Wartime Freddy Novel
- The Pig Reporter
- The Bean Home News
- if you've never read a Freddy book , start here!
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Freddy and the Bean Home News
Walter R. Brooks
Manufacturer: Overlook Juvenile
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ASIN: 1585670812 |
Book Description
It all started in 1927 when a group of animals on a farm in Upstate New York decided to travel to Florida in search of warmer weather --and faithful fans of the Freddy books have been joyously lapping up each book in the twenty-six book series ever since! Why is Freddy such a popular pig? Most readers will tell you it's because he's a pig for all seasons--a detective, a pilot, a magician, an explorer, a poet, a politician . . . you name it, and Freddy will give it a shot!
In Freddy and the Bean Home News, Freddy's friend Mr. Dimsey, the editor of the Guardian, is ousted for publishing news of Bean Farm in the local newspaper. To ensure that those who are interested might still learn of all the goings-on, Freddy takes it upon himself to found a newspaper of his own and calls it The Bean Home News, the basis for the current Freddy fan club newsletter. It turns out that being a newspaperman isn't quite as easy as Freddy thought it might be, but with typical aplomb he manages to burn the wires!
Customer Reviews:
Classic Brooks, Fun and Insightful.......2006-01-24
This is the tenth book in the Freddy the Pig series, and it is classic Walter Brooks, fun and insightful. Two animal adventures are interwoven in this book. One is, of course, the start-up of the barnyard newspaper, and the other is a scrap metal drive. The scrap drive puts into perspective the time line for the book; the metal will be "shipped off to make guns and ships to help our fighting men win the war." The publication date was 1943. In the process, the young mind will learn that spinach is good for you, that only bad people throw stones at animals, and that the Constitution guarantees "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." [Actually, that was the Declaration of Independence, but let's forgive Brooks for this slight confusion.] We also learn that an editor must have clean windows, "so he knows what's going on in the outside world." One interesting thing I noticed in this book for the first time is that the animals always speak very educated English, whereas several of the human characters use bad English, as when one of the bad guys says "watch out he don't slip past you." And I smiled to learn that the Centerboro jail has a music room.
Solid Wartime Freddy Novel.......2002-05-20
This one has a reasonably tight plot and many amusing set pieces; we particularly enjoyed Jinx yowling for scrap metal and the business with the frying pan and the ant. Please read it to see what we are talking about; you will be pleased.
The Pig Reporter.......2001-12-20
This delightful tale is set (and written) right in the midst of World War II. While somewhat irreverent, it makes effective use of many of the effects of the war on rural America. The animals at Bean Farm are patriotic creatures. Anxious to participate in the local scrap iron collection effort (and win Mr. Bean a box of cigars) the animals are determined to use their special qualifications and teamwork to collect the largets amount. Freddy, always the pig on the spot, writes up a report of the animals efforts (and a poem or so) and takes it to The Centerboro Guardian, where his friend Mr. Dimsey has always been willing to include an 'animal' news column.
But the worst has happened. The snooty Mrs. Underdunk has foreclosed on Mr. Dimsey and installed her nephew Mr. Garble in his place. Needless to say, Mr. Garble does not like animals. He likes them even less when the enterprising Freddy collaborates with Mr. Dimsey to start up the Bean Home News. In no time at all Freddy has captured a large readership and Mr. Garble is losing business. When Mrs. Underdunk runs into Freddy on the sidewalk, and claims pig violence, war is declared. The two newspapers start making allegations about the opponents and the stage is set for a political struggle that is more than faintly reminiscent of today's campaigns.
This high flown adventure story has Freddy hiding in jail to avoid being arrested, Hank the horse disguised as a deer on Mrs' Underdunk's lawn, and a newspaper where the chief society reporter is a chicken. Plus, we are treated to the regular antics of the Bean Farm crew. As usual Mrs. Wiggens the Cow laughs too much. Charles the Rooster gets so good at pretending he had a cold that he actually catches one and loses a chance to make a speech. Jinx the cat collects iron by singing for it, and Old Whibley the owl wins a court case and engineers a revolution.
This is one of Walter Brooks best plots. It is well paced and cannot fail to keep up the reader's interest right to the end. Kurt Weise's illustrations are numerous and perfect. As is often in the case, the lesson being taught is "have fun, care for your country, have fun, support your friends, have fun, stand up for what's right." Did I forget to mention "have fun?" I think I like the Freddy the Pig books now more than I did as a child. Then, innocence kept the lessons from being as meaningful as they are to me as an adult. Now they are treasures.
The Bean Home News.......2001-05-12
This is one of the really great Freddy books, ocurring in the middle of Brooks' career. Written during the Second World War, there are mentions of rationing and scrap iron drives, but most children won't find these a distraction. This seems to be the first appearance of Freddy's nemesis, Herbert Garble, and there are the usual --unpreachy-- lessons, such as not to take onesself too seriously, and plenty of excitement. This is one of the many Freddy books that adults will enjoy as well. Gives one a great excuse to read to your child.
if you've never read a Freddy book , start here!.......2000-11-16
The Freddy books are awesome! And there are 26 of them! It's as if E.B. White wrote 25 sequels to Charlotte's Web... They got a bit formulaic towards the end -- but even the worst of them are still staggeringly good. And this is one of the best!
Freddy and the Bean Home News is my personal favorite of the seventeen we've read (there are nine more we'd like to find someday); my son's favorite is probably Freddy the Detective (maybe that's the right one to start with -- it has Simon the rat and his family -- but this one's in print).
I love it all -- the language, the characters, the drawings (the ones with Freddy disguised in a sailor suit are particularly fine). And any scene with Old Whibley the owl fills me with pleasure -- sometimes, I sneak the book off the shelf after Morris is asleep just to reread a choice passage. The books are dated in some ways -- though not THAT much, and some of it adds color (a scrap-iron drive for the war effort is a major subplot of this one). But even now, almost 60 years after it was written, it is still completely understandable and frequently hilarious to both children and adults.
Average customer rating:
- The strange world of theatre - children's theatre
- Not if itýs with me, dear.
- Theatrical Skullduggery
- A totally original character
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At Freddie's
Penelope Fitzgerald
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Age has indeed withered the proprietress of London's Temple School for child actors, but custom has yet to stale her infinite, cadging variety. Freddie--born Frieda Wentworth--is Penelope Fitzgerald's most marvelous sacred monster, a woman insanely devoted to her art. Over several decades she has foiled debt collectors, creditors, and bailiffs at every turn. What matter if Freddie's Covent Garden redoubt is freezing and falling apart, her own office-cum-bedroom a haven for must and dust, mold and mothballs? When one would-be financier has the temerity to display a balance sheet, she orders him to put it away, "in the tone she used to the local flasher." After all, this force of theatrical nature can always rely on actors and theaters for desperate, last-minute donations. On the other hand, it is 1963, and the school is threatened by others specializing in film and TV training, but so far Freddie is sticking to her Shakespearean guns.
The Temple's permanent staff consists of an unskilled handyman and Freddie's assistant and dresser, the possibly malevolent Miss Blewett. Its acting coaches include a man who's made his career out of understudying Nana, the dog-nurse in Peter Pan. Needless to say, the students are not impressed. To further trim expenses, Freddie has hired two new teachers from Northern Ireland. One, Hannah Graves, is qualified; the other, Pierce Carroll, decidedly not--but Freddie hires him for other reasons: "She had heard in his remarks the weak, but pure, voice of complete honesty. She was not sure that she had ever heard it before, and thought it would be worth studying as a curiosity." These two innocents are in academic charge of the young thespians, an egomaniacal, mostly mendacious lot. (In a stage school, after all, insincerity is a good thing.) But Freddie's does house one genius: 9-year-old, unknowable Jonathan Kemp. Even his guinea pig inherits his bad luck, and is soon devoured by one of the theater district's roving felines. Jonathan seems destined to be overshadowed by Mattie Stewart (later Stewart Matthews), a showoff who at least has the grace--even if it is manifested in spurts of violence--to know himself inferior. Meanwhile, we watch Pierce fall in love, hopelessly, with his colleague. Alas, he hasn't a chance against the dissipated actor Boney Lewis, though Hannah tries not to destroy him: "At the corner, she gave him a hug and a kiss, as one does to a cousin, or to the inconsolable."
At Freddie's, Penelope Fitzgerald's 1982 parable of the talents, constantly shifts between such despair and high comedy. Many Fitzgerald-philes feel that she reached her apex in her three European novels--Innocence, The Beginning of Spring, and The Blue Flower. In fact, she had already arrived there with this perfect novel of ideas, ideals, and oddities. --Kerry Fried
Book Description
"Freddie's" is the familiar name of the Temple Stage School, which supplies London's West End theaters with child actors for everything from Shakespeare to musicals to the Christmas pantomime. Its proprietress, Freddie Wentworth, is a formidable woman of unknown age and murky background who brings anyone she encounters under her spell -- so common an occurrence that it is known as "being Freddied." At her school, we meet dour Pierce, a teacher hopelessly smitten with enchanting Hannah; Jonathan, a child actor of great promise, and his slick rival Mattie; and Joey Blatt, who has wicked plans to rescue Freddie's from insolvency. Up to its surprising conclusion, At Freddie's is thoroughly beguiling.
Customer Reviews:
The strange world of theatre - children's theatre.......2001-01-26
What a surprising book and what a funny one. The first Penelope Fitzgerald I read and a lovely introduction to her wonderfully witty work. "At Freddie's" is life in a slowly fading London Theatre school for children. It is the 1960's and Freddie, who is the mysterious woman who runs the school, believes that children should be trained for Shakespeare and for the stage - not for the fleeting career of television and advertisements which are starting to pull children from other schools.
Into this world drop Carroll, an unsuprisable Irishman, who doesn't seem to be able to do anything. He applies to Freddie for a job as a teacher but admits he can't really teach, or in fact do anything. Freddie hires him because he is cheap and honest, and he procedes to do just what his interview shows he could do so promisingly - nothing. But he has fallen in love with the other teacher who applied the same day, Hannah. Hannah is more ambitious and wants to 'chose, not be chosen'. A dictate which runs her life. Their relationship is played out against the lives of school's precocious children, mostly the strange friendship of Mattie - a 13 year old child over-actor and the quiet, self-contained 9 year-old, Jonathon.
It was a wonderful, fun read.
Not if itýs with me, dear........2000-10-20
"Freddie", a woman who is part institution and part legend, speaks the quote above; she is also the latest spectacular person that Ms. Fitzgerald offers to readers.
The quote is unremarkable until it is penned as an answer to an Accountant named "Unwin", who stated, "Surely a discussion should have a basis of substantial fact." The rejoinder that is the title of this review follows, and you have a good sense that Freddie flaunts convention, floats above the rules that affect others, and when she is confronted with a bit of reality, ends the discussion with her nemesis feeling not only were they wrong, but they are indebted to her. A debt collector not only fails to collect, he leaves his vest for use as a costume for the students of Freddie's school for children of the theatre.
Precocious children are not new to Ms. Fitzgerald's books. In this book the line between child and adult is blurred even further, as these thespians in the making are adept at changing who they are when circumstances or their own whimsy calls. All the affectation that can be associated with their mature counterparts of the stage, are played out by the kids, and this makes for wonderful reading, as age is modified by characterization, and not measured in years.
There are more eccentric players in this book than the others I have read by Ms. Fitzgerald, to sample just one, a gentleman when deciding on which of the sins he would choose, does not pick one with even some benefit in this life, but chooses sloth. His opinion of himself is in line with the wish, and a more pathetic character has rarely appeared.
Into all this there is a love triangle of sorts, a grand piano that is sinking through the floor, "as though wading ashore", and a vast and rich story that Ms. Fitzgerald once again delivers on so few, but so spectacular pages.
Theatrical Skullduggery.......2000-09-25
Penelope Fitzgerald is at her most devilishly entrancing in this tale revolving around the London acting school run (and I mean RUN!) by Freddie, a larger-than-life Gorgon whose will cannot be resisted. Fitzgerald has fun skewering the backstage pretentions, intrigue and petty jealousies of the London theater world of the early 1960s, but, clearly loving every seedy corner of it, she celebrates it with such gusto that you want to sign up on the spot for a season or two. That combination of wryness and fondness makes this short novel among Fitzgerald's most satisfying. And when Freddie goes out looking for a pound or two, hang on to your wallets!
A totally original character.......2000-03-25
At Freddie's may not be the absolute best of all Fitzgerald's novels (the competence is so stiff), but Freddie may very well be her most original and likeable character. If you love theater, Shakespeare, London, have a sense of humor and some respect for children's creativity for mischief, in all probability you will be as defenseless against her as all the other characters seem to be in this very compact, very enjoyable and unexpectedly moving novel . All Fitzgerald books can take us to other worlds, the world of Freddie truly deserves to be visited.
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