The Stranger in Primrose Lane

Very odd. I was reading this with a split mind. Half of me remembered the book very well - I thought it was wonderful, a great story. I remembered all the descriptions of the children, and frequently was able to identify important bits as they came up (I knew the man's neck would be important later

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on, for instance). I couldn't remember the details of how it went, and each bit surprised me as it came up (the gypsies!), but overall it was deeply familiar. And that 11-year-old self of mine absolutely loved the book. Me-now...not so much. It wasn't bad - actually, the writing is excellent and so is the characterization. Which is the problem - the children act like utter idiots. Even the relatively sensible Sally thinks it's reasonable to go after the man themselves...or at least, she's willing to go along rather than breaking with the pack and telling Mr. Oak and Mr. Elm what's up. And all of them feel that it's more important to protect Mr. Smith - or at least, as important - as it is to keep the man from getting away. I had deep sympathy with Mr. Oak, this time around ("I'll have the six of you shot when I catch you!"). Overall - both of me agree that this is an important book in my life, though I don't think I need to own it. I'm glad to have it available in my local library, though.

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