Robert Westall (1929-1993)

Which other authors do you enjoy? Discuss them here.
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Ross Gowland
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Re: Robert Westall (1929-1993)

Post by Ross Gowland »

I was a voracious Westall reader as a kid/teen. I thought he was terrific, with an obvious predilection for the Second World War and cats.

Those who like The Macine Gunners should seek out its sequel, Fathom Five. I remember also greatly appreciating The Promise (about a schoolboy whose girlfriend dies and returns as a ghost - it's a lot better than I make it sound); Falling Into Glory (a sixth former in the school rugby team in the early 1950s has an affair with a teacher); and the Devil on the Road (a student on a summer break goes back to the time of the Witchfinder General).

The Scarecrows and The Machine Gunners are definitely his two masterpieces, though. And don't be put of by the bland TV version of The Watch House. The book is a lot better.
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Machupicchu14
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Re: Robert Westall (1929-1993)

Post by Machupicchu14 »

I have finished reading "The Machine Gunners , and I am certainly going to read its sequel. Robert Westall is a splendid writer and this novel is superb. I really like the way he describes everyone in the story and engages the reader in it. I am very happy to have discovered such a good author. :D
"All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love."
(все, что я понимаю, я понимаю только потому, что люблю)
Lev Tolstoy


You can call me Machupicchu14 or María Esther

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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Robert Westall (1929-1993)

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

I'm glad you enjoyed it, María Esther. Come to think of it, I've never read the sequel myself!

The last Robert Westall book I read was a paperback containing two longish short stories - 'The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral' and... well, I'm not sure of the title of the other one but it might have been 'The Landlady'. Both extremely dark and tense and full of detail.

I read The Scarecrows a few years ago but, although I appreciated the menacing atmosphere, it wasn't a favourite as I didn't warm to any of the characters.

The Kingdom By the Sea is a real gem if you ever get the chance to read it. Absorbing and thought-provoking.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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