It's not my usual type of book so I was a little surprised that I liked it so much I read it in one sitting only putting it down for absolute necessities. In my opinion there were so many funny moments and it was written in such a charming, airy way (which by no means detracts from how well crafted it was), and one of the main reasons I enjoyed it so much.

The five English children—Joss, Cecil, Hester, Willmouse (the only boy) and Vicky—were left stranded in a French hotel when their mother was bitten on the leg and the wound turned septicemic.

The characterisation, of the five siblings and prose is particularly beautiful, which is something I always look for in a book, and I felt utterly absorbed in this family’s lives for two days. Told to us by an adolescent, this is the story of five British children stranded in France at a hotel.

Who did what in the war, who collaborated, or hid secrets, or profited from others’ misery are still topics of gossip and shame.Willmouse had the bank under the cherry tree, of course, but he also owned the little salon; though he had never been in it, it was his.

I’ve never tasted fruit like it – I daresay time has enhanced the flavour, but they were large and sticky and sweet with a wonderful flavour. Taking place in the shabby hotel of Les Oeillets, once gloriously elegant, the four children of the Grey family find themselves alone with the shady eccentrics who run the hotel. I wondered why Godden chose a difficult name to pronounce, even for a fairly competent French speaker. Unser Sommer im Mirabellengarten" von Rumer Godden erschien bereits 1958 und wurde 2021 im Kampa Verlag in der Übersetzung von Elisabeth Pohr in dieser wunderschönen Ausgabe neu herausgegeben. I can hear the sounds that seem to belong only to Les Oeillets: the patter of the poplar trees along the courtyard wall, of a tap running in the kitchen mixed with the sound of high French voices, of the thump of Rex’s tail and another thump of someone washing clothes on the river bank; of barges puffing upstream and Mauricette’s toneless singing – she always sang through her nose; of Toinette and Nicole’s quick loud French as they talked to one another out of the upstairs windows; of the faint noise of the town and, near, the plop of a fish or of a greengage falling.I knew from the very first page that I had found something wonderful; atmospheric, lyrical and exquisitely written, the novel launched me directly into the oppressive heat of a glorious French summer ninety or so years ago. I forced myself to pick this up before August ended because I knew it'd be a perfect summer read (and it was! A perfect summer read, will whisk you off to France, will charm you, will alarm you – a little – maybe more, and will remind you of that first flash of love’s flag in your heart and mind – of its power and pull and sweetness on others, and what’s ahead for you in this intoxicating life.

Hester, 10 years old, accompanies Cecil on many of their great adventures, while Willmouse, age 7 designs dresses for his dolls and Vicky, age 4, follows the head chef everywhere and charms him so thoroughly that she grows quite fat from all the tidbits.There are some interesting bits, especially towards the end of the book with theft and murder, but overall I found the entire book a disappointing slog with a few high points. When Joss, having recovered from her illness, finally emerges out of confinement, things begin to hot up. But when she is struck down by a sudden illness and hospitalized, the siblings are left to fend for themselves at the lovely, bullet-scarred hotel Les Oeillets, under the suspicious, watchful eyes of its owner, Mademoiselle Zizi.