What do you think?
Rate this book
When Marnie Was There
Anna lives with foster parents, a misfit with no friends, always on the outside of things. Then she is sent to Norfolk to stay with old Mr and Mrs Pegg, where she runs wild on the sand dunes and around the water. There is a house, the Marsh House, which she feels she recognises - and she soon meets a strange little girl called Marnie, who becomes Anna's first ever friend. Then one day, Marnie vanishes. A new family, the Lindsays, move into the Marsh House. Having learnt so much from Marnie about friendship, Anna makes firm friends with the Lindsays - and learns some strange truths about Marnie, who was not all she seemed...
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
About the author
Joan G. Robinson
24 books86 followersJoan G. Robinson (1910-88) trained as an illustrator and began writing and illustrating her own stories in 1939. Among her many stories for children are Mary-Mary, When Marnie Was There and the enduringly popular Teddy Robinson. Working closely with her husband, she published over thirty books in her lifetime, many of which were tried and tested on her own family. And her family sometimes found their way into her stories too - Teddy Robinson was a real teddy bear, belonging to Joan's own daughter, Deborah, who herself featured in the stories.
Also published as Joan Gale Thomas
Also published as Joan Gale Thomas
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 731 reviews
September 1, 2016
Final rating: 4.5 stars
If you didn't know by now, I'm a die-hard Studio Ghibli fan. It was a huge part of my childhood and thus far, has made all of my favourite movies. So last year when I heard that they were taking a hiatus, I was heartbroken. Fortunately, they made their (most probably) last film before the announcement. After looking into it, I found out that the film is based on this book. The English version of the film will be released in less than a month, and what better time to start the book than now?
It's about a quiet girl named Anna who visits a small seaside village in England. I can't really say much else though as I'd be spoiling it, but if it sounds boring, it's probably because it is. I'm naturally very impatient, and it took a little over half of the book for things to get interesting. I griped and groaned, but that's me and I do that all the time anyway. The thing is, the story isn't at all climactic. I mean, you've got a quiet girl and a small village. What do you expect? The story is quite good, but if you like lots of action, it's probably best to stay away.
It's weird, but I can hardly ever relate to any of the characters in most of the books I read. In this one, despite the fact (or maybe it's because of it) that it's a children's book, there were some really relatable characters. Anna's forever feeling of being on the 'outside', Priscilla's shyness, and Mr. Lindsays love for literature and chunky marmalade to name a few. One of my favourite quotes towards the end of the book:
Overall a pretty decent book. I hate to leave.
If you didn't know by now, I'm a die-hard Studio Ghibli fan. It was a huge part of my childhood and thus far, has made all of my favourite movies. So last year when I heard that they were taking a hiatus, I was heartbroken. Fortunately, they made their (most probably) last film before the announcement. After looking into it, I found out that the film is based on this book. The English version of the film will be released in less than a month, and what better time to start the book than now?
It's about a quiet girl named Anna who visits a small seaside village in England. I can't really say much else though as I'd be spoiling it, but if it sounds boring, it's probably because it is. I'm naturally very impatient, and it took a little over half of the book for things to get interesting. I griped and groaned, but that's me and I do that all the time anyway. The thing is, the story isn't at all climactic. I mean, you've got a quiet girl and a small village. What do you expect? The story is quite good, but if you like lots of action, it's probably best to stay away.
It's weird, but I can hardly ever relate to any of the characters in most of the books I read. In this one, despite the fact (or maybe it's because of it) that it's a children's book, there were some really relatable characters. Anna's forever feeling of being on the 'outside', Priscilla's shyness, and Mr. Lindsays love for literature and chunky marmalade to name a few. One of my favourite quotes towards the end of the book:
"She turned and began running back along the dyke, thinking how strange it was - about being 'inside' or 'outside'. It was nothing to do with there being other people, or whether you were 'an only', or one of a large family...she knew that now - it was something to do with how you were feeling inside yourself."I really enjoyed the postscript by the author's daughter. The story about the Japanese man was lovely. The book deeply influenced him as a teenager and he ended up visiting the village that the book is set in. His name isn't mentioned, but it isn't Miyazaki, because he was twenty-five when the book was published. I can only guess that it was the director.
Overall a pretty decent book. I hate to leave.
February 3, 2020
I loved this book. It's a story of a really relatable young girl Anna who is having a super hard time. She gets sent to a washed up but beautifully described Norfolk village and finds friendship. There are also some interesting light fantasy elements.
The part that got me is how misunderstood the main character Anna is. She's quiet and hurting, just trying to get by, but because she's so withdrawn and lonely, everyone seems to think she's rude. I really relate to that from when I was a kid, wow. But Anna finds a friend going through a different hard time of her own, and they accept each other in fun and heartwarming ways.
In my edition, there's a great note at the very end from the author's daughter about Japanese tourists who read the book as teenagers and then traveled Norfolk looking for the town. I can imagine doing that here. Something about the town and the house is so vivid that it seems like a fantastic place to search for.
Also now I want to see the Studio Ghibli movie!
The part that got me is how misunderstood the main character Anna is. She's quiet and hurting, just trying to get by, but because she's so withdrawn and lonely, everyone seems to think she's rude. I really relate to that from when I was a kid, wow. But Anna finds a friend going through a different hard time of her own, and they accept each other in fun and heartwarming ways.
In my edition, there's a great note at the very end from the author's daughter about Japanese tourists who read the book as teenagers and then traveled Norfolk looking for the town. I can imagine doing that here. Something about the town and the house is so vivid that it seems like a fantastic place to search for.
Also now I want to see the Studio Ghibli movie!
September 13, 2020
رواية جميلة جداً جداً 🌈
May 15, 2020
This book was absolutely lovely. I picked it up mainly because of Studio Ghibli's movie - which I still haven't watched, but I wanted to read the book first - and I loved it. It's sweet, wholesome, and has a very similar atmosphere to the classics I used to read when i was a child (like Anne of Green Gables or ). I'm glad this wasn't super sad though, it definitely has a melancholic atmosphere but it isn't full blown tragic like I expected something that inspired a Studio Ghibli movie to be! A short, dreamy book; enjoable way over its age target.
January 28, 2018
Anna is unhappy. Finding life hard at school and feeling unloved by her foster parents, Anna goes to stay with Mr and Mrs Pegg who live in a Norfolk village by the sea. Anna enjoys her freedom roaming the sand dunes and salt marsh and thinks she longs for solitude until she makes friends with another lonely young girl who lives in a house Anna feels inexplicably drawn to.
The book has beautiful illustrations by Peggy Fortnum, unfortunately our copy was a recent reprint which has given the book a new cover which in my opinion is horrible. My daughter noticed as I started reading that the new cover shows you a big spoiler, something which isn't revealed until late in the story, and something that the author slowly hints at, so I have reviewed a different copy in case anyone reading my review inadvertently sees the spoiler too.
This story has a magical, wistful quality and this is one of those books I know I would have absolutely loved as a child, the story potrays Anna's lonely and insecure character touchingly well and the descriptions of carefree days exploring the beach are beautiful and evocative. There is an afterword by the author's daughter in our copy that gave some interesting information about her mother's inspiration for 'When Marnie Was There'
This story is set in a village not far from me in a place called Burnham Overy, this story has made us both desperate to see this place for ourselves and to look for Marsh House and see if we can catch a glimpse of a girl in a white dress having her hair brushed.
The book has beautiful illustrations by Peggy Fortnum, unfortunately our copy was a recent reprint which has given the book a new cover which in my opinion is horrible. My daughter noticed as I started reading that the new cover shows you a big spoiler, something which isn't revealed until late in the story, and something that the author slowly hints at, so I have reviewed a different copy in case anyone reading my review inadvertently sees the spoiler too.
This story has a magical, wistful quality and this is one of those books I know I would have absolutely loved as a child, the story potrays Anna's lonely and insecure character touchingly well and the descriptions of carefree days exploring the beach are beautiful and evocative. There is an afterword by the author's daughter in our copy that gave some interesting information about her mother's inspiration for 'When Marnie Was There'
This story is set in a village not far from me in a place called Burnham Overy, this story has made us both desperate to see this place for ourselves and to look for Marsh House and see if we can catch a glimpse of a girl in a white dress having her hair brushed.
May 23, 2021
when marnie was there is an absolutely lovely, enchanting, tender little story about a troubled orphan girl who is sent to stay on the english seaside.
anna's loneliness is tangible. she has a deep sense of being "outside" and separate from those around her. while in the presence of others, she tries to put on her "ordinary face," as a defense: stoicism as a coping mechanism.
her deep loneliness and sense of feeling unloved are soothed by explorations of nature, by the marsh house that stands near the edge of the sea, and eventually, by marnie.
anna is a kid in desperate need of friendship and support. my emotions teetered during this part of the book, because anna deserves a real, true, flesh-and-blood friend!! marnie is mysterious, and i was terrified she would turn out to be an imaginary friend / ghost girl / manic pixie dream BFF.
the eventual reveal is far softer and sweeter than i expected. SPOILERS:
oh, to have a companion for wading through the marsh, mushrooming, building cities of sand, picking flowers, paddling a boat by moonlight, and lying in meadows: such an idyllic dream!! and like childhood friendships and adventures, these moments are beautifully ephemeral and impossible to capture.
i'm excited to watch the ghibli film, because i could picture the animation while reading this!! the sad, lonely, dreamy mood is perfect.
i think this passage is the essence of the book:
It was one of those still, grey, pearly days, with no wind, when sky and water seemed to merge into one, and everything was soft and sad and dreamy.
anna's loneliness is tangible. she has a deep sense of being "outside" and separate from those around her. while in the presence of others, she tries to put on her "ordinary face," as a defense: stoicism as a coping mechanism.
her deep loneliness and sense of feeling unloved are soothed by explorations of nature, by the marsh house that stands near the edge of the sea, and eventually, by marnie.
anna is a kid in desperate need of friendship and support. my emotions teetered during this part of the book, because anna deserves a real, true, flesh-and-blood friend!! marnie is mysterious, and i was terrified she would turn out to be an imaginary friend / ghost girl / manic pixie dream BFF.
the eventual reveal is far softer and sweeter than i expected. SPOILERS:
oh, to have a companion for wading through the marsh, mushrooming, building cities of sand, picking flowers, paddling a boat by moonlight, and lying in meadows: such an idyllic dream!! and like childhood friendships and adventures, these moments are beautifully ephemeral and impossible to capture.
i'm excited to watch the ghibli film, because i could picture the animation while reading this!! the sad, lonely, dreamy mood is perfect.
i think this passage is the essence of the book:
Already she had spent many afternoons here, lying in a sandy hollow, hearing only the wind rustling the tops of the grasses, the distant crying of the gulls, and the soft soughing of the sea. It was like being at the very edge of the world. Sometimes the gulls came nearer, screaming noisily as they quarreled over small fish in the pools, and sometimes they cried mournfully far away along the beach. Then Anna felt like crying too - not actually, but quietly - inside. They made a sad, and beautiful, and long-ago sound that seemed to remind her of something lovely she had once known - and lost, and never found again. But she did not know what it was.
April 20, 2018
”It was raining harder now and she was beginning to get wet, but it did not matter. She was warm inside. She turned and began running back along the dyke, thinking how strange it was—about being ‘inside’ or ‘outside’. It was nothing to do with there being other people, or whether you were ‘an only’, or one of a large family . . . she knew that now—it was something to do with how you were feeling inside yourself.”
Anna is around ten and absolutely friendless. Unable to connect with the other children at school or bond with the older foster parents she’s lived with for some years, she is profoundly unhappy. Her characteristic expression is the “ordinary” face: an appearance of indifference and haughty detachment. She hates the mother who left her to go off on a holiday with a second husband, only to die along with this man in a car crash, and she also hates the grandmother she was left with for dying soon after. After being away from school for two weeks, suffering from asthma that is likely psychosomatic in nature, Anna is sent by her foster parents, the Prestons, to stay with the Peggs, an endearing, warm couple who live in Little Overton in the fen country. The family doctor has stated that the air there may well do her good. It certainly makes more sense for her to be there than spend the last six weeks of term in the prison that is school.
Once in the marshy country, Anna is given an enviable degree of freedom. She explores the marshlands and is particularly compelled by a lovely old house that looks out onto the creek and the straithe. There is a strange, deep familiarity about this place, whose windows Anna sometimes believes to be watching her. Soon she will make the acquaintance of an unusual—magical or ghostly—girl. “Marnie”, who is just as lonely as Anna herself, lives in the mysterious house. The two will become each other’s best friend and will have several small adventures together, but then Marnie will quite suddenly depart, leaving Anna to question if the other girl is a figment of the imagination or a character from some strange dream.
When summer finally (officially) arrives, a lovely, friendly family with five children moves into the mysterious Marsh House. Their renovations of the old place bring to light a diary from long ago that will explain much about Marnie. The Lindsay family will also invite an elderly friend to stay. This woman, “Gillie”, lived in Little Overton as a child, and has fascinating stories to tell about the Marsh House and the lonely girl who lived there over fifty years before, during the time of the Great War. Anna will find her intuited connection to the house is based in her own family’s history.
When Marnie Was There is a lovely, atmospheric piece of children’s literature into which adults, too, can escape to rediscover some of the pain and pleasure of childhood. It is a story of feeling lonely and apart and of finally coming home. Thank you to my Goodreads friend Hilary for alerting me to this wonderful book.
Anna is around ten and absolutely friendless. Unable to connect with the other children at school or bond with the older foster parents she’s lived with for some years, she is profoundly unhappy. Her characteristic expression is the “ordinary” face: an appearance of indifference and haughty detachment. She hates the mother who left her to go off on a holiday with a second husband, only to die along with this man in a car crash, and she also hates the grandmother she was left with for dying soon after. After being away from school for two weeks, suffering from asthma that is likely psychosomatic in nature, Anna is sent by her foster parents, the Prestons, to stay with the Peggs, an endearing, warm couple who live in Little Overton in the fen country. The family doctor has stated that the air there may well do her good. It certainly makes more sense for her to be there than spend the last six weeks of term in the prison that is school.
Once in the marshy country, Anna is given an enviable degree of freedom. She explores the marshlands and is particularly compelled by a lovely old house that looks out onto the creek and the straithe. There is a strange, deep familiarity about this place, whose windows Anna sometimes believes to be watching her. Soon she will make the acquaintance of an unusual—magical or ghostly—girl. “Marnie”, who is just as lonely as Anna herself, lives in the mysterious house. The two will become each other’s best friend and will have several small adventures together, but then Marnie will quite suddenly depart, leaving Anna to question if the other girl is a figment of the imagination or a character from some strange dream.
When summer finally (officially) arrives, a lovely, friendly family with five children moves into the mysterious Marsh House. Their renovations of the old place bring to light a diary from long ago that will explain much about Marnie. The Lindsay family will also invite an elderly friend to stay. This woman, “Gillie”, lived in Little Overton as a child, and has fascinating stories to tell about the Marsh House and the lonely girl who lived there over fifty years before, during the time of the Great War. Anna will find her intuited connection to the house is based in her own family’s history.
When Marnie Was There is a lovely, atmospheric piece of children’s literature into which adults, too, can escape to rediscover some of the pain and pleasure of childhood. It is a story of feeling lonely and apart and of finally coming home. Thank you to my Goodreads friend Hilary for alerting me to this wonderful book.
March 3, 2015
Apparently this is going to be a Studio Ghibli movie, and when the bookseller lady in Tokyo told me I was of course like "Must own this nowwwwww" so I bought it and read it and loved it. It's a very quiet, bittersweet book, taking place in England in the early 60's. It has sort of that C.S. Lewis-y feel to it, very British.
It's about a lonely, unhappy orphan who makes friends with another girl who may or may not be real. The mystery of who Marnie really is and whether she even exists is what propels the book, and though it's never particularly urgent (or explained, for that matter) it's really lovely wandering around with the characters through their cheery English summer, always with just a hint of mystery and sadness. Also, because of the main character, I can imagine this book could be transformative for introverted kids if it hits them at the right time. It ends on a bit of a twee note, but that seems to have been the norm for 1950's/1960's children's books. I'm glad I read it, had never heard of this author before, and am now super excited for the Ghibli movie!
It's about a lonely, unhappy orphan who makes friends with another girl who may or may not be real. The mystery of who Marnie really is and whether she even exists is what propels the book, and though it's never particularly urgent (or explained, for that matter) it's really lovely wandering around with the characters through their cheery English summer, always with just a hint of mystery and sadness. Also, because of the main character, I can imagine this book could be transformative for introverted kids if it hits them at the right time. It ends on a bit of a twee note, but that seems to have been the norm for 1950's/1960's children's books. I'm glad I read it, had never heard of this author before, and am now super excited for the Ghibli movie!
November 4, 2015
If she really got to know them, and they her, all that would be spoiled. They would be like all the others then- only half friendly. They, from inside, looking curiously at her, outside- expecting her to like what they liked, have what they had, do what they did. And when they found she didn’t, hadn’t, couldn’t- or what ever it was that that always cut her off from the rest- they would lose interest.
I don’t know if nostalgia for what never was is all there is. It feels like that is true, like too much, that nothing is anything good while it is happening. That some awful truth that it only gets good when you can feel sad about it on your own later is waiting. I read a lot of books about these kinds of outside people like Anna. (I'm probably asking to feel this way even reading a children's book about a lonely girl from a long time ago.) Anna of ‘What Marnie Knew’ is a window urchin just like this. She is on all of them she yet knows, drifting by everything and nothing. No friends at school, reserving warmth against her foster family in case she will feel slighted later. I feel like that scene in ‘Good Will Hunting’ when Matt Damon says Skylar is perfect right now and he doesn’t want to see her again so that won’t be ruined. Robin Williams life saver in rainbow says that maybe HE is perfect right now, maybe he doesn’t want to ruin THAT. Right fucking on, Robin Williams! I am more afraid that no one truly likes anyone else, that chasing feeling good about yourself when you are with them is the precursor for held interaction. That would be the worst thing that could ever be true. No one has to tell Anna all of this in the end because she is really freaking lucky. I was holding my breath, though. In a way it is real (I don’t have to try too hard to accept the feel goodery of the end for everything) and there are benevolent adults who accept Anna, past the ‘ordinary’ face that doesn’t see anyone but Anna. Those jolly English boys who are like old-timey English kids in books. The kind someone without a family would dream up about perfect families. The eldest girl in braids who takes care of the baby and they have teasing in-jokes. It made me sad in the “This isn’t right at all!” dream building that the rules of perfect kinds of people are so rigid. Should everyone be on their best behavior, no bad days behind doors? It all starts with a visit to friends of her foster family. No open arms exactly, Anna spends all days out of their doors. They didn’t know what to do about her back home and they don’t know how to reach her here. I liked a lot the sense of their routines. I liked best of all the sense that they dreaded not knowing what to do with Anna while at the same time wishing it would be different. Small talk and good girls. There might be a cup of cocoa waiting but she’s still an outside. I feel better about the Peggs because they were not her ideal. Then there is the dreamy Marnie in a boat over diurnal time. She’s glamorous, all hair and dresses, and afraid of dogs. What good is a secret friend who is afraid of dogs?! I wouldn’t dream up a dream girlfriend afraid of dogs. Marnie was actually pretty irritating. She’s mockingly aloof, the cool girl above you that I’m afraid of. She’s not when she’s terrified of windmills and in and out of Anna’s side. Marnie came first. Did she dream Anna to be hers and Velveteen rabbit her when her stuffy boyfriend was around? I didn’t like that Anna and Marnie have so many darned rules. No, it won’t be right if we ask too many questions. It must be a secret. To be any good it must be this. I wish Anna had told Marnie to knock off the rules. I wish they had gone ahead and told her new pal Priscilla to stop bossing about what a secret is supposed to be. Priscilla felt like that kind of friend you have to earn your lunch for or be out in the cold again. What good is that? If it were me (and it must be you to get into Anna’s plight at all). It felt like it would happen this way with Marnie when she is that far away relative you have to make up stories about to be closer to because they are too up their own butt when you’re around to see you. Not to Anna but to Anna’s holiday dead mother, learned patterns and Marnie was her own mother to Anna’s mother, clinking glasses laughter always. It was perfect that Marnie is a ghost story. Maybe she would be a welcome ghost to others but to me she is the haunting. Or is it too late or more of that feeling I dread/suspect. I had to feel like Anna, afraid to hope that anyone won’t be that other, but it is hard to stop feeling like that when Anna stops feeling like that. I just wish ‘Marnie’ didn’t ask you to think it was okay for Anna because she got to know her dead grandma this way. Save it for the ghost. It would be nice to have a friend like Mrs Lindsay and their family friend who talks to Anna on the beach about the house like in a painting. I liked that this was her first real friend for real. She doesn’t stick on that hard face she thinks is being ordinary and they share something without some stupid rules to fit some required fantasy. I feel like if there was a stupid dating site for dream friends Marnie would be Anna’s match. No discovery, just check the boxes. It is a little better when she finds her diary later but I was more pissed that perfect English family Priscilla confronted Anna with it as if it was hers. Where is the sense of privacy, kids? Was it okay to assume all those kids in your school were such shitty people but these kids are great because you liked the look of them? I wish Anna had been more generous when it came to seeing everybody else. The adults made it better, at least. I liked Anna’s foster mother. She didn’t always put Anna first, didn’t tell her the right things as soon as she could have. She wishes she knew how to do exactly the right thing. She loved her, though. Why isn't that good enough? It took sucking it up after all to find that place when the window urchin can come inside. She gets her feelings hurt, too. I liked a lot the sense of when it could have been too late for Anna and the adults. She could have never have had a family with them if she didn’t try too. At least I don't miss Anna looking for Marnie's window at all. I do miss the staith that feels like it should have a ghost. I wish there had been something here that wasn't, some key to unfreeze. I feel sad that Marnie didn't feel like a lonely girl to me, that she's just the stuckup dressy girl. I feel like Anna got something I didn't. Is it my fault or is it the book.
November 26, 2021
If you are missing someone, someone you loved and lost, then this book is gonna make you cry a lot. First I watched the ghibli movie adaptation, then I read the book. Maybe that's why this story is so special for me 'cause Omoide no Mâni is one of my favourite movies. The way she smiled, the way she talked with Anna... I will always remember Marnie and miss her like someone I knew before.
June 19, 2017
The book is so enchanting. My heart was filled with so much emotion and my imagination was so free, creating those wonderful scenery that felt so dreamy and magical. I felt like Anna, I can relate with her a lot and how lonely she was sometimes. I love Marnie and how she's created to be like a dream and a reality all together. I love how the book transported me to my own childhood and all those fantasies I once have as well. The pacing of the story is so so good, the storytelling is superb! It is a modern-classic indeed!
April 30, 2016
This book is going to haunt me. Not because the animated film based on it is Studio Ghibli's swan song. Not because of the plot itself--which is the tiniest bit predictable in spots. No, it's because these sentences from the first few pages hit me like a punch in the gut: She knew perfectly well that things like parties and best friends and going to tea with people were fine for everyone else, because everyone else was "inside"--inside some sort of invisible magic circle. But Anna herself was outside. And so these things had nothing to do with her. It was as simple as that.
Indeed. Some people, like me, are always outside the circle. And no matter what happens, we can't get "in." Of course, this book goes down the old acceptable timeworn children's-fiction path of sending the main character to a new place to "recuperate from an illness" and of course there she has wonderful adventures and somehow learns to fit in and make friends (due in large part to the people around her letting her go her independent way without making a fuss about it). In that sense, it's pure wish-fulfillment stuff, because of course very seldom does that ever happen in real life. In fact I was into my teens before I let myself realise that I was never going to be sent to the country or the seaside because I was "run down and needed a change if I was to have a chance."
So, yeah. I knew where the Marnie thing was going, and I knew where the Anna thing was going, from about page 10. But at least there was one author who knew the truth, even if she prettied it up for the publisher.
For kids 10-13.
Indeed. Some people, like me, are always outside the circle. And no matter what happens, we can't get "in." Of course, this book goes down the old acceptable timeworn children's-fiction path of sending the main character to a new place to "recuperate from an illness" and of course there she has wonderful adventures and somehow learns to fit in and make friends (due in large part to the people around her letting her go her independent way without making a fuss about it). In that sense, it's pure wish-fulfillment stuff, because of course very seldom does that ever happen in real life. In fact I was into my teens before I let myself realise that I was never going to be sent to the country or the seaside because I was "run down and needed a change if I was to have a chance."
So, yeah. I knew where the Marnie thing was going, and I knew where the Anna thing was going, from about page 10. But at least there was one author who knew the truth, even if she prettied it up for the publisher.
For kids 10-13.
December 3, 2023
“If you don't look interested nobody’ll know you are.”
.
.
This story is about an orphaned teenager who suffers from difficulty adapting to those around her. And because her health is not good, her aunt tells her that it would be better for her to spend the holiday in the countryside until school starts again.
Unfortunately, even there she was struggling to make new friends, But there she met a very mysterious girl, but somehow she was able to start a special and unique friendship with her.
.
.
Since I am a fan of Studio Ghibli, I'm trying to know about all the original stories of Ghibli films.
This novel, in general, talks about friendship, family, love, and loneliness, and how your life can be difficult just because you are closed off to yourself and afraid to meet new people.
Overall this novel was very friendly, warm, and close to the heart.
The writer's style was smooth and peaceful.
I loved the novel, as well as the movie. Perhaps the film is better because it summarized many of the events and presented them perfectly.
But in the novel, I felt that there were events that could have been shortened.
However, I loved the novel and the atmosphere. And I'm glad I read it.
.
.
“They made a sad, and beautiful, and long-ago sound that seemed to remind her of something lovely she had once known - and lost, and never found again. But she did not know what it was.”
Shelved as 'wishlist'
December 12, 2013There will be a new Studio Ghibli film based on this book in 2014! Directed by the man who made the Arietty film, so I'll be expecting gorgeous backdrops and music. :)
https://www.facebook.com/FansOfStudio...
https://www.facebook.com/FansOfStudio...
February 26, 2022
*sniff* What a wonderfully happy ending! I almost cried joyful tears!!!
I absolutely loved this book. It was so sweet and amazing. It's now probably one of my very favorite books.
Anna and Marnie were both such wonderful characters. They were fun and I loved reading about them. I also enjoyed the Lindsay family. They were also great! The descriptions were all so beautiful. The author paints a lovely picture of the Marsh House, Little Overton, The Windmill, and of each of the characters. This book made me want to cry at times, laugh at times, scream from fright or joy at times. It was a clean, sweet story. The writing was beautiful and I'm so happy about how it ended.
I recommend this book to everyone. You will love it. It's so sweet, and pure, and it will teach you of true friendship. I'm so glad I read it, cause I loved it!!
I absolutely loved this book. It was so sweet and amazing. It's now probably one of my very favorite books.
Anna and Marnie were both such wonderful characters. They were fun and I loved reading about them. I also enjoyed the Lindsay family. They were also great! The descriptions were all so beautiful. The author paints a lovely picture of the Marsh House, Little Overton, The Windmill, and of each of the characters. This book made me want to cry at times, laugh at times, scream from fright or joy at times. It was a clean, sweet story. The writing was beautiful and I'm so happy about how it ended.
I recommend this book to everyone. You will love it. It's so sweet, and pure, and it will teach you of true friendship. I'm so glad I read it, cause I loved it!!
May 29, 2019
This was my absolute favourite book as a child. A really beautiful story about a lonely girl who learns to make friends with the help of another girl, who comes through time to help her. Beautifully written. Absolutely superb.
April 19, 2024
Sieste avec Marnie
Probablement un des livres les plus chiants et surcotés que j’ai lu depuis longtemps. Alors c’est sensé être un livre pour enfant (pré-ado) mais y’a rien qui pourrait attirer ce public. Pas d’humour, pas de passages effrayants (mis à part une histoire de moulin à la con), rien. Je ne vois d’ailleurs pas qui pourrait être le public tellement le style est basique et bêtement contemplatif et qu’il n’y a pas d’histoire. Aujourd’hui on dirait cosy j’imagine.
Il faut attendre les deux tiers pour qu’il se passe quelque chose et l’ensemble du roman se compose d’aller-retour à la plage. Le dernier tiers a été lu en diagonale et ne sert qu’à étirer les délires emo.
Merci Ghibli parce que je comprends qu’il était sorti dans une indifférence quasi générale à l’époque (y'avait Charlie et la Chocolaterie en face).
Probablement un des livres les plus chiants et surcotés que j’ai lu depuis longtemps. Alors c’est sensé être un livre pour enfant (pré-ado) mais y’a rien qui pourrait attirer ce public. Pas d’humour, pas de passages effrayants (mis à part une histoire de moulin à la con), rien. Je ne vois d’ailleurs pas qui pourrait être le public tellement le style est basique et bêtement contemplatif et qu’il n’y a pas d’histoire. Aujourd’hui on dirait cosy j’imagine.
Il faut attendre les deux tiers pour qu’il se passe quelque chose et l’ensemble du roman se compose d’aller-retour à la plage. Le dernier tiers a été lu en diagonale et ne sert qu’à étirer les délires emo.
Merci Ghibli parce que je comprends qu’il était sorti dans une indifférence quasi générale à l’époque (y'avait Charlie et la Chocolaterie en face).
December 17, 2021
Cette histoire m’a baignée dans un étrange sentiment de paix, un voyage paisible aux côtés de la douce Anna.
Je ne savais pas où j’allais, je ne comprenais pas ce qui clochait dans la 1ère partie de l’histoire tout en sachant pertinemment que quelque chose clochait, et étonnamment, c’est ce qui m’a donné envie de continuer.
Quelle surprise finalement ! Si vous êtes en quête d’action passez votre chemin car cette histoire est l’étrange voyage d’une petite fille qui n’arrive pas à trouver sa place, et qui la trouvera de la plus étonnante des façons.
J’ai aimé le personnage d’Anna et étonnamment, je crois que c’est même la première fois, j’ai profondément aimé tous les personnages que j’ai découvert, chacun à leur manière.
4,25/5 💛
Je ne savais pas où j’allais, je ne comprenais pas ce qui clochait dans la 1ère partie de l’histoire tout en sachant pertinemment que quelque chose clochait, et étonnamment, c’est ce qui m’a donné envie de continuer.
Quelle surprise finalement ! Si vous êtes en quête d’action passez votre chemin car cette histoire est l’étrange voyage d’une petite fille qui n’arrive pas à trouver sa place, et qui la trouvera de la plus étonnante des façons.
J’ai aimé le personnage d’Anna et étonnamment, je crois que c’est même la première fois, j’ai profondément aimé tous les personnages que j’ai découvert, chacun à leur manière.
4,25/5 💛
January 30, 2024
On peut dire que j’ai retardé sa lecture… acheté il y a 2ans et placé dans ma bibliothèque « pour plus tard », je finis par me décider à le lire.
Un joli coup de cœur ❤️ lu en 2 jours à peine. Je n’ai pas pu me résigner à le lâcher. Tout était prétexte à continuer l’aventure.
C’est doux, calme, contemplatif. C’est lent et rythmé à la fois et le sujet de fond est extrêmement poignant.
Solitude de l’enfance, amour intergénérationnel, amitié, abandon/adoption, voyage intérieur tout y est !
Dans la foulée j’en ai profité pour regarder le film des studios Ghibli qui a été un réel regain d’intérêt pour le livre en 2010.
Les musiques et les couleurs aident à intégrer l’aspect graphique et sonore.
Néanmoins, pour les plus curieuses et curieux sachez qu’il y a de grosses différences entre le livre et l’adaptation anime. Et cela sur les 100 dernières pages du roman, sur 250.
Ce qui vous laisse amplement de quoi découvrir quelque chose de « nouveau » 👍🏼
Un joli coup de cœur ❤️ lu en 2 jours à peine. Je n’ai pas pu me résigner à le lâcher. Tout était prétexte à continuer l’aventure.
C’est doux, calme, contemplatif. C’est lent et rythmé à la fois et le sujet de fond est extrêmement poignant.
Solitude de l’enfance, amour intergénérationnel, amitié, abandon/adoption, voyage intérieur tout y est !
Dans la foulée j’en ai profité pour regarder le film des studios Ghibli qui a été un réel regain d’intérêt pour le livre en 2010.
Les musiques et les couleurs aident à intégrer l’aspect graphique et sonore.
Néanmoins, pour les plus curieuses et curieux sachez qu’il y a de grosses différences entre le livre et l’adaptation anime. Et cela sur les 100 dernières pages du roman, sur 250.
Ce qui vous laisse amplement de quoi découvrir quelque chose de « nouveau » 👍🏼
April 21, 2024
ما اعرف من فين ابدأ حرفياً !
اعتقد هاذي اول مره تجيني الرغبه انه اكتب مراجعه طويله و ممكن تكون ممله للبعض لكن اذا مهتم اقرأ و ما رح يكون فيه اي حرق
من البدايه اقلكم ٥ من ٥ وانصحكم تشتروه حتى لو شفتوا الفيلم رح تستمتعوا فيه ، انا شايفه الفيلم مرتين ومع كذا اشتريته مع مجموعه كتب اخرى ولكن حسيت بشوي ندم لما وصلتني لأني خفت ما استمتع فيها بحكم اني اعرف القصة و اعرف التويست الكبير اللي بيصير ف آجلتها لوقت طويل ، لكن الآن انا نادمه اني ما قرأتها بدري وهي لحد الآن روايتي المفضلة على الأطلاق💗
اكثر شيء عجبني هو المزاج اللي تحطني فيه الروايه لأني كنت دايم اتخيل الأماكن في القريه اللي تصير فيها الروايه وانا اعشق القرى والأماكن الطبيعيه ف كنت دايم احس بأحساس حلو و كمان الشخصيه الرئيسيه آنا كنت دايم احس بأرتباط معها بسبب شخصيتها الهادئه مثلي وبسبب انه دايم تصير لها مواقف عفويه تقريبا الكل يمر فيها بعضها مضحك والبعض محزن. الروايه تصير اكثر حماسا لما تظهر مارني ورغم اني شايفه الفيلم واعرف كل الاحداث وايش منتهاها لكن مع كذا كنت حاسه بشعور الغموض واحيانا بالرعب لأنه الروايه مليانه تفاصيل مو مذكوره بالفيلم ( اكيد فيلم ساعه و ٤٠ دقيقه ما رح يشمل تفاصيل ٤٠٠ صفحه )
كنت اتعجب وانا الاحظ الاختلافات بين الفيلم و الروايه و حتى التفاصيل الصغيره كانت تحسسني بالمتعه والرغبه بأني اكمل وبنفس الوقت كنت احاول اتباطأ واتخيل المشاهد جيدا عشن لا اخلصها بسرعه.
بعد حدث معين من الروايه (تقريبا حوالي صفحه ٢٠٠ حسب ما اتذكر) بدأت تصير احداث فعلا خلتني استغرب لاني ابدا ما شفتها بالفيلم لكن بعدين مع القراءه استوعبت انها ظهرت بالفيلم لكن كانت جدا مختصره وهالشيء كان ممتع ومثير للأهتمام.
الروايه مستحيل انساها خلتني اشعر بالدفئ و مرات بالحيويه و مرات بالكئابة والوحده واحيانا خلتني ابكي و حسستني بمشاعر نادرا احسها، ولأني بشكل عام اعرف النهايه ف وانا اقرأ كنت من ظهور مارني وانا احس بضيق وألم بقلبي رغم انه مو شرط كنت اقرأ حدث محزن …مو عارفه كيف اشرح مشاعري تماما لكن اللي شاف الفيلم قبل ما يقرأ الروايه رح يفهم علي و اغبط اللي بيقرأ الروايه و هو مو عارف اش قصته لأنه اعرف انه رح ينصدم .
وعلى الفكره الترجمة اكثر من رائعه كانت في مواضع معينه اخطاء املائيه صعب ملاحظتها لكن انا مستقعده لهم😂 بس حلوه و كل شي مفهوم وقرأت شوي من الراويه الانجليزيه لاحقا و وقتها اقتنعت انه الترجمه العربيه متقنه جدا لانه كل شي مترجم بالكلمات الصح، احببت الرسومات البسيطه كنت كل شوي اوقف قراءة و اتأملها💗
اتوقع اني رح اعيد قرائتها لما انسى الاحداث شوي رغم انها صعب تنتسى💗💗
درجة استمتاعي بالكتاب ١٠ من ١٠
انهيت كتابي السابع⭐️
اعتقد هاذي اول مره تجيني الرغبه انه اكتب مراجعه طويله و ممكن تكون ممله للبعض لكن اذا مهتم اقرأ و ما رح يكون فيه اي حرق
من البدايه اقلكم ٥ من ٥ وانصحكم تشتروه حتى لو شفتوا الفيلم رح تستمتعوا فيه ، انا شايفه الفيلم مرتين ومع كذا اشتريته مع مجموعه كتب اخرى ولكن حسيت بشوي ندم لما وصلتني لأني خفت ما استمتع فيها بحكم اني اعرف القصة و اعرف التويست الكبير اللي بيصير ف آجلتها لوقت طويل ، لكن الآن انا نادمه اني ما قرأتها بدري وهي لحد الآن روايتي المفضلة على الأطلاق💗
اكثر شيء عجبني هو المزاج اللي تحطني فيه الروايه لأني كنت دايم اتخيل الأماكن في القريه اللي تصير فيها الروايه وانا اعشق القرى والأماكن الطبيعيه ف كنت دايم احس بأحساس حلو و كمان الشخصيه الرئيسيه آنا كنت دايم احس بأرتباط معها بسبب شخصيتها الهادئه مثلي وبسبب انه دايم تصير لها مواقف عفويه تقريبا الكل يمر فيها بعضها مضحك والبعض محزن. الروايه تصير اكثر حماسا لما تظهر مارني ورغم اني شايفه الفيلم واعرف كل الاحداث وايش منتهاها لكن مع كذا كنت حاسه بشعور الغموض واحيانا بالرعب لأنه الروايه مليانه تفاصيل مو مذكوره بالفيلم ( اكيد فيلم ساعه و ٤٠ دقيقه ما رح يشمل تفاصيل ٤٠٠ صفحه )
كنت اتعجب وانا الاحظ الاختلافات بين الفيلم و الروايه و حتى التفاصيل الصغيره كانت تحسسني بالمتعه والرغبه بأني اكمل وبنفس الوقت كنت احاول اتباطأ واتخيل المشاهد جيدا عشن لا اخلصها بسرعه.
بعد حدث معين من الروايه (تقريبا حوالي صفحه ٢٠٠ حسب ما اتذكر) بدأت تصير احداث فعلا خلتني استغرب لاني ابدا ما شفتها بالفيلم لكن بعدين مع القراءه استوعبت انها ظهرت بالفيلم لكن كانت جدا مختصره وهالشيء كان ممتع ومثير للأهتمام.
الروايه مستحيل انساها خلتني اشعر بالدفئ و مرات بالحيويه و مرات بالكئابة والوحده واحيانا خلتني ابكي و حسستني بمشاعر نادرا احسها، ولأني بشكل عام اعرف النهايه ف وانا اقرأ كنت من ظهور مارني وانا احس بضيق وألم بقلبي رغم انه مو شرط كنت اقرأ حدث محزن …مو عارفه كيف اشرح مشاعري تماما لكن اللي شاف الفيلم قبل ما يقرأ الروايه رح يفهم علي و اغبط اللي بيقرأ الروايه و هو مو عارف اش قصته لأنه اعرف انه رح ينصدم .
وعلى الفكره الترجمة اكثر من رائعه كانت في مواضع معينه اخطاء املائيه صعب ملاحظتها لكن انا مستقعده لهم😂 بس حلوه و كل شي مفهوم وقرأت شوي من الراويه الانجليزيه لاحقا و وقتها اقتنعت انه الترجمه العربيه متقنه جدا لانه كل شي مترجم بالكلمات الصح، احببت الرسومات البسيطه كنت كل شوي اوقف قراءة و اتأملها💗
اتوقع اني رح اعيد قرائتها لما انسى الاحداث شوي رغم انها صعب تنتسى💗💗
درجة استمتاعي بالكتاب ١٠ من ١٠
انهيت كتابي السابع⭐️
February 11, 2022
THIS BOOK!!!! ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つಥ_ಥ ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Wow, I love it so, so much! I almost cried a couple of times, and I would have liked to cry, because it's just so sweet! I have no complaints about this book. I think this may tie with Jane Eyre for my Very Most Favorite Book Ever™. But for completely different reasons!
Marnie and Anna are wonderful characters, I'd love to meet them and give them both a big hug! And The Marsh House!!! It has a personality of its own! We learn later that Marnie is the one giving it a personality, really, but!!! The descriptions of it, and the beaches, and sunsets, and the night, and the marsh, and the creek... every single setting description, I fell madly in love with! This author has a way with sending you to the setting, attaching you to the setting, making you love the setting. It's just so amazing!
I had quite a few favorite quotes that I wrote down in a notebook so I can easily find and read them later (I could have highlighted, yes, but the thought of marking up such a beautiful book with writing just horrifies me!)
This book is a favorite of mine, now! I wanted to literally just start reading it from the beginning as soon as I finished! I loved it in every way. The only part, really, that I didn't like was the part where the girls are stuck in the windmill. That part made me very sad.
Chapter 21 was pretty sad, but I did love it. The descriptions of the rain were enchanting, and the short, desperate conversation between Marnie and Anna pulled on my heartstrings. Same with the last chapter. I recommend this book to everybody in the world, whether you have a heart or not. If you do, it'll grow three sizes by the end. And if not, then you'll have one by the time you finish.
This. book. It pulls on heartstrings, and you'll be so sad to finish.
................
Btw, I want to watch Studio Ghibli's movie, so I'll totally be comparing once I watch it! ;D
.................
I did watch the movie, and I liked it! There are, admittedly, more differences than similarities: they set the movie in Japan, gave everyone except Anna and Marnie Japanese names, the chronology was a tad different, the end was revealed differently, and they replaced the five Lindsey kids with one little girl who was sort of a combination of all of their personalities (I liked the character though, she was cute, and that was probably a good decision looking at it from a movie standpoint. But I did love the Lindseys!), there were other differences too, but you could still tell they based it off the book.
The book is better, which goes without saying, as all we true readers know. The movie had beautiful artwork and a lovely soundtrack (I love the credits song-- it fits Anna!) But~ the book will forever be my favorite.
Wow, I love it so, so much! I almost cried a couple of times, and I would have liked to cry, because it's just so sweet! I have no complaints about this book. I think this may tie with Jane Eyre for my Very Most Favorite Book Ever™. But for completely different reasons!
Marnie and Anna are wonderful characters, I'd love to meet them and give them both a big hug! And The Marsh House!!! It has a personality of its own! We learn later that Marnie is the one giving it a personality, really, but!!! The descriptions of it, and the beaches, and sunsets, and the night, and the marsh, and the creek... every single setting description, I fell madly in love with! This author has a way with sending you to the setting, attaching you to the setting, making you love the setting. It's just so amazing!
I had quite a few favorite quotes that I wrote down in a notebook so I can easily find and read them later (I could have highlighted, yes, but the thought of marking up such a beautiful book with writing just horrifies me!)
This book is a favorite of mine, now! I wanted to literally just start reading it from the beginning as soon as I finished! I loved it in every way. The only part, really, that I didn't like was the part where the girls are stuck in the windmill. That part made me very sad.
Chapter 21 was pretty sad, but I did love it. The descriptions of the rain were enchanting, and the short, desperate conversation between Marnie and Anna pulled on my heartstrings. Same with the last chapter. I recommend this book to everybody in the world, whether you have a heart or not. If you do, it'll grow three sizes by the end. And if not, then you'll have one by the time you finish.
This. book. It pulls on heartstrings, and you'll be so sad to finish.
"But even as she wept, a new and delicious sadness was creeping over her. The sadness one feels for something enjoyed and now over, rather than for something lost and never found again."
................
Btw, I want to watch Studio Ghibli's movie, so I'll totally be comparing once I watch it! ;D
.................
I did watch the movie, and I liked it! There are, admittedly, more differences than similarities: they set the movie in Japan, gave everyone except Anna and Marnie Japanese names, the chronology was a tad different, the end was revealed differently, and they replaced the five Lindsey kids with one little girl who was sort of a combination of all of their personalities (I liked the character though, she was cute, and that was probably a good decision looking at it from a movie standpoint. But I did love the Lindseys!), there were other differences too, but you could still tell they based it off the book.
The book is better, which goes without saying, as all we true readers know. The movie had beautiful artwork and a lovely soundtrack (I love the credits song-- it fits Anna!) But~ the book will forever be my favorite.
April 10, 2019
I might be growing older but I have begun to appreciate children's books more. Good books for children are not only easy to read but they are also full of beautiful themes. I find children's books very uplifting. I see that people correctly acknowledge that young children need uplifting stories to inspire them. But the need for uplifting stories does not end when childhood ends. In fact, they might need them more when they grow older.
"When Marnie was There" is a children's book that I really enjoyed reading. The writing is simple. The characters are relatable. But what I think is the best thing about the book is that it is uplifting. The book tells a story about the sadness of feeling excluded as well as the joy and beauty of true friendship. Children like the main character of the book understand those things. But I have learned that it is not only children who feel excluded or long for genuine friendship. That means that this book is not just for children but for everyone.
I am so glad I read this wonderful book. It really gave me hope. I am sure it will give others hope as well.
"When Marnie was There" is a children's book that I really enjoyed reading. The writing is simple. The characters are relatable. But what I think is the best thing about the book is that it is uplifting. The book tells a story about the sadness of feeling excluded as well as the joy and beauty of true friendship. Children like the main character of the book understand those things. But I have learned that it is not only children who feel excluded or long for genuine friendship. That means that this book is not just for children but for everyone.
I am so glad I read this wonderful book. It really gave me hope. I am sure it will give others hope as well.
October 17, 2022
Bingung mau mulai review gimana, yang jelas this book feels magical hehe
Sedikit review,
Hal yang aku suka:
- Penggambaran latar cerita yang bikin aku merasa ikut masuk ke dalam ceritanya, termasuk ikut lari-larian sama Anna dan Marnie :D
- Terjemahannya yang menurutku oke dan nyaman dinikmati
- Endingnya oke
Hal yang aku kurang suka:
- sempet agak ngebosenin di bagian pertengahan
- karakter Anna dan Marnie di awal wkwkwk tapi kasian juga sih si Anna kan emang kesepian dan menyedihkan, mungkin karena itu sikapnya jadi begitu. Terus si Marnie entahlah kadang dia rada sok iye gituu HAHAH. Oh tapi aku cukup kaget loh sama character development-nya Anna yang tiba-tiba jadi seru gitu pas kenal sama anak2 keluarga Lindsay.
Udah sih cmn aku masih bertanya-tanya jadi Anna ketemu Marnie nih gimana? anna ngayal kah atauu???
But overall worth to read kok! Dan aku suka covernya yang cantikkbanget warnanya soft hihi thankyou Penerbit Baca!
Full review akan aku upload di instagram.com/nge.review yaah
Sedikit review,
Hal yang aku suka:
- Penggambaran latar cerita yang bikin aku merasa ikut masuk ke dalam ceritanya, termasuk ikut lari-larian sama Anna dan Marnie :D
- Terjemahannya yang menurutku oke dan nyaman dinikmati
- Endingnya oke
Hal yang aku kurang suka:
- sempet agak ngebosenin di bagian pertengahan
- karakter Anna dan Marnie di awal wkwkwk tapi kasian juga sih si Anna kan emang kesepian dan menyedihkan, mungkin karena itu sikapnya jadi begitu. Terus si Marnie entahlah kadang dia rada sok iye gituu HAHAH. Oh tapi aku cukup kaget loh sama character development-nya Anna yang tiba-tiba jadi seru gitu pas kenal sama anak2 keluarga Lindsay.
Udah sih cmn aku masih bertanya-tanya jadi Anna ketemu Marnie nih gimana? anna ngayal kah atauu???
But overall worth to read kok! Dan aku suka covernya yang cantikkbanget warnanya soft hihi thankyou Penerbit Baca!
Full review akan aku upload di instagram.com/nge.review yaah
February 1, 2021
I read this because im inlove with the ghibli movie inspired by this story.
It was a quick read and i enjoyed every page of it. This is a wonderful book of friendship but with some "fantasy" themes.
It was a quick read and i enjoyed every page of it. This is a wonderful book of friendship but with some "fantasy" themes.
August 23, 2015
What an enchanting book.
I've been wanting to read When Marnie Was There for over a year now, but I had a ridiculous amount of trouble getting my hands on the book. Until the last year or so, it hadn't had many printings, so there aren't all too many copies out there. When Studio Ghibli announced their adaptation, prices for the book rose astronomically. When I was looking to buy the book a year ago, I couldn't find any copy for less than a few hundred dollars (seriously). No library even close to me had it either! Amazon promised that a new reprint would be available in 2015 (including an ebook version!) So this week I went to look and saw that Amazon had changed the release date to 2018 and I learned that Americans aren't able to order ebooks from Amazon UK. Despite this trouble, I finally was able to get my hands on a used hard copy, mostly due to the recent UK reprinting bringing prices down. A note to my fellow Americans: it will take a while for an American version to be released, so do try and get your hands on a UK version - it is worth it!
Like I said, I did finally manage to get my hands on a copy, and luckily I loved When Marnie Was There as much as I thought I would - more, possibly. I've been wanting to read this for two reasons - one is the Studio Ghibli adaptation I mentioned and the second is that I've been really interested in mid-century children's timeslip stories. I've seen When Marnie Was There compared mainly to Penelope Farmer's Charlotte Sometimes, which is an absolutely gorgeous book (note to anyone who loved When Marnie Was There: go read Charlotte Sometimes! It is very similar and just as wonderful!). Finishing Charlotte Sometimes last year just strengthened my resolve to get my hands on When Marnie Was There. And now that I've finished that, I'm eagerly looking forward to the Studio Ghibli movie.
When Marnie Was There is about a lonely young foster child named Anna who is sent to a little seaside village for the summer. While she is playing outside, Anna meets a mysterious girl named Marnie...
I liked the character of Anna quite a lot and I think a lot of readers will be able to identify with her loneliness and feelings of being on the outside looking in. And I absolutely loved the character of Marnie. She's lively, impulsive, mysterious - really one of the most engaging characters I've read about in a children's book. The parts of the book with her are the best, and once she is gone, the end parts of the book seem fairly conventional. That being said, as I read through the book I came to care about Anna, so I didn't really mind her happy, if conventional, ending.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves children's books like Charlotte Sometimes, Tom's Midnight Garden, or Playing Beatie Bow. For anyone used to only very modern children's fiction, it might seem a tad old-fashioned, but I think anyone with a love of older children's books will appreciate When Marnie Was There. 5/5 stars.
I've been wanting to read When Marnie Was There for over a year now, but I had a ridiculous amount of trouble getting my hands on the book. Until the last year or so, it hadn't had many printings, so there aren't all too many copies out there. When Studio Ghibli announced their adaptation, prices for the book rose astronomically. When I was looking to buy the book a year ago, I couldn't find any copy for less than a few hundred dollars (seriously). No library even close to me had it either! Amazon promised that a new reprint would be available in 2015 (including an ebook version!) So this week I went to look and saw that Amazon had changed the release date to 2018 and I learned that Americans aren't able to order ebooks from Amazon UK. Despite this trouble, I finally was able to get my hands on a used hard copy, mostly due to the recent UK reprinting bringing prices down. A note to my fellow Americans: it will take a while for an American version to be released, so do try and get your hands on a UK version - it is worth it!
Like I said, I did finally manage to get my hands on a copy, and luckily I loved When Marnie Was There as much as I thought I would - more, possibly. I've been wanting to read this for two reasons - one is the Studio Ghibli adaptation I mentioned and the second is that I've been really interested in mid-century children's timeslip stories. I've seen When Marnie Was There compared mainly to Penelope Farmer's Charlotte Sometimes, which is an absolutely gorgeous book (note to anyone who loved When Marnie Was There: go read Charlotte Sometimes! It is very similar and just as wonderful!). Finishing Charlotte Sometimes last year just strengthened my resolve to get my hands on When Marnie Was There. And now that I've finished that, I'm eagerly looking forward to the Studio Ghibli movie.
When Marnie Was There is about a lonely young foster child named Anna who is sent to a little seaside village for the summer. While she is playing outside, Anna meets a mysterious girl named Marnie...
I liked the character of Anna quite a lot and I think a lot of readers will be able to identify with her loneliness and feelings of being on the outside looking in. And I absolutely loved the character of Marnie. She's lively, impulsive, mysterious - really one of the most engaging characters I've read about in a children's book. The parts of the book with her are the best, and once she is gone, the end parts of the book seem fairly conventional. That being said, as I read through the book I came to care about Anna, so I didn't really mind her happy, if conventional, ending.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves children's books like Charlotte Sometimes, Tom's Midnight Garden, or Playing Beatie Bow. For anyone used to only very modern children's fiction, it might seem a tad old-fashioned, but I think anyone with a love of older children's books will appreciate When Marnie Was There. 5/5 stars.
March 12, 2022
55- *حين كانت مارني هناك*
المؤلفة/ جوان جي روبينتسون
المترجمة/ سمية الشهري
عدد الصفحات/ 432
بحثت عن هذه الرواية طويلًا ولم اجدها، مما حداني في النهاية للاستسلام ومشاهدة الانمي -الذي يحمل ذات الاسم- ابتداءً .. والان بعد ان عثرت عليها في طبعتها الثانية قرأتها لأستعيد ذكريات الفيلم
*أنا* التي تعيش عالمها الخاص، لا تخالط الاخرين وتبتعد عن الحياة الاجتماعية مما دفع والدتها بالتبني لارسالها لصديقتها في الريف حتى تتحسن..
هناك تبدأ حياة جديدة في منزل آل بيغ .. تزور الشاطئ مرارًا لتلتقي بـ *مارني* حيث تكون نقطة تغيير في حياتها
مارني النشيطة المرحة تسحبها الى عالمها الملون وتعيش معها اجمل اللحظات ..
حتى يأتي يوم تختفي فيه من حياتها وتبدأ بالتفكير ان كل ما مرت به كان خيالات واوهام..
تعاود ايامها الرتيبة في الريف .. تلتقي بمجموعة اطفال وتبدأ بالتفكير انهم لا بد من بنات افكارها كمارني ..
💙الرواية تحمل بعدًا فلسفيًا عن اولئك الذين عانوا خلال طفولتهم البائسة فانعكست سلبًا على حياتهم.
ومحاولة لحل عبارة فاقد الشيء لا يعطيه
💙 الرواية جميلة يكل خيالاتها واحداثها.. خصوصًا انها كانت انعكاسًا للفيلم فكنت اتمثل الصور والاحداث في رأسي
💙 الترجمة السيئة، واللغة النحوية اسقطتا من قيمة الكتاب فالترجمة في نهاية الكتاب لم تكن واضحة ومفهومة
💙كل الاسقاطات في الرواية هادفة
💙💙💙💙
المؤلفة/ جوان جي روبينتسون
المترجمة/ سمية الشهري
عدد الصفحات/ 432
بحثت عن هذه الرواية طويلًا ولم اجدها، مما حداني في النهاية للاستسلام ومشاهدة الانمي -الذي يحمل ذات الاسم- ابتداءً .. والان بعد ان عثرت عليها في طبعتها الثانية قرأتها لأستعيد ذكريات الفيلم
*أنا* التي تعيش عالمها الخاص، لا تخالط الاخرين وتبتعد عن الحياة الاجتماعية مما دفع والدتها بالتبني لارسالها لصديقتها في الريف حتى تتحسن..
هناك تبدأ حياة جديدة في منزل آل بيغ .. تزور الشاطئ مرارًا لتلتقي بـ *مارني* حيث تكون نقطة تغيير في حياتها
مارني النشيطة المرحة تسحبها الى عالمها الملون وتعيش معها اجمل اللحظات ..
حتى يأتي يوم تختفي فيه من حياتها وتبدأ بالتفكير ان كل ما مرت به كان خيالات واوهام..
تعاود ايامها الرتيبة في الريف .. تلتقي بمجموعة اطفال وتبدأ بالتفكير انهم لا بد من بنات افكارها كمارني ..
💙الرواية تحمل بعدًا فلسفيًا عن اولئك الذين عانوا خلال طفولتهم البائسة فانعكست سلبًا على حياتهم.
ومحاولة لحل عبارة فاقد الشيء لا يعطيه
💙 الرواية جميلة يكل خيالاتها واحداثها.. خصوصًا انها كانت انعكاسًا للفيلم فكنت اتمثل الصور والاحداث في رأسي
💙 الترجمة السيئة، واللغة النحوية اسقطتا من قيمة الكتاب فالترجمة في نهاية الكتاب لم تكن واضحة ومفهومة
💙كل الاسقاطات في الرواية هادفة
💙💙💙💙
April 5, 2016
Last year, I marathoned all Studio Ghibli movies and 'When Marnie Was There' is also one of their works. Back then, I didn't know it's based on a book but I picked it up as soon as I found out because let's face it, all of us love comparing the book to the movie. (there wasn't much difference anyway)
Anna, a very quiet girl moves to a village and there, befriends Marlie. That's it. That's the whole story.
Now, I'm not being mean or anything. The story is good. It's about the importance of family, love, and trust and I'm sure you've got the gist of it by now. The interesting stuff that happen are not overly interesting and if you're looking for a fast-paced, action-packed book, then this is definitely not for you. But if you're patient enough to endure a snail's tale, then there's a high chance you'll like this book.
If no, then at least watch the movie. It's interesting.
January 6, 2023
Buku ini membawaku kembali ke masa kanak-kanak. Bedanya Anna main di daerah pesisir sedangkan diriku versi kecil mainnya di daerah perbukitan dan persawahan. Aku dulu juga penyendiri yang cuma suka baca buku dan merasa di 'luar' saat di lingkungan rumah. Beruntungnya memiliki teman-teman sekolah yang baik, jadi sampai sekarang suka sama sekolah. Mungkin itu juga yang dirasakan Anna yang akhirnya bertemu keluarga Lindsay yang menyambutnya dengan tulus. Anna jadi anak yang lebih ceria dan positif. Buku ini terasa ajaib dan menghangatkan, meskipun menyedihkan juga. Perjalanan Anna ini bisa jadi penuntun buatku untuk mengurai masa kecil dan berdamai dengannya.
January 26, 2023
What a beautiful little book about a lonely foster child who, with a little supernatural help, learns to love herself and make friends. It didn’t make me cry like the movie does every time without fail, but it was still simple and wonderful. A quote I thought was cute: “I know I’ve been ghastly and I expect I shall be again, but I do love you.”
January 2, 2015
Quite by chance, I read about this book somewhere in connection with the Japanese film to be made from it. The book itself, a British children's novel, was published in 1967. It is a quiet, mysterious little book about a lonely little girl, living for the summer with an older couple, foster parents, at the British seaside. She is something of a misfit and is given a lot of freedom to roam the shore alone. She is fascinated with an old house, which appears to be uninhabited, near the water's edge. One evening, she meets a girl about her own age who lives in the house and they become fast friends. This is Anna's very first real friend and the summer becomes a magical time for Anna and Marnie, although there is always something a bit mysterious about Marnie. She appears at Anna's side unexpectedly and at odd moments; she doesn't disclose too much information about herself. The reader, along with Anna, is left to wonder about Marnie. The summer is a time of growth for Anna. She learns how to be a friend and how to accept the friendship of another. As suddenly as she appeared, Marnie is gone. Now, however, Anna is more open to other children and easily forms new bonds with a family of children who move into the old house. The ending reveals the surprising truth about Marnie, which I won't divulge. This was a quiet, enchanting book. I can imagine it may appeal to shy children who have also had trouble making friends; they may wish for their own Marnie.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 731 reviews