Synopsis: Anna hasn’t a friend in the world – until she meets Marnie among the sand dunes. But Marnie isn’t all she seems…
Sent away from her foster home one long, hot summer to a sleepy Norfolk village by the sea, Anna dreams her days away among the sandhills and marshes.
She never expected to meet a friend like Marnie, someone who doesn’t judge Anna for being ordinary and not-even-trying. But no sooner has Anna learned the loveliness of friendship then Marnie vanishes…
Release Date: 31st July 2014 (this version) 1967 (original Version)
Format Read: Paperback
Genres: Middle Grade, Contemporary, Friendship, Coming of Age, Children’s Classics, Mystery, Time Travel, Fantasy
Pages: 288
Review: This story is so gorgeous, beautiful and breath taking. I wish I’d read the book before watching the movie; though I didn’t know a thing about the book before hand. The movie is my favourite studio ghibli movie and so I knew reading the book I would fall in love with Marnie and Anna all over again. And I really did.
A depressed sad, lonely girl finds a mysterious lonely girl living in the beautiful marsh house and secretly become best friends. Their friendship is secret and only they know about each other but then Marnie leaves, and a new family move into the marsh house and it leaves Anna questioning everything about who really was Marnie.
I loved all the characters in this story, they are all so beautifully written, so fragile and delicate. They all needed each other and yearned for each other and found solace within each other as the story progressed. They connected together like a perfect puzzle and honestly I’d seen the movie and the plot twist still had me gasping and shocked.
This will be a story I read over and over again, there are honestly not many books that I can connect with this deeply and feel that it is part of me and that I need to read it over and over again, but I got that with this. A very deep connection to both Anna and Marnie and that I need to read their story and connect to them over and over again. It’s just so beautiful, so pure.
The book is such an easy read, such a perfect escape, it’s beautiful and mysterious and heartfelt. From the second you meet Marnie you want to know who she is, from the second you meet Anna you want her to find her joy and realise how important and loved she is. If you’ve not read this book like I hadn’t then please do it’s a story that you just have to read, it’s hard to express that you need to but honestly give it a read and see how you get swept away in the story and find a connection to the characters. It’s so beautiful.
Where to Buy: Amazon, Wordery, Book Depository, Waterstones
About Author: Joan 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.
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