Talk:John and Mary

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‘Smockfarthing’ was indeed in the Abingdon area: it’s based on Stonehill House, about a mile outside Abingdon. Grace James’s mother ("Mrs Hawthorne" in the books) lived there until her death in 1928. "Push" the aunt is Grace James herself, and John and Mary are based on her nephew and niece Giovanni and Maria. Giovanni had to fight for the Italians in World War II and was killed, but Maria was still living in Rome quite recently. ‘Smockfarthing’ now belongs to the pop musician Brian Eno. The books are well above the average standard of the children’s literature of the day, though there is some falling-off in the later ones, possibly because Grace James ran out of true stories about her family and could never invent anything quite as convincing. John and Mary’s charming, self-indulgent Italian father, who appears rarely, is a character of whom one would like to hear more. The other adults in the family tend to be somewhat idealised but the two high-spirited extrovert children are completely believable. Mary is two years older & comes across usually as the dominant one of the two, but, lacking John’s intense interest in the farm, gets slightly less coverage. When they get into a real crisis -- which is seldom -- it is usually John who stands his ground & sees things through. Other characters include a scholarly vicar of stupendous absent-mindedness and an insufferable girl called Nibs who grizzles if she can’t get enough housework.

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Source:books by Grace James, personal knowledge of the James family


 * I'm tremendously interested in this and can't thank you enough!! I have read all the John & Mary books, including John & Mary's Aunt, which is of course about Grace James - would you like to collaborate on a Wiki entry about her?  (I don't have enough info, even from the book - or dates).  As for Nibs, I know there are separate books about her, but I don't think she is a character in the John & Mary ones, is she (the 'scholarly' one in those is named Eunice Pennyfather)?  I'd love to know if Maria is still a live - is their background just the same as John & Mary's and did they live at Smockfarthing?  (And is Brian Eno a John & Mary fan?!)  Jaycey 18:33, 19 July 2005 (UTC)


 * Point of interest - not sure if Brian Eno still lives at Stonehill House (even if he owns it) - according to 192.com, it's now inhabited by a Dianne Marie Fisher (lucky girl!). Jaycey 13:50, 23 July 2005 (UTC)

Giovanni & Maria lived mostly with their parents in Rome (as you'd expect -- even as a child I thought it was odd the way the parents apparently dumped them on granny 11 months a year) but spent long holidays at Stonehill with Mrs James & Push. There's a brief biography of Grace James, & a much longer section on her books, in Barry Pointon's excellent recent book Lucky Children (Hornbook Press -- details on the web.) I think this would give you enough for a wikipedia biog but would be glad to collaborate if there's anything further you need (J.Maloney@ex.ac.uk). Nibs does appear in one of the J&M books. As children we hated her because she was so virtuous. We also disdained drippy Lisetta, but loved formidable Aunt Prendergast & comic Mrs Lane (who marked Christmas by serving up shepherd's pie instead of grated carrot for dinner.) The scene where her personal spiritual trainer is only allowed to speak 10 words a day & has already used up 9 of them still makes me laugh when I think of it. ›