Noel Streatfeild (1895–1986)
Author of Ballet Shoes
About the Author
Disambiguation Notice:
This is the second time I've re-entered this bio -- please do not delete it unless inaccurate. Thank you!
Series
Works by Noel Streatfeild
Noel Streatfield Omnibus: White Boots / Ballet Shoes for Anna / Thursday's Child (1995) 8 copies, 1 review
The First Book of Shoes 3 copies
Before Confirmation 2 copies
Tops and Bottoms 2 copies
Harlequinade 2 copies
The August Baby 1 copy
The secret of the lodge 1 copy
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 1 copy
various 1 copy
The picture story of Britain 1 copy
Associated Works
Sylvia Plath's Tomato Soup Cake: A Compendium of Classic Authors' Favourite Recipes (2024) — Contributor — 6 copies
Every Girl's Annual 1952 — Contributor — 3 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Streatfeild, Mary Noel
- Other names
- Scarlett, Susan
Streatfeild, Mary Noel - Birthdate
- 1895-12-24
- Date of death
- 1986-09-11
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Academy of Dramatic Art
St. Leonard's Ladies' College - Occupations
- writer
actor
novelist
children's book author
biographer
autobiographer - Organizations
- PEN
- Awards and honors
- Officer of the Order of the British Empire
- Short biography
- Noel Streatfeild, née Mary Noel, was born in Amberley, Sussex, England, one of six children of Rev. William Champion Streatfeild, later Bishop of Lewes, and his wife Janet Nancy Venn. She often rebelled against the strict rules and expectations of her parents. She was educated by governesses and attended St. Leonard's College and Laleham School in Eastbourne. After World War I, she moved to London to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She spent 10 years acting with the Charles Doran and Arthur Bourchier companies before becoming a full-time writer. Her familiarity with the stage provided authentic background for many of her popular books for children, including the "Shoes" books, beginning with the 1936 novel Ballet Shoes. She won the third annual Carnegie Medal for Best Children's Book of the Year for The Circus Is Coming (1938) also known as Circus Shoes. She also wrote fiction and nonfiction for adults, sometimes using the pen name Susan Scarlett, including biographies. During the 1950s, she also worked in radio. She described her early life in three semi-autobiographical novels: A Vicarage Family (1963), Away from the Vicarage (1965) and Beyond the Vicarage (1972). Several of her books were adapted for feature or television films.
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Eastbourne, Sussex, England, UK
- Places of residence
- Eastbourne, Sussex, England, UK
London, Middlesex, England, UK - Place of death
- London, Middlesex, England, UK
- Burial location
- St Mary the Virgin Churchyard, Westerham, Kent, England, UK
- Map Location
- England, UK
- Disambiguation notice
- This is the second time I've re-entered this bio -- please do not delete it unless inaccurate. Thank you!
Members
Discussions
Folio Archives 344: Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild 2009 in Folio Society Devotees (October 2023)
Illustrated children's book, old woman in jalopy yelling "Road Hog!" in Name that Book (March 2012)
Reviews
My first Greyladies book turned out to be a lovely reading experience, aside from being a physically attractive book with good clear print; it was just the right kind of book to keep me company on a very busy, slow reading week.
Noel Streatfeild was the daughter of a vicar, born at the end of the nineteenth century; she would have been very much of an age as her characters in this novel, set before, during and after the First World War. In this, her second novel, Streatfield draws on the show more stories of her own vicarage childhood.
“By the fire in the night-nursery, Nannie was sitting with a newly washed Maccabeus on her knee. He was screaming to the full extent of his lungs, as was Manasses who was being dressed by Minnie. In a corner with his face to the wall stood Sirach, shaking with sobs. The twins sitting up in their beds waiting to be dressed were fighting over a stuffed monkey. Loud angry voices could be heard from the day nursery across the passage. Catherine, surveying all this woe from the doorway, wondered where, in her role of justice-cum-ministering angel, to begin”
The Parson’s Nine of the title are the nine children born to a saintly – slightly blinkered – vicar David Churston and his practical wife Catherine. Born rapidly one after another the children are named after the nine books of the Apocrypha, (no idea what that is, something biblical I presume). Catherine is a loving, sensible mother, often exhausted by her enormous brood, and her husband’s religious zeal – he assumes that everyone around him must feel exactly as he does. David, the younger son of a baronet, is a kind of gentle religious bully, he simply cannot conceive of anyone thinking differently to him, he assumes the children love Sundays – when they dread the boredom of them, but allow their father his smiling delusion. With the eldest Esdras spouting reams of biblical quotations on every occasion from a very tender age, David’s example seems to have certainly hit home in him at least. However girls; clever Judith and the domesticated Esther are more concerned they don’t turn into a ‘Parish Puss’ like the Misses Love, with their terrible clothes and red noses. Twins Susanna and the peculiarly sensitive Baruch are virtually inseparable, their bond specially close, they fantasise about ‘our land’ telling one another stories of it. The second eldest Tobit is a determined little gardener; Sirach is the one who makes a special friend of the family dog Samson. The youngest two children Manasses and Maccabeus seem so much the babies of the family they have a lot of catching up to do.
When Catherine receives an unexpected inheritance from an aunt, she decides it is time to send the eldest two boys away to school, and engage a governess for her younger children. With the marvellous Miss Crosby duly installed Catherine decides to take herself off for a much needed holiday in the South of France, much to her husband’s confused hurt, a practise she continues for several years. Miss Crosby is a staunch supporter of Suffragette women and teaches her girls about great women whenever she can, her ambition for her female pupils is enormous, and she is crushed with disappointment that Catherine can’t share her ambitions, nor understand her support of the suffrage movement.
Noel Streatfeild does offer up a few surprises in this novel, it is certainly not all crumpets by the vicarage fire. The Great War intrudes too soon, and Esdras and Tobit are soon off to the trenches of France. The war goes on just too long, and soon Sirach too is old enough to fight, while Judith marries young despite her brains, and Esther finds her skills put to good use in a hospital. Susanna meanwhile cannot bear the idea of her delicate twin going to the war, and just wants the war to end before he should be old enough.
“From that moment panic seized her. During the day hours she held it in check by cramming her time with any and every occupation which kept her mind subdued, but her nights were unbearable; often she only kept herself from screaming by biting the sheet, and always by day or night he heart beat to the same phrase:
“why can’t I go instead of him? Why can’t I go instead of him?”
The idyll of the Churston’s childhood is swept away by the tragedy and loss of war, young men from the village are among the killed and missing, and the Chutston’s are not unaffected, they suffer losses. Losses are not dwelt upon, indicative; perhaps of the times and the attitude of wartime, they pick themselves up and get on with life. The world is changing and Catherine’s family changes with it.
After the war, one of the young Churston’s particularly struggles to cope with what life has thrown at them. Bitter and hurting, their grief is buried so deeply, that is comes out in some almost self-destructive behaviour, and Catherine must enlist the help of a close friend in order to help her child. This section of the novel is naturally darker, exploring the pain of war and its aftermath.
I thoroughly enjoyed this unashamedly piece of 1930’s middlebrow literature, there is a lightness of touch, but it is in no way frivolous or frothy, Parson’s Nine is charming and very engaging, I loved these characters, and spending time with them this week was a real joy. show less
Noel Streatfeild was the daughter of a vicar, born at the end of the nineteenth century; she would have been very much of an age as her characters in this novel, set before, during and after the First World War. In this, her second novel, Streatfield draws on the show more stories of her own vicarage childhood.
“By the fire in the night-nursery, Nannie was sitting with a newly washed Maccabeus on her knee. He was screaming to the full extent of his lungs, as was Manasses who was being dressed by Minnie. In a corner with his face to the wall stood Sirach, shaking with sobs. The twins sitting up in their beds waiting to be dressed were fighting over a stuffed monkey. Loud angry voices could be heard from the day nursery across the passage. Catherine, surveying all this woe from the doorway, wondered where, in her role of justice-cum-ministering angel, to begin”
The Parson’s Nine of the title are the nine children born to a saintly – slightly blinkered – vicar David Churston and his practical wife Catherine. Born rapidly one after another the children are named after the nine books of the Apocrypha, (no idea what that is, something biblical I presume). Catherine is a loving, sensible mother, often exhausted by her enormous brood, and her husband’s religious zeal – he assumes that everyone around him must feel exactly as he does. David, the younger son of a baronet, is a kind of gentle religious bully, he simply cannot conceive of anyone thinking differently to him, he assumes the children love Sundays – when they dread the boredom of them, but allow their father his smiling delusion. With the eldest Esdras spouting reams of biblical quotations on every occasion from a very tender age, David’s example seems to have certainly hit home in him at least. However girls; clever Judith and the domesticated Esther are more concerned they don’t turn into a ‘Parish Puss’ like the Misses Love, with their terrible clothes and red noses. Twins Susanna and the peculiarly sensitive Baruch are virtually inseparable, their bond specially close, they fantasise about ‘our land’ telling one another stories of it. The second eldest Tobit is a determined little gardener; Sirach is the one who makes a special friend of the family dog Samson. The youngest two children Manasses and Maccabeus seem so much the babies of the family they have a lot of catching up to do.
When Catherine receives an unexpected inheritance from an aunt, she decides it is time to send the eldest two boys away to school, and engage a governess for her younger children. With the marvellous Miss Crosby duly installed Catherine decides to take herself off for a much needed holiday in the South of France, much to her husband’s confused hurt, a practise she continues for several years. Miss Crosby is a staunch supporter of Suffragette women and teaches her girls about great women whenever she can, her ambition for her female pupils is enormous, and she is crushed with disappointment that Catherine can’t share her ambitions, nor understand her support of the suffrage movement.
Noel Streatfeild does offer up a few surprises in this novel, it is certainly not all crumpets by the vicarage fire. The Great War intrudes too soon, and Esdras and Tobit are soon off to the trenches of France. The war goes on just too long, and soon Sirach too is old enough to fight, while Judith marries young despite her brains, and Esther finds her skills put to good use in a hospital. Susanna meanwhile cannot bear the idea of her delicate twin going to the war, and just wants the war to end before he should be old enough.
“From that moment panic seized her. During the day hours she held it in check by cramming her time with any and every occupation which kept her mind subdued, but her nights were unbearable; often she only kept herself from screaming by biting the sheet, and always by day or night he heart beat to the same phrase:
“why can’t I go instead of him? Why can’t I go instead of him?”
The idyll of the Churston’s childhood is swept away by the tragedy and loss of war, young men from the village are among the killed and missing, and the Chutston’s are not unaffected, they suffer losses. Losses are not dwelt upon, indicative; perhaps of the times and the attitude of wartime, they pick themselves up and get on with life. The world is changing and Catherine’s family changes with it.
After the war, one of the young Churston’s particularly struggles to cope with what life has thrown at them. Bitter and hurting, their grief is buried so deeply, that is comes out in some almost self-destructive behaviour, and Catherine must enlist the help of a close friend in order to help her child. This section of the novel is naturally darker, exploring the pain of war and its aftermath.
I thoroughly enjoyed this unashamedly piece of 1930’s middlebrow literature, there is a lightness of touch, but it is in no way frivolous or frothy, Parson’s Nine is charming and very engaging, I loved these characters, and spending time with them this week was a real joy. show less
Who doesn't love Noel Streatfeild's "Shoes" books? Whether you read the British version (White Boots) or the American (Skating Shoes), either is just as cute. Ten year old Harriet is a frail child, recovering from a long illness that has left her legs "cotton-woolish" and weak. Her doctor prescribes exercise to rebuild her muscles. He knows just the sport, ice skating. There at the rink Harriet meets a girl her age, skating sensation Lalla. Lalla's father was a world famous skater as well show more but died in an accident. His sister is tyranically determined to make her niece the next star on ice. Seeing that Harriet is a good influence on Lalla's training, Harriet soon starts taking ice skating, dance and fencing lessons to keep Lalla engaged. I think you can see where this is going.
This is a story of opposites attract. Lalla is beautiful and wealthy. Harriet is plain and poor. Lalla's skating prowess prompts her to be shallow and selfish. Harriet's lack of privilege leaves her hungry for friendship. Harriet has a loud, loving, and large family while Lalla only has her nanny, her prim and proper aunt, and a home-schooling governess.
This is also a story of acceptance. Just because you have a world class athlete for a father doesn't mean you have inherited the genes. All Lalla's life she has been pushed into believing she had to be the skater her father was. She had been given every advantage to fulfill that expectation except she lacked one thing. Talent. Along comes a nobody of a girl. No fancy clothes. No world class father. No money to buy premier lessons. But Harriet did have one thing. Ability.
As an aside, times have changed. In today's world it is incredibly rare for a sibling to start a paper route just to support his sister's recovery. What kid does that? Alec is a smart brother. He knows exactly how much he will earn from delivering papers and he also knows how much the skate rental will cost. His business sense drives him to save the two extra shillings to put towards his father's failing business. Again, what kid does that? I enjoyed the side story of the garden very much. show less
This is a story of opposites attract. Lalla is beautiful and wealthy. Harriet is plain and poor. Lalla's skating prowess prompts her to be shallow and selfish. Harriet's lack of privilege leaves her hungry for friendship. Harriet has a loud, loving, and large family while Lalla only has her nanny, her prim and proper aunt, and a home-schooling governess.
This is also a story of acceptance. Just because you have a world class athlete for a father doesn't mean you have inherited the genes. All Lalla's life she has been pushed into believing she had to be the skater her father was. She had been given every advantage to fulfill that expectation except she lacked one thing. Talent. Along comes a nobody of a girl. No fancy clothes. No world class father. No money to buy premier lessons. But Harriet did have one thing. Ability.
As an aside, times have changed. In today's world it is incredibly rare for a sibling to start a paper route just to support his sister's recovery. What kid does that? Alec is a smart brother. He knows exactly how much he will earn from delivering papers and he also knows how much the skate rental will cost. His business sense drives him to save the two extra shillings to put towards his father's failing business. Again, what kid does that? I enjoyed the side story of the garden very much. show less
Originally published in 1936, this first "Shoes" book by acclaimed British children's author Noel Streafeild - the "Shoes" books are less of a series than a collection of wonderful children's novels, some related, some not, many of which were not "shoes" books at all, in their original British forms (Theater Shoes was originally Curtain Up, Dancing Shoes was Wintle's Wonders, Skating Shoes was White Boots, and so on) - is one that I have long been wanting to read. Thankfully, a book-cub to show more which I belong chose it for their June book-club selection, giving me that long-needed impetus!
The story of three young orphans - Pauline, Petrova and Posy Fossil - who are ostensibly adopted by Gum (Great Uncle Matthew), but are really raised by Garnie (Great Uncle Matthew's niece, Sylvia) and their nurse, Nana, Ballet Shoes has been described as one of the earliest "career novels" for children, as it follows its young heroines as they seek to make a living in the arts. Pauline, the eldest, begins working as an actress at age twelve (special license required), and Petrova soon follows. Posy, a dancing prodigy and the youngest, studies with Madame Fidolia, the headmistress of The Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training, where all three are pupils. As each of the three struggles to find her calling - Pauline is a talented actress, Petrova quietly longs to escape from the arts, and become a mechanic and aviatrix, and Posy is a born dancer - they also seek to help Garnie with the household finances, and to live up to the secret vow that they regularly renew, to get the Fossil name into history.
I really enjoyed Ballet Shoes, which impressed me with its ability to depict the lure of a career on the stage and in the arts, without succumbing to that lure itself. Most of the acting and ballet stories that I have read for young people are so in love with the world of the stage, and of ballet, that they lack (how to put it...?) perspective. Ballet (or acting) is the best and only thing - it is everything. Here, we see that other callings - such as engineering - are just as fulfilling and important. More! We see an acknowledgment that acting and ballet, in the larger scheme of things, are perhaps not that important. Or, put another way, that they are not the most important thing, historically speaking. I found that very refreshing, and was particularly struck by the fact that Petrova's calling is so mechanical, as this was an era in which girls were not encouraged in that direction.
All in all, a most entertaining tale, one that won me over with its engaging true-to-life characters (Posy was such a brat, but without being a monster), its satisfying blend of "making it big" and "keeping one's feet on the ground" (the girls are successful, but still have to worry about money) and its progressive view of the opportunities open (or that should be open) to girls. Somehow, despite my interest in it, Ballet Shoes had always seemed like one of those intensely "girly" books to me: you know, the pastel ones. But although it is very much a book with girl appeal, it is really an orphan tale, a career novel and a family story, all wrapped in one. I'm glad that I have finally read it! show less
The story of three young orphans - Pauline, Petrova and Posy Fossil - who are ostensibly adopted by Gum (Great Uncle Matthew), but are really raised by Garnie (Great Uncle Matthew's niece, Sylvia) and their nurse, Nana, Ballet Shoes has been described as one of the earliest "career novels" for children, as it follows its young heroines as they seek to make a living in the arts. Pauline, the eldest, begins working as an actress at age twelve (special license required), and Petrova soon follows. Posy, a dancing prodigy and the youngest, studies with Madame Fidolia, the headmistress of The Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training, where all three are pupils. As each of the three struggles to find her calling - Pauline is a talented actress, Petrova quietly longs to escape from the arts, and become a mechanic and aviatrix, and Posy is a born dancer - they also seek to help Garnie with the household finances, and to live up to the secret vow that they regularly renew, to get the Fossil name into history.
I really enjoyed Ballet Shoes, which impressed me with its ability to depict the lure of a career on the stage and in the arts, without succumbing to that lure itself. Most of the acting and ballet stories that I have read for young people are so in love with the world of the stage, and of ballet, that they lack (how to put it...?) perspective. Ballet (or acting) is the best and only thing - it is everything. Here, we see that other callings - such as engineering - are just as fulfilling and important. More! We see an acknowledgment that acting and ballet, in the larger scheme of things, are perhaps not that important. Or, put another way, that they are not the most important thing, historically speaking. I found that very refreshing, and was particularly struck by the fact that Petrova's calling is so mechanical, as this was an era in which girls were not encouraged in that direction.
All in all, a most entertaining tale, one that won me over with its engaging true-to-life characters (Posy was such a brat, but without being a monster), its satisfying blend of "making it big" and "keeping one's feet on the ground" (the girls are successful, but still have to worry about money) and its progressive view of the opportunities open (or that should be open) to girls. Somehow, despite my interest in it, Ballet Shoes had always seemed like one of those intensely "girly" books to me: you know, the pastel ones. But although it is very much a book with girl appeal, it is really an orphan tale, a career novel and a family story, all wrapped in one. I'm glad that I have finally read it! show less
First published in 1945 and although the main characters of this novel are all children this is an adult novel rather than a children’s novel and quite different to the children’s stories by Streatfield that I’ve read (Ballet Shoes and White Boots).
The novel follows the four children of the Wiltshire family, a comfortably middle-class family, from the eve of WWII breaking out through to 1944. At first the four children (Laurel, Tony, Kim and Tuesday) are shown to be reasonably content show more and secure in their parents’ affections on a family holiday to the sea-side. But gradually we become aware through the conversations of the adults that change is coming; the family will be moving out of London to stay with their grandparents in the countryside as bombing is anticipated in London and the eldest children will be sent to boarding school as the grandparents can’t really manage all four children plus the additional evacuees they’ve been asked to take on. And as the war progresses there are further disruptions and tragedies for the children (and adults) to cope with.
Streatfeild certainly had a gift for writing from a child’s perspective and especially in describing how a child’s inner thoughts and feelings can be overlooked or misunderstood by even well-meaning and loving adults. She also had a gift for appreciating the psychological impact of the disruption and disturbance of war on otherwise comfortably off children in a way I wouldn’t have thought was so well understood at the time this novel was written. In that sense this is not a happy novel - none of the children are unaffected by what they’ve experienced - but it doesn’t end entirely without hope for them to process these experiences and recover from them. The book almost seems to be written as a plea for other grown-ups to acknowledge the psychological effects of the war on British children - yes, they won't have faced food shortages or the effects of war in the same way children in occupied Europe will have, but the effects of what they have suffered are still very real and need to be ackowledged.
Strongly recommended and definitely deserving of being republished. show less
The novel follows the four children of the Wiltshire family, a comfortably middle-class family, from the eve of WWII breaking out through to 1944. At first the four children (Laurel, Tony, Kim and Tuesday) are shown to be reasonably content show more and secure in their parents’ affections on a family holiday to the sea-side. But gradually we become aware through the conversations of the adults that change is coming; the family will be moving out of London to stay with their grandparents in the countryside as bombing is anticipated in London and the eldest children will be sent to boarding school as the grandparents can’t really manage all four children plus the additional evacuees they’ve been asked to take on. And as the war progresses there are further disruptions and tragedies for the children (and adults) to cope with.
Streatfeild certainly had a gift for writing from a child’s perspective and especially in describing how a child’s inner thoughts and feelings can be overlooked or misunderstood by even well-meaning and loving adults. She also had a gift for appreciating the psychological impact of the disruption and disturbance of war on otherwise comfortably off children in a way I wouldn’t have thought was so well understood at the time this novel was written. In that sense this is not a happy novel - none of the children are unaffected by what they’ve experienced - but it doesn’t end entirely without hope for them to process these experiences and recover from them. The book almost seems to be written as a plea for other grown-ups to acknowledge the psychological effects of the war on British children - yes, they won't have faced food shortages or the effects of war in the same way children in occupied Europe will have, but the effects of what they have suffered are still very real and need to be ackowledged.
Strongly recommended and definitely deserving of being republished. show less
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