From Tots to Teens, StarMag
JUNIPER, Wise Child and Colman. To look at the covers of the Random House editions of Monica Furlong's books is to love them immediately and deeply. They are the work of Leo and Dianne Dillon, the husband-and-wife team also responsible for the covers of the Eos editions of Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy, as well as many other popular and critically-acclaimed books including the Caldecott Medal winners Why Mosquitoes Buzz In People's Ears (1976) and Ashanti To Zulu: African Traditions (1977).
When I read Nix's and Furlong's books it was easy to accept the Dillons' depiction of the books' main characters. It's evident that these illustrators pay close attention to the authors' descriptions of the characters' physical features, as well as their clothes. What's interesting is although the style doesn't change, and every character has a superficially similar look, each one is still distinct, as though the Dillons have managed to capture not just the outer shell of facial features, but also the inner spirit of each one. If only the the books were fully illustrated.
Anyway, I thought that I would highlight Furlong's series this week - because it's so wonderful and comforting, and not at all well-known. Furlong wrote and published them in this order: Wise Child, Juniper and Colman. Here's a little about the books in reading order:
JUNIPER
PRINCESS Ninnoc, the only child of Mark, king of Cornwall, is sent to live with her godmother, Euny, a wise woman, who will teach her herbal lore and magic. When Nibnnoc was a baby, Euny whispered the name Juniper into her ear. Juniper is Ninnoc's real name, the name she will grow into when she is fully-trained as a doran or healer and wise woman. But when Juniper returns to her father's palace she finds that Meroot, her evil aunt, is using black magic to take control of Cornwall. Will Juniper's newly-learnt skills be enough to defend her homeland and family?
WISE CHILD
IN a remote village in Scotland lives Wise Child, a young girl who has been abandoned by her parents. When her relatives can no longer afford to look after her, Juniper, the village healer, volunteers to take Wise Child under her wing. The girl is taught Latin and Mathematics and herbal lore. Because Juniper senses that Wise Child has special the gifts, she also introduces her to the magical arts. This is not the sort of wand-waving magic Harry Potter learns at Hogwarts, but involves long hours of study, and hard work. At first Wise Child resents having to do so much and when her mother, the black witch Maeve arrives on the scene, she is tempted to abandon Juniper.
COLMAN
WHEN small pox comes to Wise Child's village at the end of Wise Child, Juniper is blamed for it. She is arrested, tortured and sentenced to death, but is rescued by Finbar, Wise Child's father. With Wise Child and Colman (Wise Child's dearest cousin and friend), Juniper leaves Scotland and sails to Cornwall, her old home. There she finds that her parents are dead and her brother imprisoned and manipulated by the witch Meroot. Colman and Wise child take on jobs at Meroot's castle in order to spy on her, and plan the sabotage of her evil plans.
It was interesting to read about the author's religious activism against the Anglican church, which she believed should be more inclusive. Furlong campaigned for the ordination of women and for the fair treatment of homosexuals. When the church criticised her for writing about witches and magic, she said, in a letter quoted in the introduction to Colman, "I think a great deal of witches, because I care a lot about harmony in nature, respecting the environment, and women's proper power." She went on to say that she was a practising Christian and felt "unhappy about the Christian treatment of witches", which she believed to have been "a particularly virulent form of misogyny."
Furlong's beliefs are obvious in her books Juniper, Wise Child and Colman, all of which celebrate wisdom, kindness and gentleness, and reflect a deep love and respect for nature. Despite the darkness and violence that threaten the lives of their protagonists, these are peaceful, satisfying stories, in whose centre shine Juniper's calmness, generosity and spirituality.
Monica Furlong died in 2003.
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