Although the events in the novel deal with adult themes — love, sex, jealousy, honesty — the author presents them through the eyes of a child.

Cecil is not always mature enough to really understand what is going on. By looking over her shoulder, the reader draws conclusions and notices details which Cecil misses. This gives the novel an added dimension. The children are overlooked or disregarded by everyone, and therefore are in an excellent position to see things no one else does. With them, Eliot can allow his softer side to dominate — he has no use for them and therefore he does not use them.

Godden is a master of subtle symbolism. The five children come to Les Oilettes at the time the greengage plums are ripening. There is a sensual excess which they have never known, and which mirrors their other experiences. If you eat...