Comments on: THE BLUEBELL CLUB: Or, Confession of a Literary Crime

By: felicity pulman

felicity pulman — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 05:50:31 +0000

Your wonderful essay brought back happy memories of my (very short-lived) time as queen of the woodpile (literally) in primary school. I’m not quite sure what I was queen of, I just remember that I used to sit at the top and boss everyone around. I just wish I’d been as inventive as you, Sophie, but I was the only one who liked writing stories and that was considered very weird in those days. You recapture beautifully those first tentative steps from being the centre of the universe to a somewhat apprehensive reappraisal of one’s real place in the world even if not in the family!

By: Danielle

Danielle — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:58:25 +0000

Unfortunately, I know all to well the dangers of being an over-eager kid who loves to read and write … a really great piece!

By: Sophie Masson

Sophie Masson — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 22:20:33 +0000

thank you all for your lovely words! And a big thank you to Camille–you were indeed of comfort to a big sister with her head full of the colour of words!

By: adele geras

adele geras — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:42:58 +0000

A really beautiful piece, Sophie! Gosh it did bring back memories, too…and I very much hope you’ve used this story in fiction somewhere. Too good to miss. I am, by an amazing coincidence, making a quatre-quarts cake this very afternoon…..SPOOKY!

By: Juliet

Juliet — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:13:26 +0000

A lovely piece of writing, Sophie! And what a great sister.

By: Camille Masson-Talansier

Camille Masson-Talansier — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:22:55 +0000

chere Sophie,

Heureusement que j’etais d’un certain reconfort a ma grande soeurette a la tete pleine des couleurs des mots !

By: Therese Walsh

Therese Walsh — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:33:22 +0000

This was a gorgeous feast of words. Mouth watering, even. Umm, cake.

Thank you, Sophie!

By: Kathleen Bolton

Kathleen Bolton — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:54:27 +0000

My mother was from a different culture, and I had the same anxieties that you did, Sophie, about mom not “getting it”. She’d serve rice with gandules and sofrito sauce, instead of leaving it plain white. Now I treasure those recipes, and find white rices so bland.

Lovely essay, Sophie!

By: Thea

Thea — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:12:16 +0000

Children have a way of cutting to the chase when one of them gets too big for their britches. I would have loved to be in your club, Sophie. And let us praise sisters like Camille, who know the naked truth but who love you enough not to go in for the kill. A wonderful essay, Sophie. Thank you.

By: Amy Nathan

Amy Nathan — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:00:20 +0000

I loved this…

Don’t know what else to say.