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My mother read this to my brother, my sister, and me as we were growing up. I always remember with great vividness the keyhole shaped window (which both my sister and I are going to put in our own houses someday), the gruesome and grotesque Jack-in-the-Box, and a stuffed peacock. This book, which not only has themes suitable for children and adults, has stirred my imagination for years. And I am often haunted by the dreams that help solve the riddles of the two children, Ned and Nora, especially the dream where they must choose their way through a maze of mirrors, in which the children choose how they themselves will be as they grow older and the consequences of their choices. This book is still a favorite!
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I started to read this book in third grade and was prevented from finishing by the school librarian. Having finally found it again in my thirties, it is even better than I remembered. I love the riddles solved in dreams and the references to Transcendentalism that I would not have understood as a child. I especially liked Eddy's palindromes, a really believable character quirk. (For another great palindromist character, read The Poisonwood Bible.) Still captures my imagination, exploring a rambling Victorian house to find hidden treasures.
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I don't understand why this book seems so universally beloved--I could barely bring myself to finish it! Although the general storyline was compelling, the format was so predictable (search for poem item in real life, find poem item in dream, move on to the next stanza...) and the Transcendentalist and Concord references so ubiquitious, gratuitous, and downright dull, that only sheer stubborness motivated me to finish the book. Furthermore, the characters were entirely one-dimensional and their dialogue gratingly unnatural. I grew to despise not only Eleanor, Edward, and Freddy, but Thoreau, Emerson, Alcott, and even Jane Langton herself. I don't think the author has a real grasp of who her audience is. I know she certainly isn't writing for me!
(For a book that scratches the itch that this book fails to, read The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston--a book that comes as close to perfection as any I've ever read.)
Rating:  -
Much of Jane Langton's classic Hall Family Chronicles is based on her obvious love for Concord, Massachusetts and its rich literary heritage and historical importance; in particular Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thereau and Louisa May Alcott, all of whom appear in "The Diamond in the Window" in one way or another. Langton was seemingly so greatly inspired by them, it may be a good idea if children reading this book are given a short introduction to exactly who these people are beforehand, to save them being rather puzzled as to who the philosopher, the naturalist and the author actually are.
Edward and Eleanor Hall live in a strange old house with their aunt Lily and their somewhat crazy uncle Freddy, all of whom are put under threat by the grumpy Mr Preek the bank manager, who promises to evict them should Lily not be able to pay her proper dues in time. Meanwhile, the children discover a secret room with a key-hole window at the very top of the house that seems to be just waiting for two children. As it turns out, the room once belonged to children their ages - Nora and Ned, who disappeared into thin air many years ago. Along with the children was Prince Krishna of India, who had stayed with the family and was very great friends with the children and the fiancee of aunt Lily. After Ned and Nora disappeared however, it was only a matter of days before he too was gone.
Beguiled by this strange adventure, Edward and Eleanor decide to investigate further, especially into the part of the story that told of Krishna lavishing expensive gifts upon the children - if they can find the treasure, they can save their home! Following the clues of the poem Krishna etched on the key-hole window for the amusement of Ned and Nora, the two present children find themselves drawn deeper and deeper into the game that the Eastern Prince devised so long ago. With each dream they experience in the attic room they are delighted by magical adventures and lessons to be learnt about the true nature of "treasure", though there is a hint of danger: nightmarish components creep into the game till they fear that their very lives are in danger - and they seem no closer to finding the elusive Ned and Nora.
"The Diamond in the Window" is a rather difficult book to class - part fantasy, part history and part domestic life, it combines all three in an unusual mix that is mostly made up of the children experiencing a strange dream, and waking up with further insights into their self-growth. A word of caution: some of these adventures can get a bit extreme - the children face drowning, a homocidal jack-in-the-box and at one stage Edward gets badly physically hurt. These events are nothing that most kids can't handle, but the seriousness with which they are treated with was a little unexpected for a children's book.
The dream sequences are brought to life very imaginatively, from experiences as mice, to exploring a conch shell, to floating about in giant bubbles and the mounting tension as the children get closer and closer to their goal is well drawn out. The villain of the piece isn't that interesting, as he isn't even identified until *after* he's defeated, but the mystery surrounding Prince Krishna compensates for this.
The patriotic nature of Langton's book mean Americans will get the most out of reading it (not that that's a bad thing), though in terms of gender equality, it is beginning to date a little. For instance, when the children find themselves in a hall of mirrors reflecting their possible future selves, Edward sees himself as a scientist, a mathematician, a professor, a lawyer, an explorer and the President. Eleanor however gets the choice of artist, mother, teacher or "lady-doctor". Oh dear!
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My daughter's rapidly developing reading skills prompted me to recall the books I loved best when I was a child. Although I could only remember one title, I was thrilled to find the all of the titles I had read here on Amazon.com.
I purchased The Diamond in the Window, The Swing in the Summerhouse, and The Amazing Stereoscope. I began reading the Diamond in the Window with my daughter, and all the magic, mystery, warmth, and wisdom of the books came flooding back! We will definitely want the rest of the Hall Family Chronicles.
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