Return to Gone-Away

Perfect for 7-8 yo + who have an interest or who might become interested because of the out-doors setting and the ages of the characters!all the grands have enjoyed this!

This book was already older when I first read it as a child in the 70's.So nice to read more about the characters in the first book. The one thing I always found hard to believe though is that Portia would be happy to live year round in a swamp in NY. The summer season is very short and the winter stuck in the middle of nowhere with just a pair of elderly neighbors seems bleak. She most likely would have a long cold wait for the school bus every morning. And her friends would not likely be able to walk there to visit.

Loved the characters, all so lovely.All children should read this. Will excite their imaginations.Live these books as a child and now as an adult.

Return to Gone-Away is a beloved favorite from my childhood. My question is : Why is the first book in the series not offered as an ebook? The whole Melendy family series is offered (4 books), but not the whole Gone-Away series. It doesn't make sense. All of Elizabeth Enright's books are delightful for the young and young at heart.

I love this story. This duology is one that sticks with you. It is like getting to step back in time, both to the 1950-1960s as well as the 1890s. The characters are excellent. Portia and Julian and Foster and Aunt Minnehaha and Uncle Pin... It's a Lovely book to read in the summer, because it describes the summer so well. Reread and oh so worth it.

Elizabeth Enright was a children's author who never wrote down for her audience. The children who are the subjects of her stories are bright, articulate, and extremely well read. While Return to Gone Away and its predecessor Gone Away Lake are less well known than her excellent Melendy Quartet, they are nevertheless just as worthwhile.About a year after the events of Gone Away Lake, Portia and her brother Foster, with their parents in tow, returned to Gone Away Lake. This time they are there to stay, their parents having bought one of the old run down houses in the abandoned summer colony at the dried up lake. Much of the story revolves around the discoveries the family makes as they rehabilitate the old house. Portia's cousin Julian also plays a role here, as do Aunt Min and Uncle Pin, the eccentric full time residents of Gone Away. As always with an Enright book, the vocabulary is rich and complex and there are many references to other books and other times. But these are strengths, not weaknesses. Parents and teachers should not hesitate to hand Enright's books to their children, for doing so will introduce them to a beautiful world of language and metaphor.

These two books – Gone-Away Lake and Return to Gone-Away – transported me as a child, and I recently sought them out for my great-niece. Rereading them transported me again, except that this time, knowing so much more about everything, I enjoyed them even more. Children really were much more independent in the '50s, and became more resourceful as a result. Today's parents and children will benefit from stories such as this, featuring children (and their parents) who are at ease with children's natural explorations of their surroundings and experiments with building, repairing, outfitting, and generally DOING as opposed to passively watching others do things on screens big and small. These children's parents have included them in the everyday chores of a household: cleaning, decorating, repairing things, making things out of other things. They have taught their children basic skills, so that the children are able to do for themselves when given the opportunity. These are delightful stories of good children interacting in good ways with good adults and with nature. Highly recommend!!

Return To Gone-Away is a continuation of Gone-Away Lake and picks up 6 months after the first book ends. I have always enjoyed Elizabeth Enright's writing. Though her books are written for young people they still have an adult appeal. She paints word pictures that stir the imagination. I always wanted to find Gone-Away Lake myself, and I was glad that she had written a second book about it. The illustrations in this book are wonderfully detailed and bring to life characters like Uncle Pindar and Aunt Minnehaha. As with Gone-Away Lake, I read this book as a kid and still enjoy rereading it as an adult. I know this book is dated - no computers, no cells phones, no social media. But I still think many kids would love to experience the adventures Portia and Julian have in this book.

Read Gona away lake as a child and have rediscovered it. Still as good a read as an adult.

Much loved childhood book unusual theme with companion volume

great children's book -- captures the imagination

Love it

La renovación y limpieza de una vieja casa está llena de descubrimientos y sorpresas que no hacen sino añadir encanto a la mansión y a la historia. Una novela de lectura relajante, entretenida y muy placentera.