Customer Reviews

Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have an early galley of 'Cornelia' and have already re-read it three times. It is a completely magical book, and reminds me of the sort of classic books I read when I was young ('Harriet the Spy", "Eloise," "Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler," "21 Balloons"). In the day or so it took me to read the book, I felt as though I, like Cornelia and Virginia, had traveled to Paris, London, Morocco and India - and had acquired a whole host of fascinating new people in my life. I didn't want it to end, and actually missed the characters when I wasn't reading the book! And Virginia Somerset is most certainly the sort of mentor EVERY girl (and woman) wishes she'd had, not unlike Mary Poppins and her ilk.

This is a rare sort of work in a market saturated with fantasy genres and "Gossip Girls" values. I'd recommend it to any parent, teacher, library or school who wanted their children to develop a strong appreciation of friendship, language, music, history and world adventures.

Eleven year old Cornelia Street considers herself a wordsmith. She'd rather curl up with a good book than socialize with her classmates. At the end of the schoolday, she heads home to her apartment building in Greenwich Village, where members of the household staff await her - but where her mother rarely stays.

Cornelia's parents are both world-famous pianists. Most people would envy that fame and that talent, but not Cornelia. She has no desire to play piano herself and wishes that her jet-setting mother were home more often. Her father is not in the picture; Cornelia has never known him. Though she has every (material) thing she could need, Cornelia is lonely.

That is, until new neighbors move in across the hall. Who would have thought that an elderly woman would become a little girl's best friend? The dazzling Virginia Somerset shares Cornelia's love for stories and big words. The self-proclaimed Scheherazade tells Cornelia amazing tales that star Virginia and her three sisters as they travel all over the world, meeting famous artists and leaders.

Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters by Lesley M.M. Blume is absolutely adorable. What a delightful book! I loved the story-within-a-story format and the descriptive writing. I could almost see Virginia's eyes sparkle as she related her adventures to Cornelia. If it had been released fifteen years ago and I had found it at my local library, it would have become one of the titles checked it out and read repeatedly. Highly recommended.

I am an independent bookseller in the Midwest. I was told that 'Cornelia' was similar in sensibility to 'The Penderwicks,' and was intrigued. But when I actually read 'Cornelia', I fell in love with the book. I see a lot of books in this genre - but this one was in a class of its own. When I read the very first chapter, I wanted to adopt Cornelia and bring her home!

I would love to see this book receive the Newbery, or at the very least, become a Newbery Honor Book. It deals with so many important issues - from family relationships, language, loneliness -- but manages to do so in such a wonderful way!! I know that a book about a lonely girl sounds like it might be a downer, but it absolutely was not. The escapades of the Somerset sisters all around the world were hilarious and uplifting -- and they connect young readers to different cultures at a time when international understanding and outreach is at an all-time low. Also, I love it when authors use real life characters in their fiction: like Pablo Picasso's appearance in the book, as well as the Queen of England.

I would recommend this book to everyone from parents looking for an intelligent beach-read for their kids, to educators who wish to teach their students about the importance of words, travel, and geography.

The only thing that I wished had been differently is that I wanted to know more about the relationship between Cornelia's parents, who are two world-famous concert pianists. But I guess that theirs, as they say, is another story.

The librarian at my school put this book on hold because she always knows what books I will love. When she handed this to me, I looked at the title and smiled. I knew it'd be great. So, before she even told me what it was about, I had it checked out. The title was all I needed. I read this in less than a week and fell in love after the first chapter. Cornelia is such a wonderful character and Virginia Somerset was fascinating. I wish I could have a friend like her! After every story told by Virginia, I wanted to travel to which ever country she was talking about. This story should be read by everyone. It is amazing how you can easily relate to it. I can't wait for future books by Lesely M. M. Blume, she's a wonderful author who has a bright future. I may be only 14 years old but I reccomend this book to anyone, even adults. This would definately make a great Christmas gift that I'd personally love to receive.

Eleven-year-old Cornelia rarely gets to see her mother, a famous pianist who travels almost constantly and gives concerts all around the world. Cornelia would love to be able to accompany her mom on some of these exciting trips, but instead she must stay at their apartment in New York with their well-meaning but nosey housekeeper.

Cornelia's father is a famous pianist as well, but she has never met him. People always ask when she's going to start playing the piano, considering she has two talented musicians fueling her genes, but Cornelia has absolutely no interest in that. She's already plagued with the overshadowing of her mother's fame, as people only seem interested in Cornelia in order to get introduced to her mom. More than once she's been invited over to a schoolmate's home to play just so the parent can ask for favors, like having her mother perform at a charity event.

And Cornelia doesn't get invited over by friends at all, because she doesn't have any. A bit shy and very lonely, she spends her time delving into books, her favorite of which are thesauruses. Cornelia absolutely loves words, especially big ones of which no one knows the meaning. She uses these big words as a defense. Whenever someone corners her into an uncomfortable or annoying situation, like having to face the housekeeper's unending questions, she spouts off a few sentences filled with multi-syllable words and people tend to back away to an exit really quickly. Cornelia accepts her lonely way of life and thinks things will never change.

But then a new neighbor moves in next door. Virginia is a 75-year-old writer with an Indian assistant named Patel and a French bulldog named Mister Kinyatta. Immediately, Cornelia is captivated by them and inadvertently gets acquainted when she helps catch the mischievous runaway dog. She visits often because Virginia shares incredible tales of the adventures Virginia and her sisters had while traveling around the world to places like France, England and India. Cornelia also likes to visit because she finally has found some dear friends.

Lesley M. M. Blume has woven a touching and humorous story within a story. Her unique approach, combined with her diverse and colorful characters, the variety of informative settings and the witty adventures within different cultures around the world, make this book a memorable and joyful experience.

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author of FINDING MY LIGHT and THE BLACK POND.

I originally bought this book for my 10 year old grandaughter, but decided to read it myself first. It was a fun history lesson back to the past with a very smart, young girl named Cornelia. She meets an older women, who tells her of the escapades of her youth, with her 3 sisters. The Somerset sisters travelled all around the world in their teens, so it was back in the 1950s and early 60s. You can really feel the flavor of all those countries, because the author writes about the music, food, fashion and historic places in each. The best part is that Cornelia loves to use complex words that are not heard in everyday English, so the child will learn some pretty amazing words, as they delve into this adventure. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and so will my grandaughter.

"Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters" I think is the best book I've ever read. Mostly it's because of the two main characters' love of books and words. When Cornelia meets her new neighbor, an elderly lady, she realizes that there is more to this world than just people in every day life. Cornelia's neighbor, Virginia, tells Cornelia about her many travels around the world that she had with her sisters. They had many adventures together in many interesting places. Over time, Cornelia is brought out of her shell. She had enclosed herself in her own world of words, without exploring the real world around her. She makes friends and enjoys her life more than she used to. She and her mother become closer.
Through Virginia, Cornelia has had adventures of her own. She discovers new things and becomes a completely different person.
The end left me teary eyed. This will definitely be a book I will read over and over again. I highly reccomend this book.

It was so nice to read a book that celebrates strong female heroines -- if only more books today shared the central values of CORNELIA: those of independence, love of words and books, creativity, real friendship, and intellectual curiosity. It was endearing and charming but not in any way cutesy. Also, other reviews have pointed out how raucous the adventures of the Somerset sisters are -- but the end was actually incredibly moving and sad. But still uplifting.

I think it's the best book of its ilk since 'Little Women.'

Cornelia and the audacious escapades of the somerset sisters is a great book! it has humor, long unusual words, and fun adventures in it. Blume is a true author! how do i know this is true? 1, i've read the book, and it is good, two, i'm also an author, well, none of my books have been published yet, but i know how it feels to write something with your heart, and for others to think that it's a great book.
Cornelia...is a book about Cornelia S. Englehart, whos mother is the famous pianist: Lucille Englehart. when Virginia, Patel, and their black French bull dog, mister Kinyatta, move into the apartment next to Cornelia's, Virginia (who is an elderly lady) and Cornelia (an 11 year old) bond together and make a strong friendship, Virginia tells her new friend about the adventures she and her three older sisters had when they were younger.
The Somerset sister, Virginia, Gladys, Beatrice and Alexandra, travel to Morocco, Paris, England and India, expeiriancing amazing things, and getting into lots of trouble too! And all along, Virginia and Patel are working on this thing: Virginia on a book, and Patel on some paintings. Mister Kinyatta is of course-slumbering.
And when Virginia dies, she leaves mister Kinyatta to Cornelia and Patel returns to India. Patel also gives Cornelia the book with the paintings. and the book was called: Cornelia and the audacious escapades of the Somerset sisters.
THis is a stunningly amazing five star book, that i recomend to everyone! Even my mom likes it!

Cornelia is a girl who didn't really appreciate her life. Her mother was a famous pianist and she had no father. Her mother would travel a lot and Cornelia was stuck with her caregiver, who in Cornelia's opinion, was obnoxious. Until Cornelia met Virginia Somerset and learned about the adventures of the Somerset Sisters. This book is perfect for people who enjoy adventure and comedy. It is a great book to cuddle up with after a long day. The book contains a very important lesson for all of us to learn: sometimes meeting other people can change the way you look at life for the better. This story is about a girl who changes her ways, and grows and becomes more awesome herself!! A must buy!