Griffin's Castle [Paperback]

Jenny Nimmo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1995

When Gomer Gwynne lets Dinah and her mother live in his empty house, Dinah thinks that it will be for ever. As Christmas approaches, she learns that Gomer intends to rob them of everything. Dinah soon notices the stone creatures on the castle wall and then strange things begin to happen.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7. This story of a troubled child is set in the real world of Wales, yet it incorporates strong elements of fantasy. Dinah, 11, is bright and self-sufficient but has a young, single, and somewhat immature mother. Ever since the child can remember, they have moved from one makeshift living arrangement to another, till Dinah's greatest desire is to have a stable home for the two of them. When the mother's new, wealthy boyfriend moves them into his huge dilapidated old mansion, Dinah determines to make her wish come true. That wish becomes desperate as the girl is left alone more and more by a Mum increasingly preoccupied with her boyfriend?a man who heartily dislikes Dinah. She finds a solution when she happens into a fantasy world in which the stone figures of wild animals, carved in bas-relief on an old castle wall, come alive at night. She summons them to patrol the garden of the old mansion and protect it from demolition. At first they serve her, but as her anxiety about her future mounts, they turn on her and bring her to the edge of disaster. Dinah is a strong, likable character, as are the two boys in her class who befriend her. However, several of the plot elements are muddled or unexplained, and the fairy-talelike ending is so contrived that it diminishes the story.?Virginia Golodetz, St. Michael's College, Winooski, VT
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

A neglected child's supernatural defenders turn against her in this brooding fantasy, set in modern Wales. Dinah's mother, Rosalie, has a new paramour: wealthy, ruthless Gomer Gwynne, who parks the two in a decrepit, overgrown mansion--just for a while, he says. Savvy beyond her 11 years, Dinah sees how much Gomer wants her out from underfoot, but a lifetime of being unwanted has toughened her, and the chance, however quixotic, of having a settled home prompts her to dig in her heels. She finds unexpected help on a visit to town; animated by her fierce wishes, some of the wild animals carved on a stone wall follow her home, to lurk menacingly in the shadows outside, harassing and attacking Gwynne at her command. When she tries to leave the house on Christmas Day, however, she suddenly finds them ranged against her. Nimmo (The Witches and the Singing Mice, 1993, etc.) tests her smart, strong-minded protagonist with a series of challenging situations, a powerful enemy, dangerous magical servants, and a trio of would-be allies: a battered old tomcat and two schoolmates able to see past her brusque exterior. The story has a dark, mysterious tone, but ends on a bright note... A well-told story with unusually strong characters. (Fiction. 10-12) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 183 pages
• Publisher: Mammoth (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0749726024
• ISBN-13: 978-0749726027
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,068,631 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Griffin's Castle by Jenny Nimmo, June 13, 2009

By 

Sandra K. Stiles (Sarasota, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Griffin's Castle (Hardcover)

Dinah is an eleven year old girl neglected by her mother and despised by her mother's new boyfriend. All she has ever wanted was a home to call her own. When her mother's new boyfriend moves them into his family's dilapidated mansion, Dinah fantasizes about the way she wants it to look, believing she can wish it into existence. She calls upon the stone figures of a nearby castle to come to life and come to her garden to protect it from being torn down. The book was well written and a pleasure to read. However, the abrupt, happily-ever-after ending was unexpected and disappointing. There was nothing leading the reader up to the way the book ended it was just suddenly thrust upon the reader to accept. I would most definately give this book a four out of five stars.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 'must' pick for any who enjoy fantasies and strong characterization., April 4, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Griffin's Castle (Hardcover)

Pre-teen Dinah is determined to make a run-down old mansion a home at last for her and her mother, when her loneliness leads her to wish the animal statues at a nearby Welsh castle would come to life and keep her company. When magic brings them to life she's delighted at first - but when they limit her freedom she comes to realize they are not a delight but a danger - a danger which could threaten her new life. GRIFFIN'S CASTLE is packed with delightful fantasy and a 'must' pick for any who enjoy fantasies and strong characterization.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Should have been better: Disappointing ending, June 1, 2009

By 

A Reader (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Griffin's Castle (Hardcover)

This is a very well written book with a strong female lead, beautiful imagery, and haunting magic. I was enthralled right up until the end but the weak ending changed it from potentially great to mediocre. Such a missed opportunity!

*** SPOILERS ALERT *** SPOILERS ALERT *** SPOILERS ALERT ***

It doesn't take long for you to start wondering why a wealthy man would put his fiance in a house that stinks of mildrew and dry rot, is falling-down dangerous, has faulty electricity, and has no heat in the winter. The author made Gomer relentlessly bad throughout the book. This was unnecessary but could be forgiven by the reader because it sets up the premise for being in this secretly magical house.

The magical creatures were mysterious and wonderful but no explanation is ever made for why they wanted to keep Dinah at the house, what their powers were for keeping her at the house, or why those powers failed. It made the book feel incomplete.

On Christmas Day, Dinah almost dies. If she had, the book would have finished with a powerful, hearbreaking event, reminiscent of Pan's Labyrinth. Failing that, there should have been about 50-100 more pages with her solving the mystery of the magical creatures and conquering them (with the help of the cat.) Instead, her great grandfather appears out of nowhere, the magical creatures stop whatever they are doing, and the story ends with a highly unbelievable "happily ever after."

Unless it was all a metaphor for Dinah dying after all and meeting her great grandfather in her imagination ... but I don't think so.