John’s Adventures - A Tale of Old England

A review by Raffaela Amato @bookish_views

Thomas Miller’s “John’s Adventures - A Tale of Old England”, written in 1897, follows young John’s adventures in a rural setting. He loses his way through woodlands, meets very suspicious people, and finds himself living in the wild, hoping to be reunited with his family. I couldn’t help feeling for the little boy and found myself wishing to see him back with his loved ones.

I couldn’t put this book down!

I raced through it as quickly as possible in the hope for a happy ending.

The description of the old English village was beautiful and left me yearning for a life in the country. The names of the roads and lanes, the quaint pub, little shops, cottages, the village school, the Rectory and the landscape around made me feel immersed in English rural life and I loved it. The countryside felt idyllic with brooks, water-hens, and even villagers working in distant fields, I loved every single detail.

I felt very protective over John and hoped throughout the story that fate would steer him the right way.

The writing is so fluent, easy to read and evocative of times gone by. The strong faith, friendship and enduring hardships showed how important trust and good relationships are. 

Will it all end well?

I won’t spoil it for you! And in the meantime, escape to England’s ancient woodland and beautiful countryside with this sweet, hopeful and charming quick read! I plan to devour it all over again this Spring!

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