Linnet (Sally Watson Family Series)

This is the first Sally Watson book I read, I think--I have read all her books published during the 1960s and 1970s. (I have also read some of her later self-published books, and they are almost uniformly a terrible disappointment after her fantastic early work.) Linnet is remarkable for the relationship between Linnet and Colley, the "upright man" of the London underworld who woos, drugs, and abducts her. Colley is an amazing creation--a controlling, seductive manipulator who the strong-minded Linnet manages to foil through sheer pigheadedness. The setting--a pickpocketing school in Elizabethan London, set against aristocrats concocting Papist plots targeting the Queen herself--is rich and detailed, deliciously romanticized. There is a smoldering quality to Watson's work, a vein of almost Brontean not-quite-suppressed sexuality, which shocks me a little as an adult--it shocks me that it is still as powerful now as it was when I first read her books in sixth grade. To me, Linnet is the book that embodies that quality most overtly, which may be why it's always been my favorite. And yet --- good clean fun for all that!

I first read this book when I was in my teens. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down till I found out what became of Linnet. It taught me a few Shakespearean words & phrases as well. It isn't dull like a lot of historical novels. Since my first time reading it, I've loved it!

This was one of my favorite books when I was a girl. Sally Watson has a flair for creating characters young people can identify with and young girls particularly can like. In _Linnet_, Watson creates a well-born Elizabethan girl who gets herself into trouble (and discovers a plot against the queen!) by being independent and spunky. Of course, independence, spunk, and intelligence are also what help save her. A wonderful look at the social classes of the times, a little of the political games, and lots and lots of fun! A great book for girls aged 9-12. Ranks up there with _Mara, Daughter of the Nile_ and _Forgotten Daughter_.

I began reading Sally Watson when I was in 7th grade (30 years ago), and I still love her books. Her heroines are always spunky, adventurous, smart, courageous and very non-conformist. Linnet is the kind of girl you like, while at the same time she drives you crazy with her naivete, foolhardiness and loyalty. I love that she thinks she knows it all at the beginning, and comes to realize how little she knows about life by the end.Sally Watson is my favorite writer for pre-teen girls. At an age where so many literary heroines are thinking of boys, fashion and sex, her heroines are thinking of how to break the mold, get back to their families, have an adventure, start a revolution! They definitely made me feel I wasn't so odd after all.Linnet gets only 4 stars because there are so many other Sally Watson books I really feel are so much better: Lark, The Hornet's Nest, Jade, Other Sandals. Lark is my sentimental favorite, because it is the first Watson book I read. Jade is really a hoot: a feminist in the early 18th century who runs away to become a pirate -- I love her!Get any or all of these books, and give them as a gift to the 12 year old girl in your life. They will give her something to think about and present her with heroines who will help her see that girls can do anything! Even 300 years ago...

I love this book. I still read it once a year. History is woven through the story like a ribbon and the characters come alive under the author's skillful pen. She captures beautifully a girl who is struggling against the restraints of her family and she gets more than she bargans for when she meets the neferious yet affible highwayman. Linnets learns about society and the inner strengh she didn't know she posesed. Great read. Recommend it for any jr. high school girl longing for an escape on a rainy afternoon.