|
''Queenie'' is a British children's novel, by Jacqueline Wilson. It was first published in 2013. The story focuses on Elsie Kettle, a girl who lives with her Nan, until her nan catches pulmonary tuberculosis. Whilst Nan is admitted to a sanatorium, Elsie is left under the care of her estranged mother, but when Elsie is revealed to have bovine tuberculosis, she is put into a children's hospital, where she is forced to adjust to the harsh regime. Although initially teased by other children on the ward, she soon finds a close friend in Nurse Gabriel, and Queenie, the beautiful cat who lives there. ==Plot== In 1953, Elsie Kettle lives with her Nan, and is excited by the upcoming coronation of Princess Elizabeth which is due to take place in the summer. Near the time of the Coronation, Elsie begins to notice her nan frequently coughing and feeling visibly tired. After Nan has gone to work one morning, she waits, but Nan does not return for breakfast before she is due to go to school. Several hours later, a policeman informs her that Nan has been hospitalized after collapsing in the factory. Elsie is then cared for by her distant mother Sheila. Her mother shows little sympathy for Nan or Elsie, as caring for her this means she has been forced to abandon her job up north as a showgirl. Sheila later goes looking for a job, whilst Elsie plays truant from school, but meets Dr Malory during a walk, who advises her and Sheila to book an appointment to check for TB. She tries to tell her mother, who is set against the idea, but eventually agrees to go. When they take the jabs, Sheila is clear, but Elsie's arm comes up in a rash. All this time, Elsie has had a limp, which her mother has ignored, but she now puts two and two together and acknowledges that Elsie is ill. She attempts to treat Elsie by taking for an expensive lunch and buying her new pajamas, although she remains wary of catching her disease. The following day, she takes Elsie to Miltree Hospital. Elsie at first hates it due to the strict rules and regulations, especially when the other children tease her, and her possessions are taken away for fumigation. She frequently clashes with Nurse Patterson, but manages to befriend the majority of the children by her storytelling. Elsie adores Queenie, a beautiful white cat who lives on Blyton Ward, as well as a kind nurse, Nurse Gabriel. Her mother visits her on several occasions, and Elsie, longing for Sheila to pay her proper attention, spins a story about the new Thomas splint on her knee rubbing her skin. When her mother reports this to Sister Baker, the head of the children's wards in Miltree, Sister Baker then berates Nurse Patterson, who is often responsible for taking care of Elsie. Nurse Patterson then starts to be malicious towards Elsie, including by confiscating a hairbrush she uses, and her favorite pajama top. On one night when Elsie is isolated to the bathroom for cheeking Nurse Patterson, Nurse Gabriel comes to keep her company, and tells her that she, Nurse Patterson and the other staff are leaving. Elsie then grudgingly agrees to try and behave until she leaves. Nurse Patterson tries to make amends with her in the next few weeks, and returns her cat pajamas, but she is unpopular with many of the children, and is eventually transferred to a neonatal ward, with Elsie glad she is gone. Elsie is upset to discover she will not be home in time for the Coronation, but Sir David, who oversees the arrangements for the children's wards, allows a television set to be installed in the room, so that they can watch it. One morning she accidentally drops Albert Trunk underneath the bed, and Martin provokes her by saying that she will never see him again, leading to Elsie trying to reach under the bed herself to retrieve him, but slips. The nurses arrive in a panic, but Elsie has broken her other healthy leg, which is set in a cast - although the nurses warn her to be more sensible in future. Sheila has taken up a recent job as a PA to Mr Perkins of Perkins' Pens, and on a sudden visit she announces that she is moving with him to Canada, also and revealing that Nan has taken a turn for the worse. It is clear that he has become yet another 'uncle', and Elsie is hurt to realize that she will not see her again. When Elsie's legs both begin to get better, the other children become suspicious of what has happened to her mother, and when Sister Baker calls her to her office, she reveals that Sheila did not pay the rent of the flat they lived in, leading to it being let go. However, she is kind towards Elsie, and lets her stay on the ward until Sir David insists she will have to leave and go into a children's home. Elsie is initially distraught at the idea, but Sister Baker tells her that it will be better to do as Sir David says until Nan maybe recovers. After saying goodbye to the other children, Queenie, Nurse Gabriel and the other staff, Elsie moves into the home, which is not as bad as she thought it would be, and Nurse Gabriel comes to visit her regularly. She spends that Christmas there, and is later given a surprise visit by Sir David, who takes her to see Nan, who is finally beginning to recover. In the story's epilogue, Elsie returns to living with Nan and a kitten who Nurse Gabriel gave to her from a litter Queenie produced. Although her beloved Nan dies eight years later, Elsie states that she was devastated, but by then able to look after herself. Sixty years on, Elsie says that she is now married, and has her own little granddaughter. Although she is growing old, she can't help wondering if she will still be alive to take her to a future king's coronation, possibly of Prince Charles. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Queenie (novel)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|