I very much hope that these passages will encourage you to obtain a second hand copy of the book and to read it, rather than feeling as though I have spoiled it by revealing some of how it unfolds. I hope you will forgive this post, therefore: both for its insularity (for without being me and without knowing why these passages chimed with me, they may appear rather random) but also for what it gives away. And that is what I did tonight – I went through every page with a turned-down corner, and typed those sections out, and am copying them below. What I have felt compelled to do, is write down all those passages that struck me. There are thoughts beginning to take shape in my mind, and a post starting to form. When I read it for the second time, I think I was looking for something redemptive, in the way that Anna had begun to be transformed through her encounters with Marnie, the little girl who lived at The Marsh House. The way she defended herself from the world and from her emotions, following on from loss, mirrored my own response as a child (and not only as a child). I know without a doubt that I saw (and still see) myself in Anna, the book’s main character. I am still trying to understand the power of this book which means so much to me. The second time, as I read it I turned over the tops of pages which contained sentences or paragraphs that particularly struck me or rang true. The first time I read it, I cried for almost an hour after I finished it, but for no reason particular reason that I could identify. The book was called ‘When Marnie was there’, and I have now read it twice within the space of a month.

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about rediscovering a book that I read as a child, the memory and impact of which stayed with me, even though I could not remember anything apart from the name ‘Marnie’ in the title. [GFDL ( ) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 ( )%5D, via Wikimedia Commons. Photo is by Chris Wood (User:chris_j_wood). The house is located in Burnham Overy Staithe, in Norfolk (or ‘Little Overton’, as it is referred to in the book). The house on the far left is The Marsh House (Marnie’s house) – or rather, the house that inspired the book ‘When Marnie was there’.

Novel when marnie was there