Eleanor Farjeon

Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard Eleanor Farjeon

This utterly charming book tells of a wondering minstrel, Martin Pippin, who is asked by a lovelorn youth to try and approach the object of his affections, a farmer's daughter, who is locked away and guarded by her six young milkmaids. Throughout the book Martin flirts gaily, sings songs and tells love stories in order to win the girls' trust and answer the central question: why is Gillian locked in the well house? Is she love-sick for a man she cannot have - or hiding from a love she does not want? Eleanor Farjeon weaves a beautiful tapestry in this marvellously evocative book, celebrating the Sussex countryside and tackling deep emotional issues in her deceptively simple stories. This carefully hand-edited version from Benediction Classics includes all the original delightful black-and-white illustrations by Richard Kennedy.