Helpful Score: 2
I actually saw the movie several years before I read the book. This is one of those classics, a book one acquires extra copies of to share as meaningful gifts. Within the first few pages the author had a firm grip on my heartstrings and kept tugging throughout the story until my heart absolutely broke.
In pre-WW2 England, hundreds of children were evacuated from London and re-distributed throughout the English countryside in an effort to keep them safe from German bombing. Willie Beech, an abused 9-year-old boy, finds himself in the charge of Tom Oakley in Little Weirwold. Tom, a gruff old widower, has been grieving the death of his young wife and infant son for 40 years. He is doing his national duty,' though, by accepting Willie into his house, which is near a church. The proximity of the church is a particular stipulation of his mother, who is a religious fanatic as well as being mentally unstable. When Willie arrives in Little Weirwold he is weak and timorous, sporting bodily evidence of ferocious beatings with the brown leather strap which is included in his knapsack. His mother regularly beats Willie because he is an inherently "bad boy." The strap, viewed with repugnance by Tom, is, to Willie's amazement, swiftly disposed of and never seen again. Tom cares for Willie as he recovers his health, teaching the boy what it means to be a happy healthy child. This experience serves the double purpose of healing Mr. Tom's emotional wounds as well. The two form a bond that runs very deep.
Six months later, Willie's mom sends for him to return to London and the separation from not only Tom but the entire village of Little Weirwold is heart-rending. Time passes and Tom receives no response to letters he has sent Willie in London to keep in touch. Instinctively, Tom knows that all is not well, and indeed something is dreadfully wrong. With his amazing dog Sammy, Tom makes the long journey to London arriving in the midst of much confusion and bombing by German planes. Tom and Sammy do find Willie, and in the nick of time it would seem.
His mother has disappeared, having completely lost her mind, leaving Willie chained inside a tiny closet in the squalid apartment. He has been there for days with no food or water, clutching the body of his baby sister who died of starvation while Willie held her. Willie is covered with bruises and sores, emotionally shocked beyond reason. Tom gently brings him out of the closet and stays by his side as medical help arrives. As Tom is not a relative and therefore without rights as far as Willie's care is concerned, he must resort to kidnapping to rescue the boy from admittance to an institutional Children's Home. Tom whisks Willie home to Little Weirwold and slowly, so slowly, brings him back from the horror-filled depths to which he has sunk.
Although a classic children's story, Good Night, Mr. Tom has much to offer readers of any age: lessons in life, love, loss, death and above all the horrors of child abuse. It is a worthwhile glimpse into pre-WW2 England, country and city, and what the miracle of love can achieve.
In pre-WW2 England, hundreds of children were evacuated from London and re-distributed throughout the English countryside in an effort to keep them safe from German bombing. Willie Beech, an abused 9-year-old boy, finds himself in the charge of Tom Oakley in Little Weirwold. Tom, a gruff old widower, has been grieving the death of his young wife and infant son for 40 years. He is doing his national duty,' though, by accepting Willie into his house, which is near a church. The proximity of the church is a particular stipulation of his mother, who is a religious fanatic as well as being mentally unstable. When Willie arrives in Little Weirwold he is weak and timorous, sporting bodily evidence of ferocious beatings with the brown leather strap which is included in his knapsack. His mother regularly beats Willie because he is an inherently "bad boy." The strap, viewed with repugnance by Tom, is, to Willie's amazement, swiftly disposed of and never seen again. Tom cares for Willie as he recovers his health, teaching the boy what it means to be a happy healthy child. This experience serves the double purpose of healing Mr. Tom's emotional wounds as well. The two form a bond that runs very deep.
Six months later, Willie's mom sends for him to return to London and the separation from not only Tom but the entire village of Little Weirwold is heart-rending. Time passes and Tom receives no response to letters he has sent Willie in London to keep in touch. Instinctively, Tom knows that all is not well, and indeed something is dreadfully wrong. With his amazing dog Sammy, Tom makes the long journey to London arriving in the midst of much confusion and bombing by German planes. Tom and Sammy do find Willie, and in the nick of time it would seem.
His mother has disappeared, having completely lost her mind, leaving Willie chained inside a tiny closet in the squalid apartment. He has been there for days with no food or water, clutching the body of his baby sister who died of starvation while Willie held her. Willie is covered with bruises and sores, emotionally shocked beyond reason. Tom gently brings him out of the closet and stays by his side as medical help arrives. As Tom is not a relative and therefore without rights as far as Willie's care is concerned, he must resort to kidnapping to rescue the boy from admittance to an institutional Children's Home. Tom whisks Willie home to Little Weirwold and slowly, so slowly, brings him back from the horror-filled depths to which he has sunk.
Although a classic children's story, Good Night, Mr. Tom has much to offer readers of any age: lessons in life, love, loss, death and above all the horrors of child abuse. It is a worthwhile glimpse into pre-WW2 England, country and city, and what the miracle of love can achieve.
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