Charlotte Sometimes - how many endings?

Anna in CA

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Jan 24, 2003, 8:32:27 PM1/24/03

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I recently finished reading "Charlotte Sometimes" by Penelope Farmer. Before I
read it, I had remembered browsing past threads about a revised ending, so I
just took a look through Google Groups again. Previous discussions mentioned
the original 1969 ending and the revised 1985 ending, but also an even later
revision that supposedly combined the two endings!

1969 ending: The grown-up Emily sends a letter and package to Charlotte that
contains the toys they had shared at the Chisel-Browns. This version ends with
Charlotte returning home from boarding school on the bus, hearing the funny
song and reflecting that she had never seen "spiders in a bath" in either time.

1985 ending: Charlotte doesn't get a letter or package from Emily; instead, she
unscrews the hollow knob of the bedpost and finds a diary inside containing
Clare's last entry to her.

Possible third ending: Charlotte receives the letter, the package, and also
finds the diary hidden inside the knob of the bedpost.

Has anyone seen this third ending? Does anyone happen to know which ending the
1992 Yearling edition contains?

Thanks!

Anna :o)
Anna...@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/AnnainCA

--
"She was glad that the cosy house, and Pa and Ma and the firelight and the
music, were now. They could not be forgotten, she thought, because now is now.
It can never be a long time ago." -- Little House in the Big Woods

Cori

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Jan 26, 2003, 6:47:25 AM1/26/03

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Wow, Anna, thanks for pointing that out. I read the book in the 70s,
wrote the author a fan letter, and received an answer. Obviously this
was well before 1985, and I had no idea about any changes.

Cori

Clark McIvor

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Jan 28, 2003, 6:00:30 PM1/28/03

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Wow, Anna, I was going to post on just this topic! I also remembered the
past threads and had "another copy of _CS_" on my wish list.

I got one last weekend and it's different, but neither is a Dell Yearling -
sorry.

The 2 copies I have are Puffins (an imprint of Penguin Books). I've only
compared the final chapter (Part 3, Chapter 3), and only quickly:

- The first I acquired says "This revised edition published by the Bodley
Head Ltd 1985. Published in Puffin Books1987." The last chapter is just
over 2 pages and appears to be your "1985 ending".

- The one I got last weekend says "First published by Chatto & Windus 1969.
Published in Puffin Books 1972. Reprinted 1974. It is a different
type-setting, but as far as I can tell, the difference is that, after the
bedknob/diary scene, there is a one line space then "Two days later the
parcel came. ..." It continues for 3 and a half more pages & ends with the
"spiders in the bath" bit. That is, it seems to be the possible 3rd ending!

Hope this helps. And I'd like to know more too.

Jane C

Anna in CA <anna...@aol.com> wrote in article
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Cori

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Jan 29, 2003, 3:09:09 AM1/29/03

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Does the book give last names for the girls? It would be weird if the
initials were "C. S." as that's my initials.

Cori

H Schinske

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Jan 29, 2003, 3:23:41 PM1/29/03

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>Does the book give last names for the girls? It would be weird if the
>initials were "C. S." as that's my initials.
>
>Cori
>

Charlotte's last name is Makepeace and Clare's last name is Moby.

--Helen

Cori

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Jan 29, 2003, 10:38:12 PM1/29/03

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Thanks...so they had the same initials as each other. K. M. Peyton
used the same idea in "A Pattern of Roses."

Cori