A String in the Harp (Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: Nancy Bond
- First Published: 1976
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Fantasy—time travel
- Time of Work: Primarily the 1970’s, with flashbacks to the sixth century
- Setting: Borst, Aberystwyth, Cardiff, and the surrounding Welsh countryside
- Genres: Long fiction, Domestic realism, Children’s literature, Fantasy
- Subjects: 1970’s, Family or family life, Adolescence, Nature, Supernatural, Music or musicians, Time travel, Single parents or single-parent families, Death or dying, Visions, epiphanies, or revelations, Sixth century, Great Britain, Musical instruments, Wales or Welsh people, Christmas, Talisman or magical object
- Locales: Wales
The Plot
The main plot line in this novel for younger readers explores how an American family adjusts to two major upheavals in their lives: first, the recent death of the mother; and second, moving to Wales to live there for a year. The subplot concerns the discovery by one of them of an ancient harp-tuning key that brings him visions of the past. When elements of these visions begin to assume reality in his own world, the need to find a solution to all these problems becomes even more urgent.
The story begins when fifteen-year-old Jennifer Morgan joins the rest of her...
[The entire page is 952 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
