The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (novel)

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane is a 1974 novel by Laird Koenig. It is about a 13-year-old girl named Rynn Jacobs who lives alone in a house, and murders people who threaten her solitary life.

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane
Book cover
AuthorLaird Koenig
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
PublisherCoward McCann
Publication date
1974
Pages254 pp[1]

Plot

Adaptions

Koenig adapted his novel into a 1976 film of the same name, directed by Nicolas Gessner and starring Jodie Foster as Rynn with supporting roles from Martin Sheen, Alexis Smith, Mort Shuman, and Derek Jacobi.[2] In 1997, he adapted it into a stage play.[3]

Reception

In 1974, the science fiction magazine Luna Monthly reviewed it as "A light, gripping, smoothly written thriller." The review also assessed the character of Rynn Jacobs as not precisely a villain, but "brilliant" and "warmhearted."[4] However, The Critic journal concluded "This doesn't work", saying Rynn was so clever and effective she did not come across as a teenager, comparing her to "an IBM computer".[5]

In 2015, Rynn was voted the 20th most evil child in literature by Abebooks experts and readers.[6]

References
  1. "The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane". Business Week. McGraw-Hill (2312–2319): xcvi. 1974.
  2. Barrett, Michael (25 May 2016). "The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane". PopMatters. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  3. Koenig, Laird (1997). The Little Girl who Lives Down the Lane. Dramatists Play Service Inc. ISBN 0822215713.
  4. "The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane". Luna Monthly. 1974. p. 16.
  5. "The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane". The Critic. Thomas More Association. 32: 77. 1973.
  6. Furness, Hannah (7 June 2015). "Revealed: The most evil child book characters of all time". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 March 2017.


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