Do you feel Beryl's father was a good parent? Do you think Beryl thought he was?

Do you feel Beryl's father was a good parent? Do you think Beryl thought he was?

Her father did the best he could. They had a very close relationship based on their love of horses and all he taught her. He did let her do as she pleased, which encouraged her independence. I think she felt he was a good father until he gave into the wishes of Mrs. Orchardson to send her to school. I also think she felt a sense of abandonment when he lost the farm and moved away. I was glad they could come together again in the later part of the book.

I don't think Beryl had anything to compare him to when she was young. She'd been abandoned by one parent, at least her father didn't abandon her. He did treat her in a very adult like manner at a young age, and allowed her to help with the horses. On the other hand, he paid very little attention to her education until he was taken to task about it from D's wife, and his choice of governess was questionable. He left her totally on her own at 16-17. That was too young, no matter how independent she was.

I think he probably did the best he could under the circumstances. He had to make her tough in order to survive there. He could have been more attentive to her emotional needs since there weren't too many female role models there who could nurture her.

Being left with a young daughter and few role models to follow I think he did what he could. Beryl became self-sufficient and that was something necessary in that period of time in Kenya. I think Beryl enjoyed the freedom she was allowed to roam and grow and meet nature at its barest.

He did the best he could and when he realized that Beryl needed more than he was able to provide he brought Emma Orchardsen into their lives. He taught Beryl what he thought was important for her survival and she came out better for it.

I think it is apparent that he loved her and tried to be a good parent, but because of his own upbringing, he was not outwardly affectionate and nurturing. I think Beryl was fond of her father, but when he lost the farm, he abandoned her just as her mother had done when she was much younger.

I don't think he was a good parent. He gave his horses and his girlfriend way more attention. I think as a child Beryl idolized him, after all, he was all she had. She learned about the horses from him, and I think she interpreted that mutual passion as love. When she grew up, she realized who he really was, and that he really only cared for himself, even though she was quite fond of him.

I think he did the best he could. Beryl idolized him so it's hard to say whether she thought he was a good parent. She was heartbroken when he left after the farm was lost. We have to remember that during this time men rarely had anything at all with raising children.

As others have said, I think Clutt did the best he could. His wife left him, taking their son with her, and it doesn't appear that Beryl's father had any clear idea of how to parent a daughter. He gave her a lot of freedom, which may have stood her in good stead as an adult, but I do think he could have paid more attention to her education at an earlier point in her life. She did idolize him, but he prepared her for little else besides horse-training, and he was not willing to take her with him when he and the "housekeeper" lost the farm and left. So Beryl was left in a disastrous marriage and to make her own way in the world through getting her trainer's license (Kudos to her). I also think it is very difficult to write a fictionalized account of a real person, and it's hard to know how much of the painting story is based on fact.

I think he did the best he could after being left to raise a daughter on his own. They had a passion for horses in common and you could tell that she loved her father. She was heartbroken when he lost the farm and ended up leaving her just like her mother did.

No, I don't think he was a good parent. He was so busy training horses and trying to make a living that it seems he almost forgot about her. Lady Delamere did remind him that Beryl was a girl and she was running wild. Then her father tried to "tame" her a bit by bringing in Mrs. Orchardson as the "housekeeper" who tried to force some education and manners on Beryl.
Beryl probably thought she had a great childhood. Most of the time she got to do just what she pleased.