Mostly we see the story through Matilda’s point of view which, as Matilda is only six, provides an interesting perspective. Frances is eleven and Elizabeth is fifteen. Each day is heralded in with news headlines, so we read about new cases in the polio epidemic and the Petrov Affair. Against this backdrop, Frances worries about a school friend with polio, Elizabeth wonders about Mrs Petrov and Matilda observes all manner of things.
“The eagle settled itself on a boulder at the edge of the Plain and watched with folded wings as the two armies raced toward one another. A noise like thunder filled the air, and dust rose from the ground in clouds.”