Brat Farrar Trivia Quiz

Answer: A coming-of-age party

The novel begins with Aunt Bee (Beatrice) Ashby taking care of the four children in her stead at Latchetts, a house and three farms on an estate in England. While young twin girls Jane and Ruth eat breakfast and Eleanor tends to the horses, Simon, turning twenty-one in six weeks, prepares for his coming-of-age party. The date also marks his taking of conservatorship over the three girls as, at the age of twenty-one, he will have been in Aunt Bee's care for eight years.

The family has a tragic past, however. The childrens' parents, Bill and Nora, perished in a plane crash over the Channel while Simon's twin brother, Patrick, was alleged to have drowned swimming in the Gap in the years following the loss of his parents. Aunt Bee recalls, based on his suicide note, that he felt it was the best place to die, out in the water swimming until you didn't care to any longer.

Answer: Horses

In London, a man by the name of Alec Loding propositions a young man by the name of Brat Farrar to act fast, though the latter is uninterested by what he's being told. As it turns out, Brat bears a striking resemblance to Patrick Ashby, and Loding suggests that if he returns to Latchetts, the Ashby Family estate, then he might be in for a windfall.

Brat, who spent years as an orphan in London before taking a job on a ship and riding to America, is really only persuaded by the possibility of horses on the farmsteads of Latchetts. Spending years working on a dude ranch in New Mexico, he assumed that he wouldn't have the opportunity to ride horses again upon his return to England. With Loding's suggestion, a seed is planted; all he needs to do is show up.

He performs a test by visiting the local solicitor, Mr. Sandal. The man, who was present in Patrick's younger days, is shocked to find the spitting image of an Ashby in front of him but Brat quickly falls into the role using Loding's suggestions and recollections. It's as easy as subbing in a few truths about his own life to fill in the gaps.

Answer: Bee

Mr. Sandal calls Bee almost immediately and the hunt begins for any photos or belongings that may have been leftover from Patrick's past. Unfortunately for her, most were lost in Bill and Nora's crash or were, otherwise, destroyed by Simon over the years. What results is a near-immediate visit to Patrick's temporary lodgings where she meets him in-person for the first time. She sees the likeness immediately though her gut initially believes something is just a bit off. Nonetheless, her hope and senses lead her to believe that the missing Ashby has returned. She leaves believing Brat to be the real deal and she makes arrangements to postpone the coming-of-age proceedings (if not for Patrick's sake, then for Great-uncle Charles, who will spend weeks of travelling to return to England).

Accepted as the actual Patrick Ashby not only by Bee, but legally by the solicitors, it's expected that Brat visit Latchetts the following week whereupon the news will be fully broken. Bee tells the family herself though Simon, without any shadow of a doubt, insists it can't be Patrick at all. It goes without saying that if Patrick survived all this time and returned, he would stake claim in the inheritance and ownership of the estate.

Answer: Eleanor

After speaking to Bee and the solicitors, Brat is apprehensive about the plan, fearing that he'll either be caught out or that he won't have the nerve to keep up the charade. Nonetheless, he still goes to Clare on the train and arrives to be met by Eleanor there.

She drives him to Latchetts, discussing the town as it aged in his supposed absence, and it's not long before they arrive to be greeted by Bee and the girls. Simon, however, doesn't arrive for an introduction. It isn't until later, during a tour of the house, that Simon emerges to greet his 'long-lost brother'.

He, to most's shock, claims outright that he planned to claim the new arrival was not Patrick out of stubbornness, but upon seeing him he can't deny the truth that he would have been wrong to do so.

The Ashbys enjoy lunch, questioning Brat about his past, before someone from the press arrives to take photos. It's not everyday, after all, that someone comes back from the dead.

Answer: Timber

It takes less than a day of being at Latchetts before 'Patrick' starts to feel like he's situated nicely. In fact, after giving the Ashbys his nickname, Brat, and justifying a story behind it, the family takes up the nickname as well to avoid any odd discomfort at having Patrick retake his spot in their lives. Simon, despite his uncharacteristic change of opinion, leans into being welcoming, but Brat notes he's being very careful, attempting to trip him up with little tidbits about his childhood.

Brat is quickly brought to the stables to get his lay of the land and the family business and it's there, while caring for the horses, that Simon suggests he ride one. Simon picks Timber, a more stubborn horse, and sends his alleged brother on his way across the grounds. Despite some surprising recklessness from the horse, Brat seizes the opportunity and explores, believing that he's finally gotten what he wanted. What Simon later discovers is that Timber has had a history of bad temper; his recklessness killed his former master.

Answer: She is his sister

The end of Brat's first day at Latchetts includes both the local Rector and his wife, Nancy, who visit for dinner; it goes marvellously. As it would seem, the man who taught Patrick at a young age can't even tell the difference. Brat is well-prepared for this visit, especially since Nancy is Alec Loding's sister.

Despite this, after the visit, Eleanor confides in Bee that she can't seem to reconcile the old Patrick with the new-- there's something about his smile and she has no feeling of ever having met him before.

The tour continues as Brat meets other townspeople from Patrick's childhood with Bee by his side. It ends with a decision to get him fitted for new outfits, especially evening clothes, since he will need to be dressed properly for his coming-of-age in a few weeks. Brat tries to shrug this off, but Bee reminds him that the town would insist on festivities.

Answer: True

As the days continue to pass, Brat continues to meet the townspeople around Latchetts. Developments, including purchases of horses at nearby estates, occupy the news, but Brat still worries about Simon, specifically his whereabouts years ago when Patrick went over the Westover Cliffs.

Brat rides into Westover with Bee one day to check the 'Westover Times', the local paper, to research Patrick's obituary. According to this, he was last seen birdwatching between the cliffs and the Tanbitches. Bee, sadly, can't remember where either of the boys was that day. When Brat later walks the area alone, he comes across Mr. Pilbeam, the old smith, who confirms that Simon was there at his forge on the day of the suicide.

Soon enough, Patrick and Simon share their birthday. After presents, Mr. Sandal arrives for all of the paperwork, and after hours of poring over financial records and documents, Patrick sorts out the obligations of Latchetts, increasing Ashby allowances and determining the possibility of giving Simon parts of the estate. By evening's end, the Ashbys toast to the end of the process and Patrick's ownership.

Answer: Bures

Once the papers are signed, Brat (as Patrick) takes possession of Latchetts and everyone in it save for Simon. After attending church and a handful of meetings in the next days, he proceeds to send his first unmarked notes to Alec Loding despite the bad taste it leaves in his mouth. He is, after all, still lying.

What Patrick does notice as the days wear on isn't simply that Simon keeps his distance, but that his relationship with Eleanor deepens. It's also clear that Brat is interested in the success of the horses and the estate. His research and enthusiasm for horses doesn't go unnoticed. As the family plans to participate in the upcoming Bures Agricultural Show, they urge him to race one of the horses.

The upcoming show leads Brat to train Timber at Clare Park in an attempt to help the rogue horse unlearn some of its bad traits. Because of this, however, Simon returns home to yell at Brat for touching his horse. Though Simon apologizes for his drunken rant the next day, it's clear that things are only temporarily normal. They are, after all, rooming together in Bures for the show.

Answer: No

The Ashbys are in their finest form in Bures as most of the elder members of the family participate in the show jumping and racing events. Simon, riding Timber, manages to succeed in controlling the problematic horse to gracefully overcome the obstacles, much to Brat's surprise and, to a small extent, admiration. That evening, before dinner, Simon asks if Patrick has signed the book to consent to his horse running the upcoming race. Brat takes the opportunity to check Chevron before the race only to find that Simon loosened the girth, an action that could have caused severe injury on the course. Brat wins the race regardless.

That evening during the festivities, Brat dances with Eleanor a bit longer than normal and in her insobriety she unexpectedly claims that he is not her brother, though she believes she had this outburst out of turn. Simon meanwhile, also drunk, admits to Brat that he killed Patrick, but they're both in a bind since neither can admit any bit of the truth or else they, themselves, would be foiled in their plans. For Simon, the truth about the murder would be revealed; for Brat, his new life would unravel.

Answer: The quarry

The next day, after the show, the Ashbys return to Latchetts but Brat takes a detour to Westover to look at the police report pertaining to his disappearance, much to the station's amusement. It's only when he takes a horse for a ride that the idea strikes him-- the solution. He visits the Rector who, as it seemed knew the truth about the imposter (because despite his appearance he never seemed to be Patrick in essence) and during this talk he finds himself no closer to decision; there's no definitive evidence of Simon's crime.

With this in mind, Brat purchases a length of rope and uses it as part of his final plan at Latchetts. That evening he sneaks outside, lashes the rope to a sturdy tree, and plans to climb down into the quarry. What he doesn't account for is that Simon awaits him. The two come to blows with Simon drawing a blade. The fight ultimately ends with both men tumbling down into the quarry. Simon is killed instantly.

In the coming days they find the body; it's revealed that Simon did murder Patrick and tossed his body into the quarry; the proof is in the remains and his dropped belongings. Due to Brat's identity theft, the inheritance at Latchetts defaulted back to the family. This being said, Bee remained with Brat in the hospital while the Rector broke the news to Eleanor. The verdict of Simon's fate was death by misadventure.

It wasn't the end for Brat though, as the family and all around them still recognized the genes of an Ashby in his appearance. Though they couldn't search back from Brat himself, Great-uncle Charles' arrival marked an important moment as he could recognize the boy as the spitting image of his brother, Walter. Through this connection, they could make a strong assumption that he may be related through cousins.

With the circumstances being what they are, Great-uncle Charles takes over Latchetts, residing there permanently, while Brat joins Bee in Ulster, perhaps to run new stables of their own.