Better own up and say, as the author's son, I'm not an entirely disinterested reviewer. To offset that this book is long out of print, and so no moneyBetter own up and say, as the author's son, I'm not an entirely disinterested reviewer. To offset that this book is long out of print, and so no money is involved.
I do think this is an interesting window into a world now long gone, where people lived without electricity, indoor plumbing and when to go anywhere you mostly had to walk. My mother was a fundamentally happy person, and as she recounts her life as a little girl this comes through in her writing.
The man comes across as a psychopath and paedophile. The mother, unable to cope and apparently wiling to pandeAbuse by a father of his young children.
The man comes across as a psychopath and paedophile. The mother, unable to cope and apparently wiling to pander to her husband. Perhaps she really loved him - who knows, not that that would excuse her part in the tragedy of her children's early life.
The authorities, such as they were at the time and place when all this happened, seem either powerless or uninterested in intervening in domestic affairs.
As rubbish as things seem to be these days for kids who are taken into local authority care, one has to think it is preferable to the abuse kids like Jenny lived through back in the 60s and 70s.
A story to be learned from, rather than enjoyed....more
Great insights into the thoughts of two book lovers.
Helene Hanff opinionated and out there. Frank Doel reserved and polite, but extremely knowledgeablGreat insights into the thoughts of two book lovers.
Helene Hanff opinionated and out there. Frank Doel reserved and polite, but extremely knowledgeable.
The letter itself being a thing largely of the past these days, I wonder how future generations will relate to life in a world where exchanging messages often took weeks....more
Comes over as completely believable - which is a feat in itself given the author and what/who he is writing about.
There is a reality to life when you Comes over as completely believable - which is a feat in itself given the author and what/who he is writing about.
There is a reality to life when you are very poor because you have to deal with the basics like finding enough food to eat on a daily basis.
The central character is a 17-year-old girl who marries and goes to live with her husband in the back end of beyond, which was Gap Creek at that time.
If you want to get some feeling for how hard life could be in the days before electricity or indoor plumbing, then this will do it for you. Not a book to read if you are already depressed....more
Evokes the author's early childhood brilliantly. It's so vivid that if you have any empathy in your make-up, it would be best not to read this book whEvokes the author's early childhood brilliantly. It's so vivid that if you have any empathy in your make-up, it would be best not to read this book when you are feeling depressed. I think the total dead kids and teenagers was probably less than 10, but it felt like more.
Sometimes people talk about the good old days, and so they were for some people, but this memoir is proof that was not true for everyone....more
A true glimpse into an English rural life, which now seems as distant as the days of the Romans.
I was born and have lived most of my life in the countA true glimpse into an English rural life, which now seems as distant as the days of the Romans.
I was born and have lived most of my life in the country on the edge of the Forest of Dean, separated from the Cotswolds by the Severn and by the way of life of the inhabitants - mostly mining, when I was a boy. The last national pit closed in 1965, link below. Hard to believe that in the early 1960's, the price of a cottage was around £150, virtually no one had a telephone in their house and cars were for the well-off only
The past is a foreign country, but you can't go there on a plane to experience it for yourself - reading a book like this is the nearest you will come to a journey in a time machine.
I own many more paper books than electronic ones - I have the book-collecting bug.
Anyway, I bought the paperback version of this book (currently cheapI own many more paper books than electronic ones - I have the book-collecting bug.
Anyway, I bought the paperback version of this book (currently cheaper than the Kindle version).
A warning for others, the printing in the book is tiny
My close vision is excellent for an oldie, but I doubt I will try to read my paper copy. I'm not sure why Faber chose a miniscule font - the book is around 450pp long, so maybe it was down to cost.
ISBN-13 : 978-0571212927
What little I have read is very interesting - hence the 4 *'s...more
Start with enough autobiographical detail to give you a good insight into the guy.
The next, how to be a writeAltogether excellent - highly recommended
Start with enough autobiographical detail to give you a good insight into the guy.
The next, how to be a writer part is NOT a recipe book for turning yourself into an author of a bestseller overnight. It is about writing as art and as a job. More of an inspiration/insightful view of the work involved in creating a book, than a "Writing for Dummies" guide. ...more
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