Five Fall Into An Adventure by Enid Blyton

Jul24

Lots Of Derring Do

Five Fall Into An Adventure by Enid Blyton is an exciting children’s novel. It is the ninth book in the Famous Five series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The Famous Five novels were penned in the 1940’s and 50’s but they have a timeless appeal. The adventurous spirit is infectious, gaining new audiences down the years.

Fans of the Famous Five never forget them. Their stories last a lifetime in our memories. It is a pure delight to re-visit these books fifty years after I first read them. I have bought the box set and am enjoying introducing my grandchildren to the famous five.

Once more the children show their bravery against the bad guys.

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River Of Stars by Georgina Moore

Jul23

Island Women

River Of Stars by Georgina Moore is a very charming and heartfelt dual timeline novel that I loved.

The action is set in the 1960’s moving forwards, and also in present day. We see events through the eyes of mainly the two Star women – a grandmother and her granddaughter, plus a few other points of view.

They all live on an island with the river Thames running through it. The island feels like a character in its own right. It ‘calls’ to people. There is a duty of care to preserve the past whilst planning for the future but also taking care of the rich heritage of the island.

The island encourages creativity. There has been a vibrant music scene, nature and artists flourish too. Alternative life styles call out the best in people. The island offers a vibrant life in contrast to the stifling cities of London and New York.

Two main families have inhabited the island – there have been friends and feuds – but ultimately the present generation are about preservation and conservation. New life in all its forms will be fruitful on the island.

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The Stepney Doorstep Society by Kate Thompson

Jul23

Fascinating Strong Matriarchs

The Stepney Doorstep Society by Kate Thompson is a powerful account of the lives of the matriarchs living in the East End of London. It is mainly set during World War II, with a dip into both the thirties and the post war years.

It was the women of the East End that ran the show. They were not necessarily large in stature but they were strong personalities. They had to be. They lived through the Depression of the 1920’s and 1930’s and also World War II. “I just had to get on with things. I wasn’t brave… I just had no choice.” They put on their big-girl pants and tackled life head on.

The women looked out for each other and for each- others’ children. It was proper community living as they were in and out of each-others houses too. They were “rich in love, poor in the purse.”

With World War II came opportunities for women. They got out of the home and into the factories, only to be relegated to the home again when the men returned from war. “The war brought out the strength in women.”

We see that “individually these women were tough. Together, they were terrifying.” When there was a wrong, these women stood up for what was right. They marched against Oswald Moseley’s Blackshirts in the 1930’s.

We learn that “infant mortality rates were… high and there was a heartbreaking saying offered up to a mother when a new baby arrived: ‘Has it come to stay?’” Within the community women acted as midwives, helping others birth babies.

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The Freshman Parents by Ko Porteous

Jul18

Coming Home

The Freshman Parents by Ko Porteous is an entertaining contemporary novel that gripped me from the start. It is the first book in the Empty Nesters series.

The main topic is that of being an empty nester. “What’s her point if not to parent?” Having had four children, I found the characters easy to empathise with. The feelings of emptiness and loss are very raw.

We see that attitudes need to change. “This is not the end of an era; it is the beginning of a new phase.” We need to move from a position of loss, to one of opportunity.

An online group for freshman parents is a life-saver as new bonds are formed. There are different styles of parenting. Nothing is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, just ‘different.’

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