Book Review, A Liverpool Lass

A Liverpool Lass
Katie Flynn
isbn: 0-09-942999-3

Any fan of Katie Flynn’s work will know what to expect from this
book.
It has many of the usual ingredients of the typical family saga;
poverty,
wealthy benefactor, cruel landlord, illegitimate child and a mystery to
be
solved.
This one begins in Liverpool in late 1905 when a new-born baby girl is
left
in the doorstep of the Culler Orphanage Asylum. The description of the
young woman who deposits her babe into the care of the Culler leads the
reader to take her for a poor girl who is unable to look after her
offspring
– her soggy shawl her only protection against the driving rain, her
boots
much too big…………. The baby, however, is wrapped in a good
quality,
thick shawl. This detail later implies to the foundling child that
she may
not be from such humble stock, and she sets off on *The quest* to find
her
birth mother.
Before that we go through a lot of trial and tribulation, of course.
Nellie, the maid who is present when the baby is found, promptly forms
a
real bond with the child and effectively adopts her as her own sister.
Nellie, sent to the Culler when her parents died, had become a real
maid of
all work, appreciated by the orphanage staff. She was instrumental in
the
naming of the foundling child, known as Lilac Larkin, and was able to
ease
Lilac’s years at the Culler to some extent.

We go on to learn about Nellie’s first love, and see Lilac introduced
to
Nellie’s remaining family. Life changes for both of the girls, as
the
Great War looms, Nellie goes into nursing, and Lilac begins to
experience
life away from the Culler.

The tale moves onto Flanders, bringing more loves and losses for the
girls
before tying up most of the loose ends in 1920.

In all, an easy going, fairly light read with its fair share of
coincidence
and some realism. Not too many unanswered questions by the time we get
to
the end, though I did find a couple of the storylines that could easily
have
spawned a spin-off novel.

by Jacky

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The Green Hills of Earth by Robert Heinlein

I have a confession to make. I love sci fi, especially pulp type sci
fi, and
the hey dey of the pulp era being the 40’s-60’s, it is perhaps no great
surprise that many of my favourite science fiction writers came out of
that
era. One such grandmaster of science fiction was Robert Heinlein. This
particular effort of his is a splendid collection of shorts including
the
title piece, The Green Hills of Earth. They are from his earlier years,
and
very much in the pulp sci fi mode, but with his trademark well rounded
characters and well developed plot that stood him out so far from the
crowd
present even here.

We get 1949’s “Delilah and the Space-Rigger” which is part of his
Future
History group of stories and novels, and like those, has a very
feminist
slant. It is about a woman who happens to be a very skilled radio
technician who comes to work with a crew building a new space station,
and
encounters some sadly typical sexist attitudes regarding women in
certain
professions and the old saw about them providing distractions. The
sexist
male at the root of it all is constantly being pulled up by the fact
that
she actually knows more than, or has even trained, the very men he
thins
should replace her, and gets his comeuppance in grand style.

“Space-Jockey” by contrast is a homely tale of a wife’s devotion to her
star tramping husband. He is a rocket pilot on an irregular route, and
always on call. It is a job that takes him away from his family, and
occasionally in danger, much like the transatlantic airline pilots of
the
recently past century, and one us wives of long haul truckers can still
relate to, with modern day hijackers, poorly maintained roads, and the
like.
The wife is not a weak woman at all, but a strong one, who never the
less
knows how much she misses her husband and is not ashamed to admit to
herself
that she could not be without him.

“The Long Watch” is a tale that is all about Johnny Dahlquist, a
commissioned officer in the Space Patrol, assigned to the moon. He is
married with a baby , but is nowhere as mature a young man as he thinks
he
is. The moon is a repository of nuclear weapons and as such is very
important (echoes of his later novel, A Moon is a Harsh mistress in the
setting is very much present). He gets embroiled in the middle of a
coup of
the base, and discovers that the safety of every human being on planet
earth
is in his hands, as he struggles to keep the weapons out of the wrong
hands.
he emerges having survived his trial by fire, and finally grasping what
manhood is truly all about. A great coming of age tale.

“Gentlemen Be Seated,” on the other hand, is not as patriotic in tone,
though also set on the moon. A reporter is being shown about by a
tunnel
worker and his supervisor when a breach occurs and their air begins
leaking
into space. By turns tense, and at others humorous, the title refers to
how
they solved their air leak issue until they could be rescued.

“The Black Pits of Luna,” like the Green Hills of Earth, was originally
published in the Saturday Evening Post and is therefore family type
fare. A
boy is on a trip to the moon when his brother manages to get himself
lost.he
uses skills he learned in Scouts and manages to save the day.

“It’s Great to Be Back” is a story about the MacCrae’s, who have
emigrated
to Luna city. They do nothing but moan about how unlike “back home” it
is,
and finally getting a chance to move “back home” they do, only to
discover
they had built up a rose tinted vision that has very little resemblance
to
reality, and how nice they actually had it. A classic case of the grass
is
greener syndrome and one that every person wishing to emigrate should
read!

“We Also Walk Dogs” is an entertaining piece about a company who takes
on
all sorts of jobs in the personal services sector. From being a
personal
shopper, to dog walking, if it needs doing, just ask! In this case, a
conference is to be held on earth, but a few of the alien races
scheduled to
attend have a problem. as Earth is a heavy world that could kill them
The
firm are set the task of reliving the gravity issue. To do so, they of
course need an antigravity device, but just how do they manage to
convince
the world’s leading physicist to do it for them so they can deliver?

In “Ordeal in Space,” we meet William Cole, former chief communications
officer and relief pilot of the Valkyrie. He is being interviewed by a
reporter named Miss Joyce, to whom he recounts his famous accident in
space,
in which he was adrift in space for several hours. Having way too much
time
to contemplate his situation, he then went on to develop a deep seated
phobia. This is the story of how it all happened, and how a kitten
trapped
on a window ledge cured him. I found this a very gripping read, and my
tea
actually went cold as I forgot to sip it whilst reading it.

The title story, “The Green Hills of Earth”, chronicles a blind poet
and
songster of the space ways. A Rudyard Kipling type figure, Rhysling
travels
the space ways, going from place to place, always writing his poems and
singing his songs. It features some of the best well known verse in sci
fi
fandom, with the song “”The Green Hills of Earth” having its missing
words
filled in by fans who actually sing it at conventions. The famous bit
of
verse is poignant, as befits the story, ending with “We pray for one
last
landing; On the globe that gave us birth; Let us rest our eyes on the
fleecy
skies; And the cool, green hills of Earth”. It’s a touching tale, and
one
that actually will leave a mark on your heart.

The final story of the collection is called “Logic of Empire.” Rather
than
being a mere short story, it is actually novella length. It is a timely
story about modern slavery, dealing with themes of indenture and the
extremes of capitalism. The main character is a well to do businessman
who
is shanghaied to Venus, where he must repay his passage by undertaking
work.
But he needs money to live as well as pay off his debt and so ensnared
in a
catch 22, as is the farmer who owns his debt, and the cycle goes on.
Sadly,
this is a tale we can also read about outside of sci fi, but this story
helps take it from the modern political reran and bring the issues to
where
we can comfortably mull over the situation people can find themselves
in,
and take a real world position.

I really enjoyed this book, and while in the 80’s and 90’s many thought
it
somewhat dated due its talk of rockets, today’s return to rockets for
future exploration and to launch extra orbital craft makes this even
more up
to date than Heinlein could ever have imagined. Get this book, and get
ready
for blast off. In 10, 9, 8…

by Shroud

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The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey

This classic storybook was first released in 1942, as part of the 12 book launch of the famous Little Golden Books line of books for young children published by American publisher Simon and Schuster. It has remained in print ever since, having the copyright renewed by the publisher last in 1970.
The launch of Amazon’s worldwide book selling venture saw these charming classic stories to children brought to the UK.

In Janette Sebring Lowrey’s charming tale, a small little puppy pokes along outside while his siblings play. He decides to go sniff a different patch of grass than they do, then wanders off to other parts of the garden, having a good old poke around at everything he finds. In the meantime, his brothers and sisters have been VERY naughty little puppies! The dig a hole under
the picket fence and go off for an adventure. They get caught out, and their mother is most displeased , telling them they will have no rice pudding after dinner for being so naughty. having been a good little puppy, he comes in, and escapes this, but tempted by the rice pudding, decides to eat it all himself. Chastened, his brothers and sisters are genuinely sorry for what
they did, and make amends with Mummy, who then discovers someone has came in and gobbled up all the rice pudding! Too full, he goes off by himself, and everyone else eats, getting strawberry shortcake instead of the rice
pudding. Everyone that is, except the Poky little Puppy. he is in bed, feeling quite sorry for himself, having a too full tummy.

It is a story gently told, and children as young as 3 and as old as six will enjoy it and be able to relate. What child has not wandered out the garden or opened the gate to do so and get chastened? The subplot of
being good then, but still getting in “trouble” later by being tempted to sweet treats in the fridge, or cooling on the counter, or an unattended biscuit barrel is also very relatable. I particularly liked the subtle way this
helped convey a few things

1. You should listen to what Mummy tells you
2. You shouldn’t take ANYTHING, not even pudding or biscuits, without Mummy saying its ok, and never get greedy with them
3. When someone else gets in trouble, understand that you too make mistakes
4. When you make a mistake, or are naughty, you should make amends

The illustrations in the book are the same ones from the original 1942 printing. Done by Gustaf Adolf Tenggren, the head illustrator for Walt Disney Studios (his work appears in the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Disney production, as well as Bambi, and Pinocchio of the period), it is full of his signature gently sweet expressions and colours influenced
by his Scandinavian heritage. There is a rounded softness to everything that is drawn that is reminiscent of the same soft roundedness we see in the face of a toddler, which he manages to capture in the faces and expressions of the puppies that is truly remarkable.

Between the writing style and the quality of the enduring, gentle tale, and its lovely pictures, it is perhaps not surprising that this book, is the world’s biggest best selling title in children’s books written in
English. I myself got a copy of this book back in 1974 and actually reread it as often as when I was 12, charmed by the pictures, and making excuses to read it to younger neighbours, who in turn got their own copies as they too fell
in love with the book. Upon seeing it now for sale in the UK thanks to Amazon,
I ordered this book as one of my son’s fourth birthday gifts, and he loves it so much that it is one of the books he frequently takes to “read” in bed. His six ear old sister enjoys the story so much, she is often found in her little chair, having borrowed the book, and likely as not having to read it aloud to her little brother. Ideal for a bedtime read aloud, the only place I have seen it in the UK so far is Amazon.co.uk., but is definitely worth
getting it.

by Shroud

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Book review - Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers

Dorothy L Sayers - Strong Poison

Harriet Vane, a renowned author of crime fiction, is languishing in
prison
for the murder by poison of her ex-lover. Lord Peter Wimsey is
convinced
that she had nothing to do with the murder. However, initial
investigation
shows that the odds are stacked against Harriet. Can Wimsey, and his
sidekicks - Bunter, his valet, and Miss Climpson and Miss Murchison,
his
ladies that detect, prove both that Harriet didn’t do it and who the
guilty
party is? Or is Wimsey’s judgement clouded by his love for Harriet?

Dorothy L Sayers, as an author, is up there with Agatha Christie,
Margery
Allingham and Ngaio Marsh as one of the Queens of Crime. She is best
known
for her leading character, Lord Peter Wimsey. Wimsey is a wealthy
member of
the nobility who likes to dabble in crime. I personally find him quite
a
dull character. He is very much the thinking detective, leaving the on
the
ground detective work to his sidekicks and members of the police force,
and
as such, almost disappears into the background at times in this book. I
felt
that he could have been substituted by almost any fictional detective
and
the impact on the story would have been minimal. I did like the
relationship
he has with Harriet though. Knowing how the relationship later develops
(in
later books), I was interested to find out how they met.

The strength of this book undeniably lies in its plot. At the
beginning, it
seems that Harriet’s fate is sealed, but slowly, information is dripped
out
to the reader to make them question her guilt. And each time that I
thought
I might have worked it out, something would come along to make me doubt
myself. This really kept me on tenterhooks throughout the course of the
book; to the extent that I found it hard to put down.

The language and the setting for the novel seem old-fashioned and this
may
put some people off. For example, it may be hard for younger readers to
sympathise with Harriet’s predicament, which was shocking for its time,
because the meaning has been lost over the course of years. I
personally
love crime fiction set in the early twentieth century. Forensic science
techniques are obviously in their infancy, which means that the author
was
forced to create a really good story rather than blind us with science.

You can buy this book for £5.49 delivery is free - Play.com

by sunmeilan

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Funny bones book review

This book is one of my old time favourites, now having recently moved
house i had to dig in the loft.. and discovered i still have several books
from when i was in primsry school… !

Funny Bones was the first book i bought as a child from the schools
‘book club’ i think it cost around £3 in 1989-1990!

Its the storey of a daddy skeleton, a mammy and a doggy skeleton who
all live in a cellar, up dark dark stairs.. in the dark dark house, down a
dark dark steet, and a dark dark town !

They wait until night time when they appear and wanting fun they leave
the house.. and go to the park.. they take the dog with them a play catch,
but the dog hits a tree and smashes into a pile of bones.. so as some of
you might remember follows the funny piecing ryhme.. ‘the foot bones
connected to the.. the thigh bones connected to the … the and so on and so on’
and they put him together wrong a few funny times first.. and when they
have him back together they go to scare people, but as its night time no ones
out! So they play silly tricks on each other before returning back up their
dark dark street.. to their dark dark house, up their dark dark stairs… to
their dark dark cellar where they live!

My copy is a little shabby now, but ive given it my chloe, and she
practically knows it word for word as she has wanted me to read it to
her hundreds of times!!

A very fun book for a young child, id recommend it

Originally by L.M.Love 15/10/2007

You can buy this book for £4.99 delivery is free - Play.com

by Lisa

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

This book is one of my four year old son’s favourite books. I have
found him asleep with this book in his bed, sat on the sofa with it, and packed
in his overnight to Grandma’s bag countless times.

It is a simple little story book. Each page has a simple illustration
of a caterpillar and what he is doing. It starts off with the egg sat on a
leaf under the light of the moon, to its hatching, and then we follow the
hungry caterpillar on his food journey.

He is very hungry indeed, and munches his way through the usual leaves,
before getting greedy and eating silly things like watermelons, ice cream
cones, salami, etc. He gets a rather deserved tummy ache from that in a
light hearted moment, and when he gets to feeling better, spins a cocoon. We
then get the “surprise” of seeing him emerge a butterfly.

The story has a gentle tone, and is matter of fact. The pictures themselves
echo this feel, and rather than being mere drawings, are actual pieces of
art created by photographing collages made by layering multiple pieces of
paper. Another rather fun bit is the fact that where the caterpillar has
munched his way through something, we have a finger sized hole and the pages
are staggered so that as we see the pictorial list of what he has eaten on
each page, they make a larger picture.

You can get his book in paperback, hardback, or like we did, as a board
book. I highly recommend the board book version as it will be handled a lot,
and the board type pages stand up better to the finger poking that will
ensue through the holes!

I have seen this book practically everywhere that sells children’s books,
on and offline. You can expect to pay about £4.99 for it, and it is well
worth the price. Fun and educational, it is suitable for ages 18 months
to 5 years.

You can buy this book For £4.99 delivery is free - Play.com

by Shroud

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Over Sea Under Stone by Susan Cooper

This is the first book in the young adult science fiction and fantasy
series known as The Dark is Rising Sequence. I first read this book over
twenty years ago, and it is as fresh now as it was then.

The Drew children are summering in Cornwall. They and their great uncle
find a hidden map and become embroiled in a dark web of intrigue
surrounding an ancient Arthurian legend. Map in hand, the children set out to
defeat teh forces of evil, and to save the world from a horror unknown to most in
teh world.

If you like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Harry Potter, you
will love this. Drawing strongly on genuine Britsh mythos, we get a
tale of magic and redemption that is epic in scope, and doesn’t dumb it down.
Aimed at readers 11 and up, it is a griping, intelligent read that will have
the reader reaching for the second book of the five book sequence as soon as
this one is finished.

Due to a motion picture release soon to hand, this book is rather easy to
find at major high street shops at the moment.You can also order it online
from retailers such as Amazon.co.uk and Play.com for under £5.

You can buy this book for £4.99 delivery is free - Play.com

by Shroud

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Last tango in Aberystwyth by Malcolm Pryce

Having finished the first book in the series, Aberystwwyth Mon Amour,
in a single sitting, I was practically salivating to start the second book.
Luckily for me we had been given all three books in the series at the
same time, so I was able to indulge post haste. Having enjoyed the first
book so much, I was hoping the second would live up to its predecessor.

I was not disappointed. This time, Louie Knight is called upon to
investigate the uncharacteristic disappearance of Dean Morgan, a
lecturer at the faculty of Undertaking. Dean Morgan appears to have gotten mixed up
with ventriloquist and to have fallen into the notorious bed and breakfast
ghetto, only to disappear again. Knight trawls the Druid speakeasies and
shady toffee apple dens, uncovering a puzzling link to a Meals on
Wheels scandal, the local “What the Butler saw” movie industry, and chocolate
box models who pose with spinning wheels. It all makes for yet another
intelligently witty story that will appeal to fans of crime fiction, old
movies, and film noir as much as it will to lovers of Monty python,
Surreally funny, you simply will not be able to look at a Meals on
Wheels van or volunteer the same way ever again, and toffee apples will cause
a wry giggle forever after.

Having finished this in one sitting as well, I am unhappily awaiting the
other half to bring back the third book he took with him to work. I
NEED to read it too! As for you, if you have not read any of these, get thee to
a bookstore!

You can buy this book for £7.99 delivery is free - Waterstones

by Shroud

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Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wil

The first in the fictionalised memoirs of Laura Ingalls Wilder, this
book takes place during her early childhood. Four year old Laura lives with
her parents and older sister Mary in the wilds of Wisconsin. It is a place
of huge forests, with no end in sight and no neighbours close by at all.
They all live in small log cabin that her Pa built with his won two hands.

The book chronicles roughly a year in her life and through her childish
eyes we see American frontier life in the 1800’s. From cooking over a fire
to a homespun Christmas, it is all here. We see and feel her wonder the
first time she visits a town, and even get to experience an old time
harvest. The words are simple making this a fantastic read aloud to
children aged five and up or a good read alone for competent readers aged 8 and
up.
We have the edition, now in reprint, with the original Garth Williams
illustrations. These are simply fantastic and a must have, as they add a
sense of heartwarming charm and realism helping to connect young
readers to the story. I myself can recall seeing the pictures and reading this
very book over 30 years ago, and feeling I actually knew Laura. My own
daughter is now reading it, and has also found this to be true. She talks about
Laura and her adventures as if she were a chum up the street. While this is
my own 30 year old book, you can buy the reprint of this edition at most good
high street booksellers, as well as Amazon and Play.com.

You can buy thsi book for £4.99 delivery is free - Play.com

by Shroud

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Autobiography of a One Year Old by Rohan Candappa

This funny book is a lovely piece of reading fluff. Told to us
via the conceit that it has been narrated to the author by a child just past
his first birthday, we get a comic look at early childhood. Parents and
grandparents alike will chuckle at the nappy high view of the
milestones and day to views of reality as seen by a perplexed and thoughtful toddler.
We get musings on cuisine, dinner theatre, sand box etiquette, the discovery of
just what that secret surveillance equipment is for, and just who that
Stalker really is. It gives a comic insight as just how we and the
world just might seem to our own small ones, and reminds us a bit of what it
is like to be small.

Pocket sized, written as short diary style vignettes, this book fits neatly
in the handbag or briefcase for reading on the go. It also makes a cute
little gift for the parent or grandparent to be, tucked on top of a little
gift for the new baby. I myself came upon this via my pregnant step
daughter, who found such a funny read that she simply had to share. My
husband got to it first and despite us being at a family barbecue, was
to be found chuckling on the sofa, reading away and ignoring all else until
we took it away. All in all, a cute little book to chase the blahs away. I
know I found it a bright spot, and perfect for reading in snatches, chasing
the doldrums away.

You can buy this book for £4.99 delivery is free - Play.com

by Shroud

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