Shena MackayBesprekingen

Little sparkless at the beginning but once I was drawn in I was held. Aching story lines were told in such a gentle, truly childlike way. Quirky and powerful.

A dark tale which reveals the mores of adult deliquency towards raising children in the 1950s. Beautiful writing, with some astonishing metaphors and similies. Far from uplifting, but highly memeorable.

Sheena MacKay conjures up childhood in 1950s Kent very vividly in this story of April, the daughter of the Harlency's who take over the Copper Kettle Tearoom in a village in Kent, and her best friend, Ruby, whose parents run the local pub.

Picked up off the bookshelf in our holiday cottage - by Darren actually who thought I might like it based on the fact that he'd read another of Mackay's books years ago. And I did. Found it all a bit flowery at first (mostly due to reading it hot on the heels of Ian McEwan I think) but it paints a vivid picture of a 1950s village childhood. Some aspects of it I found a bit stereotypical but in the end they didn't distract from the overall tale.

A short story collection about which I can remember almost nothing. Clearly I managed to plough through it, but I can't have liked it much.

A novel of country childhood, steeped in the heady scent of of Kentish meadows in spring, with the sharp undertone of rotting grass.

It is well written, though the aspects of the plot are oddly inconclusive. Bubbles of interests are raised, and left to go flat.

The adulthood of the narrator, which frames the events described, is dealt with too quickly, seeming rushed. I suppose however, that this does leave us free to ruminate on the main material of the novel.

The glories of childhood, deliciously described, are juxtaposed with darker realities. The fact that this does little to dim the poignancy of the narrators reminiscence is intriguing and the mark of a tale sophisticated in its simplicity. Its beauty is real, not idealistic fantasy, and thus artfully done.

I found this book in a bargain bin at the Barnes and Noble in Memphis, TN. If you are wondering what Memphis is like, don't ever live there!
Anyway, I liked the title of this book. A lot. And, as it was only $3 or so, I bought it. Wow. These are good stories, but not in a way that I could ever explain to you. They just made me feel like I was reading the work of someone who I could relate to and who would understand my many problems at the time. I tried to read one of Ms. MacKay's novels a few years ago and it just wasn't the same.
This isn't a book that you gradually slide into and later on decide you like. The first story is like a punch in the face. But, like, the kind of punch in the face that is pleasant and exhilarating. I promise. I don't know you, but you would like it.