Right at the end of the 1914-18 war, Belinda’s man was pulled into the French earth to feed the poppies. For 4 years she mourned, this is the heart warming tale of how she will move on, the emotional and genderist challenges to be overcome. Representing the many “surplus women” left without a man to marry, this looks at the negative sides of this outcome in the harsh environment of post war Europe.
How do you move on after the death of your partner? This book gives a top tip of what not to do, don’t move in with his Mam and G-Mam, dress in black and mourn for an eternity. Having said that, the characters surrounding Belinda all served the story well, providing contrasting and likeable personalities too. The sorrow of the bereaved Mam and G-Mam seeps the reader in sadness whilst posing a conundrum for Belinda. An unfortunate consequence of being engaged to Mr Dead is that Belinda now lives with the near in-laws, she doesn’t want to upset them but 4 years is enough sadness and she wants to be happy again. The female characters support Belinda, but the in-laws kindness stifles her ability to move on. Contrasting this are hateful useless males such as her Dad, with his boozing selfish ways, taking her money despite not actually supporting her in any way. Throw in a perverted boss and the scene is set. I would have liked to see a warmer side to the bad male characters.
The writing style is in northern English, I enjoyed the authenticity this added but felt like it was more like Boltonian than Mancunian, which is a good thing. The first person draws you into Belinda’s thoughts, how she thinks of others before herself, a very likeable character with a positive disposition, she wouldn’t last long in actual Manchester.
This is a well written straightforward read, recommended to those who seek a novel which explores taking a positive attitude when faced with trauma and adversity. As a reader you just want to see her make it through to the end.
How do you move on after the death of your partner? This book gives a top tip of what not to do, don’t move in with his Mam and G-Mam, dress in black and mourn for an eternity. Having said that, the characters surrounding Belinda all served the story well, providing contrasting and likeable personalities too. The sorrow of the bereaved Mam and G-Mam seeps the reader in sadness whilst posing a conundrum for Belinda. An unfortunate consequence of being engaged to Mr Dead is that Belinda now lives with the near in-laws, she doesn’t want to upset them but 4 years is enough sadness and she wants to be happy again. The female characters support Belinda, but the in-laws kindness stifles her ability to move on. Contrasting this are hateful useless males such as her Dad, with his boozing selfish ways, taking her money despite not actually supporting her in any way. Throw in a perverted boss and the scene is set. I would have liked to see a warmer side to the bad male characters.
The writing style is in northern English, I enjoyed the authenticity this added but felt like it was more like Boltonian than Mancunian, which is a good thing. The first person draws you into Belinda’s thoughts, how she thinks of others before herself, a very likeable character with a positive disposition, she wouldn’t last long in actual Manchester.
This is a well written straightforward read, recommended to those who seek a novel which explores taking a positive attitude when faced with trauma and adversity. As a reader you just want to see her make it through to the end.