LucindaE
11-23-2010, 03:44 PM
:) I have been re-reading an old fashioned book (but not a classic) by a writer my mother always had in - Monica Dickens. It's called 'The Heart of London'. I read it when I was thirteen, more years ago than I care to admit, during those long winter evenings in rural North Wales...
It's set during the early 1960's and I assume that the 'Cottingham Park' is meant to be Notting Hill. It follows the fortunes of a number of people when a new road is built that cuts right through the community, and its affect (effect? I can never remember the rules about that one!) on a number of families and individuals.
These include an unfortunate woman, May, a midwife who's an 'old maid' by the standards of the time whose parents spend their time runnng a lodging house and making jokes at her expense. Then there is her friend Veronica, a hairdresser who is also undermined, in her case by her insensitive fiance Fred and by obscene phone calls from the seedy Arthur Sears, a lodger of May's parents, on whom May has marital designs.
There is Martha, who is desperate for the area not to change, and who insists on having her friend Anne, become an alcoholic in America, to live with her family, driving her husband Guy to distraction.
Then there is Edgar Biggs, who wants to be a teacher, though he is stuck in the terrible old 'secondary modern' school Green Lane, where teachers never stay. His parents want to go back to Trinidad. He is helped by his young, idealistic teacher Grace Peel, who starts at Green Lane when her old school is closed to make way for the road, but things happen that prevent him from living up to his promise. :(
Grace is desparately fancied by the hopeless Denzil, who is even prepared to follow her to Green Lane, and twleve year old Frankie Bott, whose mother is an appalling racist, but who is friends with Edgar anyway.
Colin MacKenzie, a more experienced teacher, agrees to help her in her plans for Edgar. Meanwhile, she wishes that he had asked her out again after a 'perfunctionary' visit to see a friend's play. He lives with this friend, but this being in early 1960's, that and his chilly attitude to her doesn't mean that he prefers the friend.
Before I go on and write a 'spoiler' :idea:has anyone else read this/would like to read this and discuss it? :?:It being such an old fashioned book, very likely nobody does (I couldn't find anyone on Amzon, either!) :(
Back again soon.
LucindaE
xx
It's set during the early 1960's and I assume that the 'Cottingham Park' is meant to be Notting Hill. It follows the fortunes of a number of people when a new road is built that cuts right through the community, and its affect (effect? I can never remember the rules about that one!) on a number of families and individuals.
These include an unfortunate woman, May, a midwife who's an 'old maid' by the standards of the time whose parents spend their time runnng a lodging house and making jokes at her expense. Then there is her friend Veronica, a hairdresser who is also undermined, in her case by her insensitive fiance Fred and by obscene phone calls from the seedy Arthur Sears, a lodger of May's parents, on whom May has marital designs.
There is Martha, who is desperate for the area not to change, and who insists on having her friend Anne, become an alcoholic in America, to live with her family, driving her husband Guy to distraction.
Then there is Edgar Biggs, who wants to be a teacher, though he is stuck in the terrible old 'secondary modern' school Green Lane, where teachers never stay. His parents want to go back to Trinidad. He is helped by his young, idealistic teacher Grace Peel, who starts at Green Lane when her old school is closed to make way for the road, but things happen that prevent him from living up to his promise. :(
Grace is desparately fancied by the hopeless Denzil, who is even prepared to follow her to Green Lane, and twleve year old Frankie Bott, whose mother is an appalling racist, but who is friends with Edgar anyway.
Colin MacKenzie, a more experienced teacher, agrees to help her in her plans for Edgar. Meanwhile, she wishes that he had asked her out again after a 'perfunctionary' visit to see a friend's play. He lives with this friend, but this being in early 1960's, that and his chilly attitude to her doesn't mean that he prefers the friend.
Before I go on and write a 'spoiler' :idea:has anyone else read this/would like to read this and discuss it? :?:It being such an old fashioned book, very likely nobody does (I couldn't find anyone on Amzon, either!) :(
Back again soon.
LucindaE
xx