Books
by Emma Smith
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The Far Cry |
To evade her mother's clutches, Teresa, aged 14, is taken by her father to India to live with her half-sister. But this novel was written in the late 40s, so no planes, but train, boat and more trains and when they arrive, things are not as expected. Journey and events slowly unfold with evocative descriptions of people, place and landscape. India breathes, as do the characters. This gem, recently re-published, is worth seeking out.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 50 March 2009) |
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The Great Western Beach - A Memoir of a Cornish Childhood Between the Wars |
Not all bliss but written with perception and compassion, this is the antithesis of those over-hyped misery memoirs. As well as a portrait of the highs and lows of family life, it is a beautiful evocation of life in a small Cornish town between the Wars. Emma Smith recalls her world through a child's eyes. Her last words are "Goodbye, my childhood!" and throughout there is a lingering sense of Paradise (however imperfect) lost.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 49 January 2009) |
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