Rags, Bones and Donkey Stones - B.A. Lightfoot
Sept 6, 2012 20:34:42 GMT
Post by shred on Sept 6, 2012 20:34:42 GMT
B A Lightfoot’s first book, "Made in Myrtle Street" was the story of a group of Salford men fighting in the first World War with their families at home and told of the tragedies of both war and the estranged family struggles in Salford. "Rags, Bones and Donkey Stones" picks up the story when the men, those that survived, returned to a changed community in which women had taken and enjoyed more work and responsibility and into which the men had difficulty adjusting. This is set against the economic difficulties of post war cities where jobs are scarce, and, interestingly, women's suffragettes are emerging as an active force. Issues of class are also always present.
The main narrative is the story of the lives of a number of the families: deaths, loves, marriages and relationships generally struggling to makes ends meet but having a community to support them. This story is told with detailed characterisation of the family members and their environment. The descriptions of the streets, houses and workplaces are drawn with great attention to detail which evokes a clear picture to the reader.
The sub-plot, which eventually takes over as the main interest, is a lovely detective story in which two of the young girls, Pip and Amy, want to discover the identity of a beautiful woman who appears in a painting with Pip’s father’s friend, Liam. The denouement of this mystery is only revealed right at the end of the book with tension building up to the last few pages.
So the book is a story of post-First World War families in Salford, a mystery - detective story, and one which brings insight to the political, social and economic conditions and developments of the times. All of those things were achieved - congratulations. Who would have thought there was a shortage of Bovril?.
The main narrative is the story of the lives of a number of the families: deaths, loves, marriages and relationships generally struggling to makes ends meet but having a community to support them. This story is told with detailed characterisation of the family members and their environment. The descriptions of the streets, houses and workplaces are drawn with great attention to detail which evokes a clear picture to the reader.
The sub-plot, which eventually takes over as the main interest, is a lovely detective story in which two of the young girls, Pip and Amy, want to discover the identity of a beautiful woman who appears in a painting with Pip’s father’s friend, Liam. The denouement of this mystery is only revealed right at the end of the book with tension building up to the last few pages.
So the book is a story of post-First World War families in Salford, a mystery - detective story, and one which brings insight to the political, social and economic conditions and developments of the times. All of those things were achieved - congratulations. Who would have thought there was a shortage of Bovril?.
