Going Home - Caravans & Shirley Caesar

Advantages: Light read, gripping storyline
Disadvantages: Not much humour, characters a little unrealistic.

...Having booked a ten day holiday to Sicily, it was evident I was going to need some light and easy reading material for the plane, the beach and anywhere else I was planning to laze around. Now, not being clever, I left this until I was at the airport. Rushing into WH Smith ten minutes before the gates closed I scrambled together three books for their promotion, paid hastily and ran to get the plane. On board I scanned the first book: 'Going Home' by Harriet Evans. 'Going Home' is the first novel by Harriet Evans, and has been described as 'A delicious romp through family life, funny and engaging' by Choice magazine. Sophie Kinsella is also quoted on the front cover as saying 'Fabulous? I loved it.' So what's it about? • The Plot • Basically, the story revolves around Lizzy, a twenty-something woman with a strange... Read review

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Advantages: Nice Story With Detailed Illustrations.
Disadvantages: None

...which showed he was taking it all in: Why did Alfie need his Blanket? Why was Min crying? Why was Bernard Naughty? Why does Alfie not need his blanket anymore? I would recommend this book if your child is a little nervous about going to their first birthday party. Illustrations = The illustrations are very artistic and well drawn, all the children have cute cherubic faces and there is lots of fine detail in them. There are lots of thing's in the background you and the children can talk about. Alfie lends a hand is illustrated by Shirley Hughes. Other Books By Shirley Hughes = Dogger A Brush With The Past Ella's Big Chance Alfie and The Birthday Surprise Alfie Wins A Prize Alfie's Feet Alfie Gets in First Annie Rose is My Little Sister Abel's Moon Moon Alfie's Weather Lucy and Tom... Read review

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Advantages: Insights into the true characters of Emily and Anne Bronte
Disadvantages: Not an easy read

..."Shirley" by Charlotte Bronte. Penguin Classics. ISBN 0-14-043095-4 This is a gem of a book, written just after Jane Eyre and set in the time of the Napoleonic Wars, it is one of Charlotte Bronte's best. It follows the fortunes of two women Caroline Helstone and Shirley Keeldar and their involvement with the Moore brothers. These relationships are set against the politics of England and the Continent at the time of the Luddite uprisings and Napoleonic wars respectively. In that respect Shirley has a farther reach as a novel than some of Charlotte Bronte's other more personal novels such as Jane Eyre. It is particularly interesting as a literary piece because there is some evidence that the two principle female characters are based on Charlotte's two sisters Anne and Emily and as such give the reader some insight into what... Read review

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