Oh dear, not a very edifying read. A quote on the back of my copy says that 'Glaister's novels always appear to be as efforless for her to write as they are for us to read.' Well yes, it must indeed be effortless to write a book in which characters have so little depth and the plot is so obvious. (That's a harsh comment really, writing is never effortless, but you get my point.)Jenny is twelve when she is told by her parents that they are actually her grandparents, and that her mother abandoned her at birth. She is an unpopular girl at school, and during this same time is pressured into making friends with an equally unpopular girl who she dislikes. She meets a 'mystery man' while hanging around a local disused church. There are elements here that would make a really good story about the difficulties of being a teenager and going through these things when you are not yet sure of your own identity - let alone anyone else's - but it never comes together.
This is a superb coming of age novel. You might need to be of a certain era to appreciate it fully, but I found it so evocative. The characters are eccentric and believable. And the feel of being a teenager, when one minute you had a moment of revelation and the next, you could nt believe you got it so wrong.The school jumpers just slighly different from the ones bought from the recommended outfitters, and the little book charm on the charm bracelet!!!!A tender emotional book about relationships, one I could nt set down until Id finished
