Kit de Waal
Author of My Name Is Leon
About the Author
Works by Kit de Waal
The Trick to Time 1 copy
Associated Works
New Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Writing by Women of African Descent (1992) — Contributor — 90 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1960
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- England
UK - Country (for map)
- UK
- Birthplace
- Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, UK
- Education
- Oxford Brookes University(MA|Creative Writing)
- Occupations
- She worked for 15 years in criminal and family law and as a magistrate (Justice of the Peace). She sits on adoption panels, worked as an adviser for Social Services and has written training manuals on adoption and foster care.
- Short biography
- Mandy Theresa O'Loughlin (born 26 July 1960), known professionally as Kit de Waal, is an English writer. De Waal was born in Birmingham, England, to Sheila O'Loughlin (née Doyle), a foster carer, registered child minder and auxiliary nurse, and Arthur Desmond O'Loughlin, a bus driver. Her maternal grandparents were Irish, from County Wexford, her father was from Basseterre, St. Kitts in the West Indies and a descendant of William Julius.
De Waal attended Waverly Grammar School in Small Heath, Birmingham. She worked for 15 years in criminal and family law and as a magistrate (Justice of the Peace). She sits on adoption panels, worked as an adviser for Social Services and has written training manuals on adoption and foster care. She began writing for pleasure at an early age, and when her children were relatively independent, she decided to study creative writing which she did at Oxford Brookes University, achieving a master's degree.De Waal is married to John de Waal, QC, son of Victor de Waal. They have two children.
Members
Reviews
This is a book that didn't start well for me. The first few pages made me feel that here was a book I could trot through easily enough, but with no particular enjoyment. In fact, it soon engaged me. I was drawn into Leon's life, his circumstances of going into care for the nth time, away from the mother he loves, and later, the baby brother he adores.
I enjoyed the story as it moved on. The increasingly important role of the allotment in his life, Tufty and Mr Devlin, seemed likely. We know school isn't a success for Leon, despite his being a bright boy. I was surprised at how little we see of his unhappy and unsatisfactory school life, though most of his week is spent there. Though I think that's fine.
What is less fine is the ending. After the crisis with carers Maureen and Sylvia, when Leon believes they plan to move to Hastings, buy a dog and abandon him, when he unwittingly gets involved in the local rioting, we suddenly find ourselves facing a 'happily ever after' ending. Suddenly Leon seems to have accepted his situation. He seems to accept Maureen and Sylvia as his family. The longing for baby brother Jake seems to have taken a back seat. The implication seems to be that his pilfering may have stopped. Just like that. Or am I reading too much into that last chapter?
So ..... a readable book giving real insight into the difficulties so many vulnerable children face. It wasn't a thoroughly successful book, nevertheless it was eye-opening and thought-provoking.
… (more)
I enjoyed the story as it moved on. The increasingly important role of the allotment in his life, Tufty and Mr Devlin, seemed likely. We know school isn't a success for Leon, despite his being a bright boy. I was surprised at how little we see of his unhappy and unsatisfactory school life, though most of his week is spent there. Though I think that's fine.
What is less fine is the ending. After the crisis with carers Maureen and Sylvia, when Leon believes they plan to move to Hastings, buy a dog and abandon him, when he unwittingly gets involved in the local rioting, we suddenly find ourselves facing a 'happily ever after' ending. Suddenly Leon seems to have accepted his situation. He seems to accept Maureen and Sylvia as his family. The longing for baby brother Jake seems to have taken a back seat. The implication seems to be that his pilfering may have stopped. Just like that. Or am I reading too much into that last chapter?
So ..... a readable book giving real insight into the difficulties so many vulnerable children face. It wasn't a thoroughly successful book, nevertheless it was eye-opening and thought-provoking.
… (more)
This is an excellent set of short stories, all told in a very intimate format Some of them are connected, and once you've seen that, you start wondering how many others are related. Jimmy who deserts his bride at the alter, is he also the man that has moved to a snooker hall in Bristol? None of the people telling their stories are overt, they are all quite contained. There's no Divas in here, they might all be considered supporting cast members in the play of life.
I loved Kit de Waal's My Name is Leon, so when I saw The Trick to Time was coming out, I grabbed an ARC as quickly as I could. This book is fairly different from the previous one, but by no means less powerful. The focus here is on Mona, a sixty-year-old Irish dollmaker, and her efforts to live to the full the life she has left.
The book alternates between present-day Mona and her past, first as child in Ireland trying to cope with her mother's illness, and later as a young woman attempting to build a new life in England. I loved slowly getting to know Mona: as her past is unveiled and her present unfolds before our eyes, she gradually shapes up to be a wonderfully complex character. Supported by an unforgettable cast of secondary characters, Mona tries to put together pieces of her past life, and tries to overcome pain bigger than anyone should ever have to face.
The author's wonderful writing style takes us back to a time when life was different, and when social tensions exploded, immediately contrasting that with the quiet seaside town where present-day Mona lives. And it just works. Mona is complex and charismatic enough to hold the whole story together, the settings and historical elements add depth to the story, and the final revelations did surprise me a little bit, as I had drawn completely the wrong conclusion! The only negative for me is that, at times, the narration felt a bit slow, making this feel longer than it really is, but it was definitely worth it!
For this and more reviews, visit Book for Thought.
I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.… (more)
The book alternates between present-day Mona and her past, first as child in Ireland trying to cope with her mother's illness, and later as a young woman attempting to build a new life in England. I loved slowly getting to know Mona: as her past is unveiled and her present unfolds before our eyes, she gradually shapes up to be a wonderfully complex character. Supported by an unforgettable cast of secondary characters, Mona tries to put together pieces of her past life, and tries to overcome pain bigger than anyone should ever have to face.
The author's wonderful writing style takes us back to a time when life was different, and when social tensions exploded, immediately contrasting that with the quiet seaside town where present-day Mona lives. And it just works. Mona is complex and charismatic enough to hold the whole story together, the settings and historical elements add depth to the story, and the final revelations did surprise me a little bit, as I had drawn completely the wrong conclusion! The only negative for me is that, at times, the narration felt a bit slow, making this feel longer than it really is, but it was definitely worth it!
For this and more reviews, visit Book for Thought.
I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.… (more)
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 9
- Also by
- 4
- Members
- 573
- Popularity
- #43,720
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 39
- ISBNs
- 44
- Languages
- 3
Leon, the title character in Kit de Waal's latest book, has shouldered more responsibility than any 10 year old should. Try as he might to be the best caretaker for his infant brother, and his mentally unstable mother, social services soon splits up the family. Leon learns the hard truth that while there are families willing to adopt a white baby, like his brother, he will likely live out his childhood and teen years in the foster care system.
This book is a poignant look at the fragile nature of kids in unstable situations, their desperation to just belong, and hope that maybe if they can just be "good enough" their family can get back together. It also shows the power of love and how "family" isn't necessarily the group we were born into.
Thank you to NetGalley and Viking for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (more)