Norman Collins (1) (1907–1982)

London Belongs To Me covers two years, from Christmas 1938 to Christmas 1940. Momentous years for London, but it starts in a very un-momentous way, with an office Christmas party which includes a farewell to the loyal but invisible clerk, Mr Josser. Of all the characters in that chapter, I was surprised that the narrative then followed Mr Josser home - but I think I was meant to feel that way, as the point of the story is to look into the lives of the sort of people who go about their lives show more barely noticed - the quiet clerk, the ageing cloakroom attendant, the car mechanic whose abilities will never live up to his dreams. All these people live in the same building as Mr Josser, and (with the rest of their neighbours) we follow them for the next two years. It's a lightly written book, but in some ways all human life is here in these quiet characters, with all their human emotions, ambitions, loyalties and dreams. The author's real sympathy for these people comes through.

One of my favourite scenes was the one in which the Jossers meet their future in-laws for the first time. We see Mrs Josser in a complete panic about how to make a good impression - the other father is a country doctor, not a retired South London clerk. But when we meet the other parents, it's clear that they have been in just as much of a panic about the impression they will make on these glamorous city folk. Even though the dinner goes badly, my heart was warmed by the fact that Mrs Josser was not, in the end, shown up as she had feared.

London itself, in all its grimness and rich diversity, is almost a character in the book as well. It's a bit reminiscent of Dickens in this way, and in the detailed attention it gives to people's lives. (Also, the character names - Veesey Blaize, the lawyer, for example). show less

London Belongs to Me had everything I look for in a book: well-drawn characters, a vivid setting, and interesting storylines. Throw in some history and I’m pretty well set. The novel opens on Christmas Eve, 1938, as Fred Josser is retiring from his long career as a bookkeeper. His entire adult life has been shaped by daily routine, and one can imagine he will have difficulty coping with retirement. Mr Josser returns home to celebrate Christmas with his family, introducing the reader to the show more other tenants of 10 Dulcimer Street. Besides Mr & Mrs Josser and their adult children Ted and Doris, there’s Mr Puddy, Mrs Boon and her son Percy, Connie the aging former actress turned hatcheck girl, spiritual medium Mr Squales, and landlady Mrs Vizzard. Each has a story that will play out gradually over two years and more than 700 pages.

The Jossers are very much at the center of this novel. They look out for their neighbors and seem to be involved to some degree in most anything that happens. This is not always by choice -- Connie has a way of putting her nose into everyone’s business, to amusing effect. But when Mrs Boon and Percy fall on hard times, the Jossers work tirelessly on their behalf, setting their own dreams aside. When Mrs Vizzard suffers a betrayal, Mrs Josser overcomes her natural reserve to provide comfort. And then there’s the war and its far-reaching impact on everyone’s lives.

This book makes for easy, relaxing reading, thanks to a pleasing rotation of chapters focused on the many characters, and ending with mini-cliffhangers that made me eager to keep reading to learn what would happen next. show less

I've been telling anyone who will listen about this book. It is an incredible piece of literature - full of life, humour, pathos. It reads like a classic Ealing Film and it made me warm to London in a way I haven't before. All of the characters are beautifully real, from the landlady of the house that acts as the focus of the novel, to her crazy fiancé who pretends to be a medium without realising he really is a medium, and the perpetually resting actress who likes to be in the thick of show more everyone's business. The best characters, though, are the Josser family. They are every working class family from that era - resolute, principled, kind but not showy. I was sad when I had to close the book on them. I love it when characters become important to me like that. show less

Heavily Dickens-influenced slab of London life covering the inhabitants of a Kennington rooming-house from Christmas 1938 to Christmas 1940. There are some funny scenes, especially involving the novel's best character, the spiritualist and con-man Mr Squales, who unwittingly possesses real psychic powers (which I thought ought to have featured more than just twice). However, most of the humour is very much of the "gentle" variety, as Collins affectionately steers characters like the show more bumbling, congestive Mr Puddy and the impoverished but optimistic Connie through a series of minor misadventures. The scenes from the blitz, which only get going in the last 1/4 of the novel, are very well done. The trials of Connie and Percy are also standout set-pieces.

The two downsides for me were the Dickensian nomenclature (Josser, Puddy, Squales, a barrister by the name of Veesey Blaise) and Collin's constant narration from within his characters' heads which, given they speak in rather similar voices, gives the prose a saminess that grates over 700+ pages. But that's the kind of book this is.

There's no grand scheme to this novel; it's just a well-drawn soap focusing on ordinary Londoners. I can absolutely see why it was a popular smash on publication. show less