Monica Dickens (1915–1992)
Author of Mariana
About the Author
Series
Works by Monica Dickens
One Pair of Hands | The Happy Prisoner | Mariana | Kate and Emma | One Pair of Feet (1978) 17 copies, 2 reviews
The End of the Line 2 copies
Portobello Road 2 copies
Een paar handen 1 copy
World's End in winter 1 copy
The Outsider 1 copy
...Edward's fancy 1 copy
Coping with my widowhood 1 copy
Storm Ahead 1 copy
Associated Works
Mistresses of Mystery: Two Centuries of Suspense Stories by the Gentle Sex (1973) — Contributor — 34 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Dickens, Monica Enid
- Birthdate
- 1915-05-10
- Date of death
- 1992-12-25
- Gender
- female
- Education
- St Paul's Girls' School, London
- Occupations
- cook
nurse
journalist
columnist
writer
fitter (show all 7)
debutante - Organizations
- National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Samaritans - Awards and honors
- Order of the British Empire (Member, 1981)
- Relationships
- Dickens, Charles (great-grandfather)
Dickens, Cedric (cousin)
Danby, Mary (niece) - Short biography
- From the publisher: MONICA DICKENS, born in 1915, was brought up in London. Her mother's German origins and her Catholicism gave her the detached eye of an outsider; at St Paul's Girls' School she was under occupied and rebellious. After drama school she was a debutante before working as a cook. One Pair of Hands (1937), her first book, described life in the kitchens of Kensington. It was the first of a group of semi autobiographies of which Mariana (1940), technically a novel, was one. 'My aim is to entertain rather than instruct,' she wrote. 'I want readers to recognise life in my books.' In 1951 Monica Dickens married a US naval officer, Roy Stratton, moved to America and adopted two daughters. An extremely popular writer, she involved herself in, and wrote about, good causes such as the Samaritans. After her husband died she lived in a cottage in rural Berkshire, dying there in 1992.
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- London, Middlesex, England, UK
- Places of residence
- London, Middlesex, England, UK
Washington, D.C., USA
Falmouth, Massachusetts, USA
Hinxworth, Hertfordshire, USA
Berkshire, England, UK - Place of death
- Reading, Berkshire, England, UK
- Map Location
- England, UK
Members
Discussions
Story about a widow and her three daughters in Name that Book (June 2013)
Reviews
Dickens examines the emotional lives of both those who use the Samaritans' service and the listeners themselves. She presents her characters with a sensitive voice, unflinching but not sentimental and without sensationalizing.
It's not much of a spoiler to say that at the outset you expect that at least one of her characters will complete a suicide attempt. That it's not at all obvious who that will be is a testament to Dickens's skill as a writer, as is her ability to make you care about the show more fates of her characters.
The details of the Samaritans' procedures and service are no longer accurate, much having changed since 1970 when the book was written. What has not changed is the Samaritans' commitment to helping alleviate the distress of those suffering emotional turmoil, despair and feelings of suicide. A fine attestation of the work they have done and continue to do.
http://www.samaritans.org/
116 123 (UK)
jo@samaritans.org show less
It's not much of a spoiler to say that at the outset you expect that at least one of her characters will complete a suicide attempt. That it's not at all obvious who that will be is a testament to Dickens's skill as a writer, as is her ability to make you care about the show more fates of her characters.
The details of the Samaritans' procedures and service are no longer accurate, much having changed since 1970 when the book was written. What has not changed is the Samaritans' commitment to helping alleviate the distress of those suffering emotional turmoil, despair and feelings of suicide. A fine attestation of the work they have done and continue to do.
http://www.samaritans.org/
116 123 (UK)
jo@samaritans.org show less
One Pair of Feet is a witty, warts and all look at nursing at an English hospital during World War II. It goes to show that technology might change, but some things in jobs are timeless.
Monica Dickens relays her experiences as a trainee nurse outside London and it’s equal parts hilarious, touching and sad. The other staff and hospital are all fictionalised, but they are still memorable. Wanting to do her bit for the war, she tosses up her options to be a Land Girl (messy), work in jobs show more involving uniforms (not flattering) or in other roles. Nursing sounds caring, and will utilise her skills at cooking too. She then writes to a hospital asking for a place and entertains the thought of what the matron will be like based on her name. Sadly, it’s not as warming and welcome as she expects and she’s thrown into the ward to start training. There are mistakes, great achievements, friends and foes – and in between it all are the patients. Monica also discusses the rules and regulations of the hospital and the hospital hierarchy, which she’s not overly fond of. But she does get paid while training, has a roof over her head and the opportunity to go to Air Force dances, so it’s not all bad.
This book did take me a little to get into as it’s quite conversational in tone at the start (good), but didn’t seem to be getting anywhere fast. Once Monica arrives at the hospital, the story is more focused and becomes a commentary on all things hospital, from the emphasis on cleaning (important, but the level beyond what’s needed to disinfect and keep furniture clean is odd to the modern reader) to the uniform (cuffs must be worn outside the ward, even if it’s a life threatening emergency). I found the leaps in medicine quite quaint at times. Attaching a patient to an intravenous fluid bag is routine these days (having a cannula put in is one of the first stops on most hospital admissions), but to Monica and her colleagues, it’s an Event. In contrast, administering patients morphine seems to have a lot less red tape – and it’s left to one nurse overnight for the whole hospital. The management of the ‘gastrics’ (presumably patients with gastric or duodenal ulcers) is practically prehistoric in the post-Warren/Marshall era. (They discovered that most ulcers were due to bacteria, Helicobacter pylori, rather than stress, diet or disposition). They need a special (read: bland) diet and are often operated on to cut out the ulcers. They seem to take up a lot of beds and time for treatment that sadly wasn’t very effective! Other attitudes and ideas are occasionally dated at times.
I was sad when this book was over, because I’d enjoyed getting the raw, unfiltered version of Monica’s nursing life. Her comments are wry, sometimes cynical and others remain relevant to hospital life today. It’s a witty, conversational read that is good fun.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com show less
Monica Dickens relays her experiences as a trainee nurse outside London and it’s equal parts hilarious, touching and sad. The other staff and hospital are all fictionalised, but they are still memorable. Wanting to do her bit for the war, she tosses up her options to be a Land Girl (messy), work in jobs show more involving uniforms (not flattering) or in other roles. Nursing sounds caring, and will utilise her skills at cooking too. She then writes to a hospital asking for a place and entertains the thought of what the matron will be like based on her name. Sadly, it’s not as warming and welcome as she expects and she’s thrown into the ward to start training. There are mistakes, great achievements, friends and foes – and in between it all are the patients. Monica also discusses the rules and regulations of the hospital and the hospital hierarchy, which she’s not overly fond of. But she does get paid while training, has a roof over her head and the opportunity to go to Air Force dances, so it’s not all bad.
This book did take me a little to get into as it’s quite conversational in tone at the start (good), but didn’t seem to be getting anywhere fast. Once Monica arrives at the hospital, the story is more focused and becomes a commentary on all things hospital, from the emphasis on cleaning (important, but the level beyond what’s needed to disinfect and keep furniture clean is odd to the modern reader) to the uniform (cuffs must be worn outside the ward, even if it’s a life threatening emergency). I found the leaps in medicine quite quaint at times. Attaching a patient to an intravenous fluid bag is routine these days (having a cannula put in is one of the first stops on most hospital admissions), but to Monica and her colleagues, it’s an Event. In contrast, administering patients morphine seems to have a lot less red tape – and it’s left to one nurse overnight for the whole hospital. The management of the ‘gastrics’ (presumably patients with gastric or duodenal ulcers) is practically prehistoric in the post-Warren/Marshall era. (They discovered that most ulcers were due to bacteria, Helicobacter pylori, rather than stress, diet or disposition). They need a special (read: bland) diet and are often operated on to cut out the ulcers. They seem to take up a lot of beds and time for treatment that sadly wasn’t very effective! Other attitudes and ideas are occasionally dated at times.
I was sad when this book was over, because I’d enjoyed getting the raw, unfiltered version of Monica’s nursing life. Her comments are wry, sometimes cynical and others remain relevant to hospital life today. It’s a witty, conversational read that is good fun.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com show less
Mariana is the second book from Persephone, which publishes "mainly neglected fiction and non-fiction by women, for women and about women." Published in 1940, it is essentially a coming of age story about an ordinary English woman, and on the basis of that description might easily be dismissed. But what makes Mariana such a charming read is its structure. The book opens with our heroine, Mary, ensconced in a holiday cottage with her dog, Bingo, and a raging storm outdoors. She hears some show more upsetting news on the radio, but the weather prevents her venturing out to obtain more information. Instead, the reader is treated to the story of Mary's life, from idyllic childhood summers in the country, through her school days and young adulthood in London.
Mary grows up surrounded by interesting and influential characters. Her widowed, independent mother fosters a sense of independence in her daughter, even as Mary with school and vocational training. Mary's uncle Geoffrey, an actor, lives with Mary and her mother. His carefree approach to life strikes Mary as much more desirable than her mother's constant worry about having enough money for life's basic necessities. Mary’s first love is her cousin Denys, and it takes years for her to understand their close relationship can be nothing more than platonic. But she is resilient and every relationship with a man teaches her more about what she needs from life and love.
By the time we arrive at those moments in the cottage, we are fully invested in Mary's story and learning the details behind the news report. Monica Dickens reveals those details and wraps up Mary’s story in a most clever fashion. All in all, a very satisfying read. show less
Mary grows up surrounded by interesting and influential characters. Her widowed, independent mother fosters a sense of independence in her daughter, even as Mary with school and vocational training. Mary's uncle Geoffrey, an actor, lives with Mary and her mother. His carefree approach to life strikes Mary as much more desirable than her mother's constant worry about having enough money for life's basic necessities. Mary’s first love is her cousin Denys, and it takes years for her to understand their close relationship can be nothing more than platonic. But she is resilient and every relationship with a man teaches her more about what she needs from life and love.
By the time we arrive at those moments in the cottage, we are fully invested in Mary's story and learning the details behind the news report. Monica Dickens reveals those details and wraps up Mary’s story in a most clever fashion. All in all, a very satisfying read. show less
So can you have a story remain interesting when the protagonist is confined to bed the entire time? Oh, yes you can. Monica Dickens is a master--insightful, witty, with a brilliant turn of phrase. The Happy Prisoner portrays the life of a family in rural England in WWII. Oliver is home from the war, an amputee with a fragile heart. His world is reduced to observing his feelings, his family, and his very professional, very private nurse. A delicious, quiet book with great integrity.
Lists
Persephone (2)
Awards
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Statistics
- Works
- 66
- Also by
- 8
- Members
- 4,274
- Popularity
- #5,881
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 74
- ISBNs
- 296
- Languages
- 11
- Favorited
- 14
