Pamela Oldfield (1931–2011)

The library catalogue stitched me up once again - at the very least, this weak attempt at a novel should have been shelved under 'Family', to warn the unsuspecting (me). Apart from the dreadfully amateur writing, the story makes absolutely no sense. Clare Wishart needs to sell the family pile when Merle House is returned to her after the First World War, but what will she do? Could she make a living as a writer (not if she writes like Oldfield), or should she just marry the publisher, after show more meeting him precisely three times? And then there is Clare's lazy, vicious cousin Donald, who has a personality transplant midway through the novel. I was pinning all sorts of twisted deeds on him, expecting him to turn out a murderer and wife beater, but nothing came of all the tempting red herrings littering the story. He marries and settles down to life on a farm, despite complaining incessantly about his weak health, and some other character randomly dies of a heart attack instead.

In a generous spirit, I will suggest that Oldfield must have been planning a much more adventurous story, with depth and atmosphere and convincing character development, but then her editor had to rein her in. 'Woah, Pamela! We only need you to write two hundred pages, and your faithful readers aren't expecting historical accuracy and even pacing. Just marry everyone off and drop in a few comments about war widows and women's rights. The cheque's in the post.'

So instead of an emotional story about a young woman facing the massive responsibility of running a country house alone after losing her fiance during the war, we get a condensed family saga. Ah well, live and learn. show less

As my husband the history buff will tell you, I tend to start nodding off whenever someone brings up events that happened longer ago than yesterday. But if you’re going to read about history, this book is definitely the way to do it.

I was completely absorbed by the story of the Plague, as seen through Alice’s eyes. Looking at an even t in the first person (even vicariously) is so much more compelling than just reading a paragraph in a history text. The fear and horror come alive as the show more death toll rises and Alice wonders if the world as she knows it could really be coming to an end.

This is a great book for anyone curious about this historical period who doesn’t have the patience or stomach for something like Ken Follett’s World Without End (great story, though not as good as Pillars... and LONG). I’ll be passing this one along to my friend the 8th grade teacher for her classroom library. show less

A fictional diary of thirteen-year-old Alice Paynton who lives in the busy and crowded city of London in 1665. She lives with her father and her Aunt Nell, who has raised Alice since her mother died giving birth to her. Alice begins her diary writing her daily life. It is full of happy events, such as going to the theater. However, terror begins to come through London as the bubonic plague spreads. Alice then writes of her family's desperate struggle to survive as the disease takes hold of show more the city.
The text makes it very easy to understand what life must have been like in London at those terrifying and desperate times. show less

This is a great book for kids to learn about what life was like in London during the Great Plague of 1665.
Written in Diary form from the point of view of thirteen year old Alice Paynton, this story gives great descriptions of everyday life for a teenager in this period as well as the fear that gripped the city during those dark days.
At the end of the book, the author provides a chapter giving the facts of life in that era, followed by a timeline as well as copies of historical documents. show more Worth reading and showing to your kids. show less