Child in a Boarding-house
Jean Donaldson establishes an immediate rapport with the reader in this autobiographical book seen through the eyes of a child in the prewar, pretelevision age of 1938/9. The elevenyearold Child takes us into the world of her parents' boardinghouse and Granpie's house, talking with engaging openness about her thoughts as she tries to unravel moments of mystery and glory, the puzzle of infinity, nonsensical rules and illogical adults. Changes are on the way with the approach of war. But the child is 'innocent' in a way unimaginable to today's streetwise generation, and both households are nearVictorian in their oldfashionedness. Mother slaves with mangle and dollytub and cooks for a succession of weird and wonderful boarders. And beloved Granpie is best friend and fellowadventurer, his house full of marvels and his pockets full of string and screwdrivers. The book ends at the outbreak of war, when the child is immersed in the busy world and trails fewer clouds of glory. Yet the my stical thread is not lost, and still draws her. This is an enchantingly honest book that will appeal to all ages, evoking the inner world of childhood and conjuring up a vanished time. Beautiful chapterheadings and other illustrations reflect the period and interpret the mood.