Bilgewater (by Jane Gardam)

(Amazon UK link)

I hadn't come across Jane Gardam until I found a few of her books at a second-hand stall. They looked intriguing, so I paid a few pence and brought them home.

I finally picked up 'Bilgewater' in an odd moment, wondering what it was like with such a bizarre title.

It's about Marigold, the rather plain daughter of a housemaster at a boys' school. Marigold is dyslexic, but otherwise extremely bright. She is generally known by the most unattractive name of Bilgewater.

This book covers Marigold's teenage years. She develops a growing awareness of how other people live - so differently from her own life. We read her honest thoughts and feelings as she grows up.

It's oddly written in places, but I found it mostly enjoyable anyway. There's also a slight surprise in the epilogue, showing that the early part of the book was not in fact what I had expected. Instead it cleverly reveals something about several of the threads in the book, and ties them together neatly.

Not the kind of book I would usually read, but I'm glad I did. Recommended.