7 Jul 2010

Heading Home (by Katie Flynn)

The first book I read by Katie Flynn was 'Little Girl Lost', sent to me by The Bookbag site. I quite liked it, despite not in general being a fan of war-years books set in Liverpool.

So when I was offered another by the same author, I agreed at once. 'Heading Home' opens in 1926, again in Liverpool, and we meet 7-year-old Claudia. She's a bit spoilt, though not wealthy, and rather self-centred. However she's likeable enough, and has a friend, 13-year-old Danny, who thinks her wonderful.

Claudia and her family move to Ireland to help their Grandpa Muldoon on his croft. Life there is good, although Claudia isn't too keen on farming. So when she's a teenagers, she and her more practical sister Jenny move back to Liverpool and look for work.

The novel is character-based, set in believable surroundings, and is a good read. The writing is crisp, the drama well paced, with a major change in everyone's lives happening quite unexpectedly. I did find some of the subplots a bit too tidy, perhaps forced, but since they lead to satisfying connections they didn't worry me too much. I liked Jenny very much and was rooting for her from fairly early in the book. The grandparents are delightful too.

All in all, I thought this good light reading. I shall probably re-read it in a few years, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys light historical fiction.

You can also read my longer review of 'Heading Home' at the Bookbag site.

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