Customer Reviews
dull - By: Rebecca Conway, 05 Jan 2009 
This book is just BAD! The writing is very ordinary, & there is no magic or atmosphere. It drones on through the whole of the main character's depressing life without ever making you really feel anything but passingly sorry for him. I persevered to the end only to discover a completely unsatisfying wrap up over about three pages. I think the author must have bored herself so much they wanted it to be over quickly, I certainly did! Sorry Sadie, but I just didn't like it.
Quite simply - wonderful. - By: Robert Martin, 04 Jan 2009 
I just wanted to add yet another good review for this super book. The hero, Lewis, gives us pause for thought, as things go wrong for him that could possibly have been avoided if only he had had a sympathetic & more enlightened Father. Things do conspire against him - but if to know someone is to love them - then we have to sympathise with Lewis, as he cuts a rather solitary figure, trying,in vain & on his own, to come to terms with & understand the hand he has been dealtin his short life.
Other reviews have put it better than I, but it really is worth reading.
Much better than I expected - By: BookWorm, 13 Dec 2008 
I read this rather reluctantly after hearing so many rave reviews I decided to see what the fuss was about. I must admit to having snobbishly turned my nose up when I saw the 'Richard & Judy summer read' sticker on the front, having not enjoyed several other books awarded that title.
But I'm glad I overcame that prejudice because this is actually a really good book. It's readable & although it doesn't grip you straight away, it soon warms up. The atmosphere of a frustratingly hypocritical & staid postwar village is conjured upin full technicolour, & the sense of injustice so strongly evoked that I could hardly bring myself to turn the pages at times.
The principle characters, Lewis & Kit, are well drawn & are supported by equally believable supporting characters. Their stories show how children can be badly affected by a lack of understanding & sympathy, & though their treatment would be condemned by modern society, is perfectly plausiblein the 1950s setting.
I found the motivations of some of the characters' actions rather hard to fathom - for example Tamsin, Claire & Alice - but on the whole it was remarkably plausible. The writing is consistently good, & while I would stop short of calling it a great book, it is certainly a strong first attempt & bodes well for the author's later works.
Beautifully written, a excellent read - By: 123 bookworm., 02 Dec 2008 I got this book to read while on holiday & i have to say that i had it read within the first to days. I couldnt put it down! from the first page i was desperate to find out what happened to Lewis.
Lewis, the main character, is not the average hero of a novel as he is difficult to like & is troubled but when you start reading about his life & what he goes through you cannot help but feel symptathy for him. His hopeless father & his step mother who tried far to hard. While this is a very disturbing read as all of the characters have their own troublesin the book, the story captivates the reader & dosent let go until well after the last page has been read.
i strongly recommend this read, it is uplifting & makes people believe that love can win through even the most difficult of times. I eagerly await Sadie Jones's next novel.
depressing drivel - By: Selena Van der Woolfe, 10 Nov 2008 If you ever feel you are too happy this is the book for you! Badly written two-dimensional stereotypical charactersin a totally depressing story. Do not recommend at all
