Product Description

The Girl from Hockley is a new, revised edition bringing together in one new volume this remarkable story. Born into the industrial slums of Birmingham in 1903, Kathleen Dayus became a legend in her own time. She vividly recalls her Edwardian childhood and her life as a young munitions worker during the war, marriage and life below the poverty line in the 1920s. Early widowhood and the Depression forced her to relinquish her children to Dr Barnado's homes until, eight long years later, she could afford a home for them again. Her autobiography is a testament to the indomitable spirit, humour and verve that characterised her life. Her extraordinary memory for the sights, sounds and smells of her youth, her marvellous sense of the comic and above all her spirited refusal to do anything but live life to the full, deservedly made her one of the most compelling storytellers of our time.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #59191 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Customer Reviews

I heard this read on the radio
This was BBC Radio 4's book of the week recently, and I began listening to the first episode just as I was about to leave the house, but was so gripped I stayed until the reading was over. I missed the next day's installment, and the next, so ended up buying the book instead. I'm really glad I did: Kathleen Dayus wrote her life story so simply, yet with an extraordinary and, presumably, entirely instinctive emotional directness. This is no mere 'We had it tough' memoir, but a real work of art; here is an entire life, and a sensibility, caught on the page. Unique and unforgettable.

Strett49

A lovely book - nice and easy reading with a look back in time.

Excellent "dramatisation"
I have just finished this book and could not put it down.

The style of writing, from the outset, conjoured up a vivid picture of life at that time. It was sad yet humourous, and very interesting and thought-provoking.

As I read the book I could not help but think that some of the earlier memories were "dramatisations" of actual events, I would think it impossible for anyone to remember exact dialogue, clothing, scenes, movement, and so on, from childhood. In addition, some of the humorous passages and the Dickensian-villain mother made me question the accuracy of the story. I even turned to the end of the book to check there was not a crushing "actually this is all made up" epilogue in the style of "Memoirs of a Geisha"!

However, once you accept the fact that the author would have had to take a bit of artistic licence, it really is an excellent read. It would also made a great film, a British "Angela's Ashes".