I never would have picked this book up in a million years. It was my book club read and I was grumbling a little about making time for it.

How brilliant it is to be proven wrong.

Yes, it was a little sentimental, it isn't winning any prizes for twists and turns or high action. It glosses over the more uncomfortable elements of modern communities and the social problems within them. But that's fine, this books isn't about the gritty reality of London. What it is, is a tender story about community. About memory, about childhood, about the places that we grow up in and hold on to. 

Rosemary's story of her life with George isn't spectacular. It's a quietly happy life in a community that she loves and treasures and that she has put into and it has given back to her. 

This novel is a gentle shout out against neoliberalism, and aggressive capitalist individualism and a reminder about what community provides. 

I really really loved this novel so very much.