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mh_books 's review for:
A Dublin Girl: Growing up in the 1930s
by Elaine Crowley
Right so. This has all the makings of a very interesting autobiography. It is a charming story of a childhood in the 1930s/early 40s in the tenements of Dublin. This is a time before social welfare and the modern healthcare system. In those times the Community and not the State kept body and soul together. I believe the kindness and charity of neighbours described by the memoir are true, as they are also part of my mother's tales of Dublin. As is the reliance of Dublin women on the Pawnbrokers and the honest Jew Men. This is a time before credit cards and it was normal for households to have the Friday weekly wage spent by Sunday. Elaine’s childhood memories are sweet, sad and often funny. The mother is a tyrant, the father is an enigmatic cad and the nuns old biddies (as all the best nuns are). TB and poverty rule the city and overshadow everything.
Overall this is exactly what I wanted from this book (it is a piece of research for a story I am writing set in the same time period). I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who is interested in the social history of Dublin in the 1930’s/early 40s.
However, I am only rating this three stars as the book is not particularly well-written. I expected more from a novelist who had previously written six novels. I understand this is nonfiction but that does not prevent the author from using the techniques of good fiction writing. Personally, I would have expected that the first person narrative to be more compelling. Simple creative writing 101 techniques such as showing not telling would have helped immensely. Some more detailed descriptions of time and place would have been great. For example, don’t tell me you didn’t like the smell of the hospice and it put you off your dinner, describe it, please. The pacing throughout was inconsistent and sped up towards the end. The ending of this book (especially the last scene) is heartbreaking and, as it is true, I feel I would have cried if I had been fully engaged by the author.
Overall though I do like and recommend it.
Overall this is exactly what I wanted from this book (it is a piece of research for a story I am writing set in the same time period). I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who is interested in the social history of Dublin in the 1930’s/early 40s.
However, I am only rating this three stars as the book is not particularly well-written. I expected more from a novelist who had previously written six novels. I understand this is nonfiction but that does not prevent the author from using the techniques of good fiction writing. Personally, I would have expected that the first person narrative to be more compelling. Simple creative writing 101 techniques such as showing not telling would have helped immensely. Some more detailed descriptions of time and place would have been great. For example, don’t tell me you didn’t like the smell of the hospice and it put you off your dinner, describe it, please. The pacing throughout was inconsistent and sped up towards the end. The ending of this book (especially the last scene) is heartbreaking and, as it is true, I feel I would have cried if I had been fully engaged by the author.
Overall though I do like and recommend it.