Book Review of Cousins, Classmates and a Dog called Rover

There was a very good review of my book in the Methodist Recorder, a newspaper for the Methodist Church which has a world-wide circulation, so that was very pleasing.

The reviewer, Margaret Daniels, started with the thought that very few good outcomes have emerged from the national trauma of Covid lockdown – especially where the well being of children is concerned – but that this book has bucked the trend. She then goes on to describe how I wrote it to maintain some contact with my grand daughter and every so often sent her a chapter. She then goes on to discuss the story and how it reflects common tensions in family life, made worse when the needy, motherless cousins arrive from the far-off city of Leeds. Susan, the central character, does not react well to having to share her bedroom and matters become worse when her school friendships are disrupted. Meanwhile the cousins are dissatisfied with the limitations of rural life after their experience of city living. With the help of sensible parents and the arrival of a kitten all is resolved by the final chapter.

Why is this book of interest to Methodists?  Part of the story-line depends on the existence of the Methodist Youth Club in the village. In those days, such an organisation was practically the only place young people could meet up. A rule was often that members had to attend chapel on Sunday evening and so the older cousin, Maria, takes the opportunity to further her friendship with the notorious Dave Blyth, who is in her class at school, by meeting up with him both on Youth Club nights and on Sunday evening. Eventually she stays out too late and the parents have locked the door by the time she gets home so she has to throw some gravel up to the girls’ bedroom window to attract their attention and they  let her in. But of course the mother hears and confronts the little group in the kitchen.

Everything is sorted out by the end of the book, which the reviewer calls  ‘a master-class in clarity of expression.’

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