"This is a story of how a young girl called Hannah copes with the trials and tribulations of growing up in a working class family in a house located above a sweet shop in a street off Edgware Road, London."
Hannah is the third child in the family. She has an older brother, Michael who she despises as he is very mean to her, and an older sister, Sal who she looks up to. She loves her mother, Madeleine, but detests her father, Jake who constantly abuses her both verbally and physically. In short, she is very unhappy at home. Her good school friend Diana, has a more affluent background and Hannah is acutely aware of their division. One day Hannah is taunted and bullied by other girls at school resulting in her being imprisoned in a toilet block. This episode is witnessed by Robert, a freakishly tall boy who challenges the girls’ action and demand they release Hannah. As a consequence this act of kindness kindles a fragile friendship between them. As Hannah grows up we learn of the choices that she has to make, and the relationships which she experiences resulting in her leaving her family home.
This book is all about Hannah’s interaction with several strong characters whom she encounters during her young life and how she deals with her difficult experiences. It is essentially a love story highlighting that true love can be found when we are least looking for it. It is an easy, enjoyable read.
Kathryn Carruthers, A LoveReading Ambassador
| Primary Genre | Family Drama |
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An emotive character focused coming-of-age exploring the breaking of generational cycles.
Having previously read one of Jane Lightbourne’s children’s books, A Tale Of Three Tabbies, I am already familiar with her ability to infuse text with emotion. This is a skill that has been applied to Hannah, a story that follows our eponymous main character through an unsettled childhood with a narcissistic father and through her reaching adulthood and the turbulent relationships she finds herself in thereafter. This book deals with a number of difficult topics as we see generational cycles struggle to assert themselves. Throughout Hannah’s story I felt sympathy for her. Her need to run from one bad situation, and stumbling into the next.... Read Full Review
