From the heart of the docks, delve into the dark waters of grief, relationships, and the community who pulls you back to dry land.
The intricacies of human relationships, hardship and joy spread throughout Dorris' book.
Whether or not you've read the previous Four Streets tales or are brand new, within the first few pages you feel the depth of each characters' history, and become entwined in their lives.
From Peggy's utterly desperate cling to normal life, to Maura's conflict between the old and new, to Mary's self-discovery - the grief and elation that comes with a tight-knit community feels all the more poignant at a time when many of us are unable to connect with loved ones, or conversely find ourselves more integrated with our neighbours than ever before.
Following on from the Four Streets Trilogy, Nadine Dorries certainly didn't disappoint. Another opportunity to visit the Dockside Residents of Liverpool and step back in time to the 1960's.
As I am an avid reader of all Nadine Dorries' books I was delighted to receive this one. I have previously read the Four Steeets Trilogy and this was another instalment in the saga continuing to follow the working class Dockside residents of Liverpool. It is set in the 1960s and Nadine Dorries captures the era and characters perfectly. The women are the strong characters here, holding everything together despite poverty and keeping the men in line whilst letting them think they are in charge. There is a great loyalty amongst the women and they all rally round to support each other in times of trouble. The writing is so good you almost feel involved in their lives and I was glad to see the characters of Maura and Tommy Doherty returning to Liverpool from Ireland in this story. I could not put it down and was disappointed when I came to the end but as there several side stories running alongside the main one in this book and plenty of young characters with more to explore hopefully we will see another instalment in this saga. I for one can't wait to read it if we do.
An interesting read capturing the struggle of life in a Liverpool community.
This book is set in Liverpool and follows the lives of a number of families in the Four Streets. Although this was the fourth book in this series, this one was the first one I had read. Initially, I was a bit confused by the numbers of characters, but I soon got into it and enjoyed the book – so much so I’m going to start at the beginning and read the first one now!
For many of the families, life is a struggle trying to get enough food and clothes for everyone. Every year, they look forward to the carnival and the arrival of a ship to the dock yard which gives everyone some much needed supplies. However, this year the arrival of the ship looks in jeopardy and people are starting to panic that it won’t arrive in time.
It was very interesting reading about all the characters and what they are going through, it’s a hard life but they all look out for one another in their community. A very enjoyable historical saga and I’m looking forward to reading some more.
A tale of hardship and deprivation but also love and support.
The fourth book in the Four Streets series, the lives of the various Irish Catholic families who live near the river Mersey in Liverpool are incredibly tough and we follow the ups and downs of the working class residents who struggle to make ends meet in 60’s Britain. Life is difficult for most with many living hand to mouth but the camaraderie and support of the women in the Four Streets, means everyone is looked after in the end. Doors remain unlocked, women and children are welcome at every house and most of the men do whatever they can to keep the rent paid and the family fed.
In this book we follow Peggy’s struggles with a layabout husband and seven young sons as her life implodes under stress, ill health and lack of money. Her main support, Maura, has gone back to live in Ireland and with no money coming in, the rent goes unpaid and there is no food for the children and Peggy can only see one way out.
I’m sure lovers of this genre will enjoy this book, and for those of us who can remember the 60’s, we can see how far we’ve come since then!