A Little Love Song - Michelle Magorian

...life, Rose is prepared for a 3 month adventure in the quiet seaside town of Salmouth, and to finally re-discover her passion for reading and writing.

It is 1943, and the war is still violently raging on throughout the world, so Rose and Diana's mother, an actress has decided to leave the girls to the care of Miss Hutchinson, in order to entertain the troops and provide them with some level of morale. Unfortunately Miss Hutchinson ...
...that this summer will be a journey of self-discovery.

For both girls the summer is eventful, passionate, entertaining, educational and joyful, but it is especially so for young Rose who unearths a love story set in an earlier war, a story that becomes more lifelike as she falls in love herself.


Each character in "A Little Love Song" is well described, and detailed throughout the novel. Diana and Rose, ... more

Rose, at seventeen, is convinced that no male in life will ever desire her, especially as she lives in the shadow of her beautiful sister Diana. To some, Diana could be classed as an elegant swan, and Rose the ugly duckling. However despite these misgivings in life, Rose is prepared for a 3 month adventure in the quiet seaside town of Salmouth, and to finally re-discover her passion for reading and writing.

It is 1943, and the war is still violently raging on throughout the world, so Rose and Diana's mother, an actress has decided to leave the girls to the care of Miss Hutchinson, in order to entertain the troops and provide them with some level of morale. Unfortunately Miss Hutchinson has also been called up, and the girls find themselves for the first time free of adult restrictions, and determined that this summer will be a journey of self-discovery.

For both girls the summer is eventful, passionate, entertaining, educational and joyful, but it is especially so for young Rose who unearths a love story set in an earlier war, a story that becomes more lifelike as she falls in love herself.

Each character in "A Little Love Song" is well described, and detailed throughout the novel. Diana and Rose, the beautiful swan and her ugly duckling are such innocents in this sweet tale. They can't even boil an egg let alone cook, their afraid to be left alone without a minder and to fend for themselves, and to begin are fearful of a young, unmarried and pregnant Dot - something they are always been taught was immoral and social unacceptable.

"Diana!" rose was stunned. "You can't mix with someone like that."
"Why not?"
"Because people with think you're like her. And when they know we're here on our own…" Her voice trailed away. "We can't afford to ourselves a bad reputation"

Despite these initial misgivings at staying in Salmouth, Diana and Rose, in particular, soon begin to grow under the nourishment of the seaside resort and its plentiful and exuberant characters. Alex Trelawn the owner of a bookshop in the main town delights in provided Rose with books from D.H. Lawrence and Jane Eyre - banned at the time in her school - and begins to revel within her intelligent company. Derry Trelawn, Alex's young cousin, who is fascinated with joined the R.A.F. but must wait until the results of his Higher Certificate are received becomes besotted with Rose. Miss Hilda, the mad predecessor of Lapwing College whose hidden diaries and journals Rose finds tucked away within the hidden recesses of the cottage, and who's live Rose becomes passionately embroiled within.

Extract from Hilda's Diary:

"His name was Matthew. He was six years my junior; twenty five. How he had managed to survive two years of the war I'll never know. When he was brought to the hospital it was the fourth time he had been wounded. It was his eyes which first drew me…"

Rose's character is a delight to read, her passion and enthusiasm for life make an excellent narration of "A Little Love Song" and you can't fail and falling in love with her undeniable spirit. Life in 1943 is obviously so different from what we experience today, so being able to experience the emotions uncovered by Rose and her findings was a delight. Discovering the joys of first love whilst experiencing a totally different lifestyle makes for a captivating tale. Rose blossoms from an awkward, unconfident and shy teenager, to a confident and assured woman, whilst living through this exquisite and free summer. She encounters many social obstacles, including her thoughts and feelings over the pregnant and unmarried Dot, the supposed care that her school has taken by protecting its pupils by reading certain forms of literature and the disapproving nature that the Upper Class has over the inappropriateness of her and her sister living un-chaperoned. Her misgivings over her beauty and comparisons to her beautiful sister often lead to Rose feeling awkward and insecure.

"If that's what love does to you, I'd rather not have anyone fall in love with me…not that anyone would…"

Michelle Magorian is an excellent writer who manages to capture the perfect blend of emotion and intelligence in each of her works. The author of the best selling "Goodnight Mr Tom" has again excelled herself with "A Little Love Song" with her intricate tales of young love and entangled lives. She has a tendency to base her works around the early to mid 1900s when society was more restrained and so many things were socially unacceptable, so I would think her work would be more suited to pre-adolescents who still retain that innocent quality themselves. I personally read "A Little Love Song" when I was 13, not long after I had fallen in love with "Goodnight Mr Tom" and remember being thoroughly enchanted with Rose and her discovery of love. I must admit during the story sometimes I laughed aloud, and others I was stunned at the ferocity of some of the emotions. Michelle Magorian's works appear to have an ageless quality about them, and when re-discovering the stories throughout my own adult life, I never fail to become enraptured with the characters and their lives. I would never say this story was comparable to the "Chick Lit" that is published today, as this has more class and passion surrounding its core; it's a romance tale of living, love lost and love cherished and the social attitudes surrounding these entanglements during the war era.

Published by Mammoth, ISBN 0749710616 - currently retailing on Amazon for £4.79 (RRP £5.99) 

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