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Advantages: Truly remarkable and utter love and compassion from this author
Disadvantages: Shocking and upsetting - utterly heartrending

A friend leant me this book and I must admit I wasn't sure whether it would be that good. I have read a lot of childhood memoirs starting off with A Boy callede It and found that a lot of them are very alike, a bit "woe is me". Yes I know they have all had a bad childhood, but I stopped reading them after a a while because they were all very similar. I must admit I was amazed by this book. The book is written by Cathy Glass who is a Foster Carer. ...
...violent, aggressive, and has already been through numerous foster families when her last hope is Cathy Glass. Cathy is "pushed" into taking on Jodie as a last resort after she has been rehomed many times. If Cathy wouldn't take her on then she would be forced into a Children's Home. Cathy decides to give Jodie a chance, and what a time she has. The patience shown by Cathy in the face of such adversity is truly aspiring. Jodie frequently soils herself, ... Read review

Advantages: Non really
Disadvantages: Horrifying

This is the story of a woman who used to be a nanny for Fred and Rose West. She was unaware of their behaviour even when she was living with them, but as soon as something went wrong, she ran a mile. Caroline didn't have a normal life. She was born to a woman who wasn't married and her father didn't want to know after a few years as he was a devout Catholic. Soon her mother remarried to a man named Alf who she argued with and did a typical "step ...
...normal. She was introduced to the children and she got on fine. However she wasn't happy with the Wests' behaviour. They had men coming round all the time and Rose would take them into the bedroom. She soon found out that she was not a massager like first thought, but was part of a "sex circle". At the first chance, Caroline ran back home, only to be caught again by a deceiving Rose. Caroline was sexually aussaulted by both Fred and Rose, then raped ... Read review

Advantages: Wonderful writing, beautiful feel good book
Disadvantages: Do we believe him?

OK, time to open up the where are they now file.... Chris Stewart got his big break in the late 1960s when he ws invited to join the rock band Genesis. Peter Gabriel was the band's first drummer but he decided that he wanted to concentrate on the vocals and so Chris Stewart was offered the opportunity. His stint was short-lived, however - only a matter of a few months and when it was suggested he was surplus to requirements, Chris followed his parents ...
...might think that perhaps he was a little hasty...not only have Genesis been one of the biggest rock bands in the world, but their individual members have all gone on to enjoy huge solo success. Reading "Driving Over Lemons", though, I shouldn't think Chris Stewart has any regrets about giving up the fickle world of rock stardom at the tender age of seventeen. Chris's life is now that of a farmer in one of the most picturesque spots in Europe, high ... Read review

Advantages: Well-researched, interesting for Hardy fans
Disadvantages: Not a lot of info (certainly not beyond basic facts), disappointing

...am a huge fan of Thomas Hardy. This caused me to be somewhat of a pariah during school and college, but I love his novels (and the short stories and poetry that I've read) and I don't care if my friends - or anyone else - think I'm weird. That's why I bought this book: not because I'm slightly interested in one of the greatest writers Britain (and the world) has produced, but because I'm slightly obsessed. I was also drawn by the quote on the front ...
...I did enjoy reading about Thomas Hardy. As much as I love Hardy, even I have to admit that this biography will only be of interest to fellow fans. He didn't lead a very eventful life - not more so than the average person anyway - it is his work, not his private life, that makes him such a fascinating individual and Tomalin doesn't give enough weight to half of this. It does sort out the wheat from the chaff, laying unfounded rumours to rest, but ... Read review

Advantages: Informative, Brings a remote war to life
Disadvantages: Harrowing

...who lied to their children when they asked “When’s Pa coming home?” Yet a lot of people were in denial, up until the point where a news channel shows footage of human skulls resting on top of one another. My sister visited the Killing Fields last year, and was shown around with a guide and she vividly described to me the pain which showed in his eyes. She also took those very shots which were first released in the news in the early 1980’s. They begged ...
...only four years of age when the Viet Cong invaded Cambodia. Her parents, who had 10 children, had married young. Despite early challenges, were successful in what they did, by the still relatively young age of 25. Her father worked for the government in Phnom Penh and was quite an entrepreneur on the side. What strikes you about this account, even in the first few pages, is how the minds of a young child are so astute. Chanrithy talks about being ... Read review