Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-cream Float Before He Stole My Ma by Kerry Hudson

Tony Hogan tells the story of a Scottish childhood of filthy council flats and B&Bs, screeching women, feckless men, fags and booze and drugs, the dole queue and bread and marge sandwiches. It is also the story of an irresistible, irrepressible heroine, a dysfunctional family you can't help but adore, the absurdities of the eighties and the fierce bonds that tie people together no matter what. Told in an arrestingly original -- and cry-out-loud funny -- voice, it launches itself headlong into the middle of one of life's great fights, between the pull of the past and the freedom of the future. And Janie Ryan, born and bred for combat, is ready to win.

Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-cream Float Before He Stole my Ma

by

Kerry Hudson

I loved this beautifully written, sharply observed novel.  Despite the mostly grim circumstances of the feisty heroine, Janie Ryan, there was plenty of humour throughout.  Janie is an original and engaging voice, easy to warm to, and it was interesting (and horrifying in parts) to read a story about people on the outskirts of society - the sort of people we perhaps turn away from in real life, and feel uncomfortable being around. 

The Yarmouth setting is well-observed and the relationships, though flawed, are warm and believable, especially between daughter and mum.  You'll be rooting for Janie from the word go.

Tony Hogan is gritty and gripping, funny and moving, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something a little bit different.

Some great references to 80s music too!

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Florence & Giles by John Harding

1891. In a crumbling New England mansion, 12 year-old orphan Florence and her young brother Giles are neglected by their guardian uncle. Banned from reading, Florence devours books in secret, and twists words and phrases into a language uniquely her own. After the violent death of the children’s first governess, a second arrives. Florence becomes convinced she is a vengeful and malevolent spirit who means to do Giles harm. against a powerful enemy, with no adult to turn to for help, Florence will need all her intelligence and ingenuity to save Giles and preserve her private world.

Florence & Giles
by
John Harding

I've just finished listening the the audio version of Florence and Giles in the car, and it took me a moment to come back down to earth (how I managed to listen and concentrate on driving at the same time I don't know!)

I've been listening to novels for a couple of years now, and so much depends on the narrator I've occasionally given up, but Laurence Bouvard so perfectly captured the essence of Florence - and even the male characters, including her brother Giles and friend, Theo - that I was immediately pulled into the story and didn't want to leave - cue lots of extra driving!

The suspense was perfectly pitched, and the house and the people in it brought wonderfully to life. I felt like I was there with Florence, running down corridors and finding my way to the library or her 'secret' tower overlooking the drive, where she read her books and waited for Theo to visit. 

Florence's original style of talking and thinking wasn't at all overdone and was totally inkeeping with her character, adding to the novel's wonderful, dark and gothic uniqueness - though there are some lovely touches of humour throughout the book.

The sense of mystery concerning her background, and the disappearance of their first governess, soon had me wondering if things weren't quite as they seemed, and without giving too much away I have to say that the ending shivered me quite.

I've actually read a previous book by John Harding called What We Did on Our Holiday, which I loved, but this couldn't be more different, and I'm now eagerly awaiting something else from this author.