This book tells the story of Queenie from her life as a young girl during World War II right up to the early 60's and what a life she leads! She is one heck of a character; one minute you absolutely adore her, the next she disappoints you, then she'll surprise you and then shock ... I felt like I was on a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish and I still don't know how I feel about her even now!
Queenie is not the only character however, this book is absolutely brimmed to the rim with fantastic personalities from the bit players to the main stars; some you'll love and some ... not so much. The setting in the east end of London felt perfect but it could equally have worked in any inner-city borough. For those of us who weren't around during the time span of this book, I felt it captured them well and it felt authentic and believable to me.
"Queenie" is a gritty, engrossing and thoroughly entertaining read and one I would definitely recommend even if you haven't read any of the other books in the "Butler" series; this can easily be read as a standalone as it is the prequel to the first book in the series "The Trap."
Thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Wind, Sand and Stars
Antoine de Saint-Exupery and William Rees
Book
Both a gripping tale of adventure and a poetic meditation, Antoine de Saint Exupery's Wind, Sand and...
Last Swill and Testament: The Hilarious, Unexpurgated Memoirs of Paul 'Sailor' Vernon, Blues Fanatic, Rare Record Dealer, Ligger, Erstwhile Bon Viveur and Friend to the Stars
Book
Born to shell-shocked parents in shell-shocked London shortly after the end of World War II, Paul...
Women and Images of Men in Cinema: Gender Construction in la Belle et la Bete by Jean Cocteau
Book
Women and men in cinema are imaginary constructs created by filmmakers and their audiences. The...
Channel Islands Marco Polo Guide
Book
Discover The Channel Islands with Marco Polo! This compact, straightforward guide is clearly...
The EU's New Borderland: Cross-Border Relations and Regional Development
Andrzej Jakubowski, Andrzej Miszczuk and Bogdan Kawalko
Book
The strengthening of relations between Poland and Ukraine over the last 25 years is one of the most...
Builders of the Vision: Software and the Imagination of Design
Book
Builders of the Vision traces the intellectual history and contemporary practices of Computer-Aided...
Alone in Berlin
Hans Fallada and Michael Hofmann
Book
Inspired by a true story, Hans Fallada's Alone in Berlin is the gripping tale of an ordinary man's...
Culture on Two Wheels: The Bicycle in Literature and Film
Jeremy Withers, Daniel Shea and Zack Furness
Book
Bicycles have more cultural identities than many realize, functioning not only as literal vehicles...
Transcendence and the Concrete: Selected Writings
Jean Wahl, Alan Schrift and Ian Alexander Moore
Book
Jean Wahl (1888-1974), once considered by the likes of Georges Bataille, Gilles Deleuze, Emmanuel...