A friend introduced me to The Colour of Milk, It is set in 1831 by fifteen-year-old Mary, who had been toiling on her father's farm with her three sisters. She is sent to care for the local vicar's invalid wife. As events unfold, it slowly becomes apparent why it is so important that she keep a record of what has happened.
Now I'm reading Memoirs of a Dipper.
If you can't cope
with harrowing, distressing realism, then these books are not for you. I must
confess I have found this second read harder going. I had been feeling quite
down lately and came to the conclusion that this novel has been affecting my
mood dramatically.
(Poor Ginger and
all the young children in real life, who meet the same, all too common grizzly
end.)
A bookshop friend said to me: "I don't do harrowing..."
Do you?
10th Oct 2016. I finished 'Memoirs of a Dipper'. It is an excellent book, well crafted and written. Despite the sad chapter with Ginger, I would highly recommend it.
Hi Madeleine - good to see you back and posting. I don't do harrowing either - see or hear enough via the media. Yet the Colour of Milk draws me in ... perhaps someday I'll read it. I am just grateful that that sort of harrowing hasn't touched my life ... all the best and cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteHi Hilary, lovely to see you visiting and commenting here too. The Colour of Milk is much less harrowing than Memoirs of a Dipper. I think you would enjoy it. x
DeleteSo good to see this post, Madeleine. I absolutely loved The Colour of Milk and generally enjoy harrowing books. I didn't know about Memoirs of a Dipper and will be very keen to read that too. Thank you for bringing it to my attention! Wishing you all the best xx
ReplyDeleteHI Joanna, Yes it is a great read and less harrowing than Memoirs of a Dipper. I think the chapter about poor Ginger is the worst. I hope you enjoy it. She is a great writer :) x
DeleteI know it's popular with some, but I prefer not to read fiction which is distressing. I get quite enough gritty reality from the real world.
ReplyDeleteHi patsy, yes I understand. I was surprised to learn that women write the most crime fiction and are more likely to be forensic pathologists. I got this from the BBC programme
DeleteSerial Killers - The Women Who Write Crime Fiction
imagine..., Autumn 2016
I don't think I have read anything by this author- but now I am most interested in reading The Colour of Milk. I like all kinds of books- but I do find that their mood can impact the way I feel- so I try to vary up my reading. :)
ReplyDelete~Jess
Let me know what you think. I certainly enjoyed it. :)
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