"A life changing summer for four children making a Hollywood blockbuster"
March 2024 Book of the Month
With her posthumously published final book Kate Saunders really has given readers a drop of pure gold. It is that rare beast, a story that leaves you with the warmest of glows while dealing frankly with some very sensitive and serious issues, such as mental health, fractured families, bullying, alcoholism and anti-Semitism.
It’s 1973 and our 10-year-old main protagonist Jenny has just been cast as one of the lead actors in a feature film (that is strikingly similar to A Sound of Music) She is a quiet, sometimes lonely, child whose dad died when she was three. Her mum works long hours as a dentist, but suddenly, to their mutual delight, they are relocating to France for a whole summer of filming.
Belinda, Harriet and John play the other children and their backgrounds and personalities could not be more different. As the children and their guardians get to know one another, with all their quirks and secrets, we do too. These are complex and believable characters growing and developing in the 1970’s, when attitudes were very different. The authentic period detail and the revelation of the ups and downs of making a Hollywood blockbuster, make a fascinating backdrop to these character’s stories, which will keep readers hooked to the very last page.
A magnificent writer has ended her career on a real high note and given us an memorable and delightful reading experience.
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