Tag Archive | Austin Macauley Publishers

The Adventures Of Gorg by Julia Sawyer

Dec17

Sound Advice

The Adventures Of Gorg by Julia Sawyer is a powerful little book for the under tens to help them cope in the modern world.

We learn that we all have the same primitive thinking – no one likes me; there’s danger; etc – and we have them same body responses – get ready to run etc. Our negative thoughts are not unique to us.

Julia Sawyer shares coping mechanisms – think positive thoughts; share a cuddle blanket; etc. We learn that we are not alone and we are not unique.

Julia Sawyer is a clinical psychologist who has written The Adventures Of Gorg to help children to identify and to deal with their thoughts.

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Yvonne Child Of The Somme by Sara Rowell

Nov23

Fascinating

Yvonne Child Of The Somme by Sara Rowell is a fascinating glimpse into a bygone era.

The reader becomes immersed into French life during the early part of the twentieth century. The author drops in on mother Marie’s life as a domestic servant in 1900 before following Yvonne’s life from 1901.

Life for women in France at the turn of the century was hard. We learn that a third of all births in Paris in 1900 was to single mothers and yet there was no pressure on the fathers to claim responsibility. Females were at the mercy of males. Domestic servants were at risk of abuse from other male servants or their masters.

The poor were seen as a problem for society that was ruled by the male elite. “The wealthy male elite… saw poor people not as individuals but as a … problem.” There was no poor relief and life was a lottery. Many women could not afford to keep their babies.

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Whispers Through Time by Joni Scott

Nov16

A Brave New World

Whispers Through Time by Joni Scott is a fascinating dual timeline novel that grabs the reader’s attention from the start.

The novel is a fictional tale woven around the author’s grandmother’s early life. It began as research with Ancestry, just names and dates. The author wanted to fill in the bare bones of a life.

All the action is set between 1905-1912 and 2014-2016. The two time periods alternate as we see the research in relatively present day, and the story of a life in the past.

Britain in 1905 was teetering on the edge of a brave new world. The old Queen was dead and new inventions would soon catapult all into the modern world. Unfortunately, the world would soon tip into the war to end all wars (but didn’t).

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The Little Wooden Train by Mark O’Neill

Nov8

Enchanting

The Little Wooden Train by Mark O’Neill is an enchanting tale for children and the young at heart.

The story shows the importance of kindness and the power of traditional toys. We also see that craft and imagination is handed down from father to son.

The simplicity of traditional toys has much to recommend it.

I found the plotline to be totally charming. It was well executed as I hung on to every word. The whole story was magical.

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