This is my first Clare Mallory book, read for a Facebook group reading challenge. Candy Nevill (no second e) is the younger sibling of three high achievers, but isn’t particularly good at anything other than cooking, and doesn’t win prizes even for that because she’s no good at the theory side of domestic science.
However, she’s an all round good egg, and puts herself out for everyone else, even giving up the chance to visit America with a friend so as to help with the housework when her mother’s ill. Of course, everyone comes to appreciate her in the end. It’s entertainingly written, whilst never being unrealistic.
It’s set, partly in school but mostly out of school, in post-war New Zealand, and it’s interesting to note that several children hope to study at British universities and, in doing so, talk about “going home”. You obviously wouldn’t get that now, but Commonwealth ties still go deep – and long may they continue to do so!
It isn’t the best book I’ve ever read, but I’d certainly read others by the same author, if I could get them for reasonable prices.
setinthepast 