What the book says...
Intimidated by her father, the rector of Knype Hill, Dorothy performs her submissive roles of dutiful daughter and bullied housekeeper. Her thoughts are taken up with the costumes she is making for the church school play, by the hopelessness of preaching to the poor and by debts she cannot pay in 1930s Depression England. Suddenly her routine shatters and Dorothy finds herself down and out in London. She is wearing silk stockings, has money in her pocket and cannot remember her name. Orwell leads us through a landscape of unemployment, poverty and hunger, where Dorothy's faith is challenged by a social reality that changes her life.
What the critics say...
"He is a writer that can - and must - be rediscovered in every age" Irish Timeswhat you say...
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Although Dorothy's amnesia is never properly explained and the ending is a tad over-romantic (leaving the reader slightly wanting) this is still a very good read and one that really hooks you into what life would have been like in depression era England. Unfortunately it hasn't been revered as much as Orwell's other works but anyone who has savoured his themes - oppression, struggle for survival, challenges to faith etc. should give this a go. For the uninitiated on the other-hand it would be a good starting point before venturing into 1984 and Animal Farm. (Posted on 10/04/2012)Maxine
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