The Palace of Strange Girls

July 20, 2009
Day's debut novel, inspired by her childhood, is a dated story of four days in the lives of an English family on summer holiday in 1959. WWII vet Jack Singleton is using the holiday in the seaside town of Blackpool to decide his future. A foreman at a cotton mill, he is torn between two job offers: manager of Prospect Mill or union representative. Jack is hiding his predicament from his perfectionist wife, Ruth, while the couple's older daughter, 16-year-old Helen, is obsessed with new, fashionable clothes and finding a boyfriend. Sickly seven-year-old Beth simply wants to escape her overprotective mother. During the brief holiday, the family faces many dilemmas when Jack's wartime adventures come back to haunt him, Ruth's obsession with buying a new house tests her marriage, and the girls deal with treacherous friendships and unwelcome sexual advances. While the plot moves quickly, the number and variety of scrapes the family navigates in only four days strains credulity. Period slang and references are doubtless authentic, but will make the book a difficult read for Americans.

August 1, 2009
Devoted Anglophiles and nostalgia buffs will enjoy Days atmospheric depiction of life among Britains working classes in the 1950s. Central to her story is the Singleton family: long-suffering, hardworking, discontented husband Jack; determined, demanding, ambitious wife Ruth; nave, innocent, dream-filled teenager Helen; and shy, sickly, overprotected seven-year-old Beth. The plot focuses on the Singletons vacation, spent in Blackpool, a seaside town popular among the working classes, sleazy as only British seaside towns can be. Jack is at a turning point in his life. Hes been offered two jobs: one will fulfill his longstanding ambition to help improve the plight of workers in the cotton industry, and the other will move him up the career ladder and increase his earnings substantially. Then comes a bolt from the bluea potentially life-changing letter from a woman he met during World War II. Meanwhile, Ruth, Helen, and Beth each undergo their own personal conflicts and must make choices that could change the course of their lives. With its ironic humor, meaty plot, and complex characters, Days richly detailed, charming story is a winner for historical fiction fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)