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Mary #2
Changing Patterns
The war is over, but for Mary the danger isn't...1950: Mary is living in mid Wales with Peter, a German ex-POW, and working as a nurse, though she knows her job is in danger if they find out about Peter. When her brother Tom is killed, Mary is devastated, especially as nobody will believe that it wasn't an accident. Her best friend Jean is doing her best to get Mary to leave Peter and come back to Lancashire. Mary is sure this will never happen, but she has no idea of the secret Peter is keeping from her.
309 pages, Paperback
First published May 16, 2013
28 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
Judith Barrow
8 books67 followersJudith Barrow, originally from Saddleworth, a group of villages on the edge of the Pennines, has lived in Pembrokeshire, Wales, for over forty years.
She has an MA in Creative Writing with the University of Wales Trinity St David's College, Carmarthen. BA (Hons) in Literature with the Open University, a Diploma in Drama from Swansea University. She is a Creative Writing tutor and holds private one to one workshops on all genres.
She has an MA in Creative Writing with the University of Wales Trinity St David's College, Carmarthen. BA (Hons) in Literature with the Open University, a Diploma in Drama from Swansea University. She is a Creative Writing tutor and holds private one to one workshops on all genres.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 16, 2013
From the first page I fell in love with this story. Judith Barrow plunges you straight in to the lives of her characters and their personal issues and relationships. These characters are real, so real you feel you have known them forever. And Judith Barrow certainly did her research; the attention to historical detail is second to none, vividly portraying what it was like to live in the post war era. This is a gritty story about what it means to be part of a family with all that demands. It is also a story about prejudice,secrets, guilt, revenge, and how the past can affect the present in devastating ways.
Mary is the central character and she is the anchor that holds this family together. Whenever anything goes wrong, it is Mary who is expected to pick up the pieces, as she has always done. Even Wales is not far enough away to escape the demands of her troubled family; Ellen, the younger sister who is being driven mad by her vicious and vindictive mother-in-law; Patrick, the brother who is destroying his own marriage to Mary's friend, Jean; the nieces caught in the middle of their parents fighting. And Mary has her own problems to deal with, in choosing a hard road for herself by living in sin with Peter,an ex POW. She and Peter face outspoken and spiteful prejudice from the small Welsh community where they have chosen to live.
Changing Patterns is apparently a sequel to Pattern of Shadows which I have not read but certainly will now. However, it is also a stand-alone read.
I took a gamble with this book. I hadn't read anything by the author before so didn't know what to expect. I'm always a bit wary of buying a book by someone I haven't read before. I am very pleased I bought this one. Judith Barrow writes well, very well indeed, and she has just gained another fan.
Mary is the central character and she is the anchor that holds this family together. Whenever anything goes wrong, it is Mary who is expected to pick up the pieces, as she has always done. Even Wales is not far enough away to escape the demands of her troubled family; Ellen, the younger sister who is being driven mad by her vicious and vindictive mother-in-law; Patrick, the brother who is destroying his own marriage to Mary's friend, Jean; the nieces caught in the middle of their parents fighting. And Mary has her own problems to deal with, in choosing a hard road for herself by living in sin with Peter,an ex POW. She and Peter face outspoken and spiteful prejudice from the small Welsh community where they have chosen to live.
Changing Patterns is apparently a sequel to Pattern of Shadows which I have not read but certainly will now. However, it is also a stand-alone read.
I took a gamble with this book. I hadn't read anything by the author before so didn't know what to expect. I'm always a bit wary of buying a book by someone I haven't read before. I am very pleased I bought this one. Judith Barrow writes well, very well indeed, and she has just gained another fan.
July 13, 2016
I read the first part of this trilogy so long ago I wondered if I’d pick up the threads but Barrow does a masterful job of trickling in just enough information to enable you to feel as though you have picked up the characters right where you left them.
This book starts with a tragedy which brings the remaining family and friends back together with Mary and Peter. I loved Mary, right from the start, she is drawn reluctantly into having to deal with everyone else’s problems while actually wanting and needing time to deal with her own.
Mary and Peter were my favourite couple. Peter, a German ex POW, steady and quiet and I so much wanted things to turn out well for them. It is difficult to imagine, when reading this from the luxury of distance of time, how difficult it must have been for their relationship to succeed straight after the war. The hostility they must have faced.
What Barrow does so well is write characters and settings, I mustn’t forget those as they are wonderful! The storylines keep you turning the pages as well as shadows from the past come back to haunt the present and I fear will continue to cause problems in the future. In fact, reading her work is endlessly pleasurable and you are whisked back to this period with every lovingly written syllable.
I highly recommend this series for all who love to bury themselves in an authentically told and expertly crafted tale. I immediately downloaded the next one, which tells you all you need to know.
This book starts with a tragedy which brings the remaining family and friends back together with Mary and Peter. I loved Mary, right from the start, she is drawn reluctantly into having to deal with everyone else’s problems while actually wanting and needing time to deal with her own.
Mary and Peter were my favourite couple. Peter, a German ex POW, steady and quiet and I so much wanted things to turn out well for them. It is difficult to imagine, when reading this from the luxury of distance of time, how difficult it must have been for their relationship to succeed straight after the war. The hostility they must have faced.
What Barrow does so well is write characters and settings, I mustn’t forget those as they are wonderful! The storylines keep you turning the pages as well as shadows from the past come back to haunt the present and I fear will continue to cause problems in the future. In fact, reading her work is endlessly pleasurable and you are whisked back to this period with every lovingly written syllable.
I highly recommend this series for all who love to bury themselves in an authentically told and expertly crafted tale. I immediately downloaded the next one, which tells you all you need to know.
June 9, 2018
We’ve all read epic family sagas—sweeping multi-generational tales like The Thorn Birds, The Godfather, Roots, the Star Wars franchise, and anything remotely connected to the British Monarchy. So as I read Judith Barrow’s Howarth Family trilogy, I kept trying to slot them into those multigenerational tropes:
*First generation, we were supposed to see the young protagonist starting a new life with a clean slate, perhaps in a new country.
*The next generation(s) are all about owning their position, fully assimilated and at home in their world.
*And the last generation is both rebel and synthesis, with more similarities to the first generation made possible by the confidence of belonging from the second one.
But the complex, three-dimensional miniatures I met in the first three books of the trilogy stubbornly refused to align with those tropes. First of all, there’s Mary Howarth—the child of parents born while Queen Victoria was still on the throne—who is poised between her parents’ Victorian constraints, adjustment to a world fighting a war, and their own human failures including abuse, alcoholism, and ignorance.When Pattern of Shadows begins in 1944, war-fueled anti-German sentiment is so strong, even the King has changed the British monarchy’s last name from Germanic Saxe-Coburg to Windsor. Mary’s beloved brother Tom is imprisoned because of his conscientious objector status, leaving their father to express his humiliation in physical and emotional abuse of his wife and daughters. Her brother Patrick rages at being forced to work in the mines instead of joining the army, while Mary herself works as a nurse treating German prisoners of war in an old mill now converted to a military prison hospital.
Mary’s family and friends are all struggling to survive the bombs, the deaths, the earthshaking changes to virtually every aspect of their world. We’ve all seen the stories about the war—plucky British going about their lives in cheerful defiance of the bombs, going to theaters, sipping tea perched on the wreckage, chins up and upper lips stiff in what Churchill called “their finest hour”. That wasn’t Mary’s war.
Her war is not a crucible but a magnifying glass, both enlarging and even inflaming each character’s flaws. Before the war, the Shuttleworth brothers might have smirked and swaggered, but they probably wouldn’t have considered assaulting, shooting, raping, or murdering their neighbors. Mary and her sister Ellen would have married local men and never had American or German lovers. Tom would have stayed in the closet, Mary’s father and his generation would have continued abusing their women behind their closed doors. And Mary wouldn’t have risked everything for the doomed love of Peter Schormann, an enemy doctor.
I was stunned by the level of historical research that went into every detail of these books. Windows aren’t just blacked out during the Blitz, for example. Instead, they are “criss crossed with sticky tape, giving the terraced houses a wounded appearance.” We’re given a detailed picture of a vanished world, where toilets are outside, houses are tiny, and privacy is a luxury.
The Granville Mill becomes a symbol of these dark changes. Once a cotton mill providing jobs and products, it’s now a prison camp that takes on a menacing identity of its own. Over the next two volumes of Howarth family’s story, it’s the mill that continues to represent the threats, hatred, and violence the war left behind.
Unlike the joyful scenes we’re used to, marking the end of the war and everyone’s return to prosperity and happiness, the war described in these books has a devastatingly long tail. When Changing Patterns takes up the story in 1950, Mary and Peter have been reunited and are living in Wales, along with her brother Tom.
But real life doesn’t include very many happy-ever-afters, and the Howarths have to live with the aftermath of the secrets each of them has kept. The weight of those secrets is revealed in their effect on the next generation, the children of the Howarth siblings. The battle between those secrets and their family bonds is a desperate one, because the life of a child hangs in the balance.
Finally, the saga seems to slide into those generational tropes in Living in the Shadows, the final book of the Howarth trilogy. Interestingly enough, this new generation does represent a blend of their preceding generations’ faults and strengths, but with the conviction of their modern identities. Where their parents’ generation had to hide their secrets, this new generation confidently faces their world: as gay, as handicapped, as unwed parents, and—ultimately shrugging off their parents’ sins—as family.
But I didn’t really understand all of that until I considered the title of the prequel (released after the trilogy). 100 Tiny Threads tells the story of that first generation, their demons, their loves, their hopes, and their failures, and most importantly, their strength to forge a life despite those failures. That book, along with the novella-sized group of short stories in Secrets, gives the final clues to understanding the trilogy. As Simone Signoret said, “Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads, which sew people together through the years.” And it’s both those secrets and those threads not only unite them into a family, but ultimately provide their strength.
This is the part where I’m supposed to tell you that each of these wonderful books can be read alone. But no, don’t do that. In fact, if you haven’t read any of them, you’re luckier than I am, because you can start with the prequel and read in chronological order. I chose to review these books as a set, and I believe that’s how they should be read.
Every now and then, I come across books so beautifully written that their characters follow me around, demanding I understand their lives, their mistakes, their loves, and in this case, their families. Taken together, the Howarth Family stories are an achievement worth every one of the five stars I’d give them.
*First generation, we were supposed to see the young protagonist starting a new life with a clean slate, perhaps in a new country.
*The next generation(s) are all about owning their position, fully assimilated and at home in their world.
*And the last generation is both rebel and synthesis, with more similarities to the first generation made possible by the confidence of belonging from the second one.
But the complex, three-dimensional miniatures I met in the first three books of the trilogy stubbornly refused to align with those tropes. First of all, there’s Mary Howarth—the child of parents born while Queen Victoria was still on the throne—who is poised between her parents’ Victorian constraints, adjustment to a world fighting a war, and their own human failures including abuse, alcoholism, and ignorance.When Pattern of Shadows begins in 1944, war-fueled anti-German sentiment is so strong, even the King has changed the British monarchy’s last name from Germanic Saxe-Coburg to Windsor. Mary’s beloved brother Tom is imprisoned because of his conscientious objector status, leaving their father to express his humiliation in physical and emotional abuse of his wife and daughters. Her brother Patrick rages at being forced to work in the mines instead of joining the army, while Mary herself works as a nurse treating German prisoners of war in an old mill now converted to a military prison hospital.
Mary’s family and friends are all struggling to survive the bombs, the deaths, the earthshaking changes to virtually every aspect of their world. We’ve all seen the stories about the war—plucky British going about their lives in cheerful defiance of the bombs, going to theaters, sipping tea perched on the wreckage, chins up and upper lips stiff in what Churchill called “their finest hour”. That wasn’t Mary’s war.
Her war is not a crucible but a magnifying glass, both enlarging and even inflaming each character’s flaws. Before the war, the Shuttleworth brothers might have smirked and swaggered, but they probably wouldn’t have considered assaulting, shooting, raping, or murdering their neighbors. Mary and her sister Ellen would have married local men and never had American or German lovers. Tom would have stayed in the closet, Mary’s father and his generation would have continued abusing their women behind their closed doors. And Mary wouldn’t have risked everything for the doomed love of Peter Schormann, an enemy doctor.
I was stunned by the level of historical research that went into every detail of these books. Windows aren’t just blacked out during the Blitz, for example. Instead, they are “criss crossed with sticky tape, giving the terraced houses a wounded appearance.” We’re given a detailed picture of a vanished world, where toilets are outside, houses are tiny, and privacy is a luxury.
The Granville Mill becomes a symbol of these dark changes. Once a cotton mill providing jobs and products, it’s now a prison camp that takes on a menacing identity of its own. Over the next two volumes of Howarth family’s story, it’s the mill that continues to represent the threats, hatred, and violence the war left behind.
Unlike the joyful scenes we’re used to, marking the end of the war and everyone’s return to prosperity and happiness, the war described in these books has a devastatingly long tail. When Changing Patterns takes up the story in 1950, Mary and Peter have been reunited and are living in Wales, along with her brother Tom.
But real life doesn’t include very many happy-ever-afters, and the Howarths have to live with the aftermath of the secrets each of them has kept. The weight of those secrets is revealed in their effect on the next generation, the children of the Howarth siblings. The battle between those secrets and their family bonds is a desperate one, because the life of a child hangs in the balance.
Finally, the saga seems to slide into those generational tropes in Living in the Shadows, the final book of the Howarth trilogy. Interestingly enough, this new generation does represent a blend of their preceding generations’ faults and strengths, but with the conviction of their modern identities. Where their parents’ generation had to hide their secrets, this new generation confidently faces their world: as gay, as handicapped, as unwed parents, and—ultimately shrugging off their parents’ sins—as family.
But I didn’t really understand all of that until I considered the title of the prequel (released after the trilogy). 100 Tiny Threads tells the story of that first generation, their demons, their loves, their hopes, and their failures, and most importantly, their strength to forge a life despite those failures. That book, along with the novella-sized group of short stories in Secrets, gives the final clues to understanding the trilogy. As Simone Signoret said, “Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads, which sew people together through the years.” And it’s both those secrets and those threads not only unite them into a family, but ultimately provide their strength.
This is the part where I’m supposed to tell you that each of these wonderful books can be read alone. But no, don’t do that. In fact, if you haven’t read any of them, you’re luckier than I am, because you can start with the prequel and read in chronological order. I chose to review these books as a set, and I believe that’s how they should be read.
Every now and then, I come across books so beautifully written that their characters follow me around, demanding I understand their lives, their mistakes, their loves, and in this case, their families. Taken together, the Howarth Family stories are an achievement worth every one of the five stars I’d give them.
April 26, 2015
4.5 stars
Now, this is what I love to see ~ a sequel that is better than the first! Ideally, writers should improve on their craft all the time, even if they do so without realising; I've read a few books from series this year and been pleased to find this the case, every time, and particularly so with this novel.
Pattern of Shadows followed the fortunes of the Howarth family in working class northern England during WWII; Changing Patterns takes the story into 1950. I read this book over a period of about 48 hours and thought about it when I wasn't reading it. What made it good? It's easy to read, a bit like watching a soap opera; yes, it's an everyday story of simple folk. Its main USP, though, is the realism, which made me feel two different things. Firstly, a comfortable nostalgia; I was not born until 1959, but know that people of my parents' generation see those post war years as something of a golden age. You know, when people had proper family values and were so grateful just to live in a time of peace that they were more appreciative of seemingly trivial pleasures. The other side, though, is somewhat darker: the prejudices, particularly amongst the ill educated, and the sense of being in a social straitjacket. This book portrays both sides so well.
In the first book I did not warm to the main character, Mary Howarth, but I came to like her much more in this one, along with ex POW, Peter, and Mary's sister, Ellen. Oh, and the horrors of living with the battleaxe mothers in law! The book is sometimes very graphic in its realism and made me extremely glad the stork didn't drop me in Ellen's situation; Mrs Booth was quite revolting. And then there is the gross and despicable George Shuttleworth...
I'd say that if this sort of family drama is your favourite thing to read, you will love this book; it's very well written and is a fine example of the genre. I shall definitely be reading part 3 when available; it's about the next generation and is set in the 1960s. I so look forward to Ms Barrow's take on an era I really do remember!
A note to the proofreader: at 66% Ms Barrow has used the word 'scran', which is northern slang word for food. "Good scran that, our kid,". Alas, the proofreader/editor has changed it to 'scram'! This made me laugh, as I am a southerner who has moved to the north east in recent years, and before that I hadn't heard of the word, either. There - you learn something new every day, indeed!
Now, this is what I love to see ~ a sequel that is better than the first! Ideally, writers should improve on their craft all the time, even if they do so without realising; I've read a few books from series this year and been pleased to find this the case, every time, and particularly so with this novel.
Pattern of Shadows followed the fortunes of the Howarth family in working class northern England during WWII; Changing Patterns takes the story into 1950. I read this book over a period of about 48 hours and thought about it when I wasn't reading it. What made it good? It's easy to read, a bit like watching a soap opera; yes, it's an everyday story of simple folk. Its main USP, though, is the realism, which made me feel two different things. Firstly, a comfortable nostalgia; I was not born until 1959, but know that people of my parents' generation see those post war years as something of a golden age. You know, when people had proper family values and were so grateful just to live in a time of peace that they were more appreciative of seemingly trivial pleasures. The other side, though, is somewhat darker: the prejudices, particularly amongst the ill educated, and the sense of being in a social straitjacket. This book portrays both sides so well.
In the first book I did not warm to the main character, Mary Howarth, but I came to like her much more in this one, along with ex POW, Peter, and Mary's sister, Ellen. Oh, and the horrors of living with the battleaxe mothers in law! The book is sometimes very graphic in its realism and made me extremely glad the stork didn't drop me in Ellen's situation; Mrs Booth was quite revolting. And then there is the gross and despicable George Shuttleworth...
I'd say that if this sort of family drama is your favourite thing to read, you will love this book; it's very well written and is a fine example of the genre. I shall definitely be reading part 3 when available; it's about the next generation and is set in the 1960s. I so look forward to Ms Barrow's take on an era I really do remember!
A note to the proofreader: at 66% Ms Barrow has used the word 'scran', which is northern slang word for food. "Good scran that, our kid,". Alas, the proofreader/editor has changed it to 'scram'! This made me laugh, as I am a southerner who has moved to the north east in recent years, and before that I hadn't heard of the word, either. There - you learn something new every day, indeed!
July 24, 2014
This is the sequel to 'Pattern of Shadows' which was a brilliant book. It could easily stand-alone but I think is better read in sequence. The story picks up where the first left off, starting in 1950, in a village in Wales, where Mary, a hospital matron is living with her brother Tom, and now, her German lover, Peter, having left her native Ashford in the North of England where her close family and friends remain.
In the very first chapter there is a tragic accident (or is it an accident?), which causes multiple tensions and relationships to change. Bit by bit, lives start to unravel both in Wales and in Ashford. Soon Mary decides to leave Peter in Wales and return to help her sister Ellen who is suffering emotionally and not coping with her husband's mean and horrible mother and family life. Mary's lifelong friend Jean, too, has problems with her husband, Mary's brother Patrick, who has started 'playing away'. The eventual results of this lead to a most interesting situation (both funny and full of pathos) that would not happen today!
The 'secret' of who killed Frank Shuttleworth, a significant character in Pattern of Shadows', continues to haunt the families, and his brother George is intent on revenge, but gets more than he bargains for as the story takes a nasty twist.
The characterisations are superb, as are the interweaving plot-lines. It's a gripping story guaranteed to keep you reading, right to the very last word. I believe that Judith is working on book 3 in the series. Hurry up! Is all I can say - your readers are waiting! (Jones)
In the very first chapter there is a tragic accident (or is it an accident?), which causes multiple tensions and relationships to change. Bit by bit, lives start to unravel both in Wales and in Ashford. Soon Mary decides to leave Peter in Wales and return to help her sister Ellen who is suffering emotionally and not coping with her husband's mean and horrible mother and family life. Mary's lifelong friend Jean, too, has problems with her husband, Mary's brother Patrick, who has started 'playing away'. The eventual results of this lead to a most interesting situation (both funny and full of pathos) that would not happen today!
The 'secret' of who killed Frank Shuttleworth, a significant character in Pattern of Shadows', continues to haunt the families, and his brother George is intent on revenge, but gets more than he bargains for as the story takes a nasty twist.
The characterisations are superb, as are the interweaving plot-lines. It's a gripping story guaranteed to keep you reading, right to the very last word. I believe that Judith is working on book 3 in the series. Hurry up! Is all I can say - your readers are waiting! (Jones)
October 19, 2015
This is the second book in this series, and I must say, I enjoyed it even more than the first.
We see that now the war is over things should be settling down, right? Nope.
This is real life raw family drama 'back in the day'
Now, thinking back to the 1950's where neighbors used to just 'pop' in, where everyone was known to each other, where simple things were a great pleasure.
But there was also a darker side which Judith Barrow definitely tackles.
We see that Mary is living with her brother and guess what....she has a German lover.........oh gee gods.
There is an event [among many] which portrays a tragic accident. This changes a LOT of things.
I can't wait to read book 3 and see what happens from there.
If you like down to earth, plain and simple family drama, this is the book for you its very well written.
January 2, 2018
I was happy to be able to read the continuation of the Howarth family's situations.
Mary and Peter appeared to be happily settled, but with the death of her brother Tom, a whole host of secrets are brought to the surface. Certain truths are uncovered which create situations where they all feel that things will never be the same again.
I really enjoyed how Judith Barrow took the different threads from the original story, and continued to weave another gripping chapter in the story of Mary and her family.
Mary and Peter appeared to be happily settled, but with the death of her brother Tom, a whole host of secrets are brought to the surface. Certain truths are uncovered which create situations where they all feel that things will never be the same again.
I really enjoyed how Judith Barrow took the different threads from the original story, and continued to weave another gripping chapter in the story of Mary and her family.
February 2, 2017
After the first book, I knew that I'll love this one. Judith Barrow writes with her heart and each word is strong. I'm look forward to reading the third!
July 17, 2016
Changing Patterns by Judith Barrow is a nostalgic novel set in 1950 which succeeded in evoking lots of different emotional responses as I was reading it. It’s in turn, funny, sad and heart warming but also has a serious dose of tension thrown into the mix.
Barrow has created this novel as the second in her Shadows’ trilogy. As with all series, you can’t beat reading them in the order that they were intended; however, this is a story that works perfectly well as a standalone. Five years have passed since Pattern of Shadows and Barrow does a great job of providing her readers with just enough back story.
Mary and Peter, the seemingly star-crossed lovers, have been reunited and are living in idyllic surroundings in a coastal village in Wales. Sadly though, tragedy never seems to be far away from this couple and, just as it feels like they may get their happy ever after, Mary is pulled into a family drama that threatens to rip her relationship with Peter apart.
One of Barrow’s many strengths is the amount of historic research she has done and the attention to detail which brings her story alive. As someone who was brought up in a Northern industrial city as part of a working class community, lots of Barrow’s descriptions brought a smile to my face as memories of my grandparents’ back to back houses, complete with outside toilets and front rooms that were rarely used, came flooding back. It is a credit to Barrow’s writing that her settings are not only realistic but become a central part of the story. At times, it reminded me of the setting for a drama and I could well envisage the whole thing being played out on our TV screens.
I like so many things about this novel but not least the dynamics of the Howarth family. As the oldest girl, Mary has been conditioned to put other people’s needs before her own and she does this time and time again at the expense of her own happiness. Her younger sister Ellen is almost childlike due to her reliance on Mary to take control every time life becomes difficult. No matter that everyone around them can see that their relationship isn’t healthy, they seem destined to carry on playing their predetermined roles.
Barrow gives us a warts and all glimpse of life in a close knit community. The back to back housing means that there is no space for privacy or individuality and that can be oppressive and limiting. However, it also has its positives, for example when a child goes missing everyone in the community immediately pulls together as part of the search. Likewise, it’s easy to idealise the idea of strong women and a matriarchal society but Barrow reminds us that women can be just as bullying and aggressive as men. Ellen’s mother in law is the epitome of a spiteful, angry woman dominating her family’s life in such a way that she is making everyone unhappy.
Strangely my favourite character is Mary’s brother, Patrick, who on the surface is an unpleasant bully. He has been brought up in a home where domestic abuse is the norm. His only male role model was a man who expressed his anger and frustrations by lashing out. Patrick has seen his mother’s suffering as a victim of domestic abuse and has vowed to himself he will never be like his father. However, he struggles with his own anger and does in fact strike his wife. He’s also a womaniser who measures his self-worth by his attractiveness to women. There is no doubt though that at heart he is a good man and Barrow allows us to see his journey to become a better husband, father and human being. By the end of the novel, I was really rooting for him to rise above his upbringing.
Barrow also explores racial prejudice in the novel through the difficulties that Peter endures. It’s hardly surprising that, during the years following the war, communities who had suffered devastating losses refused to welcome a German into their midst. However, the story expresses hope for humanity as gradually tensions ease and it becomes clear that Peter is no different to anyone else. Parts of the story felt very relevant to modern day Britain where we are becoming increasingly wary of outsiders. There is poignancy in the way Peter insists that his children have English names because he doesn’t want them to be singled out. This sadly reminded me of my own new Hungarian neighbours who have anglicised their names to try and fit in.
From beginning to end the novel is threaded with tension. The Howarth family are burdened with secrets that they are each trying to keep in order to protect the ones they love. It’s clear though that the secrets are destined to come out as the longer they are kept the more potentially toxic they become. In George Shuttleworth, Barrow has created a villain who is always lurking in the shadows threatening to cause heartache for the Howarth family, which ultimately he does. Cleverly though, Barrow doesn’t make George a one dimensional baddie. He is odious and repulsive but he is also a victim of violence and anger and is deeply unhappy.
I can’t recommend Changing Patterns enough; it is a top notch read that kept me glued to my kindle well into the wee hours. If you love a series then I suggest you opt for Pattern of Shadows first. If not then dive straight into this one – you won’t regret it.
Barrow has created this novel as the second in her Shadows’ trilogy. As with all series, you can’t beat reading them in the order that they were intended; however, this is a story that works perfectly well as a standalone. Five years have passed since Pattern of Shadows and Barrow does a great job of providing her readers with just enough back story.
Mary and Peter, the seemingly star-crossed lovers, have been reunited and are living in idyllic surroundings in a coastal village in Wales. Sadly though, tragedy never seems to be far away from this couple and, just as it feels like they may get their happy ever after, Mary is pulled into a family drama that threatens to rip her relationship with Peter apart.
One of Barrow’s many strengths is the amount of historic research she has done and the attention to detail which brings her story alive. As someone who was brought up in a Northern industrial city as part of a working class community, lots of Barrow’s descriptions brought a smile to my face as memories of my grandparents’ back to back houses, complete with outside toilets and front rooms that were rarely used, came flooding back. It is a credit to Barrow’s writing that her settings are not only realistic but become a central part of the story. At times, it reminded me of the setting for a drama and I could well envisage the whole thing being played out on our TV screens.
I like so many things about this novel but not least the dynamics of the Howarth family. As the oldest girl, Mary has been conditioned to put other people’s needs before her own and she does this time and time again at the expense of her own happiness. Her younger sister Ellen is almost childlike due to her reliance on Mary to take control every time life becomes difficult. No matter that everyone around them can see that their relationship isn’t healthy, they seem destined to carry on playing their predetermined roles.
Barrow gives us a warts and all glimpse of life in a close knit community. The back to back housing means that there is no space for privacy or individuality and that can be oppressive and limiting. However, it also has its positives, for example when a child goes missing everyone in the community immediately pulls together as part of the search. Likewise, it’s easy to idealise the idea of strong women and a matriarchal society but Barrow reminds us that women can be just as bullying and aggressive as men. Ellen’s mother in law is the epitome of a spiteful, angry woman dominating her family’s life in such a way that she is making everyone unhappy.
Strangely my favourite character is Mary’s brother, Patrick, who on the surface is an unpleasant bully. He has been brought up in a home where domestic abuse is the norm. His only male role model was a man who expressed his anger and frustrations by lashing out. Patrick has seen his mother’s suffering as a victim of domestic abuse and has vowed to himself he will never be like his father. However, he struggles with his own anger and does in fact strike his wife. He’s also a womaniser who measures his self-worth by his attractiveness to women. There is no doubt though that at heart he is a good man and Barrow allows us to see his journey to become a better husband, father and human being. By the end of the novel, I was really rooting for him to rise above his upbringing.
Barrow also explores racial prejudice in the novel through the difficulties that Peter endures. It’s hardly surprising that, during the years following the war, communities who had suffered devastating losses refused to welcome a German into their midst. However, the story expresses hope for humanity as gradually tensions ease and it becomes clear that Peter is no different to anyone else. Parts of the story felt very relevant to modern day Britain where we are becoming increasingly wary of outsiders. There is poignancy in the way Peter insists that his children have English names because he doesn’t want them to be singled out. This sadly reminded me of my own new Hungarian neighbours who have anglicised their names to try and fit in.
From beginning to end the novel is threaded with tension. The Howarth family are burdened with secrets that they are each trying to keep in order to protect the ones they love. It’s clear though that the secrets are destined to come out as the longer they are kept the more potentially toxic they become. In George Shuttleworth, Barrow has created a villain who is always lurking in the shadows threatening to cause heartache for the Howarth family, which ultimately he does. Cleverly though, Barrow doesn’t make George a one dimensional baddie. He is odious and repulsive but he is also a victim of violence and anger and is deeply unhappy.
I can’t recommend Changing Patterns enough; it is a top notch read that kept me glued to my kindle well into the wee hours. If you love a series then I suggest you opt for Pattern of Shadows first. If not then dive straight into this one – you won’t regret it.
November 1, 2015
Changing Patterns continues the story of Mary Howarth and her family in the post WWII years. At the close of Pattern of Shadows, Mary, her brother Tom and their mother had moved from Ashford in the North of England, to Wales. Mary believed her ill-fated liaison with the German doctor and POW Peter Schormann was over until he turned up on her doorstep five years later. The war may be over but prejudice and danger still linger on, even in a small Welsh village.
Mary and Peter, together with Mary’s brother Tom, are now happily settled together in their cottage in Wales, courtesy of Iori’s mother, Gwyneth. Mary and Peter are planning to marry in the near future. When tragedy strikes and Mary witnesses her brother’s death by a hit and run driver she is completely devastated.
All is not running smoothly with Mary’s family in Ashford. Ellen, Mary’s sister, is bearing the brunt of her resentful and mean-spirited mother-in-law’s vicious tongue. Patrick, their brother, is putting his marriage to Jean, Mary’s friend, at risk and the children are caught in the cross fire. Relationships are strained almost to breaking point when news of Tom’s death reaches them. Ellen, Jean and the children make the journey to Wales for the funeral and once again they look to Mary to sort out their problems.
Events from the past continue to shape the present, most notably the question mark over Frank Shuttleworth’s death. Although this basically is a novel of family, with the relationships, tensions and the bond that holds them together, it also showcases the after effects of war and the lingering effects, not only those who were prisoners of war, but on the rest of society as well.
The authenticity of place and characterisations shine through this absorbing tale, and the many diverse details and dialogue of the time are clearly well researched, resulting in an extremely well written and structured narrative. The stories and troubles of each family are cleverly interwoven into the sometimes gritty, but very realistic story, and the characters are distinct and believable. It’s also representational of human nature and the principles of right and wrong. I’m looking forward to the last book of the trilogy.
Mary and Peter, together with Mary’s brother Tom, are now happily settled together in their cottage in Wales, courtesy of Iori’s mother, Gwyneth. Mary and Peter are planning to marry in the near future. When tragedy strikes and Mary witnesses her brother’s death by a hit and run driver she is completely devastated.
All is not running smoothly with Mary’s family in Ashford. Ellen, Mary’s sister, is bearing the brunt of her resentful and mean-spirited mother-in-law’s vicious tongue. Patrick, their brother, is putting his marriage to Jean, Mary’s friend, at risk and the children are caught in the cross fire. Relationships are strained almost to breaking point when news of Tom’s death reaches them. Ellen, Jean and the children make the journey to Wales for the funeral and once again they look to Mary to sort out their problems.
Events from the past continue to shape the present, most notably the question mark over Frank Shuttleworth’s death. Although this basically is a novel of family, with the relationships, tensions and the bond that holds them together, it also showcases the after effects of war and the lingering effects, not only those who were prisoners of war, but on the rest of society as well.
The authenticity of place and characterisations shine through this absorbing tale, and the many diverse details and dialogue of the time are clearly well researched, resulting in an extremely well written and structured narrative. The stories and troubles of each family are cleverly interwoven into the sometimes gritty, but very realistic story, and the characters are distinct and believable. It’s also representational of human nature and the principles of right and wrong. I’m looking forward to the last book of the trilogy.
October 7, 2013
Judith Barrow is the mistress of the family saga. Having read Pattern of Shadows I was keen to find out what happened to the complex characters set up by the previous book. It was a richly satisfying experience to have all the loose ends tied up in 'Changing Patterns'. Love abounds but there is no soppy romanticism. This is real love, warts and all, amongst working class families. There are no grown ups, no-one knows all the answers to the dramas that confront them. Everyone finds their own way through betrayals, terror and abduction. Everyone is believable in this gritty, down to earth story. Recommended reading if you want to become totally involved in lives you can relate to.
Judith also excels in the atmosphere of the period after the second world war. Rationing still competes with money for currency, the lavatories are still outdoors with scratcy Izal toilet paper; babies are exchanged without social workers filling in a ream of forms, tin baths still have scum around their edges and you can smell the cigarette smoke and the drains. Through it all the compassionate humanity of people struggling to cope shines through and this is ultimately an extremely uplifting story with a feel good finale full of hope and optimism for a different, brighter future which beautifully encapsulates the fifties.
Judith also excels in the atmosphere of the period after the second world war. Rationing still competes with money for currency, the lavatories are still outdoors with scratcy Izal toilet paper; babies are exchanged without social workers filling in a ream of forms, tin baths still have scum around their edges and you can smell the cigarette smoke and the drains. Through it all the compassionate humanity of people struggling to cope shines through and this is ultimately an extremely uplifting story with a feel good finale full of hope and optimism for a different, brighter future which beautifully encapsulates the fifties.
February 17, 2018
I really enjoyed Pattern of Shadows by Judith Barrow and so I bought the second in the trilogy as well. It's often the case that a second book doesn't live up to the magic of the first but this one, I'm glad to say, certainly did.
As a family saga it's clearly a continuation of Pattern of Shadows but both books are self-contained and can be read on their own - however, if you are going to read them I'd recommend doing so in order as there are bound to be spoilers for the first book in the second.
This is the continuing story of Mary Howarth. The war is over but lingering bitterness and hate poison people's perspectives of Mary and her German lover and there's unfinished business in the unpleasant form of someone whose hatred strikes tragedy for the Howarth family in the opening pages.
All the strengths of the first novel are here, too. The complex characterisation, the interlinking of friends and family (sometimes harmoniously, often not) and the brilliant attention to period detail that gives the book authenticity without sounding like a history lecture. And then there's the power in the convincing dialogue, the clear eye for description and the building of love, fear and menace through the pages.
I'm off to buy the third of the trilogy now!
As a family saga it's clearly a continuation of Pattern of Shadows but both books are self-contained and can be read on their own - however, if you are going to read them I'd recommend doing so in order as there are bound to be spoilers for the first book in the second.
This is the continuing story of Mary Howarth. The war is over but lingering bitterness and hate poison people's perspectives of Mary and her German lover and there's unfinished business in the unpleasant form of someone whose hatred strikes tragedy for the Howarth family in the opening pages.
All the strengths of the first novel are here, too. The complex characterisation, the interlinking of friends and family (sometimes harmoniously, often not) and the brilliant attention to period detail that gives the book authenticity without sounding like a history lecture. And then there's the power in the convincing dialogue, the clear eye for description and the building of love, fear and menace through the pages.
I'm off to buy the third of the trilogy now!
February 23, 2018
I read Changing Patterns as light relief while making my way through the more demanding Multiple Personalities by Tatyana Shcherbina. It’s apparently a sequel to another family saga called Pattern of Shadows and there’s another one in the trilogy called Living in the Shadows but I didn’t know that when I picked it up from the library. I was attracted by the cover image of young women from my mother’s era in what looks like London, but isn’t. It’s postwar Ashford in Lancashire, and the book is published by a Welsh women’s press, which has an interesting story of its own (as I discovered when I got to the last page of the book)
It is a bit Days of Our Lives. Though they have their reflective moments, the characters are a bit one-dimensional, and the plot taxes credibility here and there. But unlike Days of Our Lives, it is engaging enough, and it doesn’t go on forever. (Wikipedia tells me that DOOL started in 1965 and is still going.)
To read my review, (and yes, there are some spoilers) please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2018/02/23/c...
It is a bit Days of Our Lives. Though they have their reflective moments, the characters are a bit one-dimensional, and the plot taxes credibility here and there. But unlike Days of Our Lives, it is engaging enough, and it doesn’t go on forever. (Wikipedia tells me that DOOL started in 1965 and is still going.)
To read my review, (and yes, there are some spoilers) please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2018/02/23/c...
February 22, 2014
Having enjoyed the first book in the series, Pattern of Shadows, I was pleased to discover there was a sequel, which I enjoyed for many reasons:
- clearly depicted characters
- interesting moral dilemmas specific to their era
- well written text
- stories of several very different couples weaving in and out of each other
- vivid depiction of the early 1950s, with endless details fitting comfortably into the narrative
- stark contrast to the lot of modern women (for which I am extremely grateful!)
- pleasing structure with lots of short chapters ending at key moments, breaking up the drama and tension to make them easier to absorb
Judith Barrow is an excellent storyteller, gritty and realistic yet compassionate and caring. She doesn't shirk from depicting hard facts about troubled lives, but also sets them in a hopeful context. There were some real nail-biting moments in this drama, and there were a few passages that made for anguished reading, but it adds up to a satisfying story that will stay with the reader long after the final page. Highly recommended.
- clearly depicted characters
- interesting moral dilemmas specific to their era
- well written text
- stories of several very different couples weaving in and out of each other
- vivid depiction of the early 1950s, with endless details fitting comfortably into the narrative
- stark contrast to the lot of modern women (for which I am extremely grateful!)
- pleasing structure with lots of short chapters ending at key moments, breaking up the drama and tension to make them easier to absorb
Judith Barrow is an excellent storyteller, gritty and realistic yet compassionate and caring. She doesn't shirk from depicting hard facts about troubled lives, but also sets them in a hopeful context. There were some real nail-biting moments in this drama, and there were a few passages that made for anguished reading, but it adds up to a satisfying story that will stay with the reader long after the final page. Highly recommended.
October 31, 2014
It took a while to get into this book. There are a lot of characters, from a lot of families so it takes a while to get to grips with who is who.
However, it is worth persevering. There are a lot of themes which are developed as the novel progresses.
Torn family loyalties
Prejudice
Domestic violence
The innocence of youth
To name but a few. I particularly liked some of the more humorous lines which came from the young child characters Linda & Jacqueline. Others came in the form of quotes made by an earlier generation: “What was it our Mam used to say? If wishes were horses-' 'beggars would ride."
One piece of advice for those planning to read this; It may be better to read 'Pattern of shadows', by the same author first, it appears to cover the period just before that in which this book is set.
However, it is worth persevering. There are a lot of themes which are developed as the novel progresses.
Torn family loyalties
Prejudice
Domestic violence
The innocence of youth
To name but a few. I particularly liked some of the more humorous lines which came from the young child characters Linda & Jacqueline. Others came in the form of quotes made by an earlier generation: “What was it our Mam used to say? If wishes were horses-' 'beggars would ride."
One piece of advice for those planning to read this; It may be better to read 'Pattern of shadows', by the same author first, it appears to cover the period just before that in which this book is set.
September 20, 2013
Even if this book is the second part of a previous story, you don't have to read the first one to understand the plot. The action is set in Wales and in England, after the second world war. I chose to read this book till its end but couldn't find any pleasure in it. The characters are not very likable ; every one is only concerned by their own interest, except perhaps Ted... The langage itself seems odd to me : the use of a possessive determiner before a name (our Mary, my Helen, etc...), at length, seemed artificial and common and I have not, till today, come across such a way of speaking. The plot is rather boring and predictable. So, I have found this rather disappointing and wouldn't recommand it.
April 28, 2015
If you enjoy a well-written historical drama, you will love Changing Patterns by Judith Barrow. The story, set shortly after the end of World War 2, revolves around Mary, a matriarchal figure in the family, who finds herself ostracised because of her love of a German-ex POW doctor. This absorbing, gritty family saga dips and weaves as this carefully crafted, clever story takes the reader through a roller coaster of emotions. The personal stories of the strong, believable characters, are interwoven in an expert fashion by the author. It is has all the necessary ingredients to keep the reader enthralled and wanting to read on until the story unfolds to its climax, with plenty of twists and turns heightening the suspense of the drama. I highly recommend this must-read, can’t-put-down book.
September 12, 2019
I meant to purchase the earlier part of the story set during WWII (this is what I get for online shopping late at night), so I read this in the wrong order, but it's a perfectly good stand-alone story of a family with issues that pre-date the war, and how they're coping once it's over. The emotion of the story is a bit low-key; I remember thinking early on that I wasn't very invested in the characters, but it crept up on me quickly - when I had to put the book down for a while, I started thinking about them and wondering what happened next. Now I'm going to read the previous book and round out the story for myself.
March 9, 2015
absolutely loved these 2 books. hope she will follow on with the saga.
October 28, 2017
Part of a great compelling series following the fortunes of a delightfully flawed family.
July 15, 2023
I enjoyed the first book in this family saga and looked forward to this, the second in the series. I was not disappointed. The story takes place five years after WWII, when the people of England were getting on with their lives, despite war damage and rations. Mary Howarth has settled in Wales, happy to be away from her bad memories and difficult family. She is with Peter, her German POW boyfriend with plans to marry soon. Then in one second her life is torn apart. Although away from her sister and brother in Yorkshire, their problems follow her to Wales and she is soon, reluctantly, summoned back home. Just before she leaves, Peter divulges a secret that could change everything in their relationship. Mary is the strong one in the family and is heavily relied upon. Can she sort out her siblings' lives while she deals with her own issues? Post-war Briton is described vividly as are the characters, flawed and unsavoury as some are. I look forward to reading the third book.
December 19, 2020
Excellent and enjoyable book.
I was sorry when I got to the end of the story .It is so well written and entertaining and the characters are so real and well described. I would recommend it as one of those books that you will find hard to put down
I was sorry when I got to the end of the story .It is so well written and entertaining and the characters are so real and well described. I would recommend it as one of those books that you will find hard to put down
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