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London #1
Old Father Thames
Annie Clark, determined to better herself, gets herself a job as a swithchboard operator and tries to lose her Cockney accent and ways. But it is the two men in her life - Harry Roberts and Tom Bates - who determine her future.
Paperback
First published May 15, 1995
About the author
Sally Spencer
117 books154 followersA pseudonym used by Alan Rustage.
Sally Spencer is a pen name, first adopted when the author (actually called Alan Rustage) was writing sagas and it was almost obligatory that a woman's name appeared on the cover (other authors like Emma Blair and Mary Jane Staples are also men).
Before becoming a full-time writer, he was a teacher. In 1978-79 he was working in Iran and witnessed the fall of the Shah (see the Blog for what it was like to live through a revolution). He got used to having rifles - and, one occasion, a rocket launcher - pointed at him by both soldiers and revolutionaries, but he was never entirely comfortable with it.
He lived in Madrid for over twenty years, and still considers it the most interesting and exciting city he has ever visited, but for the last few years he has opted for a quieter life in the seaside town of Calpe, on the Costa Blanca.
His first series of books were historical sagas set in Cheshire (where he grew up) and London. They were very popular with his English readers, but his American readers find the dialect something of a strain.
He has written twenty books featuring DCI Woodend (a character based partly on a furniture dealer he used to play dominoes with) and ten (so far!) about Woodend's protegé Monika Paniatowski.
His DI Sam Blackstone books are set in Victorian/Edwardian London, New York and Russia, and the Inspector Paco Ruiz books have as their backdrop the Spanish Civil War.
Alan is a competitive games player who likes bridge and pub quizzes. It is only by enforcing iron discipline that he doesn't play video games all the time.
He now lives on Spain's Costa Blanca.
Sally Spencer is a pen name, first adopted when the author (actually called Alan Rustage) was writing sagas and it was almost obligatory that a woman's name appeared on the cover (other authors like Emma Blair and Mary Jane Staples are also men).
Before becoming a full-time writer, he was a teacher. In 1978-79 he was working in Iran and witnessed the fall of the Shah (see the Blog for what it was like to live through a revolution). He got used to having rifles - and, one occasion, a rocket launcher - pointed at him by both soldiers and revolutionaries, but he was never entirely comfortable with it.
He lived in Madrid for over twenty years, and still considers it the most interesting and exciting city he has ever visited, but for the last few years he has opted for a quieter life in the seaside town of Calpe, on the Costa Blanca.
His first series of books were historical sagas set in Cheshire (where he grew up) and London. They were very popular with his English readers, but his American readers find the dialect something of a strain.
He has written twenty books featuring DCI Woodend (a character based partly on a furniture dealer he used to play dominoes with) and ten (so far!) about Woodend's protegé Monika Paniatowski.
His DI Sam Blackstone books are set in Victorian/Edwardian London, New York and Russia, and the Inspector Paco Ruiz books have as their backdrop the Spanish Civil War.
Alan is a competitive games player who likes bridge and pub quizzes. It is only by enforcing iron discipline that he doesn't play video games all the time.
He now lives on Spain's Costa Blanca.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 22, 2017
This is a lively and good-hearted read about a Cheshire couple who come to live and work in London in 1901. They take residence in Southwark, south of the river, handy for the docks where the husband is working. Next door is a large cheerful family, and the men discover that they have Army service in common, so quickly become friends. We get to know the comings and goings and loves of the two families.
In this way we see the jobs that were opening up to women - telephone operators, but only if they were well spoken, for instance. And the changes coming to the city as cars begin to appear on the streets, again providing new jobs. I like that we meet a wetbob, a member of the River Police, and see his day's work. One girl has to choose between this man and a reformed hooligan. Crime is rife but that does not mean it is tolerated or approved of by hard working people.
Enjoy! As the author is actually a man, we get plenty of male viewpoints but the women of various ages are well presented too.
This is an unbiased review.
In this way we see the jobs that were opening up to women - telephone operators, but only if they were well spoken, for instance. And the changes coming to the city as cars begin to appear on the streets, again providing new jobs. I like that we meet a wetbob, a member of the River Police, and see his day's work. One girl has to choose between this man and a reformed hooligan. Crime is rife but that does not mean it is tolerated or approved of by hard working people.
Enjoy! As the author is actually a man, we get plenty of male viewpoints but the women of various ages are well presented too.
This is an unbiased review.
October 2, 2021
great read - with multiple themes and great ending
January 4, 2016
Light, enjoyable holiday read
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews