Our Spoons Came from Woolworths

Listed as a favorite book by two different friends in conversations a decade apart, "Spoons" became a must-read for me in the early eighties and has remained one of my favorite novels. I was charmed when the main character wanted to adopt a kitten because it was born on her wedding day, and I enjoyed her discovery of green paint under her fingernails as she knelt at the altar. These and many other images serve to illuminate her commitment to a romantic view of life even when she is faced with dire circumstances. Throughout her journey, as she endures horrid situations,she masterfully paints each scene with a wistful perspective and, somehow prevails. The happy ending serves as a testimony to optimism and perseverance.

I bought this book on a whim because I was doing a search on poodles. The author owned poodles, so it showed up in the search. The story sounded good so I bought it. I loved the book so much that I have been searching out all of the other books by the same author. They are all very good and I love them all. Seeing the main character's poor life makes you feel much better about the situation that you are living it. Other people had it worse. The book is well written and kept me reading it. I read it within a day or two. I highly recommend it.

I disagree that this author used a childlike voice in narrating this story. Rather, it reads as an intelligent woman who was bewildered and blindsided by abject poverty, marriage to a loser who refused to support her, and the responibilities of raising small children alone. This was the 1930's - women were considerably less assertive and more willing endure sexist opression than they are now. In addition, there were few social resources on which to rely - a person would only feel shame in the face of being unable to pay bills, buy food, etc. This story rang true to me and I could not put it down.