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A review by turrean
Party Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
2.0
Somehow I missed this one over the years. This was the first time through for me, even though I've read Streatfeild's other "Shoes" books dozens and dozens of times.
It was interesting to have a look at British life at the end of the war. The lack of any kind of luxuries; the coupon books; the insistence on a stiff-upper-lip, even for children (the family, even the adults, are all annoyed at one of the kids when she cries at the breakfast table.) I never knew about school on Saturdays, Hong Kong POW camps, or early closings on Thursdays, either.
The book, like all the other "Shoes" novels, offered a behind-the-scenes look at a theatrical performance, though in this case, it was an amateur production, and not the professional stage plays from [b: Theatre Shoes|1401307|Theatre Shoes|Noel Streatfeild|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1221535387s/1401307.jpg|1391500] or [b: Ballet Shoes|10444|Ballet Shoes (Shoes, #1)|Noel Streatfeild|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388180362s/10444.jpg|1505465]. We have a loving family, though I found the Andrews parents nowhere near as delightful as Sylvie or dear Mrs. Bell and the Vicar. The main character, Selina, has the sad backstory of Rachel and Hilary in [b: Dancing Shoes|3783|Dancing Shoes (Shoes, #9)|Noel Streatfeild|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1419183245s/3783.jpg|762703], but she evokes nothing of the sympathy and affection we feel for the other quasi-orphans of Streatfeild's stories. I found producer Philip a bore; this is too bad, as Streatfeild is ordinarily so good at giving her young readers a peek inside the heads and hearts of her adult characters.
Ah, well, it was fun to read a Streatfeild book I'd never read before. I'll go on re-reading the other books and loving them!
It was interesting to have a look at British life at the end of the war. The lack of any kind of luxuries; the coupon books; the insistence on a stiff-upper-lip, even for children (the family, even the adults, are all annoyed at one of the kids when she cries at the breakfast table.) I never knew about school on Saturdays, Hong Kong POW camps, or early closings on Thursdays, either.
The book, like all the other "Shoes" novels, offered a behind-the-scenes look at a theatrical performance, though in this case, it was an amateur production, and not the professional stage plays from [b: Theatre Shoes|1401307|Theatre Shoes|Noel Streatfeild|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1221535387s/1401307.jpg|1391500] or [b: Ballet Shoes|10444|Ballet Shoes (Shoes, #1)|Noel Streatfeild|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388180362s/10444.jpg|1505465]. We have a loving family, though I found the Andrews parents nowhere near as delightful as Sylvie or dear Mrs. Bell and the Vicar. The main character, Selina, has the sad backstory of Rachel and Hilary in [b: Dancing Shoes|3783|Dancing Shoes (Shoes, #9)|Noel Streatfeild|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1419183245s/3783.jpg|762703], but she evokes nothing of the sympathy and affection we feel for the other quasi-orphans of Streatfeild's stories. I found producer Philip a bore; this is too bad, as Streatfeild is ordinarily so good at giving her young readers a peek inside the heads and hearts of her adult characters.
Ah, well, it was fun to read a Streatfeild book I'd never read before. I'll go on re-reading the other books and loving them!