1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Story of Optimism and Hope, 14 Jun 2010
This review is from: After the Death of Alice Bennett (Paperback)
'After The Death of Alice Bennett' made it into the last 20 in the Richard and Judy First Novel competition - there were over 54,000 entries. Rowland Molony then withdrew his novel as he wanted it to be published independently.
Aged at target audience of age eleven plus, this is a beautifully written story that will appeal to adults as well.
The main character, Sam is aged around eleven, his mother (Alice Bennett) has just died, she was a well-loved local teacher and her death from cancer came quickly and was a shock to the community. Sam and his older sister Becky are left to live in Sheffield with their Dad - a successful businessman. The three of them are very close, and support each other as much as possible through the hard days following Alice's death.
Alice was a spiritualist and always said that she would not die, just her body, that her spirit would go on to the other world. Sam wonders just where is the other world, can his mum see him and hear him? Can he contact her?
Sam stumbles upon his mum's mobile phone and decides to send a text to a random number that Alice had scribbled on a piece of paper in the kitchen. The text arrives on Tony's phone. Tony is a Spanish-born lorry driver with a big heart who wants to help, so he replies.
What follows is Sam's increasing excitement at the thought of contacting his Mum and Tony's increasing unease at just what has he got himself into.
Sam makes his way to meet Tony, and hopefully, his Mum. The last few chapters are a little far-fetched it's true, yet they show the power of friendship between an adult and a child, the story has been compared to 'Goodnight Mr Tom' by some reviewers, and I would agree it does have that same appeal - optimism, hope and friendship.
A short novel that is beautifully put together and should be enjoyed by older children and adults alike.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Warning, this book will make you cry!, 4 July 2007
This review is from: After the Death of Alice Bennett (Paperback)
I thought that this book was very well written and felt different to some of the other children's fiction I have read. The subject is extremely moving and the book will stay with you long after you've read it. I cried several times whilst reading the book, especially when reading Becky's letters to her dead mother. I would guess that the author has lost a parent as the children's feelings about the death of their much loved mother are described so accurately. I lost my mother when I was a child and so could really sympathise with Sam and Becky and felt the author 'hit the nail on the head' as to how it does feel to loose your mother.
I liked the fact that the book doesn't have a sickly sweet or unrealistic ending. Sam hasn't been talking to his mother, Alice Bennett really is dead and she isn't coming back, no matter how much her family miss her. The book does show however that life goes on and the children will be ok because they still have a loving family - their father and uncle and aunt in particular.
I would recommend this book to teenagers and adults, but be warned, it will make you cry!
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