Finding Peggy: A Glasgow Childhood
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Product Description
Book Description
A true and shocking account of growing up in a Glasgow slum
Product Description
Glasgow in the 1950s was a deprived and often violent place. Meg Henderson was part of a large family, and when the tenement block in which they lived collapsed they had to move to the notorious Blackhill district where religious sectarianism and gang warfare were part of daily life. Yet despite appalling conditions , there was warmth, laughter and a remarkable spirit, andMeg's mother and her Aunt Peggy, both idealistic and emotional women, shielded her from the effects of her father's heavy drinking.
A hopeless romantic, Peggy searched for a husband until late in life and then endured a harsh, unhappy marriage. When she died horrifically in childbirth her death devastated the family and destroyed Meg's childhood. Only later, after the death of her own mother, was Meg able to discover the shocking facts behind the tragedy.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Being Glaswegian, Finding Peggy applealed to me as I had been far from home for many months and craved some familiarity. I certainly found that, but I was not prepared for the rollercoaster emotions that accompanied it. I read the book in one sitting and my friend actually thought I had lost the plot as I was roaring with laughter at one stage and honestly sobbing my heart out only hours later. The book excels because the charecters are so vividly described. I could just see Nan and Peggy howling with laughter, clutching each other for support with tears running down their faces. You begin to understand the joy that exists in Meg's working class life thanks to these wonderful women. The effect of Peggy's tragic death was like a bomb: so completely unexpected, it left a huge hole that could never be filled. It is the author's description of this tragedy and of how it practically stopped her mother's life in it's tracks that is so utterly heartbreaking. The loss of someone so dear in such awful circumstances is a situation everyone can imagine, and this makes the story very, very affecting. The book is not without hope though, as Meg triumphs, not only for herself but for her Mum, so that she can see her daughter having all the happiness she could never find.
In all, this is an absorbing, affecting read but be prepared to feel emotionally weary at it's end. And you won't forget it for a while either.
In all, this is an absorbing, affecting read but be prepared to feel emotionally weary at it's end. And you won't forget it for a while either.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is one of these books which will drive your family mad because you will insist on reading bits out loud to them. I laughed till my sides ached at the antics of the various relatives in their attempts to outwit each other and I cried at the despair of the Author as the unbelievable truth of her Aunt Peggy's death unravelled. The characterisation in this book is spot on. Meg Henderson has that rare gift for writing a story which really draws the reader in. This book is fast moving and 'un-put-downable'. I found it an exhausting but immensely satisfying read and I immediately craved other books by the same author.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this book fully intending to pop it in with my eighty year old Mothers Christmas presents this year. She, being a Glaswegian , would , I thought, probably like this well reviewed book by Meg Henderson . I opened it when it arrived from Amazon Books and glanced through the pages and that was it! I could not put the blessed thing down! It was just as the reviewers had said it was - riviting, hilarious in parts sad and dramatic in others and a look at family life, ties and differences etc.. I felt exhausted at the end having read it - not just because I read it from cover to cover in such a short space of time but because I felt I had "lived" the book myself through Megs' words !
Mother got the book yesterday - Christmas is too far away and it would be cruelty not to let her read it at once.
Mother got the book yesterday - Christmas is too far away and it would be cruelty not to let her read it at once.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fiction
Enjoyed this book, brought back some memories of the time I lived in Glasgow. Will certainly use this vendor again.
Published 1 month ago by hunbun
Finding Peggy
This is MY book, I am 100% the author of the book and I am hopping mad that this Joseph McKenzie's name has been put alongside mine as though he is co-author or contributed... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Meg Henderson
Outstanding book about the grittier side of Glasgow.
I found this book simply outstanding. Having been brought up in very similar conditions and similar areas of Glasgow, it certainly made me reflect on the hardships faced by... Read more
Published 7 months ago by IainG
I STUCK WITH IT,AND I'M GLAD I DID
This doesn't sound like the most interesting of childhood upbriningings,and to start with i did struggle some. Read more
Published 9 months ago by BAZ316
So Close To Home
This is one of those books that you can't put down. Meg Henderson's easy style of writing carries you along at a steady pace. You look forward to the next chapter. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Frank Harrigan
Loved this book
Finding Peggy was a fantastic read, couldn't put this book down, now wishing I hadn't read it so quick!! Disappointed that I couldn't get more books from this author on kindle.
Published 15 months ago by Tracey
a fantastic true story
This book was gripping, I enjoyed the memories of childhood and could relate to many of the tales in this book, but i was so desperate to find out what did happen to peggy,i just... Read more
Published 18 months ago by M. Stevenson
started well tailed off badly
Early chapters of the book I enjoyed, but unfortunately when the author drew on her own experiences in later/working life I found the book very tedious and found myself "speed... Read more
Published on 3 Mar 2010 by J. Campbell
finding peggy.
I bought this book some time ago but wasnt sure if it was my kind of read, I dont like books on cruelty, I thought this might be one of those books. Read more
Published on 20 Feb 2010 by Mrs. Susan E. Green
BRILLIANT.
Such a sad story, but determination enabled this mystery to be solved and allowed Peggy's family the closure they so deservedly needed. Written from the heart. Read more
Published on 25 Nov 2009 by F. Pawley
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