An anthology of stories as recalled by Edward Perkins who was a child during The Great Depression in Texas. Eddie Perkins’ childhood memories come alive in this book and are recounted by Marva, his daughter. She calls the tales true but “tall”, as fact is embroidered with a little well-founded fiction to bring us a tapestry of history and humour. The reader can walk another era, hear the sounds, the dialects, smell the smells and picture a world rich, yet sometimes cruel in its make-up. Not only the adult reader, of course, for Eddie sees the world through the eyes of a child — a harsh world that had simple pleasures: a ride to auction, the local fair…even getting to school could be the most dangerous of journeys undertaken.

I found the majority of the stories endearing and the anthology itself to be a useful historical tool that gives us first-hand insight into one of the hardest times in twentieth-century America. Marva has an easy style of writing, her father’s voice coming over loud and strong to ground us firmly in the era. I loved reading about the community, how everyone helped everyone else when they needed something doing. The animal stories were lovely, and showed compassion for creatures, wild and farm-reared, despite the hard times.

Low points? Well there weren’t any low enough that I stopped reading, just a couple of niggles. I didn’t particularly like Eddie’s mother’s story. I didn’t think I needed to know it, to be truthful. And I got a little tired of some things being repeated, like Eddie telling us how Dorothy is called “Sister” each time she appears in a new story. On an technical front, the text centering was different on each page, which was distracting — one page right, the next page left, etc. But that was all and, as I say, nothing to stop me reading.

Indeed, these tales are addictive. I challenge anyone to only read one without wanting to continue to the next. Overall, a lovely and valuable collection, I highly recommend it.

Find it here:

• Amazon.com
• Amazon.com Large Print
• Amazon.co.uk
• Amazon.co.uk Large Print