Jesus kid's book from the 50s are something else when viewed through todays lens.

I started this book, one of my all time favorite Streatfeilds, standing in a public library in Bermuda in November 1971, and it was years before I found a copy in the US but it was just as good as I had remembered it.

http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/202...

Loved the portrayal of sisters in this book.

If you like dance, kids, people drama, the vintage historical period, British atmosphere, or anything to do with what ordinary people are really like, read this book.
It's awesome. :)
Personally, I like it a tiny bit better than Ballet Shoes. Dulcie is a remarkably realistic mean girl--most authors wimp out on letting us see what a mean girl is really like, for fear of offending the mean girls who might happen to be reading ;) -- and the Cinderella element of Rachel's plot is so well handled it doesn't feel cheesy.
The only thing that worries me is why the heck Uncle Tom married Cora Wintle. But then, sometimes nice guys surprise everyone and marry evil women. :P

Listened to audio, mostly while driving my daughters to and fro for ballet lessons. It was quite charming (though predictable), and I will enjoy visiting other volumes in the collection with my girls.

Such a wonderful, unique, wholesome story. Interesting characters. I don't think I have ever liked someone so much who is described as lazy! I listened to it on my own but would love to share this and I am sure the others by this author with my daughter when she is maybe 9-10. I think the nuances of the relationships are key and provide so much to learn but would be overlooked until around that age.

Formative for me. Streatfeild's unconventional families undoubtedly influenced my ideas of what can and should be "family", and her portrayal of the business of art gave me a more realistic idea of artistry from the outset. Dancing Shoes is my favorite of the Shoes series. I'm still not sure how it captivated me for so many reads as a kid, but it held up to my rediscovery. As an adult, I identified even more with Rachel in her desire to make things conform to what she believes as right, and her sense of responsibility, to the point of trying to run Hilary's life, and the need growing up to sort out my pursuits and identity from those for whom I felt responsible. I liked her development, as her snobbery was chipped away at, and she and Hilary reversed roles. Uncle Tom (so much like Mr Bennett in P&P!), as well as Pursey, rescued the book from being another Frances Hodgson Burnett story where everyone dumps on the orphans - the balance kept things in the real world for me. I liked that a backstory was given for Mrs. W. - you can't quite ever hate her as a result. I think the portrayal of "working women" (and girls, in this case) still has surprising pertinence, and Hilary's final "I'm gonna get married and have lots of babies" is so great. I think a lot of Hilary's "laziness" will drop away as she's not being hassled into doing things just because she has a knack for them, and she'll bring a lot of energy and ingenuity to being a mom. Dear characters.

Another satisfying Shoes book…

Streatfeild followed the same pattern for success in all of her Shoes novels: orphans, a talent in the arts, at least one very supportive adult, at least one problematic adult…but I have enjoyed every book I have read thus far. While this is book 7 in the Shoes books, they can stand alone. This is the 4th one that I have read.

“When a dreadful thing happens to a person, as it has happened to you, there are two ways to take it. You can let it make you cross and bitter, or you can accept it and, because you know what it’s like to be hurt very badly, let it make you a nicer person” (26).

I think this is my favorite of the "Shoes" books.

reread Popsuagr 2020 book with a pink cover. When I first read it I was left unsure and sadly rereading it didn't change this. On the one hand we Rachel vs Dulcey. Rachel lived with her impoverished mother thrown into the world of luxury of her aunt and trying to fulfil her mothers dying wish while struggling with her own difficulties in dancing (which at a performing centre is a critical flaw). Her opposition is Dulcie who has spent her life being told by her mommy she is perfect and her conceited outlook makes her a villain you love to hate. This plotline is great as is much of the depiction of the excitement of theatre. But I could never love this book because of Hilary. The whole point is she doesn't want to dance because it requires effort, even though it was her mothers dying wish. I could never come to terms with this, I'd totally get it if she had a dream of her own and fought for it but no she is just lazy. Every opportunity she gets she just complains. Sorry I have tried but I can't get to love this book like I do many of the authors others

Even though I did like this book, I didn't like it quite as much as I did Ballet Shoes. This probably is because it was about as enjoyable to read the parts containing Mrs. W and her daughter Dulcie as it was to read the parts with Umbridge in the Harry Potter books. Then again, the fact that the relationship between Rachel and Hilary is more complex than the one among the sisters in Ballet Shoes is a positive thing.

The ending was unexpected, although I feel like it shouldn't have been. Had I been reading more closely, I would have seen how Rachel found her happiness in the end before it happened. I knew there would be a typical happy ending (as there was with Ballet Shoes), but I didn't expect Hilary to have desired motherhood over a career (eventually--the book ends when the girls are only fourteen) since there wasn't much of an indication of that desire (except for her obvious solicitousness over Rachel). I did enjoy reading about the relationships forged between Rachel and the older people in the book as well as between Hilary and the girls her age; it seemed fitting of the characteristics the girls portrayed throughout the book.

Good, quick read, with the regular, expected rewards at the end.

I love these Shoe books. I know the characters will all end up happy and satisfied with their life, and sometimes I just need a happy story.