A review by teumessians
Here Be Dragons by Stella Gibbons
4.0
This is a fantastic book to read on a journey, or during a long rainy weekend, when you can dive into it and enjoy every detail.
The setting (1950s London) is absolutely alive and in a couple of sentences I felt that I was part of it; I could see the lights on the canal, the squalid flats, Gardis' unkempt jumpers. The characters are a delight, even the nasty nasty ones, and the dialogue is witty and sharp. My favourite thing, all in all, is Nell Sely herself. She's not only a fantastic protagonist, who needs to learn and build her own corner of the world while still being practical and a solid relief among all that sea of artistic coffee drinkers, but she's also someone I'd love to be friends with.
I'm not quite sure about the whole of the plot itself, and I felt a bit unsatisfied with the rushed ending. Still, it did give us Georges, whose description as an "adolescent chicken" I will cherish forever. I would have loved to have some more Gardis, though.
The setting (1950s London) is absolutely alive and in a couple of sentences I felt that I was part of it; I could see the lights on the canal, the squalid flats, Gardis' unkempt jumpers. The characters are a delight, even the nasty nasty ones, and the dialogue is witty and sharp. My favourite thing, all in all, is Nell Sely herself. She's not only a fantastic protagonist, who needs to learn and build her own corner of the world while still being practical and a solid relief among all that sea of artistic coffee drinkers, but she's also someone I'd love to be friends with.
I'm not quite sure about the whole of the plot itself, and I felt a bit unsatisfied with the rushed ending. Still, it did give us Georges, whose description as an "adolescent chicken" I will cherish forever. I would have loved to have some more Gardis, though.