TAKE
THIS WOMEN
BY
JOSEPHINE COX
THE
BLURB:-
Blackburn, 1947.
In a tiny front parlour
fourteen-year old Laura Blake watches her beloved father die. But
not before he tells her she will make something of her life. Laura
never forgets his words. Yet her path to success proves to be a
rocky one. Forced to trundle a cart around the back streets, selling
other folk's cast-offs to support her family, Laura learns enough to
start work in her uncle's furniture shop.
But then fate deals
another cruel blow when she is brutally raped. Bearing the child of
her attacker in secret, she vows to make the world pay for its
injustice towards her.
As she grows older her
beauty blossoms, and her new toughness helps her forge a career in
the antiques business. But it is in affairs of the heart that Laura
stumbles, and before she can find fulfilment, she must learn to put
the past behind her, and give as well as take.
THE
REALITY:-
This was one long tome
of a read, along the lines of A Woman Of Substance by Barbara Taylor
Bradford, which is probably my favourite book and certainly the most
inspirational I have ever read. Indeed, I'm sure Josephine Cox has
read it too- the concept of trapping your enemy by making him a
much-needed loan that he has no way of paying back, as he is
dissipate, and making him attach the deeds to his business and house
featured in that book, as it does here.
But I'm not going to
accuse the writer of plagiarism- this novel was just too bloody good
for such accusations and I'm sure that all the best ideas get
recycled (as a mass market fashion designer, I know this to be true!)
Tough and gritty and a
real rags-to-riches story, this book is very keen and honest in its
emotions. I loved the character of Laura and how she triumphed over
adversity. It's obvious that some people do seem to have a lot more
bad luck than others and I like the fact that she managed to turn her
life around, drawing from her true friends, and smite her enemies.
It was horrible that
she got breast cancer towards the end- that particular affliction has
reared its ugly head in my family. Let's just put it this way- I
wouldn't dream of skimping on the monthly self-checks. I'm glad she
survived and managed to rid herself of her scumbag of a husband and
fell into the arms of her true love.
Very truthfully written
with a good mix of likeable and hateful characters, it's quite a long
and intense read, but a worthwhile one.
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