A LONG WAY FROM VERONA by JANE GARDAM

A LONG WAY FROM VERONA

BY JANE GARDAM

THE BLURB:-

 'I ought to tell you at the beginning that I am not quite normal, having had a violent experience at the age of nine.'

 Jessica Vye's 'violent experience' colours her schooldays and her reaction to the world around her- a confining world of Order Marks, wartime restrictions, viyella dresses, nicely-restrained essays and dusty tea-shops. For Jessica has been told that she is, “beyond all possible doubt”, a born writer. What with her inability to conform, her absolute compulsion to tell the truth and her dedication to accurately noting her experiences, she knows this anyway. But what she doesn't know is that the experiences that sustain and enrich her burgeoning talent will one day lead to a new- and entirely unexpected- reality.

THE REALITY:-

 I didn't actually realise that this was a novel written for children (albeit of the older variety) until I Googled more about the author (recommended to me via my MA Creative Writing course). It worked for an adult, too, and was a good study in the way life was at the start of the Second World War.

 I didn't get the bit about the 'violent experience', though. There was no such thing. I think what Jessica is referring to is her meeting with a published author (who, in her opinion, is not that great a writer, as we find out later on) when this author decides Jessica has it in her to become a writer herself. Maybe the sense of drama is relevant to the character, but I just found this annoying; like we were waiting for a great revelation that never happened.

 I'm so pleased that Teesside gets a mention, as part of the novel is set there, and it's the university that believes in me, and which hosts my long distance learning course. I did like this writer's style and loved the description she gave of a character's mouth; describing it as “pursy”. I think we can all relate to that pinched-mouth kind of look and the often disapproving connotations that come with it! This was a very literary read and lots of big, classical names in the writing firmament get mentioned, and the story is certainly compelling. But- at the same time- the story is not that much at all, rather an interesting chain of events held together.

 The character of Jessica is vividly described, as are those of her family, friends and tutors, and life at her school is poignantly depicted. I like that she thinks she seems to always know what people are thinking (she does!) and can certainly relate to that. I'm not sure about relevance of the "Verona" part of the title, though.  I assume it's a reference to Shakespeare, who liked to set his works in Italy and where Romeo and Juliet is set (and Jessica does have a love interest in the book...)  I will look out for more works from this author and do feel that reading this helped me in my own journey of becoming a successful writer.