I enjoyed this one beyond all expectations. Extremely charming story about flow of life, its ups and downs, and bad stuff happening to good people that still, somehow, manage to keep their sanity. And I still don't know if it's biographical or not. It's both so real and surreal at the same time.
There ups and downs in our our. It's a human nature. Billy's book tells a lot about how a child can grow so fast under hard circumstances, how Kate (his mother) become a strong woman.
Billy here is not only tells about her mother, but also his root and how his ancestors' struggle to be in their right now live. If you notice, here I use the word "struggle" because I do sincerely admire Kate and her family surviving skill. I especially moved when Kate faced with her family's sudden death one by one. So, if you think your life is hard enough, I recommend you to read this book.
Indeed, in a way Kate's Story reminds me a lot of Malika Oufkir's story.
I loved this book as it took me through many of the streets I walked on while in Ancoats one summer. The lives of the characters are depicted so well that you feel you know each one of them, especially Kate. What hard times they experienced in the early 1900’s. Now I understand why my Grandad immigrated to Canada during the 1920’s. Such courage!
An excellent book, recommended to anyone who loves history and stories about growing up in the North of England. So well written, and to know your reading Billy Hopkins memoirs of his family history, is so interesting! Highly recommended.
I loved reading this. Once I picked it up it was so hard to put down. It was happy and sad made me laugh and made me close to tears. Life was so hard then.
I have read this book at a time when the situation is tense because of another Pandemic. I look forward upto Catherine Lally to become strong in this Pandemic. I'm truly inspired by the courage she had through the loss of loves ones, brokenness and Evey sad situation she went through. This book has to pass to my children
Absolutely superb, this was the last of the Billy Hopkins books I've read, an insight into how life was around the times of.the 1st World War, I finished reading it on 11/11
I am so in love and invested with this family! What incredible history, stories, and humans! Billy Hopkins does an amazing job capturing the tone and feeling of the time period.