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Shoes Were for Sunday
'Poverty is a very exacting teacher and I had been taught well'
The post-war urban jungle of the Glasgow tenements was the setting for Molly Weir's childhood. From sharing a pull-out bed in her mother's tiny kitchen to running in terror from the fever van, it was an upbringing that was cemented in hardship. Hunger, cold and sickness was an everyday reality and complaining was not an option.
Despite the crippling poverty, there was a vivacity to the tenements that kept spirits high. Whether Molly was brushing the hair of her wizened neighbour Mrs MacKay, running to Jimmy's chip shop for a ha'penny of crimps or dancing at the annual fair, there wasn't a moment to spare for self-pity. Molly never let it get her down as she and the other urchins knew how to make do with nothing.
And at the centre of her world was her fearsome but loving Grannie, whose tough, independent spirit taught Molly to rise above her pitiful surroundings and achieve her dreams.
The post-war urban jungle of the Glasgow tenements was the setting for Molly Weir's childhood. From sharing a pull-out bed in her mother's tiny kitchen to running in terror from the fever van, it was an upbringing that was cemented in hardship. Hunger, cold and sickness was an everyday reality and complaining was not an option.
Despite the crippling poverty, there was a vivacity to the tenements that kept spirits high. Whether Molly was brushing the hair of her wizened neighbour Mrs MacKay, running to Jimmy's chip shop for a ha'penny of crimps or dancing at the annual fair, there wasn't a moment to spare for self-pity. Molly never let it get her down as she and the other urchins knew how to make do with nothing.
And at the centre of her world was her fearsome but loving Grannie, whose tough, independent spirit taught Molly to rise above her pitiful surroundings and achieve her dreams.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
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About the author
Molly Weir
18 books5 followersMary Weir, known as Molly Weir was a Scottish actress and author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
December 5, 2010
Molly Weir writes about growing up in a Glasgow tenement. Raised by her widowed mother and Grandmother, she tells of the poverty of the neighbors and the hardships of their lives with compassion and warmth. I enjoyed her portrayal of the shopkeepers, teachers, and family members, and all the fun the kids had together in spite of their poverty. Molly Weir is a fun-loving, spunky woman, and writes as such. An easy, enjoyable read.
August 29, 2016
If you want to know what it was like living in the 1920s up a close in a Glaswegian tenement this book is for you. This had an extra appeal to me, as it was set at a time when my father would have been a child in that dusty dirty big city, but where common folk had hearts of gold. I absolutely loved it!
March 14, 2023
I read Molly Weir's story of living and working through WW2 and getting her start on the BBC Radio, in a book called What Did You Do in the War, Mummy?: Women in World War II, so I was interested in her biography. Picked it up on a sleepless night and devoured it entire in a few hours. She just talks to the reader, telling her story without self-pity or sentimentality. There's no "Young people today don't know how good they have it!" or "Poor me, my ambition saved me". It's just, "Yes we were poor, dirt-poor in fact, and we knew it, but we didn't let it own us."
The text is a bit scrappy in parts, and there are no references to outside events to help place it in time, but that's normal when telling a child's story; I don't know too many children (especially in that time) who think much about political/social events unless for some reason they affect them directly. ETA: having found the second volume of this trilogy, I discover Molly was 12 at the end of this first book. I found her narrative voice entertaining and her descriptions of life as she lived it engaging. I love the description of night in the wash-house.
The book was written in 1970, reprinted after Ms Weir's death in 2004. Her estate was left to the poor and widowed in the area where she grew up. I would like very much to find the rest of the trilogy.
The text is a bit scrappy in parts, and there are no references to outside events to help place it in time, but that's normal when telling a child's story; I don't know too many children (especially in that time) who think much about political/social events unless for some reason they affect them directly. ETA: having found the second volume of this trilogy, I discover Molly was 12 at the end of this first book. I found her narrative voice entertaining and her descriptions of life as she lived it engaging. I love the description of night in the wash-house.
The book was written in 1970, reprinted after Ms Weir's death in 2004. Her estate was left to the poor and widowed in the area where she grew up. I would like very much to find the rest of the trilogy.
December 20, 2013
Love her stories of historical value & values rarely found today. There is no plot. It's history lovingly put to print.
June 11, 2017
Loved the voice in this book as well as the author's insight into life in this time and place.
March 12, 2024
Molly Weir details life as a youngster being raised by a single mother and her grandmother in the tenements of Glasgow. It is a simple heartfelt tale of an impoverished childhood and how the author and two brothers seemed to get a lot out of life despite the situation.
Weir uses a Glasgow vocabulary which at times I found hard to follow. Some words almost seemed rhythmic and sang then the next hit a wrong note and I couldn’t decide what she was saying. This was also the case with some of the games the children played and I wasn’t understanding what they were playing. Yet I was well aware they were having fun playing a game that was not complicated by the the need for expensive equipment.
Weir also made it clear when she went to her aunt’s house she was uncomfortable not having chores to run in thre morning before school. She knew her grandmother would have said her cousins were spoiled and she was pretty grownup in her thinking she’d been raised right to contribute. She was proud of the lessons she’d learned in her environment.
Weir uses a Glasgow vocabulary which at times I found hard to follow. Some words almost seemed rhythmic and sang then the next hit a wrong note and I couldn’t decide what she was saying. This was also the case with some of the games the children played and I wasn’t understanding what they were playing. Yet I was well aware they were having fun playing a game that was not complicated by the the need for expensive equipment.
Weir also made it clear when she went to her aunt’s house she was uncomfortable not having chores to run in thre morning before school. She knew her grandmother would have said her cousins were spoiled and she was pretty grownup in her thinking she’d been raised right to contribute. She was proud of the lessons she’d learned in her environment.
April 15, 2024
Read maybe 30 years ago. Memorable and easy to read book about poverty in Glasgow during WW1 and afterwards.
From memory it features a woman in Glasgow who painted train carriages during WW1 then lost her job to the men returning from WW1. Understandable that the men got jobs but immensely difficult for her supporting a family too.
From memory it features a woman in Glasgow who painted train carriages during WW1 then lost her job to the men returning from WW1. Understandable that the men got jobs but immensely difficult for her supporting a family too.
November 17, 2019
'Poverty is a very exacting teacher and I had been taught well.'
Molly Weir, well known Scottish actress and comedian, writes this charming, authentic autobiography of her life as a child growing up in the poor tenements of Glascow during WW1 and the following economic depression (1910-1925) in a family where her widowed mother was the sole breadwinner for her household of three children, and her Grandmother was the main caregiver. Living in two small rooms (what luxury), the family of four worked hard, each member contributing their mite and learning how to hold household from a young age. Despite the deprivation, this was a family who knew how to count their blessings. There are many heartwarming tales of family life, of community and caring for those less fortunate than others through awareness, concern and small acts of kindness, each shown with a delicacy of respect that could teach a generation now living in less connected communities. Molly speaks of how lucky she was to grow up in such a close knit, loving family, where providence and care of the growing children's needs, took precedence in the adult minds. Her mother worked hard on the railways from before dawn until after dusk, her Grandmother gave up everything to come and live with them to care for them all when her mother had to go out to work, after the death of her father early in Molly's life.
'Filling every corner of my world was Grannie. From the minute I opened my eyes in the hurley bed in the morning, she tormented me, disciplined me, taught me, laughed at me, loved me, and tied me to her for ever, although I didn’t know it at the time.'
The story is told from the point of view of the child and adolescent Molly, aged 3 to 15, with no attempt to review its stories from adult eyes. Molly's world revolved around the security of her Grandmother, provider of care, understanding, disciple and tough love; warm nourishing food and always a welcoming presence in her home from the moment she opened her eyes to the moment they shut at night, even sharing her small trundle bed during sleep.
'One minute I was drowsily gazing at the gas mantle, blinking my lashes against its soft radiance and making rainbows with my flickering eyelids and its glowing globe, and the next moment it was dark and Grannie was pulling the blankets round her, and easing herself into the hollow in front of me. As I cooried in closer, to keep my share of the bedclothes, she would reach out a hand to push my knees down. ‘Your banes are like sticks,’ she would complain. ‘Streetch them doon noo. They’re that sherp, they’re cuttin’ intae auld Grannie’s back.’ Sleepily, obediently, I would straighten out my legs, and I would drift off with a drowsy smile as I prodded with a small hand my offending knees. How could Grannie think they were sharp enough to hurt her? I wondered. They felt soft and ordinary enough to me.'
Told with sparkling humour and simplicity, the childhood experiences of Molly, her brothers and the tight knit community of children living in the tenements is a joy to read. Although they went without many privileges, the family managed to provide for the necessities and even the occasional holiday or party for an extra special occasion. It was however the stories of the everyday that especially charmed me and made me see again that money cannot buy the kind of happiness that love can provide.
'Grannie meanwhile had been making the porridge, and infusing the tea, and soon we three children were kneeling on the rug with our porridge bowls on top of the long stool which ran the length of the fireplace, the heat from the fire warming our faces and fingers as we supped the good meal. How cosy these winter breakfasts were, for we had all been out of doors to whet our appetites, the boys delivering their milk round, and of course me getting the messages in. I had thought this routine would go on for ever, for I knew no other."
Grannie, the centre of her world, fearsome but loving Grannie, whose tough, independent spirit taught Molly to rise above her pitiful surroundings, work hard and finally achieve her dreams. Molly says her childhood ended on the day her Grannie died. Molly achieved scholarships to attend a university, and then went on to a successful career as an actress, most notably for her role as the long-running (1977–1984) character Hazel the McWitch in the BBC TV series 'Rentaghost'. That was a favourite TV show of mine growing up, full of fun and zany comedy. 'Shoes Were For Sunday', first published in 1970, became a bestseller. Molly went on to publish a number of other autobiographical books, following her rise from the slums to the footlights: 'Best Foot Forward', 'A Toe On The Ladder', 'Stepping into the Spotlight', 'Walking into the Lyon's Den' and 'One Small Footprint'. Molly died in 2004, leaving the proceeds of her estate to the poor and elderly of her beloved Springburn in Glasgow.
Molly Weir, well known Scottish actress and comedian, writes this charming, authentic autobiography of her life as a child growing up in the poor tenements of Glascow during WW1 and the following economic depression (1910-1925) in a family where her widowed mother was the sole breadwinner for her household of three children, and her Grandmother was the main caregiver. Living in two small rooms (what luxury), the family of four worked hard, each member contributing their mite and learning how to hold household from a young age. Despite the deprivation, this was a family who knew how to count their blessings. There are many heartwarming tales of family life, of community and caring for those less fortunate than others through awareness, concern and small acts of kindness, each shown with a delicacy of respect that could teach a generation now living in less connected communities. Molly speaks of how lucky she was to grow up in such a close knit, loving family, where providence and care of the growing children's needs, took precedence in the adult minds. Her mother worked hard on the railways from before dawn until after dusk, her Grandmother gave up everything to come and live with them to care for them all when her mother had to go out to work, after the death of her father early in Molly's life.
'Filling every corner of my world was Grannie. From the minute I opened my eyes in the hurley bed in the morning, she tormented me, disciplined me, taught me, laughed at me, loved me, and tied me to her for ever, although I didn’t know it at the time.'
The story is told from the point of view of the child and adolescent Molly, aged 3 to 15, with no attempt to review its stories from adult eyes. Molly's world revolved around the security of her Grandmother, provider of care, understanding, disciple and tough love; warm nourishing food and always a welcoming presence in her home from the moment she opened her eyes to the moment they shut at night, even sharing her small trundle bed during sleep.
'One minute I was drowsily gazing at the gas mantle, blinking my lashes against its soft radiance and making rainbows with my flickering eyelids and its glowing globe, and the next moment it was dark and Grannie was pulling the blankets round her, and easing herself into the hollow in front of me. As I cooried in closer, to keep my share of the bedclothes, she would reach out a hand to push my knees down. ‘Your banes are like sticks,’ she would complain. ‘Streetch them doon noo. They’re that sherp, they’re cuttin’ intae auld Grannie’s back.’ Sleepily, obediently, I would straighten out my legs, and I would drift off with a drowsy smile as I prodded with a small hand my offending knees. How could Grannie think they were sharp enough to hurt her? I wondered. They felt soft and ordinary enough to me.'
Told with sparkling humour and simplicity, the childhood experiences of Molly, her brothers and the tight knit community of children living in the tenements is a joy to read. Although they went without many privileges, the family managed to provide for the necessities and even the occasional holiday or party for an extra special occasion. It was however the stories of the everyday that especially charmed me and made me see again that money cannot buy the kind of happiness that love can provide.
'Grannie meanwhile had been making the porridge, and infusing the tea, and soon we three children were kneeling on the rug with our porridge bowls on top of the long stool which ran the length of the fireplace, the heat from the fire warming our faces and fingers as we supped the good meal. How cosy these winter breakfasts were, for we had all been out of doors to whet our appetites, the boys delivering their milk round, and of course me getting the messages in. I had thought this routine would go on for ever, for I knew no other."
Grannie, the centre of her world, fearsome but loving Grannie, whose tough, independent spirit taught Molly to rise above her pitiful surroundings, work hard and finally achieve her dreams. Molly says her childhood ended on the day her Grannie died. Molly achieved scholarships to attend a university, and then went on to a successful career as an actress, most notably for her role as the long-running (1977–1984) character Hazel the McWitch in the BBC TV series 'Rentaghost'. That was a favourite TV show of mine growing up, full of fun and zany comedy. 'Shoes Were For Sunday', first published in 1970, became a bestseller. Molly went on to publish a number of other autobiographical books, following her rise from the slums to the footlights: 'Best Foot Forward', 'A Toe On The Ladder', 'Stepping into the Spotlight', 'Walking into the Lyon's Den' and 'One Small Footprint'. Molly died in 2004, leaving the proceeds of her estate to the poor and elderly of her beloved Springburn in Glasgow.
June 1, 2019
Molly Weir must have been such a happy little elfin-like lady. Her very words "betray" her, I wish I had known her, in some ways I feel I have. Having read her more complete book, this one equates with an excerpt but is very much appreciated. Such an unusual woman with a very fruitful life in both Glasgow and London. Molly Weir grew up (happily enough) in poverty. "Poverty is a very exacting teacher and I had been taught well." She moved up the ranks to become an accomplished actress but did not succumb to its lure toward shoddy morals. Molly Weir was married to the same man all her life and had a solid Christian foundation. I was mesmerized by her story.
February 23, 2022
For the most part, reading this is like hearing an older lady telling some stories. The chapters are basically little snapshots of her early childhood. It's a bit "noble poor" trope-y at times, but the details of the clothing, daily tasks, and general environment of 1920s Glasgow in the Springburn area were interesting to read. That said, there's one chapter at the end that uses a racial slur describing an object, in such a casual, unnecessary way, that I am surprised that the 2012 edition of the book kept it in! Especially when it's not wholly obvious that the book is from 1970. (Not that it was ok then either, of course.)
June 9, 2023
Loved it. I absolutely love books that are just old people talking about how it was in their day. If you don't like that, then it's probably not for you.
Things I didn't like that lose it the star: There's a lot of colloquialisms that could use a glossary. I don't know what "Wool Combs" (a knitted garment of some description?) I didn't know what a liberty bodice is. There were games I didn't know the names for, and they're not well explained.
What sticks with me most about this book is the food descriptions, I think. Weir spends a lot of time discussing food: marg on bread, sweeties, fish and chips etc. Didn't dislike that, certainly.
Things I didn't like that lose it the star: There's a lot of colloquialisms that could use a glossary. I don't know what "Wool Combs" (a knitted garment of some description?) I didn't know what a liberty bodice is. There were games I didn't know the names for, and they're not well explained.
What sticks with me most about this book is the food descriptions, I think. Weir spends a lot of time discussing food: marg on bread, sweeties, fish and chips etc. Didn't dislike that, certainly.
June 13, 2020
I really enjoyed this novel by Molly Weir as she describes growing up in a Glasgow tenement. Despite having nothing, the children all had fun playing together and were unaware of their poverty. It tells of the hardship and struggles of the parents to make ends meet and feed and clothe their children. I loved the descriptions of the neighbours, the shop keepers, the antics of the children and the real love they all had for each other.
A totally different world from the world we live in today and not that long ago.
A totally different world from the world we live in today and not that long ago.
July 29, 2022
"The asphalt jungle of the Glasgow tenements was the setting for Molly Weir's childhood.
"Despite crippling poverty and over-crowding, there was endless fun -- from impromptu recitations to the delights of the annual fair.
"And dominating her life was Grannie, whose tough, independent spirit gave Molly so rich a life in so pitiful surroundings."
~~back cover
A very factual account, but somehow I didn't find it interesting enough to read it through to the finish.
"Despite crippling poverty and over-crowding, there was endless fun -- from impromptu recitations to the delights of the annual fair.
"And dominating her life was Grannie, whose tough, independent spirit gave Molly so rich a life in so pitiful surroundings."
~~back cover
A very factual account, but somehow I didn't find it interesting enough to read it through to the finish.
July 5, 2025
A tale of a Scottish tenement childhood in the 19-teens & 20s. The author's love for her family shines through every page.
Every time I read something autobiographical that is set in this approximate historical era, am always amazed at how much sheer physical drudgery it took just to get through the average day. Never fails to make me appreciate anew such things as indoor plumbing, electricity and modern conveniences.
Every time I read something autobiographical that is set in this approximate historical era, am always amazed at how much sheer physical drudgery it took just to get through the average day. Never fails to make me appreciate anew such things as indoor plumbing, electricity and modern conveniences.
December 18, 2019
A book of hardship and love
I enjoyed the book what it showed mostly was the happiness and love that the author had while growing up.
I particularly was shocked at her having to share an egg with her Grannie. How can you share an egg?
I did not think this book showed any tragedy like Angela's Ashes. It was a tale of growing up in Glasgow surrounded by love and family.
A
I enjoyed the book what it showed mostly was the happiness and love that the author had while growing up.
I particularly was shocked at her having to share an egg with her Grannie. How can you share an egg?
I did not think this book showed any tragedy like Angela's Ashes. It was a tale of growing up in Glasgow surrounded by love and family.
A
January 16, 2020
Really enjoyed Shoes Were For Sunday, took me right back to my special relationship with my Grannie. Also Grannie spelt the way my family have always done and not 'Granny'. I am a Grannie myself and reminded me of how special your relationship and bond with your grandchildren is. If I could rate higher I would.
June 26, 2019
Nostalgic read
This bring back memories to when I was younger and my Man telling me about her life in Newcastle as a young girl. Molly I have to say you were very lucky to go on a holiday. It's a great heart warming story, children today have it much easier than we did.
This bring back memories to when I was younger and my Man telling me about her life in Newcastle as a young girl. Molly I have to say you were very lucky to go on a holiday. It's a great heart warming story, children today have it much easier than we did.
October 3, 2019
The most beautiful book!!!
The gentleness. The emotions. It evoked so many memories for me of a time when the most simple pleasures brought the most happiness. A far cry from the greedy impatient world we live in today! I !oved it.
The gentleness. The emotions. It evoked so many memories for me of a time when the most simple pleasures brought the most happiness. A far cry from the greedy impatient world we live in today! I !oved it.
March 21, 2022
A nice heart warming read over the weekend. Molly Weir was a gifted child who grew up in the Glasgow tenements with not very much but a loving family.
Molly Weir writes well and her memory for fine detail is excellent.
Molly Weir writes well and her memory for fine detail is excellent.
July 23, 2025
This was a really neat story which really takes you back to another time and place. It felt like a peek into what life was like in the early 1900s Scotland, in a working class society. Lovely book, sometimes I found the detailed references to things a bit tedious to follow, but overall a good read.
June 2, 2018
Different times
Looking through the eyes of a child very well written and recalled. Author has a very good memory of their hopes and fears
Looking through the eyes of a child very well written and recalled. Author has a very good memory of their hopes and fears
October 10, 2018
An enjoyable memoir of life in the Glasgow tenements between the wars. She’s very good at taking you inside her child’s view of the world.
October 16, 2018
Shoes were for Sunday
Chose this rating because I really enjoyed this book, nice family with good values, a nice read on a cold day
Chose this rating because I really enjoyed this book, nice family with good values, a nice read on a cold day
January 11, 2019
Great details of life in the tenements of 1920 Glasgow as seen through the eyes of the author. Many life lessons to be learned by children growing up in any year. I enjoyed the dialect.
March 19, 2019
Fantastic reading
A great insight into lives of the poor,but some of the language being broad Scots hard to follow and I am Scottish myself!!
A great insight into lives of the poor,but some of the language being broad Scots hard to follow and I am Scottish myself!!
May 3, 2019
Good read
I would recommend this book it brought back memories when I was a wee girl and went to the co.op for my shoes
I would recommend this book it brought back memories when I was a wee girl and went to the co.op for my shoes
October 11, 2020
Great story. I could imagine the tough life that my own family would have gone through.
November 21, 2021
An interesting, but not gripping read giving one an insight of life in the tenements in Glasgow for a young child.
September 9, 2024
I read this book as a little research for my own writing project I am working on at the moment. Unfortunately it was just too slow with little actual storyline and substance to keep a reader invested
October 28, 2025
I really enjoyed this!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews