The Girl From Penny Lane

by Katie Flynn

Young Kitty Drinkwater lives in Paradise Court, just off Burlington Street. Life is tough in Liverpool in the years after the First World War and Kitty is always hungry and dressed in rags. As the eldest child, she is the scapegoat for her feckless, drunken mother. She dreams of a better life...

Lilac Larkin's prospects, by contrast, are very different; she is beautiful, self-possessed young woman, and even when her pleasant job as a lady's maid comes to an end and she starts work in a bag factory, she is sure that her life will be full of promise and excitement...

So when the two girls meet by chance in a millinery shop, neither can have any idea what changes in their lives the encounter will bring nor how strangely fate will work to bring them together once more.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical

416 pages, Paperback

First published July 12, 1993

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Katie Flynn was born in Norwich and attended Norwich High School, where she was extremely happy and extremely undistinguished. Published at the tender age of eight, in Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories, she joined a Writers’ Circle as an adult, publishing short stories, articles, etc; only turning to novels in 1971 because the postal strike cut off her main source of income!
At first she wrote under several different names – Judith Saxton, Judy Turner, Lydia Balmain, Judith Arden – but her Katie Flynn books were a delight to write and proved far more popular than she had dreamed. She has now published nearly ninety novels, twenty-seven of which are Flynns. Her most recent titles are: Lost Days of Summer and Christmas Wishes.

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

a lovely story!

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Liverpool tale from between the wars, with many rambles up and down the streets, past landmarks and slums alike. A better off girl from Penny Lane meets a kid from a slum called Paradise Court briefly, but years later their lives cross again. In between they lead quite different lives and we see that work was so cheap in the city, and workers so plentiful, that it was much better to go on the tramp out to the Welsh countryside and look for work. Farms always needed labour, and they harboured less disease.

Some of the characters appeared to be from earlier books and had briefly met characters who made appearances late in the tale. The constant references to their pasts can be a little confusing if you haven't read those books. But, real people do talk about their life experiences and friends or relatives, so I guess it is true to life. The writing is pleasant and descriptive, and while there isn't much action, starvation and disease are dramatic enough. Women particularly will enjoy the story but we do see some men's points of view too.

This is an unbiased review.

[Shirley Revill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really love the stories by Katie Flynn and this book was no exception. Recommended

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read that had a good enough plot to raise it above the average. Whilst the characters weren't always believable 100%, they were portrayed well enough for you to invest in them and suspend the most critical doubts. ...even enough to wish for a sequel.
This is a rags to comfortable life story of overcoming the odds and harsh, unjust treatment as well as an emotional journey that ultimately has a feel good, restoration of faith that there is good in the world, despite the ugly, cruel and hard.
Enjoyable for the most part to read.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this lovely book. Based in Liverpool just after the war it painted a desperate picture of life in the slums. Hope hope determination and love win the day and it ends happily.

[Mrs MJH Compton-Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

virtually two stories in one, but join up again before the end, quite interesting.

[kathleen dorning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down

All readers this is a lovely story a bit slow at times 2 stories in one loved it Ned to read more of this lovely lady

[Lesley McIntosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am having trouble reading at the moment due to a cataract on one eye but I found the dark print of this book was quite good and I enjoyed the trip to Liverpool to meet all the characters. Katie Flynn has written of times just after the First World War when there was real poverty and hardship for families
But as the front cover shows there were positives and things to smile about so I found it a worthwhile read and I will be starting on my next book by this author which is on my reading pile
Anyone who enjoys reading family dramas will enjoy this book .

[Gill James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well told story. The characters are believable and likeable. We want life to turn out well for them. Their struggles are realistic. Katie Flynn gives us a lot of insight to an historical Liverpool. This is true to genre and you probably have to like women's' historical fiction in order to enjoy this. At times Flynn tried too hard with the Liverpool accent. The book itself suffered form some poor formatting in places.

[Elsbeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

As other readers mentioned, the book took me a chapter or two to get into but I deeply enjoyed the tale, descriptions of Liverpool and Wales, as well as the language of the characters. It’s a story following two girls of different fortunes in 1920s Liverpool, a heart-warming read, I only deduct a star because the ending felt like there was a single option left to resolve the story making it feel a bit predictable and clunky!

[Cherry-Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Appreciated how Flynn interweaved Kitty's and Lilac's lives to come full circle although I would have loved to find out whether Lilac was connected to the little girl on the ship. Really enjoyed Kitty's story although I found the ending to be a bit flat and romance with Kitty and Johnny to be a huge leap at the end.

[Samantha Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was brilliant story to read.
Katie Flynn had really surprised with the girl from penny lane.
The moment you think you may know what is about to happen. You are wrong.
I will look forward to reading more of Katie Flynn stories

[Ayny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read, more like two stories that merge at the end.

[dave jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Really good read Katie really tells a good story, it’s easy to imagine how everyone lives with the fine details that are in there really enjoyed the book

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable but easy holiday reading

[mrs christine hamill]

Good read.

[Sammi Heslop · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent didn't want to end

[Dan Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best out there.

[Elizabeth Blows · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it ,a steady twisting story

[Dpic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyable story

[Rana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read it 2 years ago . It was one of the first novels to read and I loved it , such a great story about struggling through life and hope

[Scarlett O.H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely would be the word to discribe this book, not very exiting but a nice satisfying read. Also the book with the best ending I have red in a while.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice read, enjoyed the history in the book which was very true to life.
Have been enjoying these books.
I grew up close to Merseyside, so I find these stories very poignant.