Opal

by Elvi Rhodes

Edgar Carson has returned from the trenches to find that the land fit for heroes didn't exist. The only nice thing that happened to him was Opal, the small, tough, Yorkshire beauty who married him. But by the time the 20's came, Edgar was on the dole, and Opal was pregnant for the second time. Bitterness began to corrode Edgar's spirit.

But Opal was a fighter - she wasn't going to let the times, the drudgery, the poverty destroy her or her family. She started with a "house shop", just sweets and cotton reels sold from the top of her sideboard, and from then on she didn't stop - for Opal's dream was her own department store and a grand life for all of them.

Genres: Fiction, Historical

282 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[mois reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Opal

This is the first book by Elvi Rhodes I've read slow start but once into it i enjoyed it i will read more of her books see if I can get into them quicker .Opal was a force to be reckoned with she wanted something she went all out to get it definitely worth a read .5 STARS .

[Dark-Draco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't think I would enjoy this book, but I did. It's a book that my Mum bought and gravitated to my bookshelf. Thought I'd give it a go before releasing it.

There are two novels in one volume here.

THE MOUNTAIN is the better of the two, in my opinion. It's the story of Jake Tempest (should have been in an American Spy thriller!), who finds work building a railway and falls in love with a married woman. It's predictable, but we all like happy endings, and occasionally obstacles are removed a bit too easily. However, it was a good read and passed away a few rainy evenings.

OPAL is also well written and not quite so predictable. However, I really couldn't warm to Opal, the heroine of the story. Although it was kind of the point, she deserved and caused everything that happened to her, and (without giving it away), I thought she was very, very fortunate that the author also likes happy endings.

[Chrissie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book, couldn't put it down

[Kay Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based in a Yorkshire Farming and small community in the early 1920's. Read nearly all the authors book before 2009, just re-read this one again.

[Candy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good story! I wish I could get it in large print for my elderly friend. She would LOVE it.

[Joyce tuffs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely story.

I enjoy Elvi Rhodes books and this one is no exception. The story of of a woman who had a dream and worked hard to achieve it.

[Jady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read about 4 or 5 of this author’s books and like her style, she doesn’t waste time like some authors with conversations to fill the void. The pace is good and keeps going. Another favourite author of mine Anne Baker is very similar, blink and you’ve missed a bit. I also like the not going backwards & forwards in time. Also no dual dialogue, just a straightforward story. This is about a woman called Opal who wants to get out of poverty, she surges ahead , full of ideas and vision with plenty of hard work. She eventually opens a department store but it’s not without it’s problems. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

[Angela Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The young mother, Opal is ambitious and has a natural flair for millinery. Recovery after the war is hard on everyone, her husband has lost his work in the mills and fails to find a job. Setting up a house shop is the start of her retailing career. Then working at a hat shop for Madam Dora she meets David who comes to be her right hand man. Fortune follows Opal, but not consistently and her hard working efforts add to her success.
Has strong similarities to ‘The Mountain’.

[Angel . ink · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really easy read, I read it in one day but that was because I couldn't put it down as well. I found it really enjoyable, probably because it was written in the 80's and set in the 1920's and 30's and unlike all the latest books out. It felt like an adult Enid Blyton book, so it gave me that warm fuzzy feeling reading it