Once Upon a Time in England

by Helen Walsh

"A young man with shock-red hair tears through the snowbound streets of Warrington's toughest housing estate. He is Robbie Fitzgerald, and he is running for his life - and that of his young family. In his heart, Robbie knows the odds are stacked against them. In this unbending northern town, he has married the beautiful brown nurse who once stitched up his wounds. Susheela is his Tamil princess, but in the real world the Fitzgeralds have to face up to prejudice, poverty and naked hatred from their neighbours. Now Robbie has seen a way out, and he's sprinting to his date with destiny ..." "This night starts a chain of events that will reverberate throughout this family - Robbie, Susheela, their son Vincent and unborn daughter, Ellie." Across two decades of struggle, aspiration, achievement, misunderstandings, near-misses and shattered dreams, Helen Walsh plunges us into their lives and loves. And in the Fitzgeralds, she has created a family who will stay in your heart, long after the final page.

Genres: Fiction, LGBT, Book Club

359 pages, Hardcover

First published March 6, 2008

About the author

HELEN WALSH was born in Warrington in 1977 and moved to Barcelona at the age of sixteen. Working as a fixer in the red light district, she saved enough money to put herself through language school. Burnt out and broke, she returned to England a year later and now works with socially excluded teenagers in North Liverpool. Brass is her first novel.

Reviews

[Virushka · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books of all time. A very harsh intro, but a great story.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eat your heart out, Philip Hensher. This "state of England" novel, covering much of the same period as The Northern Clemency, blows it out of the water. It tells the story of a disintegrating mixed-race family, Irish musician Robbie Fitzgerald, his Malaysian wife Susheela, and their two children, Vincent and Ellie, through the 1970s and up to 1989. It starts with the brutal racism of a rough estate in Warrington, and moves on to the more discreet racism of a genteel suburb where Susheela tries desperately to integrate with her white neighbours (renaming herself to Sheila in the process) and Robbie gradually falls apart, while the children drift away from their parents into drugs and sex.

The style grabs you from the first sentence; it's a bit purple at times, but so fast and vivid, especially in the drug-fuelled scenes at Legends nightclub, it leaves you gasping for breath. The characters are utterly convincing, with all their faults and foolish choices, and Walsh echoes Tolstoy and George Eliot in the way she makes you angry with the characters while still understanding why they act as they do.

It tackles big themes: racism, queer-bashing, economic decline, drugs ... but without ever seeming as if it is preaching or letting the issues determine the story, rather than the characters. As one of the reviews on Amazon says, "Helen Walsh avoided the trap of creating one-dimensional victims. To a great extent, the characters do not help themselves. There is the feeling that, for example, Vincent is not bullied because he is black, but because he is weak. There is wrong choice after wrong choice. Moving to Thelwall; not reporting the rape; choosing the wrong school bag; buying the wrong car; going to the wrong school; ... It is a catalogue of disasters, some of which might even be funny if they were not so tragic." But at the same time it seems impossible that this family could survive unscathed in the toxic atmosphere of 1970s Warrington, even if they had supported each other better.

Incidentally, I thought Ellie's thirteen-year old behaviour was a bit far-fetched, until I read this interview with Walsh, which suggests that Ellie is largely based on herself.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first picked this book up, I didn't realise it was based in Warrington which is where I live. I have read Brass by Helen Walsh when it first came out and I really enjoyed and have read it several times since. When I opened the book and came across "Orford, Warrington" which is exactly the place I grew up I became half excited and half apprehensive. Just like I thought, she painted Orford to be a horrible place that's full of danger and somewhere you wouldn't walk about in the daytime never mind the evening. The part of Orford where they are living isn't that nice but its not as bad as it was presented. To be honest, the first part of the book I was quite annoyed by the whole example that Orford had been given.

I carried on with the book because I was intrigued by what would happen next and I couldn't put it down. I loved every part of it and even overcame the little annoyance I had with the first part of the book. I loved the switch between each character - the children Ellie and Vincent becoming a big part in the story. The childhood bullying of Vincent was quite uncomfortable for me to read but that was the point of it. It was supposed to be not very nice and she really brought it across well.

I can't wait for her next book. I do prefer this to Brass but I'll be re-reading Brass again soon as its brought back my love for it since reading this. Definitely one I'll be buying soon and I don't know why I didn't buy it in the first place.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written, gut-wrenching, infuriating.
I can only agree with the other reviews in that this is a very slow story and a very sad story. So much could be resolved through conversation alone. The first 150 pages were difficult to focus on, there is no real plot or progression in the story, the reader simply gets to know the characters more deeply.
The book is divided into three parts and the story jumps ahead a few years in between them. I felt like I was deprived of the real story by it being interrupted and continued at the most interesting and pivotal moments.
The characters were well-rounded but the only emotion conjured up by all of them was pity. I pitied Sheila for not understanding her children and not being able to live her truth. I pitied Robbie for not choosing not to follow his dream and then not succeeding in what he gave it up for. I pitied Vincent for being targeted and for seeking to drown his sorrows. I pitied Ellie for her naïveté.
This book made me feel sad but there is a poetic peacefulness that made me carry on reading.
I am relieved to have finished this book but I am glad I did.

[Eva Mitnick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books where you just want to shake several, or perhaps all, of the characters. "Be more honest to him!" "Be kinder to her!" "Talk to each other!" But no, the relationship between Irish singer and factory worker Robbie and his Malaysian wife Susheela (Sheila) is doomed after a brutal assault on Susheela (the details of which she doesn't share) prevents her from making love with or expressing love for Robbie. Its effects echo down the years and reverberate in the couple's children, especially young Vincent, who witnessed the attack. That sounds grim, and plenty of depressing stuff does happen, but somehow the overall tone of this book is - not exactly uplifting, but hopeful. And there is both humor and great 80s details (remember Adam Ant?).

[D · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked her first book but this one was
a disappointment. The description of the difficulties faced by a mixed-race working-class family in
the 1970's uses cardboard characters who are all either very good or very bad, but in all cases
rather stupid. It also contains scenes that horrified me.

[Krenna Gorvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

All you 80's lovers read this book. It touched me on so many levels. Ms Walsh must have thought up the ending to this one before the beginning and I was kind of prepared for it... but I never saw (really hard to say this without being a spoiler) that last verse coming. Just an incredibly well-thought out piece of writing. Absolutely loved it!!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic. I couldn't put it down. I suggest you read it.

[Vanessa Filley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I good read. Very engaging, beautifully written, but predictable.

[Layna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would translate so well into a film, hope someone does it.

[Katri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hyvä kirja pitkästä aikaa. Pidin kielestä ja tarinasta. Ja Vincentistä!

[Niko-Janne Vantala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helen Walsh pyrki hätkähdyttämään irvinewelshmaisella roisilla ja kaunistelamattomalla liverpoolilaista, hedonistista katu- ja huumekulttuuria kuvailevalla esikoisromaanillaan Lutka (Brass, 2004) ja saikin hakemaansa huomiota sekä sitä kautta jalkansa kirjallisuuspiirien oven väliin. Toisessa romaanissaan Englantilainen tragedia (Once Upon a Time in England, 2008) tyyli on muuttunut ja vakavoitunut, vaikka kirjailijalle läheiset rankat aiheet ovat edelleen mukana.

Jos Walsh hätkähdytti ensimmäisessä romaanissaan autenttisella ronskiudellaan ja häpäilemättömyydellään, nyt hän pääsee puolestaan yllättämään kirjoitustaidollaan. Englantilainen tragedia on taitavasti ja tyylitietoisesti kirjoitettu romaani, joka liikkuu sujuvasti ja uskottavasti kolmella eri aikatasolla. Hämmästyttävän tarkkanäköisesti ja oivaltavasti Walsh onnistuu kuvailemaan monikultturisen perheen vaikeaa arkea ja kasvua kunkin perheenjäsenen silmin Warringtonin pikkukaupungin lähiöissä Manchesterin länsipuolella vuosien 1975 ja 1989 välillä. Tunnustettakoon, että kirjan alkupuolella pohdin, että tämä on nyt tällaista kielellisesti sujuvaa, mitäänsanomatonta kahden tähden proosaa, joka ei vain oikein jaksa sisällöltään kiinnostaa. Olin väärässä ja olen kiitollinen, että pyrin yleensä lukemaan kirjat aina loppuun. Romaanin edetessä henkilöhahmot alkavatkin muuttua kiinnostavammiksi ja sitä kautta myös tarina alkaa vetää yllättävänkin intensiivisesti puoleensa ja viedä lukijaa mukanaan. Loppupuolen sivut kääntyilevätkin jo kuin itsestään.

Arvioni 3,9 tähteä viidestä.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh, I kept wanting it to get better, I guess it did, but mostly I'm perplexed and dismayed. The writing and pacing improved over time in my perspective, but the only storyline that actually got resolved was Vincent's and it was a depressing one, not a lesson I want to learn or internalize. I kept wanting the main message to be about love and honesty and instead it was about suffering and constantly letting oneself down. Oppression is a terrible thing. And so is loneliness.

[Arnaud Agnès · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beau livre poignant, cru, dure, violent et terrifiant parfois, fourmillant d'émotions...Des années d'errance pour retrouver et aller vers les essentiels et affronter, accepter, partager la réalité de la vie pour cette famille...

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started out disappointed because it's nothing like "Brass," but it wound up being touching and evocative. (Am I allowed to claim it evokes a place and time I know almost nothing about? Well, except through Viz strips set in '70s Fulchester.)

[Una (EX) precaria tra i libri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review at https://precaria-tra-i-libri.blogspot...

[Otto Lyly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tämä oikein hyvä perhe tarina vuosikymmenten takaisesta Englannista.

[Mary Northover]

I

[Julie Flaherty]

It was a pretty depressing book and a little too descriptive for my taste.

[Jana Heinzelmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once upon a time in England is a story about racism and the acceptance of differences within the british society in the 70s and 80s. The whole story is about a family living in Warrington in the north of England. All family members are different from the "normal" person living in the british society at that point in time. Robbie, the father, is a musician who cannot read and who works in a factory to feed his family. Sheila, his wife, is originally from Kuala Lumpur but immigrated to Britain because of her marriage. She does not look European and is still trying to enjoy some traditions from her home country. Together, Sheila and Robbie have two children - Ellie and Vincent. Vincent is the older one and he is different than other kids as well because of his skin colour and his interest in literature. He is also gay and thus, he is not accepted in his school and is always hiding somewhere. Ellie, the second child always tries to make everything right for everyone in the family and even though her skin colour is much lighter than Vincent's and she has less problems in school than him.

Basically, all happenings in the story are based on the rape that happens in the beginning. Sheila gets raped and does not tell Robbie about it but, of course, Robbie can recognise a difference in his wife and does not know where this is coming from. Vincent knows about the rape but is not talking to anyone either. All of them are living together, keeping secrets from each other and having their own explanations for each other's behaviour without talking about these thoughts and feelings once.

All these misunderstandings and secrets lead to actions with which they hurt each other even more in the end. The situation of the family gets worse every year and they all veer away from each other even more throughout the years passing by even though they are all constantly trying to make it right for everybody else sacrificing their own wishes to reach this goal.

In the beginning I really did not like the book and if it would not have been for my book club meeting I would probably have stopped reading the book after 100 pages. But I forced myself to go on reading for the book club meeting and after a few more pages, the story suddenly grabbed my attention. Perhaps it was because I just accepted that it is a really intense and sad story. It was not what I was expecting to read because of the nice sounding title. It sounds like a fairy tale but in reality it is a really sad and depressing one.

I liked it so much in the end because Helen Walsh is writing really well and the language she uses suits the context of her story perfectly. As a reader for whom English is the second language, it is sometimes hard to understand certain parts. Especially the conversations that sometimes use the strong northern accent were barely understandable for a non native speaker. The language really made up for the sadness of the story and the feelings of all characters are described in such great detail that the reader is able to understand their feelings and actions. I also liked the choice of scenery which is really suitable for the story. The northern part of England is more industrial and thus, fits well into the story.

Nevertheless, what I did not really like is that some parts of the story are missing because twice, Helen Walsh skips a few years and goes on with the story from that point in time not explaining what has happened in the meantime. Thus some information that is needed, in my opinion, is missing and makes the story a bit incomplete.

Overall, I can really recommend this book but have to give a warning that it is intense and very negative. It makes you sad but still, it is interesting to follow the developments of the characters. In the end, I couldn't stop reading and wanted to know how the story ends. I am not giving that away to you right now because I hope that at least some of you are going to read it. Whoever has read it already, your comments and thoughts are more than welcome!

More of my Book reviews can be found here: http://booksaroundtheworld.wordpress....

[Ian Mapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Brass by Helen Walsh a long time ago. Super book, and then stupidly, I forgot about the author until I read a review of the "Lemon Grove" last year.

Decided that I needed to pick up with her back catalogue and see how she fared.

She destroyed the difficult 2nd book syndrome - this, is a classic.

State of the Nation book, telling a time period (1970s to late 80s) through the eyes of a mixed race family.... Irish Musician - Robbie Fitzgerald, his asian wife, Sushela and their two kids - who pick up the baton in the later part of the book.

And its superb.... it manages to cram big issues into its short span of pages - race, love, class, drugs, marriage you name it - and deliver you some great characters that are well drawn, likeable (despite their faults) and very, very human.

It also carries it "Grim up Northness" well. A lot of bad stuff happens - right from the start of the book but it never loses its sense of humour. Although the events are extreme - they always feel real.

Now I'll move on to Go To Sleep before getting onto the Lemon Grove.

[Mr Frederick M Soole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this author

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mixed race family growing up in the 1980s. Sound a bit like Sadie Smith and White Teeth? I can't help thinking that's exactly what this particular author felt - so she deliberately goes for something harsher, more violent, more unremittingly bleak.

The problem is that Sadie's been here before. If you want to go on this turf, you better be prepared to live up to comparisons and in this case, I am sorry to say, the book fails. The characters are so well drawn, the sad little ends they all seem to have is devoid of the thousand asides or upsides that Sadie Smith would have generously allowed them, making us feel cheated as readers, and the writer is all too obviously pulling the strings. I know that in the 80s it was 'grim up north' - but really, really this grim?

[May-Ling · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good book, but not memorable. i don't really love stories about a couple hopelessly in love that can't communicate...and then you watch their relationship unravel. if it was a movie, you'd want to scream at the screen, "just talk to each other, dammit!" and it would solve their problems.

i did like the unique perspective of what it was like culturally to be pakistani in england at a time when racism is so open and dangerously violent - it's not something i'm familar with and walsh does an excellent job of portraying the cultural insecurities and difficulties one would encounter during the time period.

a book about a musician, you almost wish this one came with a CD so you could actually hear the fiery red-haired man belt out a tune.

[seanat (elka) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many comparisons have been made with White Teeth, which I remember fondly as having strong flawed characters and lots of humour. This however didn't, it's grim yes I don't mind grim but it was relentless, the characters never spoke to eachother so there was never any resolution , everyone's addicted to something and in the end it just left me sad and uncomfortable that the racist thugs had seemed to win.

However it was very readable, I did finish and shed a small tear at the end but not enough up moments to counter weigh the negative, so somehow it never felt quite believable.
But if you hated White Teeth and I see a lot of people did then perhaps this is the book for you.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the coldest night of 1975, a young man with shock-red hair tears though the snowbound streets of Warrington's toughest housing estate. He is Robbie Fitzgerald, and he is running for his life - and that of his young family. In his heart, Robbie knows the odds are stacked against them. In this unbending Northern town, he has married the beautiful brown nurse who once stitched up his wounds. Susheela is his Tamil Princess, but in the real world, the Fitzgeralds have to face up to prejudice, poverty and sheer naked hatred from their neighbours. Now Robbie has seen a way out, and he's sprinting to his date with destiny...

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Helen Walshin "Englantilainen tragedia" (Like, 2009) kertoo englantilais-pakistanilaisen perheen vaiheista 1970-luvun alkupuolelta 1980-luvun loppuun. Mukaan on mahdutettu niin rasismia, avio-ongelmia, huumeita kuin muitakin vaikeita aiheita, jotka oikeuttavat kirjan nimen.

Walshin romaanin lukee ihan suuremmitta ongelmitta ja henkilöhahmoista oppii välittämään - eritoten perheen vanhin lapsi Vincent kasvaa sivumäärän lisääntyessä Hahmoksi isolla H:lla - mutta siitä huolimatta kirjasta jää kuitenkin puuttumaan se viimeinen kipinä, joka tekisi lukukokemuksesta erityisen mieleenpainuvan.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do enjoy 'State of the Nation' fiction; and did find this a powerful evocation of life in working class Warrington in the 1970s/80s. All life is here: love, music, mixed race marriage, racial tensions, pubs, sex, violence, childhood bullying, the rave culture, ecstasy, Canal Street, heroin...you name it. There are cliches, some of the characterisation is shallow and it's difficult to wholeheartedly sympathise with any of the cast. But as an account of flawed characters in a flawed world, it's a GoodRead.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite what I was expecting based on the title, but good nonetheless. Very tragic and sad in a lot of ways, and the characters are very human, making plenty of obvious yet understandable mistakes. Does a really excellent job at describing the winding path it takes to get from a hopeful, loving family to a broken and dying one.

[Hannah W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complex, well-written novel with believable, multi-faceted characters that addresses issues of race, class, family breakdown, industrial decline & much more in 1970s/80s Northern England.

Click here to read my full review, on my book blog.