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Julia Sleeps
- GenresHistorical Fiction
352 pages, Paperback
Published June 8, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 3, 2026
The book opens in 1936 and takes the reader through Evie’s eventful life up to the point where she makes an important decision which I’m going to say no more about except to say it may leave you slightly tearful. (Evie’s story will continue in the sequel to Julia Sleeps, entitled Julia Wakes.)
We first encounter eleven-year-old Evie Jameson living with her family in a Glasgow tenement. The Jamesons are a large family – Evie has six siblings – but her mother Maggie and father Johnny somehow manage to put food on the table even though it’s a struggle at times. Often Johnny is out of work and the family have to go through the demeaning process of claiming the dole. There’s brilliant detail about daily life for a family like Evie’s in the 1930s everything from the rota for cleaning the close (the tiled entrance to the tenement building) and the shared toilet, to trips to the ‘steamy’ to do the laundry.
From her youngest days Evie has been determined to become a singer and to share her beautiful singing voice with a wider audience than just her family. I really loved the relationship between Evie and her father who, despite the family’s financial struggles, is always eager to support her ambitions. Following success at a local ‘Go As You Please’ singing competition, Evie attracts the attention of theatrical agents. Soon she’s singing with dance bands, entering – and winning – regional competitions, appearing in variety shows and radio broadcasts. The book really captures the atmosphere of the theatres, cinemas and dance halls where Evie performs. Blossoming into a beautiful young woman, Evie attracts plenty of admirers but she’s focused on her career. Friendship, yes, but nothing more . . . for now.
The path to stardom seems clear until the war intervenes. Evie knows she needs to play her part in the war effort, especially as two of her brothers have joined up. Fortunately she’s accepted into ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association) travelling the country as part of a company entertaining the troops. It’s not a glamorous lifestyle, living in one set of digs after another, but for Evie the thrill she feels when she steps on stage never goes away. However this is wartime and you can’t expect everyone to come through it unscathed.
My favourite part of the book was the final section in which Evie, keen to spread her wings even further, travels to India as part of ENSA. There are wonderful descriptions of her travels around the country as part of a small company putting on shows in a variety of venues. As you might expect though, it’s not all plain sailing, ‘Because here was this strange thing called life, turning on the edge of a coin.’
Julia Sleeps is an engaging coming-of-age story full of colourful detail and vividly drawn characters.
We first encounter eleven-year-old Evie Jameson living with her family in a Glasgow tenement. The Jamesons are a large family – Evie has six siblings – but her mother Maggie and father Johnny somehow manage to put food on the table even though it’s a struggle at times. Often Johnny is out of work and the family have to go through the demeaning process of claiming the dole. There’s brilliant detail about daily life for a family like Evie’s in the 1930s everything from the rota for cleaning the close (the tiled entrance to the tenement building) and the shared toilet, to trips to the ‘steamy’ to do the laundry.
From her youngest days Evie has been determined to become a singer and to share her beautiful singing voice with a wider audience than just her family. I really loved the relationship between Evie and her father who, despite the family’s financial struggles, is always eager to support her ambitions. Following success at a local ‘Go As You Please’ singing competition, Evie attracts the attention of theatrical agents. Soon she’s singing with dance bands, entering – and winning – regional competitions, appearing in variety shows and radio broadcasts. The book really captures the atmosphere of the theatres, cinemas and dance halls where Evie performs. Blossoming into a beautiful young woman, Evie attracts plenty of admirers but she’s focused on her career. Friendship, yes, but nothing more . . . for now.
The path to stardom seems clear until the war intervenes. Evie knows she needs to play her part in the war effort, especially as two of her brothers have joined up. Fortunately she’s accepted into ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association) travelling the country as part of a company entertaining the troops. It’s not a glamorous lifestyle, living in one set of digs after another, but for Evie the thrill she feels when she steps on stage never goes away. However this is wartime and you can’t expect everyone to come through it unscathed.
My favourite part of the book was the final section in which Evie, keen to spread her wings even further, travels to India as part of ENSA. There are wonderful descriptions of her travels around the country as part of a small company putting on shows in a variety of venues. As you might expect though, it’s not all plain sailing, ‘Because here was this strange thing called life, turning on the edge of a coin.’
Julia Sleeps is an engaging coming-of-age story full of colourful detail and vividly drawn characters.
January 3, 2026
This was such a lovely read. The characters felt so real and you really got to know them and their story. I look forward to the second instalment. A new automatic buy author for me!
July 29, 2025
An enthralling story of theatre and music hall life before and during World War Two. A book you want to keep reading until the end to find out what happened to the characters. Looking forward to the continuation….
September 15, 2025
1930s Historical Fiction
Thoroughly enjoyed Evie Jameson’s journey, her family life and her singing dreams. 5/5- all for the Glasgow/ Scottish setting. Can’t wait for more from Zoe Caryl
Thoroughly enjoyed Evie Jameson’s journey, her family life and her singing dreams. 5/5- all for the Glasgow/ Scottish setting. Can’t wait for more from Zoe Caryl
February 1, 2026
An excellent historical account of a young woman's rise to fame before and during the war years. The period detail is extremely good and I also enjoyed the very different settings of Glasgow, London and then India. There's also a lot of fascinating information about a life in the showbusiness world. The family relationships are very powerful, particularly between father and daughter. My favourite part of the story was Evie's experiences in London and how she copes with the horrors of the Blitz. Yes, I have to admit to not understanding the title, but it doesn't matter at all, as it's the history and the settings which are vital here. An interesting read!
November 13, 2025
Stunning book, with so much depth, nostalgia, characters who felt so incredibly real, it brought back so many memories from the tales my gran and gramps, nana and papa used to tell me, the Hogmamay doos, the life in the steamies, working the mangle. The hardships, the community, life in the tenements of Glasgow. I was not expecting the ending and I look forward to the next instalment
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews