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Piggy Monk Square
A policeman faces a grim death in a Liverpool inner city cellar. Only two little girls know where he is but they’re too scared to tell. Time is running out for the policeman. Will the girls get help before it’s too late?
Piggy Monk Square is a dark yet frequently very funny novel set in 1970's Liverpool. The action takes place in the volatile period before the Toxteth riots burned much of the inner city down.
A BRITISH THRILLER
This unusual yet very readable British thriller describes a world tainted with deep mistrust and hostility between the local people and the police force. This harsh world is viewed through the eyes of a nine-year-old girl, Rebecca.
Rebecca’s world is changing. Her parents are fighting. Her teachers are cruel. She doesn’t know what to do and turns to her best friend Debbie more and more.
But Debbie’s life is just as tough. With a father who is always dodging the police, and a mother who works her to the bone, Debbie is no Cinderella. The world these girls inhabit is no fairy tale, it is confusing and can be brutally violent.
A TERRIFYING SECRET
No wonder the girls mix reality with fantasy - it’s how they survive, especially when it comes to coping with what will soon become their terrifying secret. A secret that will infuse their childhood with fear and change their lives forever.
The nightmare begins when Rebecca and Debbie are playing in the cellar of a derelict house. A policeman catches them there and warns them not to return to this dangerous old building. But they are both determined little girls with nowhere else to play, so they come back, again and again. Unfortunately for them so does the policeman.
The policeman tries to chase the girls away, but he falls down a ladder and goes ‘asleep.’ The girls try to wake him but can’t. They want to get help but at the same time they know they shouldn’t have been playing in that cellar. They have learned not to trust the police and are so afraid of getting into trouble that they leave the injured policeman alone.
NOWHERE TO TURN
Wishful thinking makes the girls hope that he will get up and go of his own accord and that everything will be okay again. But when they return and find him still there, conscious but unable to move they find another way to help him. A way that doesn’t involve adults. But, their interpretation of ‘helping’ the dying policeman has terrible consequences for them all.
Piggy Monk Square is a dark yet frequently very funny novel set in 1970's Liverpool. The action takes place in the volatile period before the Toxteth riots burned much of the inner city down.
A BRITISH THRILLER
This unusual yet very readable British thriller describes a world tainted with deep mistrust and hostility between the local people and the police force. This harsh world is viewed through the eyes of a nine-year-old girl, Rebecca.
Rebecca’s world is changing. Her parents are fighting. Her teachers are cruel. She doesn’t know what to do and turns to her best friend Debbie more and more.
But Debbie’s life is just as tough. With a father who is always dodging the police, and a mother who works her to the bone, Debbie is no Cinderella. The world these girls inhabit is no fairy tale, it is confusing and can be brutally violent.
A TERRIFYING SECRET
No wonder the girls mix reality with fantasy - it’s how they survive, especially when it comes to coping with what will soon become their terrifying secret. A secret that will infuse their childhood with fear and change their lives forever.
The nightmare begins when Rebecca and Debbie are playing in the cellar of a derelict house. A policeman catches them there and warns them not to return to this dangerous old building. But they are both determined little girls with nowhere else to play, so they come back, again and again. Unfortunately for them so does the policeman.
The policeman tries to chase the girls away, but he falls down a ladder and goes ‘asleep.’ The girls try to wake him but can’t. They want to get help but at the same time they know they shouldn’t have been playing in that cellar. They have learned not to trust the police and are so afraid of getting into trouble that they leave the injured policeman alone.
NOWHERE TO TURN
Wishful thinking makes the girls hope that he will get up and go of his own accord and that everything will be okay again. But when they return and find him still there, conscious but unable to move they find another way to help him. A way that doesn’t involve adults. But, their interpretation of ‘helping’ the dying policeman has terrible consequences for them all.
251 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2005
147 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Grace M Jolliffe
19 books15 followersGrace Jolliffe’s first novel, Piggy Monk Square, was shortlisted for the Commonwealth New Writers Prize and broadcast on RTE's Book on One.
Grace is not quite the full hermit, but she does live quietly in Galway, surrounded by rocks, stones and roads to nowhere.
In the past, Grace taught scriptwriting and creative writing to keep her in teabags and light.
Following a serious accident she gave up teaching and now shares her knowledge from her website: Practical Creative Writing
Grace loves nature and walking but the accident kept her indoors for quite some time. She blames the frustration/cabin fever for the creation of her imaginary town of Ballyyahoo.
She is happy in her current position as head of imagination at Ballyyahoo and is responsible for creating stories that combine magic and nature. She aims to entice children to leave their screens and put on some wellies.
Grace also writes for adults and is just finished two new novels from her Women Of Liverpool series. When The Sun Shines and The Sunshine Girl, will be available shortly.
Grace can be found at Grace Jolliffewhere you can sign up for her books and read her articles about rocks, stones and roads to nowhere, as well as this funny old world as she sees it.
Grace is not quite the full hermit, but she does live quietly in Galway, surrounded by rocks, stones and roads to nowhere.
In the past, Grace taught scriptwriting and creative writing to keep her in teabags and light.
Following a serious accident she gave up teaching and now shares her knowledge from her website: Practical Creative Writing
Grace loves nature and walking but the accident kept her indoors for quite some time. She blames the frustration/cabin fever for the creation of her imaginary town of Ballyyahoo.
She is happy in her current position as head of imagination at Ballyyahoo and is responsible for creating stories that combine magic and nature. She aims to entice children to leave their screens and put on some wellies.
Grace also writes for adults and is just finished two new novels from her Women Of Liverpool series. When The Sun Shines and The Sunshine Girl, will be available shortly.
Grace can be found at Grace Jolliffewhere you can sign up for her books and read her articles about rocks, stones and roads to nowhere, as well as this funny old world as she sees it.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 4, 2017
Really interesting
Liverpool in the early 70s told through the eyes of a 9 year old girl. There's poverty, squalor and a "them and us" attitude towards the police. Rebecca soaks up all the attitudes and fears of things she doesn't understand. She and her friend Debbie allow something awful to happen because of fear and childish mistrust. A good fast read.
Liverpool in the early 70s told through the eyes of a 9 year old girl. There's poverty, squalor and a "them and us" attitude towards the police. Rebecca soaks up all the attitudes and fears of things she doesn't understand. She and her friend Debbie allow something awful to happen because of fear and childish mistrust. A good fast read.
December 29, 2014
Piggy Monk Square is a book that lingers on in the memory long after the reader has turned the last page. It lingers for a number of reasons but it is mainly the narrator, nine-year-old Rebecca (nicknamed ' Sparra') who captures the imagination. This is childhood at its most incredulous, fanciful, fearful, loving, hilarious and ruthlessly certain.
Rebecca is a lively, inquisitive child, struggling to understand the complexities of adult life. Debbie is her 'bezzie mate' and they are two of a kind, feeding each other’s imagination with horror stories that thrill and scare them in equal measure. The tough, inner city environment where they live is filled with fearsome personalities. Men in 'stripy suits' are dangerous and must be avoided at all costs. So must 'Stabber' who, if he catches them, will mince them into sausage meat. The cops are 'pigs.' They are the enemy whose only function is to handcuff little girls and throw them into jail if they catch them.
Sparra and Debbie explore the ruins of an old bombed-out house. They've been forbidden to go there but that only adds to its allure. They plan to build their den in the basement and what begins as an innocent adventure quickly changes when ‘Sniffer’ one of the 'pigs' discovers their whereabouts. From that moment on, tension strums like a faint but persistent wire in the background of Sparra’s artless narrative.
Through her eyes we meet her parents who are struggling to hold their marriage together. We experience her fear that they will split up, which always seems possible after a visit from her vicious-tongued Aunt Mo. We share her delight when her mum’s best friend, the glamourous Josie takes her on a day trip to the seaside and her horror when she is confronted by the cruelty of a sadistic headmaster. But underneath the normality of Sparra’s ordinary life another horrifying scenario is unfolding and it is to the author’s credit that the authentic voice of the narrator never wavers throughout the telling of this gripping story.
Piggy Monk Square captures the turbulent, innocent and imaginative world of childhood with flawless precision. A classic read. Highly recommended.
Rebecca is a lively, inquisitive child, struggling to understand the complexities of adult life. Debbie is her 'bezzie mate' and they are two of a kind, feeding each other’s imagination with horror stories that thrill and scare them in equal measure. The tough, inner city environment where they live is filled with fearsome personalities. Men in 'stripy suits' are dangerous and must be avoided at all costs. So must 'Stabber' who, if he catches them, will mince them into sausage meat. The cops are 'pigs.' They are the enemy whose only function is to handcuff little girls and throw them into jail if they catch them.
Sparra and Debbie explore the ruins of an old bombed-out house. They've been forbidden to go there but that only adds to its allure. They plan to build their den in the basement and what begins as an innocent adventure quickly changes when ‘Sniffer’ one of the 'pigs' discovers their whereabouts. From that moment on, tension strums like a faint but persistent wire in the background of Sparra’s artless narrative.
Through her eyes we meet her parents who are struggling to hold their marriage together. We experience her fear that they will split up, which always seems possible after a visit from her vicious-tongued Aunt Mo. We share her delight when her mum’s best friend, the glamourous Josie takes her on a day trip to the seaside and her horror when she is confronted by the cruelty of a sadistic headmaster. But underneath the normality of Sparra’s ordinary life another horrifying scenario is unfolding and it is to the author’s credit that the authentic voice of the narrator never wavers throughout the telling of this gripping story.
Piggy Monk Square captures the turbulent, innocent and imaginative world of childhood with flawless precision. A classic read. Highly recommended.
December 24, 2018
The first line of Piggy Monk Square by Grace M. Jollife set the tone for the style of writing to follow. I knew right away I would like this story. “My name’s Rebecca but me mates call me Sparra cos of me legs.” (p. 1). Set in a poor section of Liverpool where to have a job is considered lucky, the story is told through the eyes of a nine-year-old, “Sparra.” In the first few pages, we can determine that no one in the neighborhood trusts the police. Predatory child molesters lurk everywhere. Whether this is true or not, the reader does not know for sure, but we do know that Rebecca believes it to be true. This is an excellent exposition of several stories that readers will discover for themselves as Rebecca and her “bezzie,” Debbie show us a world that is full of despair as far as adults are concerned. With one exception, Debbie and Rebecca accept the world as it is and make their world as pleasant as possible.
Piggy Monk Square is the name of an area with a collection of abandoned houses or tenements. Why they were abandoned, or their planned future use, is unclear and the two young people don’t care. The two claim an underground room, perhaps a basement or cellar, as their secret clubhouse. They claim the room and use parts of furniture left behind to create their own world. However, the area is patrolled by police and one day the two are visited and given a warning to not return. They ignore the warning and know they are in trouble when the same policeman catches them again. When the officer attempts to descend into the basement, he falls and injures or breaks his leg to the extent that he can not get out of the room. The two girls flee, unaware that the officer is seriously injured.
The girls are surprised when they return a few days later to find the officer still there. He is alive and breathing but very weak. His radio no longer works and there is no other person that patrols the area. He needs the girls’ help. They decide to help the officer by wrapping him in enough bandages to make him a mummy. The two know that in their world mummies live forever. That is not true for the police officer and he dies. (Not a spoiler). The rest of the novel will take place in this context as life goes on for the girls. They do not seem to have an appreciation for the seriousness of death. They accept the officer’s death and swear many “pinky” oaths to keep secret their involvement. For a lengthy period of time, the girls hear TV announcements about the on-going search for the missing policeman.
Rebecca has more important things to worry about. Her mom and dad have always had a stormy relationship. Often, Rebecca has seen that her mom and dad love each other. But there are fights. During the time of the policeman incident, Rebecca’s dad stormed out of the house and stayed away. Her mom made excuses by saying he was working a lot of overtime. Sparra’s relationship with her father is close, she prefers her father to her mother, who she thinks is cold and unfeeling. The mother comes across as a self-absorbed person with not enough room in her life for a child. Rebecca’s concern is totally fixed on the idea of having a united and loving family. A dead policeman is of little concern, no one likes police anyway. They are a part of the enemy along with a government that has little concern with the welfare of the people.
The relationship of the police and government with the poor people of Liverpool is another element of broad context for this novel. Resentment of police is justified based on several incidents in the story where police are abusive and contemptuous in relation to the public. In one case during an interview with Rebecca’s mom, while police are looking for the missing officer, one policeman implies that Sparra’s mom has a price, one he is willing to pay.
I was very happy with this novel and its presentation through the eyes of a young girl as her perceptions of the world develop. Humor is present as Sparra and Debbie get some things wrong in their interpretations of adult interactions. I give this novel five Amazon stars due to excellent writing. This is even though the ending is one I found objectionable and abhorrent. Rarely am I offended by such an ending and then still give the work five stars. I was surprised by the ending, but it was not a good surprise. I can accept that it is a realistic ending but that doesn’t make it good. This is advertised as Book One in a 1970s Liverpool Series.
The writing style is so entertaining that I will read more by this author. Perhaps she will write a sequel to this novel and expand the ending of this one. This is a stand-alone novel; there is not a cliffhanger. This sells for USD 5.99 on Amazon but through the mysteries of marketing, I managed to pay USD 0.99. It is worth the higher price.
Piggy Monk Square is the name of an area with a collection of abandoned houses or tenements. Why they were abandoned, or their planned future use, is unclear and the two young people don’t care. The two claim an underground room, perhaps a basement or cellar, as their secret clubhouse. They claim the room and use parts of furniture left behind to create their own world. However, the area is patrolled by police and one day the two are visited and given a warning to not return. They ignore the warning and know they are in trouble when the same policeman catches them again. When the officer attempts to descend into the basement, he falls and injures or breaks his leg to the extent that he can not get out of the room. The two girls flee, unaware that the officer is seriously injured.
The girls are surprised when they return a few days later to find the officer still there. He is alive and breathing but very weak. His radio no longer works and there is no other person that patrols the area. He needs the girls’ help. They decide to help the officer by wrapping him in enough bandages to make him a mummy. The two know that in their world mummies live forever. That is not true for the police officer and he dies. (Not a spoiler). The rest of the novel will take place in this context as life goes on for the girls. They do not seem to have an appreciation for the seriousness of death. They accept the officer’s death and swear many “pinky” oaths to keep secret their involvement. For a lengthy period of time, the girls hear TV announcements about the on-going search for the missing policeman.
Rebecca has more important things to worry about. Her mom and dad have always had a stormy relationship. Often, Rebecca has seen that her mom and dad love each other. But there are fights. During the time of the policeman incident, Rebecca’s dad stormed out of the house and stayed away. Her mom made excuses by saying he was working a lot of overtime. Sparra’s relationship with her father is close, she prefers her father to her mother, who she thinks is cold and unfeeling. The mother comes across as a self-absorbed person with not enough room in her life for a child. Rebecca’s concern is totally fixed on the idea of having a united and loving family. A dead policeman is of little concern, no one likes police anyway. They are a part of the enemy along with a government that has little concern with the welfare of the people.
The relationship of the police and government with the poor people of Liverpool is another element of broad context for this novel. Resentment of police is justified based on several incidents in the story where police are abusive and contemptuous in relation to the public. In one case during an interview with Rebecca’s mom, while police are looking for the missing officer, one policeman implies that Sparra’s mom has a price, one he is willing to pay.
I was very happy with this novel and its presentation through the eyes of a young girl as her perceptions of the world develop. Humor is present as Sparra and Debbie get some things wrong in their interpretations of adult interactions. I give this novel five Amazon stars due to excellent writing. This is even though the ending is one I found objectionable and abhorrent. Rarely am I offended by such an ending and then still give the work five stars. I was surprised by the ending, but it was not a good surprise. I can accept that it is a realistic ending but that doesn’t make it good. This is advertised as Book One in a 1970s Liverpool Series.
The writing style is so entertaining that I will read more by this author. Perhaps she will write a sequel to this novel and expand the ending of this one. This is a stand-alone novel; there is not a cliffhanger. This sells for USD 5.99 on Amazon but through the mysteries of marketing, I managed to pay USD 0.99. It is worth the higher price.
February 27, 2020
At first, I thought this was a strange way to tell the story, using the voice of a nine-year-old child as a narrator but it made sense because by doing so the author was able to make the narration sound totally innocent.
Rebecca (the narrator) and her 'bezzie' friend Debbie are living in a deprived area of Liverpool, their families both have problems; Debbie's father is a petty criminal and has been in and out of prison. It is his impression of the police that makes the children see them as someone to be afraid of, although the police are generally despised by the community. Rebecca's parents are having marriage problems and her father leaves her mother for a time during which she starts drinking with her friend Josie, leaving Rebecca to run wild. The girls make a den in a house on a derelict site that they call the 'Bommy' although the houses are not likely to have actually been destroyed by bombing, more likely slum clearance. When a policeman discovers their hideout things go dreadfully wrong. The girls are very innocent about many things in life and yet chillingly brutal, hard and without empathy in other areas, a fatal and really chilling combination. The headmaster of the local Catholic school is a sadist and takes out his vile temper on the little children in his care, especially on Rebecca. The consequences of the actions of these two small girls will have far-reaching effects for the two families.
A fascinating but really disturbing look at childhood and how it can be at its worst.
Rebecca (the narrator) and her 'bezzie' friend Debbie are living in a deprived area of Liverpool, their families both have problems; Debbie's father is a petty criminal and has been in and out of prison. It is his impression of the police that makes the children see them as someone to be afraid of, although the police are generally despised by the community. Rebecca's parents are having marriage problems and her father leaves her mother for a time during which she starts drinking with her friend Josie, leaving Rebecca to run wild. The girls make a den in a house on a derelict site that they call the 'Bommy' although the houses are not likely to have actually been destroyed by bombing, more likely slum clearance. When a policeman discovers their hideout things go dreadfully wrong. The girls are very innocent about many things in life and yet chillingly brutal, hard and without empathy in other areas, a fatal and really chilling combination. The headmaster of the local Catholic school is a sadist and takes out his vile temper on the little children in his care, especially on Rebecca. The consequences of the actions of these two small girls will have far-reaching effects for the two families.
A fascinating but really disturbing look at childhood and how it can be at its worst.
November 17, 2018
Really enjoyed reading Piggy Monk Square by Grace Jolliffe ....this is the third book I have read, written by Grace Jolliffe and have been kept in suspense very often ...this is the story of the thoughts and actions of a young girl in Liverpool with all her childish foibles and fears ...though it is a book for all to enjoy ...for the people of Liverpool it is a must regardless of you sex it will bring back so many childhood memories ...thank you Grace Jolliffe for bringing my childhood back to life.
May 11, 2019
I loved that this was told through the eyes of a 9 year old girl living in a poor section of Liverpool in the early 1970’s. There were moments that made me cringe and others that made me laugh, although the ending was a little disappointing to me. After finishing this book, I had many questions, but it certainly left the author with the opportunity for a sequel, or, at least, much discussion for a book club.
January 12, 2019
Suspenseful!
Amazing the things two young girls can get turned few into. Sad they had to live during a period when things were so rough for them. Nasty mean cops who have nothing better to do than pick on those they are supposed to be protecting and horrible headmaster that feels the need to torment young s book children just because he can make the story real.
Amazing the things two young girls can get turned few into. Sad they had to live during a period when things were so rough for them. Nasty mean cops who have nothing better to do than pick on those they are supposed to be protecting and horrible headmaster that feels the need to torment young s book children just because he can make the story real.
February 19, 2017
Brilliant book.
February 2, 2019
Good bpok
Graces books are quick and interesting reads. A great page turned until the end. Can't wait for the next one.
Graces books are quick and interesting reads. A great page turned until the end. Can't wait for the next one.
June 10, 2020
A well-written, horrifying story made even more horrifying because it's told through the eyes of a nine-year-old child. Well worth a read.
August 22, 2020
Much better than I expected...a wonderful surprise!
November 20, 2018
I didn't find this book interesting at all. Two young girls friends go to Catholic school where the head master is mean to them. They have no places to play so they sneaked into old abandoned buildings. They don't like the cops and the cops don't like them either. The girls are always afraid of them. One time after school on of the cops find them in this old basement and he falls down the steps they get scared and run away afraid they were gonna get handcuffed and put in jail. Were things all their imaginations or not. Are these just all stories that they heard about the cops and other men around town.
December 15, 2014
Piggy Monk Square is a hypnotic story that pulls in readers and never lets them go. Rebecca, the story’s young heroine, leads readers on a journey fraught with excitement, joy, terror and tragedy, all of which is ensnared in realism that readers can relate to. From the common thrills and trauma of childhood to the all too familiar struggles of a feuding family, the story incorporates civil unrest and a freak accident that tears through a reader and keeps the pages turning. A must read.
November 24, 2016
Written from the perspective of a nine year old girl this book was filled with humour and innocence. Deeply moving in places it tells the tale of a Policeman who has an accident whilst climbing into a cellar in an abandoned house after seeing two little girls in there playing. Unable to move, the girls get frightened and run.
October 28, 2012
A beautifully written book. A dark story made better with bouts of humour, all told through the eyes of a 9 year old Liverpudlian girl. An easy read that I didn't want to end. Definitely a book to share and recommend to friends.
December 31, 2013
It's a tricky task to manage true character development and a cohesive story when writing in the voice of a 9 year old girl; but success on both fronts for the most part. Unique presentation, entertaining & thought-provoking storyline. Overall enjoyable read.
October 22, 2008
My teenage kids loved this too.
January 13, 2016
Good read
Definitely would read more by this author. I enjoyed it. Cannot wait until I find another book by this author.
Definitely would read more by this author. I enjoyed it. Cannot wait until I find another book by this author.
December 24, 2018
Ebook
The author did an amazing job of writing from a 9 year old's perspective but the story unraveled in parts for me. What point did Mo have? Stabber?
The author did an amazing job of writing from a 9 year old's perspective but the story unraveled in parts for me. What point did Mo have? Stabber?
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews