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Poppy Day
Jessica Hart's life is changed forever with the death of her mother. Her manipulative new stepmother tries to force her into marrying an older man, but to Jess, a bright, pretty young girl who dreams of finding true love, the idea of being trapped in a loveless marriage is unthinkable. So she escapes to Birmingham to her Aunt Olive - the last remaining connection with her mother. Then Jess's security is threatened when she meets a friend of the family and falls passionately in love. For handsome Ned Green is not only already married, but about to become a father any day...
12 pages, Audio Cassette
First published January 1, 2000
13 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Annie Murray
51 books167 followersAnnie Murray was a ‘childhood writer.’ Her career was helped a great deal by belonging to Tindal Street Fiction Group in Birmingham and by winning the SHE/Granada TV Short Story Competition in 1991. She has published short stories in a number of anthologies as well as SHE magazine. Her first regional saga, Birmingham Rose appeared in 1995 and reached the Times bestseller list. She has since published more than a dozen others, including the ‘Cadbury books,’ Chocolate Girls and The Bells of Bournville Green, Family of Women and her latest, A Hopscotch Summer. Annie has four children and lives near Reading.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 10, 2015
Poppy Day - Annie Murray
Thoughts
This book is pretty good, if I'm being honest - I wasn't expecting it to be so. The setting is top notch, during WWI and is a chaotic mixture of forbidden love, heartbreak and almost insufferable English accents. I found it a really addictive read, and whilst I disagreed with the little love affair going on between Jess and Ned, I just couldn't put the book down.
The Story
Poppy Day begins with us meeting the main character, Jessica Hart, who has run away from her family in the country to her aunt (Olive) who lives in the city of Birmingham. She runs away because her wicked step-mother, Sarah, is trying to force Jess to marry a man she doesn't love and highly detests. Fair enough, right? Her cousins, Polly, Sis (Louisa), Bert, and Ronny all welcome her into the family and we follow Jess's story as she struggles with her extreme love for Ned and other adventures with Pol and Sis (and some deep, dark secrets of Olive). It's intriguing, it's well written, and just kind of a really scrumptious book for larking about on a warm summer's day (isn't that a lovely image?)
The Characters
So let's start with Jess. I loved Jess at the beginning, and grew to hate her. I'm sorry but are you kidding? She believes she has every right to march in and separate a marriage (with the wife expecting a child) just because she's decided she loves Ned more?! I was so angry at this book when this went on and on. But the appeasing ending to the story let me reconcile with the events that unfolded and appreciate the book a bit more. Jess is somewhat stupid when it comes to being aware of things - she seems in a bit of a daydream for 90% of the book, and Ned was great fun when he first arrived on scene standing atop a horse, and then sort of lost his excitement come chapters later on. Hmph. But aside from my troubles of bad moral choices, the setting that Murray has set her characters in worked a treat and made for a very enjoyable read. The picnics on the grass and the simple yet (mostly) happy lives of the women made me somewhat jealous of just how alive people seemed during this time. Being out and about, knowing your neighbours, all those sort of things that seem to be lost in today's society with technology and good transport spreading out the population (which is probably a good thing, but still).
Polly was an awesome character. She was strong, she did the right things, and was written to perfection. I loved her and I also really like Sis. Sis was the troublemaker, no doubt about that - but I felt she somewhat lacked a role come the latter end of the book (for obvious reasons I suppose), but none the less it would've been nice if the girls had stayed a consistent trio for the whole book.
War and Bad English
Being set during WWI, England, there's a lot of doom and gloom in certain aspects. I felt the book was appropriately distanced from the true horror of the war (allowing it to be an enjoyable read, rather than a depressing one), whilst still being a beautiful dedication to the memories of those boys who laid down their lives for us. The way the girls and people at home didn't understand why the boys took so long to adjust back to normal was great (frustrating, but true) because they simply couldn't understand how different their lives had become. The bad English ties in because of where the book is set. Murray has written the accents - something I usually hate because I don't like having to work out the accent in my head. Or should I say, 'ead. You get the idea? But I grew to tolerate, and then enjoy it as it became a part of the characters themselves, and brought them to life. Just a warning in case you have any real hatred of such things - if you can't stand reading accents, maybe gives this one a miss.
Summary
Look this is a really fun, quick little read that I would recommend to anyone who likes the family saga-type books, or anyone who loves history. I actually haven't read this type of book before so it's a first for me. It's not too deep, but it's a really nice escape from reality and jump back into the past. And to top it off it's written really well so I could picture it all in my head nicely. And after all, that's what you really want from a book, isn't it?
Thoughts
This book is pretty good, if I'm being honest - I wasn't expecting it to be so. The setting is top notch, during WWI and is a chaotic mixture of forbidden love, heartbreak and almost insufferable English accents. I found it a really addictive read, and whilst I disagreed with the little love affair going on between Jess and Ned, I just couldn't put the book down.
The Story
Poppy Day begins with us meeting the main character, Jessica Hart, who has run away from her family in the country to her aunt (Olive) who lives in the city of Birmingham. She runs away because her wicked step-mother, Sarah, is trying to force Jess to marry a man she doesn't love and highly detests. Fair enough, right? Her cousins, Polly, Sis (Louisa), Bert, and Ronny all welcome her into the family and we follow Jess's story as she struggles with her extreme love for Ned and other adventures with Pol and Sis (and some deep, dark secrets of Olive). It's intriguing, it's well written, and just kind of a really scrumptious book for larking about on a warm summer's day (isn't that a lovely image?)
The Characters
So let's start with Jess. I loved Jess at the beginning, and grew to hate her. I'm sorry but are you kidding? She believes she has every right to march in and separate a marriage (with the wife expecting a child) just because she's decided she loves Ned more?! I was so angry at this book when this went on and on. But the appeasing ending to the story let me reconcile with the events that unfolded and appreciate the book a bit more. Jess is somewhat stupid when it comes to being aware of things - she seems in a bit of a daydream for 90% of the book, and Ned was great fun when he first arrived on scene standing atop a horse, and then sort of lost his excitement come chapters later on. Hmph. But aside from my troubles of bad moral choices, the setting that Murray has set her characters in worked a treat and made for a very enjoyable read. The picnics on the grass and the simple yet (mostly) happy lives of the women made me somewhat jealous of just how alive people seemed during this time. Being out and about, knowing your neighbours, all those sort of things that seem to be lost in today's society with technology and good transport spreading out the population (which is probably a good thing, but still).
Polly was an awesome character. She was strong, she did the right things, and was written to perfection. I loved her and I also really like Sis. Sis was the troublemaker, no doubt about that - but I felt she somewhat lacked a role come the latter end of the book (for obvious reasons I suppose), but none the less it would've been nice if the girls had stayed a consistent trio for the whole book.
War and Bad English
Being set during WWI, England, there's a lot of doom and gloom in certain aspects. I felt the book was appropriately distanced from the true horror of the war (allowing it to be an enjoyable read, rather than a depressing one), whilst still being a beautiful dedication to the memories of those boys who laid down their lives for us. The way the girls and people at home didn't understand why the boys took so long to adjust back to normal was great (frustrating, but true) because they simply couldn't understand how different their lives had become. The bad English ties in because of where the book is set. Murray has written the accents - something I usually hate because I don't like having to work out the accent in my head. Or should I say, 'ead. You get the idea? But I grew to tolerate, and then enjoy it as it became a part of the characters themselves, and brought them to life. Just a warning in case you have any real hatred of such things - if you can't stand reading accents, maybe gives this one a miss.
Summary
Look this is a really fun, quick little read that I would recommend to anyone who likes the family saga-type books, or anyone who loves history. I actually haven't read this type of book before so it's a first for me. It's not too deep, but it's a really nice escape from reality and jump back into the past. And to top it off it's written really well so I could picture it all in my head nicely. And after all, that's what you really want from a book, isn't it?
March 9, 2014
I really enjoyed this book it was very unpredictable at times and was a facinating story but at the start of the book it was quite slow and I read it while reading other books and I wasn't that interested but it did get a lot better after a quater or half the way throught the story.
September 28, 2023
It's a feel good book. Although it's main plot is forbidden romance, it escalates to a good family feel good story.
The writing style is something that fascinated me. I could grasp the British accent so well which made the reading part interesting.
Also this book expressed the grief, losses and emotions of the normal people who had been forced and dragged into the war and the emotions of their loved ones really well and through different perspectives.
Overall it isn't a must read kind off book but once you get to know the characters and the story, it's interesting.
The writing style is something that fascinated me. I could grasp the British accent so well which made the reading part interesting.
Also this book expressed the grief, losses and emotions of the normal people who had been forced and dragged into the war and the emotions of their loved ones really well and through different perspectives.
Overall it isn't a must read kind off book but once you get to know the characters and the story, it's interesting.
March 21, 2019
I really enjoyed this story-the first I have read by this author and especially liked the ending when the characters who were involved in the 1st world war were taken back to France for some closure
June 5, 2017
Very much enjoyed this book
June 16, 2017
another brilliant read from Annie!
November 13, 2020
Annie Murray never fails and this was an absolutely perfect read for Remembrance week. Loved it.
January 21, 2022
What a wonderful story couldn't put this book down.
October 27, 2013
Wow! So much is in one book, it felt like I was reading it forever! There are parts in the book I could not predict, that was for sure! But oh my! The Author does keep you on your toes; though in this case fingers =) Beautiful ending. The last sentence holds a lot of meaning, as I'm sure you'd understand if or when you read it. I can't say too much because I wouldn't want to include any spoilers, but it is a good read! I must admit, I did find it a little difficult to get into to start off with. Only because of the style of the dialogue used and it's based in Birmingham, and I live there; was strange for me to read a book based in my hometown. The dialogue was written in a way that readers can grasp the Birmingham accent, so it took me a little while to not get too "wrapped" up with it and ignore the spellings of the words. I will rate this book 6.5/10.
May 15, 2012
Another nice easy read.
August 5, 2013
But slow
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews