Mollie Greenhalgh Hardwick was an English author who was best known for writing books that accompanied the TV series Upstairs, Downstairs.
As well as writing many Upstairs, Downstairs, Thomas & Sarah and The Duchess of Duke Street novels, she was also the creator of the Doran Fairweather novels and wrote three Juliet Bravo books. Hardwick also wrote many books and plays based around the Sherlock Holmes novels. She married fellow author Michael Hardwick in 1961.
Pure happy nostalgia. I found this and its sequel on the Freebies trolley outside our local community second hand book shop, deemed too old fashioned to be saleable, maybe?
Anyway, I watched all the 1970s TV series around which the books are written and loved them, so there was no chance I would resist. I could see the cast of characters as they emerged in the story, all first rate English character actors.
Read it straight through in about 3 hours, less time than it took to watch the five episodes this book covers.
Well that was a right trip down memory lane! I remember watching the BBC production of this in the late 70s and absolute loving it. This is a novelisation for the series. It probably isn’t the best literature but it holds a special place in my heart.
Loved, loved, lived it. Taken very much from the tv series, which I remember with great fondness, it started me on my cooking journey. The background details are all so believable.
It's been 30 years since I first read this and I feel that it is nowhere near as deep, involved or spectacular as I remembered it as being 'back then'. Still, a nice late spring weekend read but there will always be a huge gap between a teenager's perception and that of a mature adult.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.