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The Widow Ginger
Life is starting to look up in the London café where Rosie lives with her beloved Aunt Maggie and Uncle Bert. It is 1954, rationing is over, and Roger Bannister’s four-minute mile is the pride of England. But the Widow Ginger couldn’t care less. An ex-GI with an ice-cold stare and fresh out of military prison, the Widow has come to settle some unfinished business with Bert. The Widow’s looking for his share of the profits from a wartime scam—and a little vengeance for his years in the clink. Rosie soon learns that where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and it will take more than divine intervention to save the neighborhood—and Rosie’s family—from the Widow’s vengence.
Charting the further misadventures of the characters from the acclaimed Not All Tarts Are Apple, Pip Granger’s newest story of London’s underworld shows her storytelling at its best.
240 pages, Paperback
First published March 17, 2003
5 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Pip Granger
11 books14 followersPip Granger was born in Cuckfield, Sussex, in 1947. Her first job was with the City of Westminster, teaching children who had been excluded from school because of emotional and health problems, and she worked as a literacy and special needs teacher in Stoke Newington and Hackney in the 1970s and 1980s. After quitting teaching, she wrote for a while on non-fiction partworks, including My Garden and My Child.
Pip began to write fiction only in the 1990s. Her older brother, Peter, was diagnosed with brain cancer, and she wanted to memorialise their extraordinary childhood. The resulting book, Not All Tarts are Apple, was the unanimous winner of the first Harry Bowling Prize for London writing in 2000, and was published in 2002. A sequel, The Widow Ginger, was published the following year, and Trouble in Paradise in 2004. No Peace for the Wicked in April 2005.
Alone, a memoir of her extraordinary childhood, appeared in Corgi in June 2007. Her next book, Up West, an ‘emotional history’ of London’s West End in the two decades between VE Day and the birth of Swinging London
Pip began to write fiction only in the 1990s. Her older brother, Peter, was diagnosed with brain cancer, and she wanted to memorialise their extraordinary childhood. The resulting book, Not All Tarts are Apple, was the unanimous winner of the first Harry Bowling Prize for London writing in 2000, and was published in 2002. A sequel, The Widow Ginger, was published the following year, and Trouble in Paradise in 2004. No Peace for the Wicked in April 2005.
Alone, a memoir of her extraordinary childhood, appeared in Corgi in June 2007. Her next book, Up West, an ‘emotional history’ of London’s West End in the two decades between VE Day and the birth of Swinging London
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 22, 2020
Life is starting to look up in the cafe where Rosie lives with her aunt Maggie and uncle Bert. Rationing is over and Roger Bannister's four minute miles the pride of Englamd. But the widow Granger couldn't care less. An ex GI fresh out of military prison has to settle some unfinished business with Bert.
The story is narrated by Rosie who's now nine. A menacing American soldier is stalking Rosie and her friends. Once again, the book is filled with marvellous characters. Rosie's best friend Jenny is ill and Rosie takes her small gifts to cheer her up. This is another well written addition to this series.
I would like to thank #NetGalley, #RandomHouseUK #TransworldPublishers and the author #PipGranger for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The story is narrated by Rosie who's now nine. A menacing American soldier is stalking Rosie and her friends. Once again, the book is filled with marvellous characters. Rosie's best friend Jenny is ill and Rosie takes her small gifts to cheer her up. This is another well written addition to this series.
I would like to thank #NetGalley, #RandomHouseUK #TransworldPublishers and the author #PipGranger for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 25, 2020
2020 bk 174. Rosie is back as our narrator in this story of sins coming back to haunt people. The widow Ginger is out of prison and back in SOHO, and he feels like Uncle Bert, Maltese Joe, and Bandy owe him, but first he'll enjoy tormenting them. Matches, then fires, then roughing family members up are his plan as Rosie's adult make their own plans. Rosie has a lot of problems in this book, her birth mother is drinking again, T. C. might be her birth father, her best friend is ill, and the Widow Ginger scares the dickens out of her. A very suspenseful novel filled with the life of the district.
March 22, 2011
Third in the fictional Soho series based in post-World War II England, I continue to be amazed and thoroughly enjoying of Granger’s thoroughness with the vernacular. I’ve really noticed the use of the Cockney in this particular story and it’s been an absolute treat used in the middle of family. Yes, there’s a “criminal element” here but it’s more of a past practicality than anything. A way to survive and thrive through the privations of World War II.
It’s a tight-knit family that has nothing to do with blood and everything to do with friendship in the very tolerant Soho. Aunt Maggie and Uncle Bert run the café, which serves as a gathering place for everyone. Rosie is the little girl they adopted as a baby from another of the extended family---and we finally get a good inkling as to the identity of her father! There’s Bandy and Sugar, an odd couple who run a local private club---Bandy smokes too much, wears slinky pajamas to the club where she loves to insult the patrons into coming back almost as much as she loves children and Sugar prefers sequined gowns with perfume and make-up when he tends bar.
The Campaninis are a huge Italian clan whose base is the delicatessen just two doors down from the café where they sell their homemade pasta, sausages, desserts, and more; there are a lot of guys who could learn from Luigi and his relationship with the luscious Betty Potts in this story. Jenny is Rosie’s best friend and fellow student who plays a pivotal role in this story as she lies dying in her bed. Sharky Finn, lawyer to the bent and always assured of finding a tot of brandy in his tea at the café, is one of those lawyers you actually want to have around. Maltese Joe runs the neighborhood with his boys; no one crosses Maltese Joe. And no one will ever want for protection either.
The primary topic in Widow Ginger is the Widow Ginger, a former partner-in-crime back in the day with Bert and Joe. Now that he’s out of jail, he feels he’s got some coming and he’s determined to make everyone pay and pay and pay. He’s a sociopath with a bent toward discipline who can vanish in the blink of an eye.
There’s a very 1950s feel to the cover with its cartoonish, and windy, street scene: Mrs. Robbins making use of Jenny and Rosie’s signal flag as the Widow Ginger rushes up the street leaving a trail of fireballs behind him.
I’m just dying to read what happens next in No Peace for the Wicked.
It’s a tight-knit family that has nothing to do with blood and everything to do with friendship in the very tolerant Soho. Aunt Maggie and Uncle Bert run the café, which serves as a gathering place for everyone. Rosie is the little girl they adopted as a baby from another of the extended family---and we finally get a good inkling as to the identity of her father! There’s Bandy and Sugar, an odd couple who run a local private club---Bandy smokes too much, wears slinky pajamas to the club where she loves to insult the patrons into coming back almost as much as she loves children and Sugar prefers sequined gowns with perfume and make-up when he tends bar.
The Campaninis are a huge Italian clan whose base is the delicatessen just two doors down from the café where they sell their homemade pasta, sausages, desserts, and more; there are a lot of guys who could learn from Luigi and his relationship with the luscious Betty Potts in this story. Jenny is Rosie’s best friend and fellow student who plays a pivotal role in this story as she lies dying in her bed. Sharky Finn, lawyer to the bent and always assured of finding a tot of brandy in his tea at the café, is one of those lawyers you actually want to have around. Maltese Joe runs the neighborhood with his boys; no one crosses Maltese Joe. And no one will ever want for protection either.
The primary topic in Widow Ginger is the Widow Ginger, a former partner-in-crime back in the day with Bert and Joe. Now that he’s out of jail, he feels he’s got some coming and he’s determined to make everyone pay and pay and pay. He’s a sociopath with a bent toward discipline who can vanish in the blink of an eye.
There’s a very 1950s feel to the cover with its cartoonish, and windy, street scene: Mrs. Robbins making use of Jenny and Rosie’s signal flag as the Widow Ginger rushes up the street leaving a trail of fireballs behind him.
I’m just dying to read what happens next in No Peace for the Wicked.
February 22, 2018
This book was a surprising mix of all sorts of things that shouldn't have gone well together but the result was surprisingly charming, for all that the plot was fairly predictable (and foreshadowed itself as if to underline the point that this wasn't really about plot).
Gangsters, prostitutes, infidelity and death seen through the eyes of a child sounds dark and morbid doesn't it? And yet the child remains an innocent, wrapped in a cocoon of love that is almost universal in the other characters of the book. Rosie is inquisitive, intelligent, warm-hearted and at times a bit focussed on greed and gluttony. This makes her relatable.
The writing was not flawless, the setting was such a feature that at times it seemed to be self-consciously flagged in cameos (lists of radio shows, more food and fashion than we strictly speaking needed) bu I enjoyed that. I enjoyed the child's voice and innocence even though it did not completely ring true and I was really warmed by the lack of slut-shaming and the attempt to portray London society in the 50s as diverse in every way possible (race, culture, gender-identities etc).
I found the predictability slightly annoying- cartoonish bad guy stalks them through chapter after warm-hearted chapter and finally gets put in gaol by friendly cop good-guy and diagnosed as "mad". Meh. But in between that there is such a wealth of familial love (both blood and adopted family that is), such a feast of food and generosity and an ethic of helping your neighbour that in some ways I wanted to live in the book (although I couldn't survive on spam sandwiches and other dubious pleasures like that).
A feel-good book with an interesting setting. This one is worth your time!
Gangsters, prostitutes, infidelity and death seen through the eyes of a child sounds dark and morbid doesn't it? And yet the child remains an innocent, wrapped in a cocoon of love that is almost universal in the other characters of the book. Rosie is inquisitive, intelligent, warm-hearted and at times a bit focussed on greed and gluttony. This makes her relatable.
The writing was not flawless, the setting was such a feature that at times it seemed to be self-consciously flagged in cameos (lists of radio shows, more food and fashion than we strictly speaking needed) bu I enjoyed that. I enjoyed the child's voice and innocence even though it did not completely ring true and I was really warmed by the lack of slut-shaming and the attempt to portray London society in the 50s as diverse in every way possible (race, culture, gender-identities etc).
I found the predictability slightly annoying- cartoonish bad guy stalks them through chapter after warm-hearted chapter and finally gets put in gaol by friendly cop good-guy and diagnosed as "mad". Meh. But in between that there is such a wealth of familial love (both blood and adopted family that is), such a feast of food and generosity and an ethic of helping your neighbour that in some ways I wanted to live in the book (although I couldn't survive on spam sandwiches and other dubious pleasures like that).
A feel-good book with an interesting setting. This one is worth your time!
September 30, 2020
This second book in Pip Granger’s Soho series is even better than the first, “Not All Tarts are Apple.” I would rate it a solid five-star read based not only on the warm-hearted portrayal of the childs-eye point of view of the child Rosie, but also the wonderful characterizations of the adult characters as well.
We are introduced to the cross-dressing Sugar Plum and his business partner Bandy, both of whom love Rosie dearly, as well as the menacing figure of “The Widow Ginger,” an unsavory and criminal figure. The “Widow,” in actuality a gay “Yankee” who was involved in black market activities with Uncle Bert, Bandy, and Maltese Joe during the War, comes to Soho to get what he considers his just payoff. Since the Widow is an arsonist, a series of destructive fires affecting the Soho “family” ensue, and the various members rally together to protect each other.
The child viewpoint of grief is well-portrayed as it gradually dawns on Rosie as a shock that her great friend Jenny is declining badly in health. Her attempts to comfort Jenny in small ways with magazines and gifts that will entertain her are both sweet and heartbreaking as she begins to grieve. Interspersed, however, are her childhood joys of eating a delicious icing off a cookie before the cookie itself and playing in a pool with her supposed Dad, T.C., a police officer, for whom she has great affection.
This was a great story with wonderfully-drawn characters, and I thank #netgalley for a copy of the book #The Widow Ginger
We are introduced to the cross-dressing Sugar Plum and his business partner Bandy, both of whom love Rosie dearly, as well as the menacing figure of “The Widow Ginger,” an unsavory and criminal figure. The “Widow,” in actuality a gay “Yankee” who was involved in black market activities with Uncle Bert, Bandy, and Maltese Joe during the War, comes to Soho to get what he considers his just payoff. Since the Widow is an arsonist, a series of destructive fires affecting the Soho “family” ensue, and the various members rally together to protect each other.
The child viewpoint of grief is well-portrayed as it gradually dawns on Rosie as a shock that her great friend Jenny is declining badly in health. Her attempts to comfort Jenny in small ways with magazines and gifts that will entertain her are both sweet and heartbreaking as she begins to grieve. Interspersed, however, are her childhood joys of eating a delicious icing off a cookie before the cookie itself and playing in a pool with her supposed Dad, T.C., a police officer, for whom she has great affection.
This was a great story with wonderfully-drawn characters, and I thank #netgalley for a copy of the book #The Widow Ginger
July 18, 2024
Дев'ятирічна Розі розповідає про своє життя у повоєнній Англії. Дівчинка живе з тіткою Меґґі та дядьком Бертом, які її удочерили. Вони тримають кав'ярню, що користується успіхом у відвідувачів, будують плани на майбутнє. Та одного дня з'являється американець, який починає залякувати дітей і дорослих, вимагаючи свою частку від прибутку кав'ярні.
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Я читала цю книгу англійською. І з упевненістю можу сказати, що мені шалено сподобалися описи природи і розчулили стосунки Розі з тяжкохворою подружкою. Втім, читання давалось доволі важко, все частіше я користувалася ґуґл-перекладачем. Спочатку я не могла зрозуміти, у чому причина. Потім ознайомилася з відгуками на Ґудрідз і дізналася, що авторка використала у книзі декілька діалектів. Це жодним чином не вплинуло на мої враження, адже книга варта уваги.
⠀
Я читала цю книгу англійською. І з упевненістю можу сказати, що мені шалено сподобалися описи природи і розчулили стосунки Розі з тяжкохворою подружкою. Втім, читання давалось доволі важко, все частіше я користувалася ґуґл-перекладачем. Спочатку я не могла зрозуміти, у чому причина. Потім ознайомилася з відгуками на Ґудрідз і дізналася, що авторка використала у книзі декілька діалектів. Це жодним чином не вплинуло на мої враження, адже книга варта уваги.
January 29, 2019
A lovely story full of the innocence of a nine year old.... However, I wish I had known about ‘not all tarts are apples’, but I am going to find a copy and read it as soon as I can....
July 22, 2020
Book 2 is just as good as the first i love the characters of the soho community everyone is card for.5*
August 17, 2020
Colourful and enjoyable story set after the war. The characters were diverse and we'll portrayed. A good read.
September 20, 2020
Great continuation of the Rosie series. revisit postwar london and the great cast of characters. Loved it!
October 22, 2020
Another winner
Rosie and her gang are so entertaining and the descriptive storyline makes you feel as if you are in the midst of it all as it plays out. Quir enjoyable.
Rosie and her gang are so entertaining and the descriptive storyline makes you feel as if you are in the midst of it all as it plays out. Quir enjoyable.
November 4, 2020
An Intriguing Story
This is book two in this series. I enjoyed this book as well I enjoyed the characters so much! The Widow Ginger is someone to look out for.
This is book two in this series. I enjoyed this book as well I enjoyed the characters so much! The Widow Ginger is someone to look out for.
July 26, 2010
Thankfully, one can read the first wonderful book about Rosie and her grownups, and then slip effortlessly into book 2, when a menacing figure from Uncle Bert's past begins to threaten the happy daily life of the cafe and the community it serves. Rosie is a year older, and makes some discoveries about the identity of her father. She experiences terrible tragedy but as always the love that surrounds her buoys her up. Fantastic.
January 1, 2016
Set in 1954, this is told from the point of view of 9 yr old Rosie, who lives in Soho with her aunt and uncle above a cafe. A scary american villain has been released from prison and is stalking Rosie's friends and family, while her best friend is dying. The cockney rhyming slang, only some of which is explained, gets confusing and a bit irritating, but otherwise I quite enjoyed it.
August 10, 2010
Pip Granger is a wonderful writer. I felt I knew the characters in the book well. Danger befalls Uncle Bert and Rosie's friend is battling a lingering illness. There is an array of colorful and wonderful neighbors that ban together always to help each other.
A great book.
A great book.
January 25, 2011
This one dragged a little for me. I enjoyed the first book in this series more. It follows Rosie's childhood in post war London.
Read
January 2, 2013The clerk said this book is similar to The Help, I'm not going to that bookshop again.
June 15, 2013
A slightly harder read, but still fun. 2nd in the child's-eye view with adult happenings about them.
January 26, 2020
As entertaining as Not All Tarts are Apple by the same author. Totally worth reading for pure enjoyment!
December 17, 2014
As enjoyable an adventure as Not All Tarts Are Apple, but considerably darker.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews