No Silver Spoon

by Katie Flynn, Anne Dover (Reading)

Dympna Byrnes lives a simple life with her family on the Connemara coast. She adores her father Micheal, and does her best to help her family by working hard and expecting little. But beneath the surface there are hidden secrets. Dympna's mother idolises her clever eldest son, yet her attitude to Dympna is puzzling. So when her family find themselves in desperate need of money, it is Dympna who crosses the water to Liverpool to seek a better life. Immersed in the bustling streets of Liverpool, Dympna's circumstances begin to improve. But it is a chance encounter with orphaned, half-starved Jimmy Ruddock that sets her on an extraordinary path she never could have predicted?.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

Audio CD

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Katie Flynn was born in Norwich and attended Norwich High School, where she was extremely happy and extremely undistinguished. Published at the tender age of eight, in Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories, she joined a Writers’ Circle as an adult, publishing short stories, articles, etc; only turning to novels in 1971 because the postal strike cut off her main source of income!
At first she wrote under several different names – Judith Saxton, Judy Turner, Lydia Balmain, Judith Arden – but her Katie Flynn books were a delight to write and proved far more popular than she had dreamed. She has now published nearly ninety novels, twenty-seven of which are Flynns. Her most recent titles are: Lost Days of Summer and Christmas Wishes.

Reviews

[Shirley Revill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this story and I found it hard to put down.
Recommended

[Barbra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this author's books - writes a lot about Ireland and Liverpool.

Back Cover Blurb:
The Byrnes are a fishing family, living a life of grinding poverty on the Connemara coast. Dympna, the only girl, adores her father Michael. She does her best to help her English mother and the family rub along by working hard and expecting little.
But beneath the smooth-seeming surface there are hidden secrets. Beatrice idolises her clever eldest son, but her attitude to her husband and to Dympna is puzzling. Yet when the family desperately needs money it is Dympna who crosses the water to Liverpool, to earn the money for them.
Meanwhile, in Liverpool, orphaned half-starved Jimmy Ruddock struggles to escape from his background with little success until he meets Elsie, a tough young slum-dweller who helps him to better himself. Then he starts work aboard a Fleetwood trawler, and meets up with Dympna....

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming read that I borrowed from my mum.

[janice kordek · Rating 5 out of 5]

No silver spoon

Katie Flynn excelled herself yet again once I started reading no silver spoon I had trouble putting the book down an excellent read

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

l really enjoyed this book, a great story!

[Lisa Rodwell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very long winded

I read till the end but far too descriptive of irrelevant things. A bit slow. Not terrible but I would not recommend.

[Rowlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this tale of a young Irish girl.

[Ahona Mukherjee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dympna Byrnes lives a simple life with her family on the Connemara COAST. Set in 1920's.

[Rachel Austin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Long winded.

[Sandra Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good easy read

[Ann]

enjoyable read, good cast of characters you really feel like you re there with them



listoned to this book, helped me fall asleep lovely description felyt like i knew the family and there village. i would recommend this story. didnt for see the ending loved the way the 2 separte stories came together

[Linda Leedham · Rating 4 out of 5]

1st book read by this author but recommended. Full of love, drama,and heartache