The Punch and Judy Girl by Sheila Newberry, Book Review

The Punch and Judy Girl

Hello dear readers, I am back with my thoughts on one of my favorite authors, Sheila Newberry’s latest #thepunchandjudygirl Its easily one of my favorite reads this summer. 

Book

Title: The Punch and Judy Girl 

Author: Sheila Newberry

Publisher: Zaffre

Published: 4th May 2017

Rating: 5/5

Location: Suffolk, England. 

Buy here: Amazon India

Story
For fans of Katie Flynn and Sheila Jeffries, The Punch and Judy Girl is a heart-warming new summer read from the best-selling Queen of family saga, Sheila Newberry.

CAUGHT BETWEEN FAMILY AND DUTY – CAN SHE FOLLOW HER DREAM?

Suffolk, 1925.

After the death of her father, a much-loved Punch and Judy man, May Moon packs her bags and moves to the seaside in the hope of continuing his legacy.

Already tasked with looking after her younger sister, May little imagines her summer will grow tougher still. Her long absent mother has finally returned – and with an agenda all of her own.

But as May struggles to balance her family’s competing demands – and honour her father’s legacy – she’s surprised to discover her passion for performing grows ever stronger.

As the world around her begins to change, might she finally be able to find a dream of her own?

My thoughts

Ah the joys of simpler times when love was simple and relationships weren’t as “complicated” as they are nowadays. In this new book by master story teller Sheila we see characters bound by family duty, love and friendships. 

Little May Moon is a stand up character, she fulfills everyone’s dreams around her and along the way finds her own happiness. You will never see her regret or complain about the choices she made or had to make. She does it all with dedication and commitment so when she finds her happy  moments you can’t help but cheer and be happy for her. 

Weaved in the shadows of passionate dance, music, puppetry the story evolves into the hopeful, heady years of post ww2 world. A new world, modern ways are being born and in the midst of it the lives of May Moon and her family come a full circle. Second chance at Love, friendships and her beloved puppets makes May Moon’s story a wonderful read. It creates an atmosphere of nostalgia and took me back to England of 1920’s. 

I loved the simplicity of a time where entertainment was actually sought outside homes and digital screens in music, carnivals and social company. I’d recommend this read for a leisurely day by the beach or in cool shaded breezy area up in the mountains. 

Author

Sheila Newberry was born in Suffolk and spent a lot of time there both before and during the war. She wrote her first ‘book’ before she was ten – all sixty pages of it – in purple ink. She spent forty years living in Kent with her husband John on a smallholding, and has nine children and twenty-two lively grandchildren. They retired back to Suffolk where Sheila still lives today.
Reviewed by Bharti