The list at the end of this post is constantly updated, offering links to other varied and interesting articles.
Secrets in Appley Green – A 1960s village novel takes me back to my own teenage years but the writing of it also led me to reading around that decade, fiction, non-fiction books and magazines. Whilst it was hugely enjoyable to both research and write, getting the detail accurate and credible was challenging. 1960, for example, was very different from, say, 1965.
Some of the icons of that
revolutionary era, such as The Beatles, may not be mentioned, unless they crept
in without me noticing. I did not want to ram endless clichés of the Sixties
down the reader’s throat but rather to offer something fresh and yet quite
everyday that evokes a time gone by. It is an emotional love story with a
twist.
Like
Gypsies Stop tHere
and No Gypsies Served,
Secrets in Appley Green and Shades of Appley Green are connected but can equally well standalone.
You do not need to read one before the other, but if you do read both you will
recognise people at very different times in their lives and know more about
them. One or two of the characters occur in all four books!
Without
giving away spoilers for either book, there is a big question hovering over the
end of Shades of Appley
Green. One (lovely) Amazon reviewer said, ‘Miriam creates a
perfect atmosphere in this book and keeps an electric suspense throughout. I
never expected such a strong cliffhanger in the end – I am definitely left
wanting more!’ Well, Heidi, this dangling hook is quite thoroughly
answered by Secrets in
Appley Green. Many of the same older characters appear as they
were fifty years earlier – so yes, there is a link between the two novels.
It has been a long time coming but
anyone who has been following the plot will know that a few problems last year
held things up somewhat. Cancer!
Three naïve, but very different, Appley Green schoolgirls pledge to
stick together for ever, but when one of them gets pregnant, this pushes their
promise to the edge.
A young girl in need of love is vulnerable to the charms of an older
man with heart-breaking consequences.
This is Great Britain’s Sixties, an exciting era, gathering pace then
in full swing as social change sweeps aside past attitudes, laws, fashion and
culture. Youth is finding a voice as parents struggle to adjust. Its characters span the full social spectrum
and take us beyond Appley Green to Brighton, Margate, London, Vienna and Paris.
Miriam Wakerly’s Appley Green
village stories all standalone and can be read in any order, but they are
connected. This one can serve as a prequel to all three, especially Shades of Appley Green.
I do hope you will enjoy reading it! Look out for more articles and reviews :
Talking about the nature of secrets on Bonnie Trachtenberg's blog:
Looking at the challenges of writing a novel with Anneli Purchase:
Reactions to a 1960s novel. Linn B Halton's blog
An interview (brilliant questions!) with Zara Stoneley
Reinventing the plot with Sheryl Browne
Kicking off a holiday reading list with funny books, courtesy of Anneli Purchase
Review by Luke Marlowe born in the eighties but transported to the sixties!
Review by Adele @Kraftireader 'zipping through the chapters to find out what happened next.'
Interview with Bookgatherer Thank you @Emalie2702
LLm Bookshop window - see a tempting extract! (Remember it's in paperback as well as KIndle)
Surrey Life Review January's Book Corner, full-page review by broadcaster and writer Juliette Foster See page 72 !
Books and Authors Guest author on Why I Wrote a Novel Set in the 1960s
