Daren
Added to list4 Starwith 769 books.
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We bought a copy of this book for my daughter as she has just played the character of Skimbleshanks (the railway cat) in a youth theatre production of Cats. This was obviously the basis for Andrew Lloyd Webber writing the stage show of Cats... and while much of the content of this book is word for word, there are sections in there that were not carried through to the stage show (well at least the youth version) and plenty of content added in to make it a continuous narrative.
I have no idea how to rate or really even review this short book, but I read it through and now know a few more of the lyrics that despite seeing the show several times I couldn't pick up.
Well this will likely be the only book of poetry I read this year, but regardless I quite like the rhyming song lyrics (as they have been for me), and didn't dislike this at all.
4 stars
We bought a copy of this book for my daughter as she has just played the character of Skimbleshanks (the railway cat) in a youth theatre production of Cats. This was obviously the basis for Andrew Lloyd Webber writing the stage show of Cats... and while much of the content of this book is word for word, there are sections in there that were not carried through to the stage show (well at least the youth version) and plenty of content added in to make it a continuous narrative.
I have no idea how to rate or really even review this short book, but I read it through and now know a few more of the lyrics that despite seeing the show several times I couldn't pick up.
Well this will likely be the only book of poetry I read this year, but regardless I quite like the rhyming song lyrics (as they have been for me), and didn't dislike this at all.
4 stars
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Updated a reading goal:
Read 100 books by December 30, 2025
Progress so far: 50 / 100 50%
Rowena Hawkins has written a summary of her life in Singapore as the daughter of a senior policeman in the 1960s. Singapore at this time was evolving from a British Colony to being a part of the Federation of Malaysia, then on to independence. Her parents, both of whom were descendants of Sultans exiled to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) from Batavia and Sumatra, emigrated to Singapore where their children were born - Rowena with her brother Ari and elder sister Yuwari. Ensconced in their colonial bungalow on New Bridge Road, the family were under no illusion they lived a privileged life.
Hawkins' writing is deceptively simple, outlining events and anecdotes from her childhood while providing an underlying understanding of the cultural & ethnological situations and family relationships. Her nostalgic outlook of events is not without scorn of the behavior of children in the present day, as she describes the canings handed down by her authoritarian mother who ruled the household, where even her father fell into line. While the author was fairly quick to step out of line, her brother was even more so, and was quick to share of divert the blame; this makes for plenty of amusement throughout the book. The book is also an affectionate portrait of her father to whom she was understandably close.
The book itself works well divided into short chapters in largely linear timelines and introduces the reader to her family, household full of servants and the wider family as they progress. School, piano lessons, supernatural events, religious celebrations, her brothers coming of age ceremony, family weddings, a visit to Ceylon and any number of other life events fill out the chapters. This short memoir also clearly captures a view of a Singapore now forever changed.
This easy, yet fulfilling read is worth seeking out.
4 stars.
For transparency, the publisher provided me with a copy for review. Thanks Earnshaw Books.
Rowena Hawkins has written a summary of her life in Singapore as the daughter of a senior policeman in the 1960s. Singapore at this time was evolving from a British Colony to being a part of the Federation of Malaysia, then on to independence. Her parents, both of whom were descendants of Sultans exiled to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) from Batavia and Sumatra, emigrated to Singapore where their children were born - Rowena with her brother Ari and elder sister Yuwari. Ensconced in their colonial bungalow on New Bridge Road, the family were under no illusion they lived a privileged life.
Hawkins' writing is deceptively simple, outlining events and anecdotes from her childhood while providing an underlying understanding of the cultural & ethnological situations and family relationships. Her nostalgic outlook of events is not without scorn of the behavior of children in the present day, as she describes the canings handed down by her authoritarian mother who ruled the household, where even her father fell into line. While the author was fairly quick to step out of line, her brother was even more so, and was quick to share of divert the blame; this makes for plenty of amusement throughout the book. The book is also an affectionate portrait of her father to whom she was understandably close.
The book itself works well divided into short chapters in largely linear timelines and introduces the reader to her family, household full of servants and the wider family as they progress. School, piano lessons, supernatural events, religious celebrations, her brothers coming of age ceremony, family weddings, a visit to Ceylon and any number of other life events fill out the chapters. This short memoir also clearly captures a view of a Singapore now forever changed.
This easy, yet fulfilling read is worth seeking out.
4 stars.
For transparency, the publisher provided me with a copy for review. Thanks Earnshaw Books.