A Spoonful Of Sugar. Brenda Ashford (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Yes, many may find this book a little too "sweet", but we all need a treat now and then. This book was a delicious sweet and I found the author's voice authentic. My mother, if she was alive, would have been a bit younger than the author, but held so many of the same viewpoints. "We do not call children kids; kids are baby goats." Those were words I grew up hearing from my mother. And Brenda Ashford has many other words of wisdom about the caring for children. I would love to sit down with this author for a lovely chat and cup of tea. I loved reading this book about a time gone by. If you enjoyed this book, I also recommend "Summer at Tiffany" by Marjorie Hart. The ample success of “Call the Midwife” has seemed to unstopper a previously untapped desire our society has to devour all things domestic from our grandparents’ war-torn generation. We want to know how families coped, how children were raised; and how people managed to ever find a smile in such woeful times.Brenda Ashford’s book is really lovely. I loved hearing about the Norland Nannies, with all their strict rules and proper decorum. By the end of the story I had a real respect for Brenda, and others like her, who gave their love so freely to other people’s children; protecting them like their own throughout the air strikes and gas scares.Sometimes it surprises me how recent in our history these events really were. They seem as distant as the Victorian age, and yet many of us still have relatives who can recall these times. It makes you wonder if people were just made of sturdier stuff back then, for I fear I may not have had the muster Brenda Ashford possessed.I love how there are fun and comic moments throughout the book. It is not by any means a dreary or pitiful recollection. Brenda always took the opportunity to see the good and the fun in every situation. She was inspirational, and I am so pleased that we have her stories set down in writing for us to treasure.
What do You think about A Spoonful Of Sugar. Brenda Ashford (2012)?
A book about a real nanny who worked in England for many years. Basis for Mary Poppins.
—Jason
An interesting Memoir about a kind compassionate lady who is still going strong at 92.
—Phil
Very interesting book about being a British nanny during WWII.
—musica
