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Reading across borders
Vanessa by Bernadette Leach,
Attic Press 1998
 I was asked to review this book after having read the three novels in the Vanessa Carter series, all of which are excellent.
I became interested in books by Bernadette Leach after she made a visit to my school in Belfast during our Library Activity Week. The first in the series 'I'm a Vegetarian' introduces us to Vanessa and her dysfunctional family. 'Summer without Mum' gives us a further insight into the experiences of a teenage girl.
Most of her readers will easily identify with all the books in the series. 'Vanessa' continues the trend and I found that the author describes the development of Vanessa's growing maturity with an insight and sympathy that would be uncommon amongst most grown-ups. I believe that for this reason the book is very successful in portraying the thoughts and emotions of a teenager learning to cope with growing up in a difficult world.
Vanessa's strained relationship with her mother, due to a clash of personalities, is evident throughout the book, but other characters such as the housekeeper, Mrs. Dineen, Vanessa's brother, Ed and her new friends help her to understand her mother's attitude in guiding their future.
The book is compelling reading and I look forward to reading '4 Ever Friends' the latest novel from this talented author.
Laura Johnson, aged 14, Rathmore Grammar School, Belfast. |
