AN EASY READ. (Looking Back - Josephine Cox)

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Product:	Looking Back - Josephine Cox
Date:	10/05/06 (112 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Suitable for a reader who does not want depth.

Disadvantages: Unrealistic and unformed.

Josephine Cox was born in Blackburn, and was brought up as one of ten children. She has been writing for a while now, and her work is relatively popular. Easy to read, I would say that the lady produces a book that is simple, and not time consuming to read and, having read this book, would like to explain my interpretation of her style, and where it fails compared to other authors such as Catherine Cookson, to whom she is compared by the Manchester Evening News on the first page of the book.

The story tells of the lives of families living in a relatively poor area in the UK, from 1948 until 1949. Whilst her main characters are relatively well developed, I do not feel that the book gives an in depth or even completely believable or noteworthy substance. I love fiction and in an effort to widen my reading, chose the book as it was hailed on the cover as The Number One Bestseller. Having read it, perhaps it is accurate as a description, and perhaps there is a huge market for “easy reading”, though I wasn't convinced that long term, the book stood out as particularly literate, nor even of a guide of how life actually was during this time period in the UK. Comparing her with Cookson is a little overstated, as I actually find that Cookson not only researches her subject, but also does a darned good job of making you feel what is was actually like to live in the times that she portrays. Here, Josephine Cox fails, presumably under the assumption that adding experience from her past will indeed make the story more believable to the reader, although for me, it didn't, because I don't come from a background such as hers and feel that the description of the atmosphere and lives of her characters over-assumed the readers' ability to relate to those times, and the kind of characters that she portrayed.

It's an easy read. It took me two days to read the book, so would probably suit someone who wishes for light reading. Personally, I prefer more depth, both in development of characters and reason and here again, I did not feel the atmosphere created had enough substance. Take for example the works of one of my favourite authors, Laurie Lee, who produced atmosphere and belief, even though the background he described was of poor people, there is a richness of text which gives it authenticity, whereas this book played on the surface of emotions, explained events almost in a cold unfeeling manner, as if the author assumed yet again that the reader would have knowledge as to how women in similar circumstances would feel, instead of describing it.

There are many films that assume too much, and are a thoroughly disappointing experience, and although I would not write the book off as unworthy of reading, I would say that perhaps the market for books such as this is limited to those that want a quick read, and would equate the experience with something rather popular on television, and that is the endless soap opera scenarios, and so somewhere out there, there is a readership for this kind of book.

Weaknesses in the writing to me were that the author concentrated on certain characters, whilst only lightly touching on other characters, and to me it is the whole picture of the family that matters, rather than the underplay of certain characters balanced against the overplay of others. The contrast between the characters of the sisters for example was not explained very well, one being bright, intelligent and loyal whilst the other was wayward and wild. Somehow these characterizations were weak, and the choices the girls made during the course of the story not so much unbelievable as undescribed.

The story touches on lack of hope, despair, desperation, abandonment, and the light that shines at an old flame, although all were only touched on the surface, and I really did not find emotions within the book explained in any depth. The reader was lead to make their own conclusions, making the book bland and missing something that authors like Cookson and Lee succeed so well in, but that this writer fails miserably to explain.

Having said that, yes, it is probably a best seller and there is a market for people who are not as fussy about their reading as I am. The lady writes clearly and her words are easier to read than to digest. When I came to the conclusion of the story, I actually sat in disbelief because characters who had been portrayed in a certain manner through the book were suddenly reformed and I actually don't believe that the ending was very good at all, because life isn't as simplistic as the author leads the reader to believe. People don't change overnight, nor do they forgive so readily the sins of people as exposed in Josephine Cox's writing. If they did, I suppose that the idealist would be happy with this author's explanations, although frankly, the book disappointed me.

I shall continue my search for new authors, and know that Josephine Cox does have a story to tell, albeit weak, and that there is a market that wants light reading with little substance, and although most of the recommendations on this book come from newspapers for whom I have little regard, was disappointed with the description by the “Sunday Times” that the book is “driven and passionate”. It isn't and neither is the conclusion at the end of the book.

Published by Headline Book Publishing in paperback, in 2001 (following a hardback edition in 2000) with less than 500 pages spread out into what I feel is relatively large type, the book would probably suit someone travelling or be good for a holiday read, although to me, the price tag of 5.99 GBP is expensive for non convincing light fiction, money that I would rather spend on writing of substance.
The cover design by Gordon Crabb probably gives away that the story is typical “chick lit” and perhaps I should have been tempted to chose something different, although I am on the search for an author that keeps me interested and entertained and Josephine Cox sustained my interest long enough to read from cover to cover, but as I closed the book, it was almost like turning off the television at the end of another soap feeling disappointed at the content.


Readability 8/10 Very easily readable.
Originality : 7/10 A storyline that is possibly not the most imaginative.
Authenticity : 5/10 Characters left under-developed, reader feeling that the story is perhaps borne of the optimism of the author that people change, although within the words of the book, the characters were weak.


ISBN0-7472-6492-9

Summary: An easy read, though not for those who enjoy classics.