Life is what you make it. (Sadie Was a Lady - Joan Jonker)

Member Name: kiwiii85

Product:	Sadie Was a Lady - Joan Jonker
Date:	20/01/09 (122 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy read, funny, emotional, twists

Disadvantages: Bit predictable

Sadie was a lady is another of Joan Jonker's books that you won't want to put down until you've finished.

~~The Plot~~

Sadie is from a rather poor family with a mother and father that look after their own needs, rather then their 6 childrens. She walks around in raggy clothes and only possesses one dress and one pair of shoes that could really do with being replaced. She hates her life, has no money and nothing decent to look forward to even though she goes out to work everyday.

The last straw for Sadie is when her mother tells her she's getting no money this week as her father has bet it all on the horses. Harry, Sadie's neighbour, finds her crying outside and offers her the money - for a kiss! Sadie's reluctant but she'd promised to meet her friend and this is the only way she can see to do it. What started as an innocent kiss, turns into much more as the kisses and money are exchanged every week.

Finally Sadie finds a way out of her life in the means of Mary-Ann, a stall holder at the local market. Thing is, to leave her life behind, she has to leave everyone she loves behind, including Harry. How will Sadie cope at losing the love of her life and her brothers and sisters? Will she last or will she return to the poverty life she was dealt?

~~My Opinion~~

Joan Jonker has once again given us characters that you can fall in love with. Sadie is a young girl at 16 who wants to be anywhere but home and with things that she can look good in. Her friends all have nice clothes to wear, but she only has one dress to her name. It's amazing how Jonker has created a character to beautiful in nature when all she has known is hell. Her parents have taught her some things in life - be wary of men, steal, greed and sex. They've had children that they don't want and her father her fallen out of love with the body of her mum after all of these kids and so has turned to his children for his desires.

A beautiful nature doesn't come every day and it's certainly what Jonker has created in Sadie. It would have been easy to turn her into something else. You can see where she's got some of her characteristics from as she's made Sadie take some of the traits from her parents, but put them to use in order to help herself get out of her situation.

Jonker has created a fantastic connection between Sadie and Harry and it's easy to see why they love each other. He's so gentle that he'd help the girl whom his mother can't stand because of her family at the risk of losing his own mum.

Sadie learns life the hard way and i think this book is terrific for anyone, but especially those that are going through a tough time. It shows there is always light at the end of the tunnel and if you work hard enough and love hard enough then you should always be able to conquer your dreams. It certainly gives you inspiration to work and save in order to meet those dreams and earen yourself a better life rather than wait for it to be handed to you on a plate.

~~My Verdict~~

This is a fantastic book by a fantastic author and i really would recommend it to anyone. It does have some romance in it but i wouldn't say that was the main theme of the book. Jonker has worked hard to remind the reader that it's about creating chances in life. No matter your situation, it can always be changed.

Summary: A must by for anyone that loves reading and loves a happy ending.