Book reviews

Handstands in The Dark
Janey Godley Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography Video
Janey Godley Books
New book search
Janey Godley Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of Handstands in The Dark
"The story is set in 1960's-70's Glasgow. The East End is protrayed as having near Dickensean poverty in Janey's life. She struggles with child sexual abuse from her uncle and copes with family struggles which are hard to take at times. She has a dog which becomes her constant companion, and grows up to marry into a gangster family who introduce her to a new level of violence.

She witness's her mothers boyfriend rapidly deteriorate and escalate into a deeper violence, this results in her mother's murder. Janey then stays strong working in the family pub, gives birth to a daughter and struggles to yet again keep her family together in the face of violence in a bar where guns and threats can be deadly."

Daniel Patterson, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Handstands in The Dark
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Kids growing up/acting up? Yes
Kids: - molestation--unpleasant gift from Daddy
Job/profession/poverty story Yes
Kind of living: - general poverty story

Subject of Biography
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - homemaker
Age: - a kid
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
Ethnicity - White
Nationality - British
How sensitive is this person? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other people

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 8 ()
Europe Yes
Century: - 1960's-1970's

Style
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Book makes you feel? - encouraged
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - rape/molest (yeech!)
Commentary on society? Yes
Commentary on - justice system
Writer's slant towards subject: - very favorable
Most similar books to Handstands in The Dark
Dirt Floor by Henry Custer
Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
The Broke Diaries by Angela Nissel
The Colour of Water by James McBride
Death of a Guru by Rabindranath R. Maharaj


Click here for more information about this book


Janey Godley Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Daniel Patterson  

SCHOLARS:


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for Biography books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Animal story?

Big Business story?

Disaster Story

Ethnic/regional/gender

Family, hate

Family, ill

Family, love

Food

Job/profession/poverty story

Kids growing up/acting up?

Life in an institution

Outdoors story

Pal/friendship story

Phys disability/mental struggle?

Political/social rights fight

Road trip

Romance

Royalty bio

Sports story

Taboo Sex Story?

War/Spying



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
17 FREE Sci-Fi Ebooks!
FREE "How to be happy" Ebook!
Funny Videos
Feedback


Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
George W. Bush 1:35:50 AM
Robert Segarra 1:49:56 PM
Karen Armstrong 10:51:40 AM
Slavomir Rawicz 6:40:45 PM
Anonymous 1:39:52 PM
Deric Longden 9:20:02 AM
Suzanne Weyn 6:24:19 PM
Colin Forbes 12:23:54 PM
John Christopher 5:12:45 AM
Tom Clancy 2:19:45 AM
Margaret Peterson Haddix 5:36:55 PM
Nikolai Tolstoy 7:46:16 AM
J.K. Rowling 11:40:22 PM
Jack Higgins 4:54:08 PM
Eloise Jarvis McGraw 12:51:17 PM
Jane Rubino 1:21:00 PM
Lori Wick 2:11:45 AM
Betty Mahmoody 5:57:33 PM
Patricia Cornwell 2:48:17 PM
Andrew Clements 9:13:44 PM

Silicon Valley
More message boards