Kathleen Kenny is the daughter of an Irish mother and an IrishGeordie Father. She lives and writes in Newcastle upon Tyne. This is her first novel.

 

It is the late fifties and Bernadette Keenan is about to start school. There is the alphabet and the clock to learn, but so much more she needs to understand about the curious family she finds herself part of. Bernadette is the fourth child of an Irish nun and a ‘slum’ landlord aiming to move up from the dilapidated terraces of Tyneside to affluent country life.

 

This story lends a deft rhythmic ear to the nuances of both Geordie and Irish, portraying both cultures with striking honesty and tenderness, and a good deal of refreshing humour.

 

‘A unusually gifted spinner of a very personal and uniquely Geordie web of words.’ - James Kirkup

 

‘One of Kenny’s main themes is that of family, in all its intimate complexity, deepening as the years go by...Powerful and touching.’ - Brendan Kennelly

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