Dorothy Scannell's East End Memoirs Series
()
About this series
It's the 1950's, and Dolly and her husband Chas are now Grocers and Provision Merchants. Owning a shop was a childhood dream of Dolly's, though it wouldn't have happened had Dolly's rice puddings been a little better. And it is at this relatively advanced age, amid the continuing adventures and misadventures of Dolly's eccentric and hilarious family, Dolly finds a best friend for the first time in her life.
'You have to laugh with Dolly Scannell. Somehow that Cockney flow of funny tales shakes you up into laughter' Evening Standard
Titles in the series (3)
- Mother Knew Best: Memoirs of a London Girlhood
1
'Cheer up,' said Mother. 'Don't make your unhappy life miserable.' Before Jennifer Worth and other East End memoirists, there was Dorothy 'Dolly' Scannell. In the East End of Dolly's childhood, people met poverty and hardship with unfailing optimism and humour. Dolly grew up with nine brothers and sisters, her father - a plumber earning ?2 a week and a man who believed that 'all aristocratic men were disease-ridden and possessed bald-headed wives because of the rich food and wine they consumed' - and of course Mother, who cared for her large brood with rare wisdom, laughter, and unbounded love. The menagerie also occasionally included members of the animal kingdom, but no mere cats and dogs - instead there were chinchillas, cannibalistic chickens, a ferocious eel kept in a pail of water, and even, eventually, the pride of mother's wardrobe, a kangaroo-fur coat. With the sure touch of a natural story-teller, who combines a perfect memory with a true writer's gift, Dolly vividly recreates her childhood world: the streets in which she played - and the playground where she was rescued from a child molester; the local shops and the adulterated goods sold within; the new house that her father was going to pay for with his ever-madder schemes to make a fortune, such as a revolutionary kind of truss. 'A proper treat, I can tell you, bright as Pearlie buttons, colourful as a street market' Evening Standard
- Dolly's War: A Memoir from the Home Front
2
On a narrow wooden armchair-bed was lying our hostess. Her nightdress was up round her neck. The organist, on his knees, in the nude, was deep in prayer, his face bent in reverence over his bride's prostrate form. Ever so slowly the organist raised his horrified eyes to ours. My sister, extremely slow to take in the delicacy of any situation, murmured, half to herself, 'That's funny, I could have sworn he was clean-shaven.' Dolly Scannell, author of East End classic memoir Mother Knew Best, has now established her home front, wife to the embattled Chas, and proud keeper of her own house. Life is still full of small but piquant joys, sorrows and bizarre happenstances - like Dolly's need to take her household rubbish back to her mother for fear of her new landlord. Before long she's a mum as well, but then comes the war and her cheerful wit and unquenchable spirit are needed more than ever. Gas masks, ration books, GI's (over-sexed, etc), a chaotic Jewish wedding, husband Chas in the Army, while Dolly takes on his insurance selling door-to-door, encounters a murderous landlady and spends time evacuated from her beloved London to Wales and Suffolk - before being restored to her beloved and enormous family, her mother still matriach of all. A treasure, recalled and retold by the author at her inimitable best! 'The author of Mother Knew Best in hilarious vein' Yorkshire Post 'You have to laugh with Dolly Scannell. Somehow that Cockney flow of funny tales shakes you up into laughter' Evening Standard
- Dolly's Mixture: A Memoir of London's East End
3
The Guild's guest speaker told us of his great joy when, walking one day, he espied a lady who possessed an unusual knocker. He offered her £3 for this collector's item and she was thrilled to be able to unscrew it on the spot for him. He said he happily left a knockerless lady holding in her hand his three £1 notes. Did we think he had robbed the lady? It's the 1950's, and Dolly and her husband Chas are now Grocers and Provision Merchants. Owning a shop was a childhood dream of Dolly's, though it wouldn't have happened had Dolly's rice puddings been a little better. And it is at this relatively advanced age, amid the continuing adventures and misadventures of Dolly's eccentric and hilarious family, Dolly finds a best friend for the first time in her life. 'You have to laugh with Dolly Scannell. Somehow that Cockney flow of funny tales shakes you up into laughter' Evening Standard
Related to Dorothy Scannell's East End Memoirs
Related ebooks
Secret Lives of Julie Newmar #4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGlobo Arte July 2022 Issue Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFlying Saucers Vs. the Earth #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJudo Girl: So You Want a Revolution? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRun to Win Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLogan's Run: Aftermath #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRock and Roll Comics: Joan Jett Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat Squirt Teaches Me about Jesus: Kids Learning about Jesus while Playing with Fido Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLegend of Isis: The First Flight of Horus Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhen Reindeer Learned to Fly Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOrbit: Bon Jovi Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdventures with Oakie the Other Heroes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRoyals: The House of Windsor Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJudo Girl: Silencer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConfessions for the Narrow Road: It's Within You! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlackbeard Legacy #2 Volume 1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJourney through Time Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIntroductory Business Guide: No Better Time to Start Than Now Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVincent Price Presents: Volume #03 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlackbeard Legacy #2 Volume 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJourney to the Moon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTails of Wisdom: Lessons I Learned from My Dogs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings20 Million Miles More Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Breaking Down the Wall Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVincent Price Presents #06 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNanny & Hank #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe First Extraterrestrial Signal: The Global Reaction to the Signal from the Outer Space Aliens Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLegend of Isis: Dogs of War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSherlock Holmes: Victorian Knights #4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFemale Force: Carrie Fisher Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Personal Memoirs For You
The Diary of a Young Girl Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Glass Castle: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'm Glad My Mom Died Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Stolen Life: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just Mercy: a story of justice and redemption Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mediocre Monk: A Stumbling Search for Answers in a Forest Monastery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Man of Two Faces: A Memoir, A History, A Memorial Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everything I Know About Love: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stash: My Life in Hiding Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Solutions and Other Problems Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dry: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: the heartfelt, funny memoir by a New York Times bestselling therapist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Sister Wives: The Story of an Unconventional Marriage Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bad Mormon: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Choice: Embrace the Possible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Dorothy Scannell's East End Memoirs
0 ratings0 reviews