THE FAMILY FROM ONE END STREET.

THE FAMILY FROM ONE END STREET by EVA GARNETT.

SOURCE: Presented to my mam in 1960. A 1958 hardback edition now missing its dust jacket.

THE BOOK {According to amazon.co.uk}:The story of everyday life in the big, happy Ruggles family who live in the small town of Otwell. Father is a dustman and Mother a washerwoman. Then there's all the children - practical Lily Rose, clever Kate, mischievous twins James and John, followed by Jo, who loves films, little Peg and finally baby William.

FIRST SENTENCE {Chapter 1: The Christenings}: Mrs Ruggles was a Washerwoman and her husband was a Dustman.

MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 44}: The knitting book was retrieved, and with much difficulty a bag of bread and butter, very much the worse for sea water, but Kate's hat, in company with a cardboard box of cream buns, went floating gaily out to sea.

MY THOUGHTS: At last an award winning book that I actually enjoyed - The Family From One End Street won the Carnegie Medal as the best children's book of 1937.

The story of a man, his wife and their seven children which I first read as a girl. Considered ground-breaking for its portrayal of 1930's working class life (father, Josiah 'Old Jo' Ruggles, is a dustman, his wife, Rosie, a stay-at-home-mother as we might call her today who takes in laundry) when first published in 1937 it strikes me that many of the issues featured are still relevant today. 

Perfect bedtime reading given that though a novel it reads more like a series of short stories with each chapter being given over to a single event generally but not always starring one or other of the Ruggles children.

A wonderfully nostalgic read. The classic story of one big, happy family who despite their financial hardship are content. I remember the thing that really appealed to me as a young girl (as it still does) was that whilst I loved reading of the adventures of the country living, gingerbeer swigging, adventure having children of say Enid Blyton's books I actually recognised some of myself in the children of One End Street.

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