The Palace of Strange Girls

by Sallie Day

Blackpool, England, 1959. Over the course of a holiday week, the Singleton family struggles to find its place in the shifting world of promenade amusements, illicit sex, and stilted afternoon teas, in this touching and evocative novel.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446545864
• ISBN13: 9780446545860
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Even dysfunction can begin to function

You won't need to have had a close family yourself to understand the true meaning of what a family is all about, after reading "The Palace of Strange Girls," by Sallie Day. The scene is set in the late 1950's on vacation in Blackpool, England. Ruth Singleton and her family enjoy the strict routine that has become their holiday away. Ruth's husband, Jack, is waiting for word of whether his job will end or whether he will have an opportunity for a new beginning. He also is harboring a secret, one that he has chosen to keep locked away from his wife and his family. He is hiding a letter, with news from his past double life. The news has the ability to destroy his family, and he keeps the letter hidden each day from his wife. In a small way, by hiding what effect it could have on his family, he is also hiding the effect of his past actions on his current life - from himself. The daughters are teenaged Helen, and seven-year-old Beth. Helen is like any 16 year old, and she routinely tests the boundaries of her burgeoning independence. She learns hard lessons and enjoys her new attempts at freedom from the watchful eye of her mother. Beth, is sickly, and is made to wear woolen jumpers in the summer heat, and has to succumb to her mother's efforts to keep her close and not let her develop her own personality. By the end of the story, the reader comes to see the family as it really is - which is more than slightly dysfunctional. But this flaw is what makes them so charming, and the reader will find something in common with each character. The family is not able to heal itself, and the problems by the end of the book are not necessarily solved to complete resolution. But young Beth makes the most progress of them all, as she learns the lessons of self-acceptance, and understands where she ultimately belongs in the place of her family and in the space of her own small world.

enjoyable historical family drama

In 1959 in England, the Singleton family of four goes on vacation at the seaside town of Blackpool. There the father, WWII vet Jack has a difficult decision to make between job offers as manager of Prospect Mill or being a union representative. He conceals his concerns from his demanding wife, Ruth who wants them to buy a new house. His sixteen year old daughter Helen hopes to find a boyfriend soon, but believes to do this she needs the latest fashion and freedom from her mom's strict control. His other child seven year old Beth has health issues having just been released from the hospital, but just wants some free time to enjoy the shore, fill in her "I-Spy" book as she tracks everyone and most important escape from her demanding mother's diligence. This is an enjoyable historical family drama that stars four fully developed characters; all with differing needs and desires that come to a head during the four day vacation. The interrelationships ring true though the solutions at the end of the Singleton family vacation seem to quick and unlikely. Ironically the father and the two kids blame all on the mom due to her demanding manner though she uses her martinet orders to hide her fears from her loved ones. Fans will enjoy Sallie Day's fine trip back to 1959 England. Harriet Klausner

Entertaining and realistic!

This is an entertaining and realistic story revolving around the Singletons and their visit to Blackpool, England in 1959. We get acquainted with the parents, Jack and Ruth and their daughters 7-year old Beth and 16-year old Helen. Beth has been ill and has just come out of the hospital. She is a sweet child who delights in life's simplest pleasures. Helen has befriended a waitress and longs to break free of her mother's rigid rules. Jack, is caught between unions and owners and his job can be at risk. Also a letter arriving from Crete reveals a secret in his past that can destroy his marriage. This is not an action-based story but offers captivating details in the lives of a post-World War II English family. Joyce Akesson, author of Love's Thrilling Dimensions and The Invitation

Starts out slow but manages to draw the reader in

This novel centers around the Singletons, a family of four visiting Blackpool, England on holiday in 1959. Author Sallie Day reveals little at the book's start; the reader learns only that youngest daughter Beth, who initially seems to be at the center of the story, has been ill, and that Ruth, the matriarch of the family, clearly is viewed with exasperation by both of her daughters, including 7-year old Beth and 16-year old Helen. What makes for difficult reading early on is that just as one is starting to develop some interest in the women of the family, the plot shifts to Jack, Ruth's husband and the father of the girls, for a seemingly mundane discussion of drinking, work promotions, and the like, although there was a also a vague allusion to a mysterious letter. Despite the slow start, both the ensemble cast of characters and the plot of this novel itself eventually managed to draw me in. Day reveals both Jack and Ruth to be complex individuals who are not quite likable yet somehow still sympathetic. Even more relatable are Helen, the teenager yearning to break free of her mother's stern grasp, and Beth, the curious child who delights in life's simplest pleasures. The fact that Day constantly shifts perspective from one family member to the next does seem to weigh this book down a bit, but once I became more engrossed in the narrative, this was less of an issue. However, this is definitely not an action-based story: during the family's week-long stay at Blackpool--which Day intersperses with flashbacks to provide some additional history--not all that much actually happens. However, for the dedicated, patient reader, this novel offers a "slice of life" experience, providing a captivating glimpse into a post-World War II English family, one that may be just a bit worse for the wear.