Unlike Sylvia, when the money runs out – in this, darker, version of events, Mr Serial Seducer dies, whereas GUM just goes missing for a while and then turns up safe and well -, she gets a job. Like Sylvia, she’s devoted to the children. However, Rose is a very attractive character. I’m not sure what’s more unrealistic, GUM collecting orphans or this.

She then also takes on Daisy, whose mother died of, presumably, childbirth fever. Rose takes in the first two women (not simultaneously!) and, after they’ve given birth, they ride off into the sunset and she takes on the babies. And, rather than being his niece, their guardian, Rose, is his discarded long-term mistress, whom he dumped when he met Maimie’s mother. But, rather than being three orphans whom GUM randomly collected, they’re the three illegitimate children of a rakish brigadier (a very Edwardian type – probably had mutton chop whiskers, used sandalwood aftershave, smoked expensive cigars and played billiards), by three different mistresses. And they’re still, respectively, an actress, a would-be mechanic and pilot who dislikes the stage, and a dancer. Well, we’ve still got the three girls, although they’re Maimie, Tania and Daisy rather than Pauline, the ridiculously-named Petrova, and Posy. As a Hall of Mirrors version of Ballet Shoes, it’s fascinating, in a rather weird kind of way. As a stand alone book, it’s something that you’d read once, quite enjoy, but probably never read again. This is not what I’m used to from Noel Streatfeild! And, although it was meant as an adult book, some of the writing was quite simplistic, which made it even stranger. It was a bit like finding out that your sweet little old auntie had a disreputable past about which you’d had no idea. Reading this, the adult book which Noel Streatfeild adapted to create Ballet Shoes, was a very strange experience indeed. Hopewellslibraryofli… on What If It’s Us? by Adam… The Chronicles of Hi… on 28 Days by David Safierĭavida Chazan on What If It’s Us? by Adam…

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Ballet shoes noel streatfeild summary