{"id":2842,"date":"2012-07-21T12:14:53","date_gmt":"2012-07-21T16:14:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/janetgover.com\/?p=2842"},"modified":"2012-07-21T12:14:53","modified_gmt":"2012-07-21T16:14:53","slug":"a-tour-of-the-east-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/?p=2842","title":{"rendered":"A tour of the East End"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Jean's latest East End book - I read it on the plane home. It made a long flight almost enjoyable.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I had a rare treat last week \u2013 while back in the UK for a few days, I was taken on a walk through the pages of a book<\/p>\n

My friend Jean Fullerton <\/a>writes fabulous books \u2013 set in the East End of London. I had read three of them \u2013 and the fourth was waiting for me on my bedside table as Jean took me on a tour of her literary world.<\/p>\n

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I think Tower bridge looked better without the Olympic rings. The tall building on the left is the "shard' - Londons new tallest building.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

With the Olympic Games venues close by \u2013 there’s been a lot of redevelopment in the area.<\/p>\n

It’s no doubt going to give the place a boost, but some things (like Tower Bridge) didn’t exactly need any redeveloping\u2026<\/p>\n

However, it was great to see so many of the old wharves and warehouses now restored and turned into attractive homes.<\/p>\n

This part of London was once synonymous with poverty and crime \u2013 as immigrants crowded into the narrow streets.<\/p>\n

Jean has lived in the East End all her life \u2013 and is proud of her heritage. It shows in the books she writes – stories that capture the heart of the place and the people who lived there \u2013 working on the river barges, drinking in the pubs and living in those tiny narrow houses.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The school where the lovely Captain Johnathan Quinn was headmaster<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jean showed me a school she used in “Hold on to Hope” \u2013 which had separate entrances for boys and girls\u2026 apparently that was the rule in the late 1800s. I can’t see today’s kids going along with that.<\/p>\n

The schools that grew up in these narrow streets were part of a growing social movement – centred in a part of London that was struggling with disease and abject poverty. Charities began to care for the poor. The first public baths were built.<\/p>\n

Not only that, the people began to seek a better life for themselves\u2026 the labour movement and women’s rights all found fertile ground here.<\/p>\n

All of which is good grist to the writer’s fertile mind.<\/p>\n

I don’t write historical novels \u2013 but I do read them.<\/p>\n

I think our history makes us what we are. Historical novels may be fiction, but in the hands of a good writer they can truthfully capture the essence of a period of time – whether it’s the cholera and the poverty or the hard work and determination or those who lived good lives despite their surroundings.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The shops and houses would still be recognised by the people who lived here more than 100 years ago.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jean’s next book is set after World War 1 \u2013 still in the East End \u2013 and still deeply concerned with the lives of those who lived there.<\/p>\n

Now that I have a feel for that part of the world, I can’t wait for Nurse Millie to call.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Jean in research mode for her next book.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I had a rare treat last week \u2013 while back in the UK for a few days, I was taken on a walk through the pages of a book My friend Jean…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,6,7,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history","category-my-travels","category-reading","category-writing"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7g6jm-JQ","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2842\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/janetgover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}