Conocimiento común

Fecha de nacimiento: 1960
Género: female
Nacionalidad: England
UK
País (para mapa): UK
Lugar de nacimiento: Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, UK
Educación: Oxford Brookes University(MA|Creative Writing)
Ocupaciones: She worked for 15 years in criminal and family law and as a magistrate (Justice of the Peace). She sits on adoption panels, worked as an adviser for Social Services and has written training manuals on adoption and foster care.
Biografía breve: Mandy Theresa O'Loughlin (born 26 July 1960), known professionally as Kit de Waal, is an English writer. De Waal was born in Birmingham, England, to Sheila O'Loughlin (née Doyle), a foster carer, registered child minder and auxiliary nurse, and Arthur Desmond O'Loughlin, a bus driver. Her maternal grandparents were Irish, from County Wexford, her father was from Basseterre, St. Kitts in the West Indies and a descendant of William Julius.

De Waal attended Waverly Grammar School in Small Heath, Birmingham. She worked for 15 years in criminal and family law and as a magistrate (Justice of the Peace). She sits on adoption panels, worked as an adviser for Social Services and has written training manuals on adoption and foster care. She began writing for pleasure at an early age, and when her children were relatively independent, she decided to study creative writing which she did at Oxford Brookes University, achieving a master's degree.De Waal is married to John de Waal, QC, son of Victor de Waal. They have two children.

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Reseñas

My Name Is Leon: Now a Major BBC Two Film por Kit de Waal

This is a book that didn't start well for me. The first few pages made me feel that here was a book I could trot through easily enough, but with no particular enjoyment. In fact, it soon engaged me. I was drawn into Leon's life, his circumstances of going into care for the nth time, away from the mother he loves, and later, the baby brother he adores.

I enjoyed the story as it moved on. The increasingly important role of the allotment in his life, Tufty and Mr Devlin, seemed likely. We know school isn't a success for Leon, despite his being a bright boy. I was surprised at how little we see of his unhappy and unsatisfactory school life, though most of his week is spent there. Though I think that's fine.

What is less fine is the ending. After the crisis with carers Maureen and Sylvia, when Leon believes they plan to move to Hastings, buy a dog and abandon him, when he unwittingly gets involved in the local rioting, we suddenly find ourselves facing a 'happily ever after' ending. Suddenly Leon seems to have accepted his situation. He seems to accept Maureen and Sylvia as his family. The longing for baby brother Jake seems to have taken a back seat. The implication seems to be that his pilfering may have stopped. Just like that. Or am I reading too much into that last chapter?

So ..... a readable book giving real insight into the difficulties so many vulnerable children face. It wasn't a thoroughly successful book, nevertheless it was eye-opening and thought-provoking.

… (más)

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Margaret09 | 22 reseñas más. | Apr 15, 2024 |

Supporting cast por Kit De Waal

This is an excellent set of short stories, all told in a very intimate format Some of them are connected, and once you've seen that, you start wondering how many others are related. Jimmy who deserts his bride at the alter, is he also the man that has moved to a snooker hall in Bristol? None of the people telling their stories are overt, they are all quite contained. There's no Divas in here, they might all be considered supporting cast members in the play of life.

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Helenliz | otra reseña | Jan 25, 2024 |

The Trick to Time por Kit de Waal

I loved Kit de Waal's My Name is Leon, so when I saw The Trick to Time was coming out, I grabbed an ARC as quickly as I could. This book is fairly different from the previous one, but by no means less powerful. The focus here is on Mona, a sixty-year-old Irish dollmaker, and her efforts to live to the full the life she has left.

The book alternates between present-day Mona and her past, first as child in Ireland trying to cope with her mother's illness, and later as a young woman attempting to build a new life in England. I loved slowly getting to know Mona: as her past is unveiled and her present unfolds before our eyes, she gradually shapes up to be a wonderfully complex character. Supported by an unforgettable cast of secondary characters, Mona tries to put together pieces of her past life, and tries to overcome pain bigger than anyone should ever have to face.

The author's wonderful writing style takes us back to a time when life was different, and when social tensions exploded, immediately contrasting that with the quiet seaside town where present-day Mona lives. And it just works. Mona is complex and charismatic enough to hold the whole story together, the settings and historical elements add depth to the story, and the final revelations did surprise me a little bit, as I had drawn completely the wrong conclusion! The only negative for me is that, at times, the narration felt a bit slow, making this feel longer than it really is, but it was definitely worth it!

For this and more reviews, visit Book for Thought.

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.… (más)

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bookforthought | 7 reseñas más. | Nov 7, 2023 |

My Name Is Leon por Kit de Waal

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

What a great way to start 2017! My Name is Leon was everything a book could be: emotional, funny, well written and delicately touching upon terribly difficult topics. Go read it now!

No, seriously... What are you still doing here? Go!

Oh well, since you're still here, let me tell you why you should bother with this little gem of a book. Firstly, this book was highly original. I loved the fact that our protagonist is a biracial young boy whose family is so messed up he and his brother end up in foster care. This is a very sensitive topic, and one I actually rarely see represented in books. Yet somehow, the author managed to touch upon the issues faced by fostered children ever so lightly, truly helping the reader see the world from Leon's point of view. I was touched by this little boy's deep, deep love towards his mother and brother, I was amazed by his sense of responsibility and suffered his same frustration when his whole world collapsed.

Also, I loved the characters. Leon himself was incredibly well developed, growing and changing throughout the book. He is a real kid, with his problems, and his dreams. It was very interesting to get inside his little boy's mind to witness first hand exactly how he lived through all the things that happened to him. Themes of discrimination, equality, children's rights are delicately built in the story, so that it never feels like a lecture but still manages to get you thinking. The secondary characters were also very well developed, despite being seen only through Leon's eyes.

Heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, My Name is Leon is one book that, even in its simplicity, will capture you entirely. Perfect to cozy up with in the cold winter, preferably with a good cup of English tea to get you in the right mood.… (más)

Denunciada

bookforthought | 22 reseñas más. | Nov 7, 2023 |

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