A Disappointing Child: A memoir

I loved this book. A story of resilience, responsibility and optimism. It was very well written and brought the characters and situations ( often dire) to life. On a practical note, the book was printed on high quality paper with clear print which added to the pleasure of reading it.

What a fabulous story, a wonderfully written memoir full of hope and plans and family and their squabbles and traveIs I didn't want it to end, I very highly recommend this fantastic tale.

This is a beautiful read from beginning to end it had me gripped she writes beautifully and the story is one that dreams are made of, I really enjoyed it and will miss it now that iv finished, I've been reading most of my life and I'm almost 68 years old and there's only a few books that I can say I miss when I come to the end

Takes you back in time but very relatable. It goes to show that it doesn’t matter how you start in life so long as you don’t give up. Lots of travel and WW2 really makes this a must read for anyone who’s interested in history or who understands what it is to have a difficult family.

A fascinating read … thoroughly enjoyable. The story of an ordinary women managing difficult and unusual times and remaining positive and even finding humour in them.

I could not put this down! I'm so sorry I reached the end, I wanted this book to go on forever! What a fabulous life you've had Diana, all the ups and downs....I laughed, I cried, thank you so very much for sharing your story ❤❤❤

A very well written memoir of times not so long ago. A very personal story which gives an insight of how it really was for this special family and paints a picture of life not so long ago in Australia.

Instagram - @comewalkinmybooks 📚 book review 📚 A Disappointing Child by Diana Hardie Goodreads rating - 4.68/5 ⭐️ My personal rating - 5/5 ⭐️ This is my first book by Diana Hardie. This is also my first 5⭐️ book since June 😍 I’m very particular what I give 5 ⭐️ too and this is definitely worth it ❤️ In this book we follow the life of Hilda / Diana. A girl who comes from a very poor background and from a very young age has to try and understand the world from her window. She lives at home with her mother, father, younger brother, her grandparents, 3 aunties and her uncles. Her family has no money and in order to survive they find odd jobs here and there. Her mother doesn’t let her interact with the other kids because she worries about illness and bad influences and she doesn’t have any friends or even go to a playground until the age of around 7. We then go through what life was like during the war and how she and her family survived the blitz. We find out about her career opportunities. We learn how she and her family dealt with her mother’s mental illness back when it was very taboo and would be largely untreated. Then we travel the world with them as they journey off to Australia to hopefully start a new life. We also get insight into how she met her husband of over 50 years and their unlikely romance that stretches across the globe. The story is set between both Australia and England through many decades of back and forth. Would I recommend this book - absolutely This book I can not recommend enough. The struggle, the trials she went through in life and yet she always saw the positive in every situation. We could learn a lot from her and her generation through speaking with them and reading about them ! Would i read this author again - unfortunately this is the only book she wrote before her passing but her daughter has written a 3 book series about her life which I will definitely be reading ! Please please please pick up this book. You will not regret it and I just cannot stress how good it is 😭 This is my personal opinion !