La mamma tatuata

I'm pretty stunned by the middling rating for this book. Sure, it's a little dated: we don't say "manic depressive" anymore and nor do many of us still see tattoos as particularly shocking (though I can say from experience that being covered in them oftentimes begets loud and unsavoury opinions from Leggi tutto

The Illustrated Mum by Jacqueline Wilson is a book that really relates to my childhood experiences whilst growing up. Marigold is a mother who is eccentric to say the least; is covered in crazy tattoos, and tends to put the needs of her two daughters Star and Dolphin, last. Her daughters adore her b Leggi tutto

Read as part of The Infinite Variety Reading Challenge , based on the BBC's Big Read Poll of 2003. This was much better. Probably because it is "for older readers" but more on why that's a load of bollocks later. Darker, and not at all twee, so definitely better all round. Full review to follow. Blog | Leggi tutto

This is possibly one of my very favourite Wilson books. Like most of her books, I read it many times as a child. Looking back as an adult, it's clear the mother is living with some form of mental illness, most likely bipolar disorder. As a child reading this, and from the perspective of the child fr Leggi tutto

First up, I loved the title. I was tickled pink by this fresh badge for a heavily-tattooed individual. It immediately flooded my mind with images of a lean young woman whose pale skin was totally blanketed by inked crosses, cryptic motifs and a host of Celtic symbols. And the story itself floods you Leggi tutto

We always love our mums, don't we? Star and Dolphin definitely love their mum, Marigold, though she's a difficult mum to love. For starters, she's covered head to toe in strange tattoos, and, second, she's not always there for her daughters. Such an eccentric mum makes life complicated and disturbin Leggi tutto

So, the story in a nutshell, follows Dolphin (yep, that’s her name…), and her sister Star (which is a name that doesn’t actually seem that bizarre in comparison to some children I’ve met…) who live with their mother Marigold who is clearly suffering from some sort of manic depression throughout the Leggi tutto