Carole Matthews The Only Way is Up
2010 by Headline Review
Family Saga
This story tells the goings on of a rich, wealthy, well-to-do family who find themselves down on their luck and incredibly poor.
Such a drastic turn of events causes many problems for the Lamont-Jones. We are informed of the tough struggles that all four of them undergo. Even the children realise that their lifestyle has changed dramatically and that they will have to change along with it. Through their many trials and tribulations, they manage to pull themselves through the mess and destitution that surrounds them. The characters are incredibly resourceful as they adapt to this new environment and are so much better for it. They have gone from selfish, materialist snobs to down-to-earth, friendly, selfless people; their family life improves and they grow as a family. By the end, they are still struggling in comparison to their previous lifestyle but life seems sweeter.
Sympathy goes out to them in this realistic tale of hardship, stress, struggling economy and unemployment. However, Lily becomes an annoying character by her constant comparisons with her old life and pining so much for her rich existence again that she is even tempted to stray from her marriage.
There is a great sense of overwhelming warmth from this book as it is clear that in times as hard as this, not only are you aware of who your true friends are but also that family is everything and nothing can come before that.
