In Parallel is a wonderful read, Janet Barker had a childhood shaped by a large family of fascinating characters and by a war that treated Hull so badly. This book is beautifully written, with a light touch and vivid recall family, friends and aquaintances are illuminated in all thier quirky individuality and events laid out with great clarity. In reading this book it felt an easy step to be in that past parallel world when bombs fell on Hull and children collected shrapnel to show and swop at school. When women took real pride in the cleanliness of their front door step, but when soot from chimnies made grimy clothes hung out on the washing line. When families were big and forever in and out of each other's homes and humour was found in everthing and everyone. --D. Wall, via Amazon.