Helen Forrester

Helen Forrester (real name June Bhatia) (born 1919, Hoylake) is an author famous for her books about her early childhood in Liverpool during the Great Depression as well as several works of fiction.

In 1953 Forrester moved to Edmonton, Canada where she still lives and writes.

Autobiographical Works

* Twopence to Cross The Mersey (1974) ISBN 0-00-636168-4
* Liverpool Miss (originally published as Minerva's Stepchild) (1979) ISBN 0-00-636494-2
* By the Waters of Liverpool (1981) ISBN 0-00-636540-X
* Lime Street at Two (1985) ISBN 0-00-637000-4

Fiction

* Liverpool Daisy (1979) ISBN 0-00-616901-5
* Three Women of Liverpool (1984) ISBN 0-00-617011-0
* The Latchkey Kid (1985) ISBN 0-00-617246-6
* Thursday's Child (1985) ISBN 0-00-617244-X
* The Moneylenders of Shahpur (1987) ISBN 0-00-617354-3
* Yes, Mama (1988) ISBN 0-00-617470-1
* The Lemon Tree (1990) ISBN 0-00-617748-4
* The Liverpool Basque (1993) ISBN 0-00-647334-2
* Mourning Doves (1996) ISBN 0-00-649874-4
* Madame Barbara (1999) ISBN 0-00-651348-4
* A Cuppa Tea and an Asprin (2003) ISBN 0-00-715694-4

After reading about Helen Forrester's (b. June Huband, in 1919) recent passing. And having already read Twopence to Cross The Mersey some years ago. I decided to move on to the sequel, Liverpool Miss, which is set in early Thirties Liverpool, after the depression. The book was originally called Minerva's Stepchild, referring to the statue on top of the Town Hall's dome, in Castle Street. It also features on the cover of the book. 'Minerva - who's that?' I first thought. Isn't the statue of Britainnia instead?

It appears that local historians can't make up their minds up too. Terry Cavanagh's, Public Sculpture of Liverpool, seems equally vague about it, erring cautiously on the Britainnia side - despite acknowledging that Britainnia normally wears a shield and holds a trident - missing on the Town Hall sculpture. The Roman Goddess of Minerva (modelled on the Greek, Athena) was the virgin goddess of poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, weaving, crafts, magic. She is often depicted with her sacred creature, an owl, which symbolizes her ties to wisdom, although also missing from the Town Hall. Perhaps someone on here knows her real identity. Perhaps only Helen knows?

That aside - and thinking we have it tough now. It's good to read an account of someone who really had it tough, and came through it all.

Picture of, Liverpool Miss, book cover, and Minerva looking down:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KworvaUHL.jpg

Helen Forrester is one of my favourite authors,I have every one of the books Kev mentioned and thoroughly enjoyed reading them.
Dazza,I agree with you, a lot of people think they are doing it tough but it's certainly not as tough as it was for Helen Forrester, you've got to admire someone who came through it and made something of her life. :nod: