Roberta Writes – Book reviews: The Rat in the Python Fashion by Alex Craigie and Dewdrops on the Soul: Poetry you will love by Dwight Roth #bookreviews

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Today, I have reviews of two delightful books for you.

The Rat in the Python Fashion

Picture caption: Cover of The Rat in the Python Fashion by Alex Craigie featuring a cartoon styled python with people inside a bulge in its belly.

What Amazon says

If you haven’t heard of a liberty bodice, believe that half-a-crown is something to do with impoverished royalty and never had the experience of slapping a television to stop the grainy black and white picture from rolling, then this series might not be for you. Please give it a go, though – I suspect that most of it will still resonate no matter where you were brought up!

Book 3 looks at fashion and how it’s changed since the end of WWII. From utility coats and twinsets, to schoolboys in short trousers with socks and garters. From the swinging sixties with its long, long hair and short, short skirts, to psychedelia and beyond.

The Rat in the Python is about Baby Boomers who, in the stability following the Second World War, formed a statistical bulge in the population python. It is a personal snapshot of a time that is as mystifying to my children as the Jurassic Era – and just as unrecognisable.

My review

I realised when I came to write this review that this is book 3 and I have skipped out book 2. They don’t have to be read in order so it doesn’t matter, but book 2 should not be missed as this is a terrific series.

This fascinating short read covers fashion in the UK from WWII to the current date. It actually even goes a little bit further back in the beginning with some interesting comments about fashion during the Edwardian era and I am very thankful that I never had to wear a corset. Being long waisted, this would have been really awful for me. Edwardian women did, however, look very sophisticated with their gorgeous hats and long skirted, tight waisted dresses.

With regards to fashion during WWII, this book reinforced a lot of information I had heard from my mother about the lack of buttons, silk stockings and other niceties and how girls found innovative ways of dealing with this problem. To quote: “Women dealt with the latter issue by painting their legs with special product or using gravy browning and getting a friend to draw a line down the back of the leg with an eyebrow pencil to resemble the seam.”

This book takes the reader on a journey through the austerity of the post war continuing rationing fashion scene when people dressed very formally but frugally with shirts that had replaceable collars and cuffs and continues to the modern ‘throw away’ society. The current culture in the UK is actually vastly different from here in South Africa where women still dress fairly conservatively and most certainly do not buy cheap clothing that is thrown away rather than washed. Poverty is still a big issue in Africa, but perhaps this is better than the consumeristic habits of the developed world that add so much to plastic and global warming problems. I found the changing trends in this regard discussed in this book to be thought provoking.

The book includes lots of interesting photographs and pictures to demonstrate the fashion statements made and is really a wonderful undertaking to preserve the history of fashion in the UK. An interesting and worthwhile read.

Purchase The Rat in the Python Fashion by Alex Craigie from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0995696675

Dewdrops on the Soul: Poetry you will love by Dwight Roth

Picture caption: Cover of Dewdrops on the Soul: Poetry you will love by Dwight Roth featuring a red hibiscus flower covered in dewdrops

What Amazon says

Poetry must speak to the soul if it is to be remembered. The poems in this book are written in readable verse that is easily understood by the reader, yet challenging and thought provoking. Along with the poems are beautiful original color photos taken by the author that are used to enhance the poems. In addition to photos there are also original paintings done by the author.
Poems in this collection are inspired by nature, nostalgia, and reflections on the meaning of life.

The author has published a poetry blog on Word Press since 2016 which you can view at. rothpoetry.wordpress.com

This is a great book to spend time getting lost in as you peruse through the many poems included here.

My review

This is the first collection of poetry and flash fiction I’ve read by Dwight Roth and it was a complete delight.

The poet has a wonderfully positive outlook on life and this reflects in every word he writes. The poems and prose pieces in this book made me feel happy and uplifted and you just can’t beat that feeling. The book also includes some wonderful paintings by the poet, photographs from his childhood and adult life, as well as some innovative handmade creations include what he termed to be a Jackleg guitar. Not a term I have heard before but it seems to fit this wonderfully artistic musical instrument.

I really enjoyed all the poems but a few standout ones for me were as follows: A Call for Change, Dad, Pop’s Garden, Red Bellied Woodpecker, Digital Wolly Worm, Night Train, Dandelion Stars, Trigger, Love and Cherry Delight, Family Memories, Where do you Belong? and Proud Vulnerability.

I highly recommend this beautiful collection and will leave you with the poem I loved the best as I also love and appreciate the beauty of dandelions.

Dandelion Stars
“Aging flower wild and free
Sunny yellow color gone
Silver stars cover its head
reflecting sunlight
Beautiful seeds waiting for the breeze
Like Nature’s poetry
Blowin’ in the Wind across our minds
Beauty for some
Weeds for others
Daylight stars waiting
to be appreciated”

You can purchase Dewdrops on the Soul: Poetry you will love by Dwight Roth from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DT86WRW2

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Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

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109 thoughts on “Roberta Writes – Book reviews: The Rat in the Python Fashion by Alex Craigie and Dewdrops on the Soul: Poetry you will love by Dwight Roth #bookreviews”

  5. Beautiful, Robbie! I appreciate your review so much! You have captured my poetry book so very well! I am delighted that you enjoyed it and even more so that you took time to do a review! I am honored that you took time to do this! Thank you!!

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  6. I’ve read Book One of Alex’s series and thoroughly enjoyed it so you have reminded me to get the other two. I remember my mother had a ‘roll-on’, an elasticated modern version of a corset I guess which you literally rolled up your body! I’m certain mum had discarded it by the time we got to Australia in 1964. I love comfort, but looking back at old photos, women have lost elegance!

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    2. I write about my mother and her roll-on. ‘It was like a Houdini routine in reverse, involving contortions and dark mutterings, and left her out of breath and pink of face’. I’m so glad I never had to put myself through that.

      Many thanks for the comment!

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  9. I have always liked Dwight’s positive view of life, and he is a talented artist as well. And I agree with you about throwaway clothing–it’s a very bad habit of our consumer culture. People do get inventive when the situation calls for it–that’s always fun to read about. (K)

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    1. I agree with you about throwaway clothing! The book does end with the trend to make clothing more sustainable in a variety of ways. A small light of hope twinkles through the dark tunnel of commercialism and vanity.

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  11. Two delightful reviews! I grew up in the sixties and my parents grew up in the depression and so I wore hand me downs from various neighbors. Fashion was all over the board and I never gained anything remotely close to a style!

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    1. My dresses and skirts all had huge hems that were let down as I grew taller. My mother could never remove the creases which added a little extra to the look.

      Many thanks for the comment!

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        1. My mother was an excellent nurse but hopeless on the domestic goddess front. I’m afraid I share a lot of her DNA…

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  13. This was such a lovely surprise, Robbie! I love your review and it’s interesting to hear your comments on South Africa and its frugal approach to fashion. I do think there’s a swing back towards a more sustainable fashion now with recyclable fabrics, repair services and the popularity of secondhand clothes. We still have a long way to go here yet!

    I loved your review of Dewdrops on the Soul and will go across to Amazon and have a look at it once I’ve finished here.

    Thanks again for your amazing support!

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    1. Hi Trish, it’s a most entertaining book. I must read 2 now. Poverty and rural upbringings makes our people how they are. It has the positive environmental side effect of reducing all the rubbish and stuff thrown away. It would be nice if it everyone was just sensible, wouldn’t it?

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      1. Absolutely, Robbie! We cannot survive without a healthy environement and I do worry how badly we are damaging it through greed and thoughtlessness.

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    2. Robbie writes great, well-considered reviews. She does a huge amount to support authors in this community and I’m so grateful to her for it.

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        1. Robbie, you have a family that you care for, a demanding job, bake (and cook) wonderful things, have a real artistic bent demonstrated in your fondant cakes, your watercolours and ventures into other media. You write powerful poetry and fiction, and still find time to read and write all these reviews. If that isn’t a superpower, I don’t know what else you’d call it! Hugs.

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  19. Good morning, dear Roberta
    Thanks for the review of ‘The Rat in the Python Fashion’. We find it interesting, too, how fashion has changed since WWII and what it says about the zeitgeist. Thanks for reviewing this book 🙏 🙏 We’ll surely have a look at it.
    Happy weekend
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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    1. Thanks for the comment, Viv.

      My children were shocked when I told them how few homes in the UK had a TV in the 1950s. Then I told them that for those who did, the picture was only in black and white, there was one channel, and that it started latish in the morning and finished before midnight. I had to show them an old copy of the Radio Times to convince them I wasn’t joking…

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        1. They did! And my grandfather would stand to attention until it finished – and the screen dwindled to that little, white dot!

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        1. I didn’t know that, Robbie. It doesn’t seem that long ago, and yet it’s a situation that younger generations find completely inexplicable and alien!

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  24. Thank you for these 2 terrific reviews, Robbie!

    I like what you said about “most certainly do not buy cheap clothing that is thrown away rather than washed”. This is where I’m at.

    Having grown up prior to fast fashion, I learned to take care of clothes. I have 2 degrees – Fashion Design and Technology, and Knit Design and Technology. This included courses in the history of fabrics, style, design, etc.

    Then the clothing waste in film showed me another attitude. When fast fashion entered the scene, the waste became even more disgusting. Horrible. I’m so happy to be retired from that industry, as much as I loved it.

    I still think clothes done in an old fashioned production and care way, are best. Unfortunately, the pace of life and cost of living has made it seem impossible for many to engage in healthy lifestyles. This includes food! You have a demanding career and family, yet still cook healthy meals.

    I’ve digressed.

    History of fashion/clothing/body protection is wildly interesting. It is an integrated part of the history of man.

    The Rat in the Python Fashion sounds entertaining and educational all at once. I hope many read it!

    Dewdrops on the Soul: Poetry you will love sounds wonderful. I adore the poem you chose to highlight.

    Thank you Robbie, Alex Craigie and Dwight Roth!

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    1. Many thanks, Resa. It’s wonderful to hear someone with your credentials giving an opinion that chimes with mine. I also agree with you about the current situation where parents are working long hours for low pay and then have to fit everything else in around that.

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        1. I agree, Robbie. In the UK, the cost of childcare is beyond the reach of those on low wages. It’s a nightmare for them.

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      2. Hello Alex,
        Thank you!
        I’ve read reviews about your other books on clothing/fashion history. They have all been praise filled.

        History teaches. It’s a treasure for the mind’s ability to see, and put our present time and personal lives in perspective.

        Keep up thegreat work!

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    2. Hi Resa, thank you for this fascinating inside information on clothing in the film industry. It doesn’t surprise me. A throw away culture has been encouraged to put more coin into the pockets of the wealthy. I cook in bulk on weekends and it lasts until Tuesday evening. So we only eat quicker meals three days of the week.

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      1. Hey Robbie,
        I totally agree with you!
        The worst is action movies The stunt work burns through clothing. As film is shot out of order, a progressive breakdown could take as many as 20 or more of 1 outfit. At least 2 must always be kept pristine. Then the progressive dirt and tears on the same outfit as the evolving story dictates. Plus progressive matching wardrobe for the stunt man.
        All in the trash in the end.
        Yes, throw away culture permeates so much of our lives.
        Greed is such a motivating energy and creates a destroyed reality.

        Robbie, you are a Wonder Woman!
        YAY! “Burning Butterflies” arrived today.

        Okay, I was down to 1 book to read. Now, I’m up to 7 (1, I’m reading+ 6 more) 4 novels, 2 poetry books, and 1 short stories book.

        I’ve cut off my book intake until these are all read. This is definitely the highest my TBR pile has ever been!
        Thank you!!! xx

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        1. Hi Resa, I suppose when it comes to action movies, it can’t really be helped. It is ordinary people purchasing throw away clothing that is really a problem due to the magnitude of the issue. You make me laugh with your TBR comments. I won’t give you a heart attack by telling you how many unread books I have but I have three TBR for paperbacks, kindle and audible and there are 900 books on my kindle alone.

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          1. I agree about what contributes to the magnitude. Still, my time contributing to the minitude (🤭) was weighing.

            OMG! That’s a lot of books! Holy Moly!
            Well, good luck with that pile. Omg!

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