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Finally, the war in Europe is over and Zelda Fluck and her friends from Paradise Gardens are ready to celebrate. The little neighborhood in East London is a microcosm of good, caring and helpful people. Except for Ma Hole and her family of miscreants, everyone in the Gardens looked out for each other and shared their meager rations during the lean years of the war. Zelda made an unfortunate marriage at a young age; fortunately Charlie is in the services and has been gone for years. Now she has to face the fact that he will be coming home soon. But in the meantime there is a celebration to be had. Zelda is close to Zinnia Makepeace, a healer (some say witch) who came to the Gardens over 30 years ago. The little neighborhood never sustained any bomb damage and some, like Zelda's father, attributed it to Zinnia - who, as it was said, even Hitler would not take on. Zelda is a feisty, no-nonsense young woman. She and her friends have grown up during the war years and have dealt with deprivation for so long they do not know another way of life. I enjoyed reading the descriptions of their 'making do', the flour paste they use as leg make-up, together with the old stub of an eyebrow pencil to draw the seam line up the back of the leg. All of the young women are adept with thread and needle, as new clothes are non-existent and they continually make over their clothes, or trade fabric with each other just to have a change. Family is important to Zelda, and she, her sisters and their grandmother are frequent visitors to her parents' home. Zelda's two young nephews are especially close to her. She attempts, with Zinnia's help, to get one of them, Tony, away from bad company, notably one of the young men from the villainous Hole family. Zinnia arranges voice lessons for the very talented young man. While accompanying him to Soho for lessons, Zelda makes friends with Bert and Maggie Featherby, who will figure in her future. Bert and Maggie are also important characters in the author's two previous books. TROUBLE IN PARADISE is a prequel to the first two books which have the delightful Rosie, a young girl, as narrator. This book concludes with Rosie's birth. The author has painted a wonderful picture of England at war's end. Through her we get a glimpse of the hard work and deprivations endured by the country as a whole. Soon the young men will be coming home - unfortunately, not all of them, but it is a new beginning for all. The victory gardens, bartering, black-market goods, are all here. The characters are delightful and very vivid. While Zelda is the central character, the supporting cast is also well-rounded. There are mysterious elements but on the whole it is a story of courage and love in difficult times.
Reviewed by Lorraine Gelly, November 2004
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