| dc.description.abstract | Gladys Blackstone, shop assistant in a bakery, is thrilled when
Roy Jenkins, the delivery man, asks her out on a date. Handsome,
debonair, well-educated, a real gentleman, he’s everything an
impressionable young girl could hope for in a boyfriend. Gladys
is excited about Roy’s obvious interest in her, but her parents
are worried, given that Roy is so much older. And there’s more
to Roy than meets the eye. Suffering from the after-effects of
World War II, he is plagued by nightmares and headaches and
the memory of a young Resistance worker whom he was unable
to save. He finds it hard to settle into civilian life, drifting from
one low-paying job to the next. When Gladys finds herself
pregnant, she and Roy marry, and their wedding is a splendid
affair. But their life together is anything but splendid—marred
by carelessness, dishonesty, debt, and poverty—and they have
five children, whose childhood balances precariously on an
unstable foundation. Based on a true story, Downside Road is
a gritty and realistic family saga that is both poignant and
beautifully told. | |