Man at the Helm

Product Information

Filtered through Lizzie’s idiosyncratic perspective, the sad and serious prospect of a household falling apart as the mother struggles with loneliness, depression, drink and pills shades away from tragedy toward the absurd. The family relocates from comfortable suburbia to a new village home where Lizzie and her sister find themselves not only unpopular, but also, they fear, in danger of being made wards of the court. Nina Stibbe is one of the rare authors who can talk about the sad, tragic, painfully shameful in such a way that it is impossible not to laugh. Land-based ship simulators may feature a full-scale replica of a steering stand with a ship's wheel. Lizzie's theatrical mother only invites more gossip by spending her days drinking whiskey, popping pills, and writing plays.

Man at the Helm - Stibbe, Nina: 0241003164 9780241003169: Man at the Helm - Stibbe, Nina: 0241003164

Soon, that world is upended: The Germans march into Paris and refugees flee south, overrunning Viann’s land. Hannah’s new novel is an homage to the extraordinary courage and endurance of Frenchwomen during World War II. For instance, experience teaches a helmsman the ability to correct the rudder in advance of a ship substantially falling off course.

When their parents split up nine-year-old Lizzie Vogel, her sister and brother move with their mother to a slightly hostile village in the English countryside. I’m not sure what happened for me with Man at the Helm, but I just had so much trouble getting invested in it. That comic edge is undoubtedly there, enhanced by a full-on display of evocative period detail (a fancy-dress parade to which Lizzie goes as Miss Decimal, dressed up in Bacofoil as a 50p piece; the comic Whizzer and Chips as a special treat; egg-and-bacon pie rebranded as quiche lorraine – this was the texture of a 70s childhood). And before the end of the first chapter I'd had a change of heart and dropped all doubts with a clatter.

AT THE HELM | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary AT THE HELM | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

Charming and bittersweet, with a very English flavor, this social comedy is distinguished by Stibbe’s light touch and bright eye. Scenarios depicted in 3-D graphics range from making course corrections in open waters to maneuvering in port, rivers, or other shallow waters. On-the-job training at sea is critical to a helmsman developing ability to "sense" or anticipate how a ship will respond in different conditions.The officer or harbor pilot relies upon the helmsman to flawlessly execute steering commands to avoid a variety of hazards, including man-made obstacles, land formations, grounding in shallow waters, and the threat of collision with other vessels. Clear communication, then, between the officer of the bridge and the helmsman is essential for safe operations. The thing I found most disturbing was the casual cruelty of the characters, and the neglect shown the children by both parents for the majority of the book. Their mother immediately takes to drinking and compulsive playwriting - none of which impresses villagers already deeply suspicious of an attractive divorcée.

MAN AT THE HELM | Kirkus Reviews MAN AT THE HELM | Kirkus Reviews

The story centres around 3 children and their Mum and is told from Lizzie's point of view, who is the middle child. The kids articulate this feeling in their worry that they'll get sent away to a home because their mother isn't doing a good job of taking care of them.As for the children, their wit and self-sufficiency, their curious mix of worldliness and naivety, reminded me of The Treasure Seekers or The Railway Children. This novel, as with her previous work, is easy to read and explores numerous characters, mainly through the eyes of the children of the piece, which gives it a simplistic quality but not to the detriment of either the story or the style in which it is written, nor does it treat the reader as "simplistic", quite the opposite in fact. I won't be recommending this to everyone since some folks will be bored and others upset by a family in utter disarray. La scorsa estate mi sono imbattuta, quasi per caso, in 'Love, Nina' e siccome non facevo altro che piangere, l'avevo trovato una boccata di ossigeno, un pomeriggio in cui ho riso abbastanza, mi sono divertita e ho trovato una mini serie tv piacevole e divertente. In 1970s Leicestershire, Lizzie Vogel is nine when her father decides that ‘he was now in love with Phil from the factory’.