Two Jam Jars for the Manor

This is the latest novel from Dermod Judge.

It tells the story of young Johnny. Johnny has a passion for the movies. It is his dream to actually work in the movie industry.

However, the fact that he comes from one of the poorest, most poverty stricken areas of Dublin in the early 1950s, and that he was forced to leave school due to this poverty seems to work against him.

Johnny retreats into a safe world, the world of the movies, the movie plots. This serves to isolate and protect him from the harsh realities of life in the Dublin of those times.

Johnny could tell a good tale, so the family sent him to the cinema so that he could tell the other members of his family about the movie, the plot and what happened.

In a way, his descriptions are so powerful and so compelling that they help sooth the stresses of his family member. Almost acting like an ersatz form of therapy, but without the coach. Or the fee!

However, complications arise and Johnny appears to be forming an attachment with the gorgeous daughter of a rich army major.

However, against all the odds and circumstances that seem to be stacked against him, Johnny endeavours to keep on going, to (somehow) complete his schooling and to try to discover exactly how he can get into the movie making industry.

It's an interesting novel, witty, yet sensitive and is in the great tradition of Irish literature.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99 and will make a fine Christmas gift. You can purchase it here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.