Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Miseducation of Evie Epworth.
Matson Taylor grew up in Yorkshire but now lives in London. He is a design historian and academic writing tutor and has worked at various universities and museums around the world; he currently teaches at the V&A, Imperial College, and the RCA. He has also worked on Camden Market, appeared in an Italian TV commercial, and been a pronunciation coach for Catalan opera singers.
Follow @matson_taylor_ on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit matsontaylor.com, Buy The Miseducation of Evie Epworth
About the book
Yorkshire, the summer of 1962. Sixteen year-old Evie Epworth stands on the cusp of womanhood. But what kind of a woman will she become?
Up until now, Evie’s life has been nothing special: a patchwork of school, Girl Guides, cows, milk deliveries, lost mothers and village fetes. But, inspired by her idols (Charlotte Bronte, Shirley MacLaine and the Queen), she dreams of a world far away from rural East Yorkshire, a world of glamour lived under the bright lights of London (or Leeds).
Standing in the way of these dreams, though, is Christine, Evie’s soon to be stepmother, a manipulative and money grubbing schemer who is lining Evie up for a life of shampoo and-set drudgery at the local salon. Luckily, Evie is not alone. With the help of a few friends, and the wise counsel of the two Adam Faith posters on her bedroom wall (‘brooding Adam’ and ‘sophisticated Adam’), Evie comes up with a plan to rescue her bereaved father,
Arthur, from Christine’s pink and over-perfumed clutches, and save their beloved farmhouse from being sold off. She will need a little luck, a dash of charm and a big dollop of Yorkshire magic if she is to succeed, but in the process she may just discover who exactly she is meant to be.
Being 16 is hard enough, but being a teenager on the cusp of adulthood is perhaps just slightly more so. Not a child, but not quite an adult either. Evie doesn't fit in either categories and being in between is often frustrating and confusing.
At the moment her life or life as she used to know it is being slowly extinguished by the woman intent on owning her father, the widower. Christine is eradicating all memories of her mother and wants Evie gone too. With a little help from her friends, both real and imaginary, she concocts a plan to save her poor father. A magical rescue mission pure Yorkshire style ensues.
I loved this book. I hope someone recognises the potential and gives it to us in a screen version. It sorta speaks for every kid, especially teenagers, who are thrust into familial situations not of their own making and are expected to tow the line with a smile on their face. It's equally a siren call to the confusion they feel, the hormonal imbalance, the expectations of a world awaiting them like a star stepping onto the stage for a live performance - except the world isn't waiting for them and the realisation of that reality is a bitter pill to swallow.
Taylor is not only an author I would recommend, he is also one I would return to again without hesitation. The snark, the authenticity and the complete obliviousness of certain characters in equal measure, combined with a hilarious and memorable main character - well it just makes this an excellent read.
Side note for those who have read the book ( if not I really hope you do ), must dash I have buttons to grind.
Buy The Miseducation of Evie Epworth at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: pub date 23 July 2020 | Hardback | £14.99. Publisher: Scribner UK; pub date 23 July 2020. Buy at Amazon com.
Ha ha love the side note about the buttons.
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