Growing Up On Chaplin River - Tales of My Father and His Friends

She takes up the search. Charlie and Jackie, being now homeless, not daring to return to their garret, go for the night to a cheap lodging house.

The Kid Synopsis

The proprietor of the place recognizes the boy from a description of him placed in the paper by his distracted mother, and when all are asleep, steals the boy from the side of the weary Charlie and takes him to the police station. The police send for the mother and Jackie is restored to her. Charlie wakes to find the boy gone. He is frantic and walks the street the remainder of the night until he falls exhausted on his own doorstep.

He sees the wretched slum transformed into a veritable fairyland - plenty of everything to eat and drink, to be had for the asking. There is no payment except love. His former friends and enemies are all friends. All have wings and play harps and other celestial instruments. Jackie is there and he takes Charlie by the hand and then Charlie himself finds he also has wings, strong white wings.

And he finds he can fly. But, alas, Sin creeps in and Charlie becomes involved in a fight with his old enemy. He tries to escape - to fly away - but he is ruthlessly shot down - down - down, and awakens to find himself being shaken by the big policeman whom he had eluded over the house tops. The policeman takes him by the collar and bundles him unceremoniously around the corner. To his astonishment, he is hustled into a waiting automobile.

No, the car drives to a fashionable neighborhood and draws up at a large mansion. His escort alights, grips him by the arm, leads him to the door and rings the bell. The door opens and - and Jackie and his newly found mother drag Charlie in to stay with them for a while. The door closes on the mother, Charlie and the kid. As she puts it—things that live on water have rhythms—it sighs as it falls and is always moving. She surrounds this old boat with a cast of eccentric, off-beat characters—flawed and at the same time, warmly spirited.

Odeline begins the story as an eighteen year old with a childish dream—she ends the book with a purpose. Jun 09, Enchanted Prose rated it it was amazing. Being different, being alike: It takes courage for a debut author to pen a novel full of odd and unlikable characters in an unfamiliar setting. It also takes originality. From above, the city shimmers and glints in the sun. There is so much activity on its surface that it looks crawling, swarming with movement, as if it is one whole living thing. But look closer and this is just an impression given by the million little channels of movement that cross, curve, diverge, and wind between buildings.

Sunlight flashes back from the windscreens and the roofs of the coaches, lorries moving across the surface of the city. The machines chug out a quivering exhaust which softens the edges of the buildings and blurs outlines. It is thirty degrees of dry, dusty heat and London is baking. It is below the eyeline. A good place to hide. The heart of the story. She dresses oddly, acts oddly, and has chosen an unusual artistic aspiration: She dreams to be with him.

One of the delights of the novel are glimpses into the silent performing arts world of magic and mime. She owns 19 of his books. Such a clever name, attracting Odeline to buy it with her inheritance, yet it has nothing to do with the legendary Charlie. Its history becomes known to us over time. When he shouts profanities, Enchanted Prose winces. She dresses in flashy pink tracksuits and floral skirts, is glued to international news, harbors a secret, and is scared of her powerful boss, Mr.

In fact, he and Vera are rather likable. We may think these colorful characters have nothing in common with each other, or us, but the brilliance of the novel is the way the story unfolds to show us that they do. The shared human thread: Jun 21, Linda rated it liked it Shelves: It took me a while to get into this one. I almost gave up about a third of the way in but I pressed on to the end. The story is about Odeline, named for the circus clown father, Odelin, she never knew.

Odeline led a sheltered life with her very introverted mother until her mother died and Odeline discovered who her father was and decided to track him down and live a circus life. Did I mention that Odeline dresses very similar to Charlie Chaplin and wants to become a mime? Odeline purchases a sig It took me a while to get into this one. After she moves in, the meets a cast of characters who live and work around her.

Aug 26, Cindy rated it really liked it.

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This is a coming of age story of Odeline, the only child of Eunice Milk and an unknown father. She finds her circus clown father, but she is disappointed in his not caring to become interested in her. She makes some new unusual friends when she goes to live in a narrowboat with a story of its own on a canal in London. Sep 09, Jan rated it really liked it. I love this book, actually have read it twice without realizing it at first.

Sweet and charming, very interesting cast of characters in an equally interesting setting on the canals of London. Vaguely reminiscent of Maeve Binchy with the intertwined stories. La bohemia vida en un barco vivienda amarrado en los canales de Londres pierde su brillo con la realidad cotidiana.

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This book was ok apart from one character I just could not warm to her and sadly found this book a struggle to complete. The only good thing to come out of this is it's peaked my interest in going on a canal boat trip. Nov 07, Brenda rated it it was amazing Shelves: And, yet, its delightfully eccentric characters do charm.

Eunice Milk might seem a stolid, unimaginative accountant to those who have not witnessed her ecstatic appreciation for slap-stick humor.

On a usual day, Eunice would not seem the type to become number one groupie to a Moroccan circus performer. One might expect the sudden and extreme infatuation that Eunice develops for Odelin the Clown to make her into mere mockery—and, yet, her love-at-first-laugh response is more endearing than ridiculous.

When the circus leaves town, Eunice does not run away with it. When the love child duly arrives, she is named Odeline after her absent father, encouraged in her dreams of becoming a practicing illusionist and mime, but told nothing of her parentage. Before winning this novel via First Reads giveaway, I had never encountered a female mime as a central character in any novel. Mave Fellowes is now an official inductee on my writers-to-watch list. This is a gorgeous, magical, sad little jewel of a book, one I took my time over, basking in the beautiful vignettes that form this tale of growing up, of lost opportunities, of sacrifices, changed plans, and growing hopes.

It is the tale of Odeline Milk, eighteen years old and moved to London to make her fortune as a mime artist, who dresses like Charlie Chaplin, writes endless lists in her notebook, lives just a little outside of reality, and is searching for her father, a circus clown who bewi This is a gorgeous, magical, sad little jewel of a book, one I took my time over, basking in the beautiful vignettes that form this tale of growing up, of lost opportunities, of sacrifices, changed plans, and growing hopes.

It is the tale of Odeline Milk, eighteen years old and moved to London to make her fortune as a mime artist, who dresses like Charlie Chaplin, writes endless lists in her notebook, lives just a little outside of reality, and is searching for her father, a circus clown who bewitched her mother eighteen years ago. It is also the tale of the eponymous run-down houseboat she moves onto, the lives it has seen and touched, and how they softly intersect as the years go by.

It is also the tale of those who live on the waterway with her, running from bitter pasts in the hope of a better future. The writing is nothing short of glorious: Fellowes has a distinctive turn of phrase, an almost compulsive attention to detail that makes it difficult to look away or pay attention to anything else while you're reading, so rich is her world. I can't count the number of times I almost - and actually did - miss my bus stop when reading this on the way to work or on the way home; there's a definite sense of being transported, of being brought within the book and into the heads of the various characters.

This book is fragile but with a core of steel, much like its heroine, full of a sumptuous cascade of words that I wrapped myself up and lost myself within. Chaplin and Company is sad and hopeful; some things will change, some things won't, and there's a brittle thread of loneliness and missed connections running through the novel that can make the simplest of things utterly heartbreaking.

I wiped away a few tears at the end, I'll admit. But it's ultimately uplifting, as new families and friendships are formed, and trust starts to overcome prejudice, fear and ignorance. Fellowes is a genuinely stunning writer and one I would absolutely love to see more of; if her debut is this good - and it really, really is - then I can only expect even greater things in future.

I hate to use "the Q word", but this debut novel is indeed lightly quirky in tone, while also being sentimental in a way that's just the right side of mawkishness. At the heart of the book is year-old Odeline, a hugely sheltered girl whose mother has just died, leaving her a chunk of money and no ties to anything. Since her goal in life is to become a world-class mime, she quite naturally uses the bulk of her money to purchase an old houseboat on the London canals. Moving into her new home, sh I hate to use "the Q word", but this debut novel is indeed lightly quirky in tone, while also being sentimental in a way that's just the right side of mawkishness.

Moving into her new home, she quickly establishes herself as prickly, difficult, and wholly lacking in social skills. At many point, Odeline's expectations and reactions read like someone moving to the big city in the s, not the s. If the book had been completely her story, I don't think I would have finished it. Fortunately, it's also the story of the people Odeline meets around the canal, from the dashing tattooed gypsy boatman, to the illegal Eastern European immigrant tending the cafe, to the alcoholic canal warden, and various other minor characters.

Their stories are welcome interludes and interruptions to Odeline's story. The other main character is the boat she's bought -- as we get chapters devoted to its construction, use during WWII, abandonment, subsequent restoration, and ill-considered remodeling. The mix of all these elements was enough to keep me reading through the rough patches.

One of these involves Odeline's quest to track down the father she never met, a reunion whose outcome is immediately obvious the moment he appears on the page, but the reader must suffer through nonetheless. In the end, it's a fine example of a feel-good, heartwarming story about regular folks of wildly different backgrounds making community and connections amidst the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Cynics and misanthropes should avoid.

Chaplin & Company by Mave Fellowes

Mar 23, Brian rated it really liked it Shelves: I won this book through Goodreads' First Reads program in exchange for my honest review. I liked the title. That's the only reason I wanted to read this book. For whatever reason, it struck me as interesting and worthy of my time, even if the book description didn't sound like it was a book I would be interested in. So after reading it, is it still worthy of my time? I think quirky and charming, as The Times calls it, sums it up perfectly.

The main character, Odeline Milk is cold, aloo I won this book through Goodreads' First Reads program in exchange for my honest review. The main character, Odeline Milk is cold, aloof, socially awkward, blunt, yet has a down on her luck, full of pity, underdog vibe to her which makes you want to root for her. And luckily, she is not some static character, we get to see her grow from someone you want to root for, into someone you can root for. And the tale that is spun around her setting off on her own is very well crafted and engaging.

It's a strong story, yet the author choose to bog down the novel with secondary stories which really detracts from the main plot. Odeline Milk buys a houseboat, so we are treated to a very in depth history of the houseboat and a large portion of its inhabitants. And tidily enough, they all intersect in someway with Miss Milk. It all makes for a clunky and a little too perfect storyline. It was almost as if Fellowes felt the original story wasn't long enough, so she spliced in anecdotes and tales about the boat to fill it out.

I give the book 3. I will eagerly look forward to see what Mave Fellowes writes in the future. May 03, Zoe rated it liked it. I have very mixed feelings about this book. I thought it was very well written.

Mave Fellowes has a wonderful way with words, and introduced a wide variety of characters. The problem I had was that a lot of those characters didn't seem to develop to their full potential. They had interesting back stories but as the book went on, those characters just disappeared. I was left wanting to know what happened to each of them. I understand some of them were minor characters intended to advance the stor I have very mixed feelings about this book. I understand some of them were minor characters intended to advance the stories of the main players, but they were introduced in a way that suggested they would have much more impact on the story overall.

I was a bit disappointed that they didn't. Overall, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it. You see the main character, Odeline, really mature and grasp an understanding of the world that she hasn't had before. It was a journey that was both funny and heartbreaking.

Several of the other characters have similar experiences, and the book tackles a lot of issues society currently faces, such as homelessness, exploitation, etc. It was also very unique in that it was set around a houseboating community. I'll just keep my fingers crossed for a sequel. Odeline Milk descends upon London, to her new houseboat, to make her way in the world. As a character, Odeline is old beyond her years, socially odd and at times, obnoxious. At its heart, this is the story of her growth as a person, and her learning to become more tolerant and welcome of those around her.

The prose is beautiful: But I picked this book up thinking it would have a magical element of the circus woven within. The circus asp Odeline Milk descends upon London, to her new houseboat, to make her way in the world. The circus aspect is minimal and tainted, as Odeline discovers. The writing style seems to transcend a period in history - it is neither noticeably modern, nor set in the past.

I've settled for it being a present day period, but this book could easily be read, I imagine, in years to come and still seem current. Odeline herself feels old-fashioned, but the backdrop does not. I've given this book 3 stars because, as discussed, I anticipated the circus or performance aspect to play a bigger part. I felt there were too many characters a chapter on Inga which felt out of place A well-written, albeit forgettable, book.

Feb 03, Kara rated it really liked it Shelves: The story, set on the waterways of London, is beautifully written and filled with odd and wonderful characters, each of whom you will learn to love. Jul 14, Elizabeth rated it liked it Shelves: I received this copy for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Chaplin & Company

First off I have to say the imagery in this book is amazing. It really makes you feel and see things as if you are really there. I have to say that as I read this book I grew quite a fondness for Odeline. I wasn't such a fan of hers in the beginning as she seemed very cold and self serving.

But as the story went on you were able to see her grow as a person and learn to make friends, you really begin to like her and feel for her.

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In sayi I received this copy for free through Goodreads First Reads. In saying that, I also have to say this book had a slow start for me and it was hard to follow in the beginning. But as I read more, I found this book hard to put down. I couldn't wait to see what was gonna happen next. This is a book about how you meet some of the best friends in the most unlikely of situations. Just because this book was hard to follow for me, doesn't mean it will be for you.

I am very happy that I read this book as the ending was great! Compelling with superb insight into human nature. I loved this book! Odeline's mother dies prematurely, leaving the year-old alone but not destitute. Odeline buys a canal longboat in London, hoping to keep expenses down while practicing the art of mime and finding a job doing what she does best in the city. Her father is a well-known and loved clown in a traveling circus, and Odeline Compelling with superb insight into human nature.

Her father is a well-known and loved clown in a traveling circus, and Odeline naturally wishes to find him. The author's realistic rendering of all characters in the book stands out. There are no perfect people here. Some stories are long remembered and this will be one of those for me.

It's the story of people and the history of a boat and those associated with her.