Amelia

The year is 1914 and Amelia Pim will soon be thirteen. There are rumours of war and rebellion, and Dublin is holding its breath for major, dramatic events. But all that matters to Amelia is what she will wear to her birthday party and how she can be the envy of her friends.

But where are Amelia's friends when disaster strikes her family? Now that the Pims have come down in the world, what use will Amelia have for a shimmering emerald-green dress?

When Mama's political activities bring the final disgrace, it is Amelia who must hold the family together. Only the friendship of the servant girl Mary Ann seems to promise any hope.



'Amelia gives a tremendous insight into the way things were for the well off and the not quite so well off. It presents clearly the difficulties that arise when one is suddenly thrown into a new situation. But Amelia learns fast. A well-written and sensitive story.'



'A very substantial novel set in the Dublin south of 1914, encompassing the place of the Quakers in the society of the time, the imminence of war, the manner in which people can be dropped when their fortunes diminish, and the resoluteness of the main character, young Amelia Pim, in the face of adversity.'



'Parkinson's greatest achievement ... other than her ability to create credible characters and to tell a well paced story ... is to provide, as backcloth, a portrait of an era in Irish social life when all former certainties are under threat.'