At All Events

"At All Events" is former commercial fashion artist Rose Mortleman's warm and witty account of growing up in a working-class family in the London suburb of Twickenham during the 1930s and 1940s. The only daughter of Fred and Dorothy Pickles, a painter-decorator and a former cook in service, Rose paints a vivid picture of her happy family home and the colourful characters who peopled her childhood. In this gentle tale, skilfully told, we follow the author's uneasy journey from toddler to teenage artist. Along the way we meet a cast of relatives, neighbours, teachers and friends vividly recalled from a bygone era. (Fred and Dorothy were born when Victoria was on the throne.) The text is accompanied by original photographs and a selection of the author's cartoons from the period.