"Paperclips and Petulance"

Meet Melanie Matthews. Its the long hot summer of 1976 and she's off into the world of work at the grand old age of sixteen, armed with a pound note, a cheese and pickle sandwich, and a heart full of optimism.

But work is isn't quite what she expected, and when she finds herself at the Stuffy Accountants, making endless cups of tea for the Blue Rinse Brigade, Melanie feels her life is skidding to an unscheduled halt.

Life at home isn't much better. With a boyfriend she doesn't fancy, a bad tempered father, and a mother who thinks her daughter is odd, Melanie's feet seem firmly entrenched in the Poo Pile of Life. No wonder she spends her time glancing enviously over the road where her best friend Tina is enthusiastically bonking for Britain.

But life does have its good bits; her Grandmother and her boyfriend Andrew both adore her, and she's convinced that her friends will always be there for her.

Or will they?  By the summer of 1978, Melanie has learned that love takes many different forms, special friendships don't necessarily last forever, and the people we hold most dear can be unexpectedly and swiftly taken away..........

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Paperclips and Petulance - reviews

Here's what some others have said:

A wonderful warm hearted coming of age story. I laughed out loud at the funny bits and shed the occasional tear. Don't start this book late at night - you won't want to put it down.

- Fiona Gilmour, Communications Advisor, Basingstoke.

I just loved it. I couldn't put it down! I got so involved I kept staring at the page and wanted to shout "Melanie, don't DO it..." Such a good read.

  - Anna Medway, 16, student.

"Paperclips and Petulance" is a coming-of-age novel which is funny and poignant, nostalgic and full of charm. The writing is lively and full of natural, observational humour and the characters stayed with me for a long time after I finished reading it

. - Sally Rees, 53, Devon.

Full Review of Paperclips and Petulance by Philip Kemp, Film Critic, London.