![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
callmemadamI have a weakness for Victorian moral tales like Mrs Walton’s A Peep Behind the Scenes. Rather more surprising is that I’ve read a number of twentieth century evangelical books for girls, most of which are terrible. I do rather like the Trudy books, though.
Ten Trudy books were published between 1949 and 1970 by Pickering and Inglis, well known publishers of evangelical books, which were often given as Sunday School prizes. They follow Trudy’s life from schoolgirl to married woman, mother and hub of the community. Like so many of these books, they are set in Scotland. In the first book, Trudy lives a pleasant, normal life in a semi-detached house with her parents, brother David, sister Judy and little Ping. Unfortunately, her father is ill and it is decreed that Mother should take him away for a holiday while schoolgirl Trudy takes over the housekeeping. This is her first trial and she comes through it well. There’s a family tradition of having a Bible reading, hymn and prayer every evening and she keeps this going. It’s hard to understand exactly what form their deeply-felt religion takes. I suppose you’d say they are Bible Christians (the author was brought up as a Primitive Methodist). They don’t go to any recognised church but to Mission halls where there is a strong emphasis on preaching. Later, there are outdoor meetings, very well attended, where a charismatic speaker converts and even heals people.
In the second book the family face tragedy when Father dies. Brother David is artistic and wants to continue his studies. Trudy’s dream is to train as a teacher but she unselfishly sacrifices this ambition for David’s sake. There’s no suggestion that Mother might get a job; it’s all down to poor old Trudy. Fortunately, she is unexpectedly left some money by a woman she has been kind to and in Trudy’s College Days she’s able to train and qualify as an English teacher, along with her beautiful best friend, Esther. She enjoys teaching but by this time has met her future husband, dreary Derek. Naturally, once they are married, she gives up work and throws herself into housekeeping. Their little home must be perfect for Derek!
There are family complications to be dealt with. David marries Esther who, very luckily for the pair, has a rich Daddy. David can be selfish, Esther is a poor housekeeper and Trudy needs to keep an eye on them. Judy wants to nurse but she’s prickly, hard to please and falls for an unsuitable man. Poor Ping (who eventually becomes a preacher) has an accident which paralyses him until he is miraculously healed by prayer. Trudy is always there, helped by Derek, to sort out the problems; not just family ones but those of difficult neighbours. She converts someone in every book.
So, why on earth do I like these books and find them better than most evangelical ones? I like the family scenes and the family dynamics, which are believable. Trudy is an attractive character, not the Miss Goody-goody you might expect. She gets annoyed, she takes dislikes to people and is far from perfect. Especially, I like the depiction of mid-twentieth century Scottish middle class life as so homely and unsophisticated. For example, Esther gets into a panic because David’s boss is coming to dinner. Trudy breezily says it’s no problem and turns up with her pinny to cook the meal. This is her menu: mushroom soup made from a packet; roast pork with potatoes and tinned peas; tinned fruit salad and ice cream. I don’t expect any of them ever saw an avocado. And you can bet your boots that at that time there were more people like Trudy and her friends than there were sixties swingers.
Ten Trudy books were published between 1949 and 1970 by Pickering and Inglis, well known publishers of evangelical books, which were often given as Sunday School prizes. They follow Trudy’s life from schoolgirl to married woman, mother and hub of the community. Like so many of these books, they are set in Scotland. In the first book, Trudy lives a pleasant, normal life in a semi-detached house with her parents, brother David, sister Judy and little Ping. Unfortunately, her father is ill and it is decreed that Mother should take him away for a holiday while schoolgirl Trudy takes over the housekeeping. This is her first trial and she comes through it well. There’s a family tradition of having a Bible reading, hymn and prayer every evening and she keeps this going. It’s hard to understand exactly what form their deeply-felt religion takes. I suppose you’d say they are Bible Christians (the author was brought up as a Primitive Methodist). They don’t go to any recognised church but to Mission halls where there is a strong emphasis on preaching. Later, there are outdoor meetings, very well attended, where a charismatic speaker converts and even heals people.
In the second book the family face tragedy when Father dies. Brother David is artistic and wants to continue his studies. Trudy’s dream is to train as a teacher but she unselfishly sacrifices this ambition for David’s sake. There’s no suggestion that Mother might get a job; it’s all down to poor old Trudy. Fortunately, she is unexpectedly left some money by a woman she has been kind to and in Trudy’s College Days she’s able to train and qualify as an English teacher, along with her beautiful best friend, Esther. She enjoys teaching but by this time has met her future husband, dreary Derek. Naturally, once they are married, she gives up work and throws herself into housekeeping. Their little home must be perfect for Derek!
There are family complications to be dealt with. David marries Esther who, very luckily for the pair, has a rich Daddy. David can be selfish, Esther is a poor housekeeper and Trudy needs to keep an eye on them. Judy wants to nurse but she’s prickly, hard to please and falls for an unsuitable man. Poor Ping (who eventually becomes a preacher) has an accident which paralyses him until he is miraculously healed by prayer. Trudy is always there, helped by Derek, to sort out the problems; not just family ones but those of difficult neighbours. She converts someone in every book.
So, why on earth do I like these books and find them better than most evangelical ones? I like the family scenes and the family dynamics, which are believable. Trudy is an attractive character, not the Miss Goody-goody you might expect. She gets annoyed, she takes dislikes to people and is far from perfect. Especially, I like the depiction of mid-twentieth century Scottish middle class life as so homely and unsophisticated. For example, Esther gets into a panic because David’s boss is coming to dinner. Trudy breezily says it’s no problem and turns up with her pinny to cook the meal. This is her menu: mushroom soup made from a packet; roast pork with potatoes and tinned peas; tinned fruit salad and ice cream. I don’t expect any of them ever saw an avocado. And you can bet your boots that at that time there were more people like Trudy and her friends than there were sixties swingers.
