Kirjahaku

In the tranquil setting of the South Downs a killer is at large as a young girl suffers a cruel death, the second such death in the area. Law enforcement officers are under extreme pressure to apprehend the culprit and suspicion falls on a mild-mannered music teacher who is wholly innocent of the crime. Lies are told in open court that ensures his conviction and he is sentenced to life imprisonment. Young Detective Sergeant Josie Prentiss is deeply suspicious of the verdict and she will ensure that some form of justice prevails and the blame is attributed to the real killer.

In the tranquil setting of the South Downs a killer is at large as a young girl suffers a cruel death, the second such death in the area. Law enforcement officers are under extreme pressure to apprehend the culprit and suspicion falls on a mild-mannered music teacher who is wholly innocent of the crime. Lies are told in open court that ensures his conviction and he is sentenced to life imprisonment. Young Detective Sergeant Josie Prentiss is deeply suspicious of the verdict and she will ensure that some form of justice prevails and the blame is attributed to the real killer.

Using a collection of over one thousand popular songs from the war years, as well as around 150 soldiers’ songs, John Mullen provides a fascinating insight into the world of popular entertainment during the First World War. Mullen considers the position of songs of this time within the history of popular music, and the needs, tastes and experiences of working-class audiences who loved this music. To do this, he dispels some of the nostalgic, rose-tinted myths about music hall. At a time when recording companies and record sales were marginal, the book shows the centrality of the live show and of the sale of sheet music to the economy of the entertainment industry. Mullen assesses the popularity and significance of the different genres of musical entertainment which were common in the war years and the previous decades, including music hall, revue, pantomime, musical comedy, blackface minstrelsy, army entertainment and amateur entertainment in prisoner of war camps. He also considers non-commercial songs, such as hymns, folk songs and soldiers’ songs and weaves them into a subtle and nuanced approach to the nature of popular song, the ways in which audiences related to the music and the effects of the competing pressures of commerce, propaganda, patriotism, social attitudes and the progress of the war.

Using a collection of over one thousand popular songs from the war years, as well as around 150 soldiers’ songs, John Mullen provides a fascinating insight into the world of popular entertainment during the First World War. Mullen considers the position of songs of this time within the history of popular music, and the needs, tastes and experiences of working-class audiences who loved this music. To do this, he dispels some of the nostalgic, rose-tinted myths about music hall. At a time when recording companies and record sales were marginal, the book shows the centrality of the live show and of the sale of sheet music to the economy of the entertainment industry. Mullen assesses the popularity and significance of the different genres of musical entertainment which were common in the war years and the previous decades, including music hall, revue, pantomime, musical comedy, blackface minstrelsy, army entertainment and amateur entertainment in prisoner of war camps. He also considers non-commercial songs, such as hymns, folk songs and soldiers’ songs and weaves them into a subtle and nuanced approach to the nature of popular song, the ways in which audiences related to the music and the effects of the competing pressures of commerce, propaganda, patriotism, social attitudes and the progress of the war.

Born in the 1930s, John Mullen grows up in poverty-stricken Dundalk, Ireland. Although he has the love of a big family, a warm and caring mother, and great friends, his is a simple childhood with little money to spare and often not enough, even for food. He attends Catholic schools and survives the cruelty of the system in those early days, but his childhood experiences prepare him well for life ahead.We follow John's life story as he faces huge challenges until he can finally enjoy what he has spent a lifetime earning.As working parents, John and his wife Anthea are devastated when their firstborn son, Patrick, after a difficult birth, grows up 'backward' and not able to join the mainstream school system. Through all the frustrations, anger, and sadness, but ever-present love and compassion, they make tough decisions to help Patrick, while caring for their other two sons. But are they the right decisions and what will become of Patrick?