Another Time Another Place by Jessie Kesson

'The Girl in the Book', that's the title of an English Studies Course that a young relative of mine has recently completed at uni. In The Girl, the book by Meridel le Sueur that I recently blogged, the girl, the central character of the book is given no name. In Another Time, Another Place the time is World War Two and the young married woman in the tiny farming community someplace in the north of Scotland is simply 'the young woman'.

The young woman is one of a set of three. Three wifies live in the tied cottages and work as farm labourers to provide 'a wee bit extra'. The elder two, Kirsty and Meg are country born and bred. Kirsty, the natural leader of the group is assertive and hard, her way of doing things has to be right. Meg is her sidekick.

The young woman is far the youngest. She is married to a shepherd twice her age and is not yet out of her teens. Her life has been different. She was a street kid till family life fell apart and was then raised in a orphanage The same is true of the author. The reason Kirsty and Meg generally accept her is that she is, like them, accustomed to hard work. In this book Jessie works in an informative picture of farm work. Many tasks demand their own set of skills and when the three women get into a rhythm and push through the work as fast as they can it saves their backs a little. Jessie makes the point more than once that these three are tied to one another as much as to their cottages, their men and, in Kirsty's case her bairns.

The year trundles round. Harvest is the big party and Kirstie's chance to shine when called on to sing The Rowan tree. Christmas and New Year are lesser feasts. The 'bit extra' always goes on necessities from Kirstie's catalogue. The young woman wants a bicycle but can only afford a frock in autumn colours.

And this year the new show in town is the three Italian prisoners of war billeted in the hut next door that used to be empty. The young woman earns 'a bit extra' by cleaning and doing odd jobs for them, the other two refuse point blank. Italians are the enemy.

Three Italians - Luigi, a young barrow boy from Naples, Paolo and Umberto. Luigi fancies the young woman. 'Jiggy- jig posseeble?' Not with you pal, the young woman fancies Paolo, a quiet steady family man who shows his love for his children by carving them wooden toys. All pretty timeless, the mismatch of Cupid.

There are two endings to the story, a predictable one and then a sweet and touching coda. It's good.