A Song I wrote for Charlotte

Leaving school and home, in order to go to university is a rite of passage that hundreds of thousands of young people have taken.  Connie, the central character in this novel, is just starting an English course, but it’s not what she had envisioned for herself.  She has always been a winner in her academic life, so she was gutted when she was turned down by the Royal Academy of Music and ended up settling for her second choice. She is also coping with the pressure of having a grandparent and parent who achieved firsts in their academic studies.  The story follows her and the other students in her accommodation as they learn to cope with the freedom of being away from home and having to get on with a group of strangers.  It is a music student called Charlotte who makes attempts at friendship and gradually over a period of time the two begin a friendship, which links their housemates together.  But as the month progress, the relationship appears to deepen, leaving Connie wondering just what her feelings are.

This story is one that will bring back memories to many of us older readers, who have been through the process of arriving somewhere new and having to make friendships.  To the current batch of readers this will give them a hint about the way friendships are built and how the freedom of university can often have a less positive side if you let it.  Much of the book seems to be about the general daily life of the students, but it is actually building up a picture of how they are growing and developing in this new environment.  An underlying theme, which links to the title of the book, is the way that Connie and Charlotte share different types of music; each of them sharing composers and artists that they love, but whom the other does not know.  This becomes a major part of their growing friendship and helps broaden their love of music.  This is a book that really grows on you as you read through it, but there are elements that might require a hanky, as heartbreak mixes with warmer emotions.