REVIEW: Caught Up In Time captures "us" then
Reviewer Don Farmer has described 'Caught Up In Time' as a cleverly constructed walk down memory lane spanning four decades.
Much of the much of the action involves the Wairarapa region of New Zealand, where author Paora Panadelo - pen name for former Masterton journalist Paul Baker worked.
Farmer says the book "Promises to appeal to those who like a good, racy story based on actual events. Although marketed as a work of fiction, the underlying theme of the book is strongly influenced by actual happenings, and actual people.
"The writer had managed to merge events covering the 1940s to the 1970s, into a riveting read for those who don’t mind acquainting themselves with not only the smooth but also the rougher side of life."
Farmer notes the era is the domain of the baby boomers and life in those now far-off days bear little resemblance to what young people believe life to be today.
"It can be categorised as a time of far less affluence, a time when our country was not only
recovering from the effects of World War II but was trying to find its feet socially. Panadelo pulls no punches, whether it be chapter that involves poverty, hooligan behaviour, broken relationships or under-age sex."
The book, he notes, also has a softer and caring side, as it looks at issues such as the union movement, the somewhat contentious arrivals of “yankee” (American) servicemen and their impact on New Zealand women.
The author has interlaced the various stories that interlock in the book with verse and song
lyrics to match the era along with an array of photographs that will re-kindle many
memories in readers. All-in-all it’s a good first-up eff ort and, at 212 pages, is an easy and
entertaining read.
Source: The Wairarapa Times Age, Saturday, October 21, 2017, (Local News page 7)
