Ted's Reviews > Hands to dance and skylark

First published in 1951 as Hands to Dance; a collection of nineteen short stories, many of them fictional accounts of the shore-leave experiences of Royal Navy recruits (like the author himself) during WWII. The book was re-published in 1979 with the addition of a Forward, an autobiographical Afterword (“Skylark”) and a modified title Hands to Dance and Skylark. Most of the stories in the collection are fictional memoirs, written in a first-person narrative style that is youthful, whimsical and frequently humorous. The devious side of human nature is present in these stories but in a way that produces a chuckle. The incidents described often appear to be one thing but with a quick twist, wind up being something different. Overall, a light and entertaining read and a pleasing blend of memoir and fiction. 4 stars