To think Cathy glass has jumped the shark?

[Droveouttotheocean]

Anyone else a fan?

I used to love her books but the last few have been pretty bad. The latest - claiming that a teenage mum and baby were both fostered by Cathy (not a mum and baby placement - two separate fostering) seemed crazy to me.

There is one out tomorrow set during the pandemic. I’ll be interested to read it despite the fact I think they’ve gone really downhill.

Ah I love her books but I've not read the ones you're referring to I don't think

Why was it crazy?

Well, Cathy is fostering a newborn and so far so good, but then the teen mum randomly decides she does want contact after all (she refused initially) meets Cathy and decides she wants to be fostered by her … and lo and behold, she is!

The last one (mum and baby) was very unbelievable.
I used to enjoy her books when they focused on the foster children. Now it's all about her adult children and how wonderful their lives are etc etc.

I always found her updates about the foster children fairly unbelievable as well- all of them seem to turn out very well adjusted and have good educational outcomes, jobs, stable relationships etc. This just isn't the norm for children who have suffered the kind of trauma, abuse or neglect that Cathy writes about.

@purpleme12

Ah I love her books but I've not read the ones you're referring to I don't think

Why was it crazy?

A brief synopsis is that Cathy was fostering a baby who has been given up for adoption. All normal so far, I think. Long story short, without giving too much away, SS agree for the teenage mother to be fostered by Cathy (not a mother and baby placement, a separate placement) despite some worrying behaviour from the mother and a complete lack of interest in the baby.

Yes, she really goes on about her adult children, although it’s quite sweet in a way. It’s a pity she doesn’t talk more about Lucy coming to terms with her past but maybe she feels it’s inappropriate, I’m not sure.

I always wonder the truth about Lucy’s mum. I know she did a book on Lucy but I wonder if she was on drugs or something.

Yes they’re realistic and portray happy endings for most of them which isn’t always the case is it

Unrealistic I mean

I suppose if Lucy is really an adopted FC (I would imagine a lot of details about her family/life have been changed), her story may be different. Perhaps the one she wrote about the adopted child from overseas is more the reality of "Lucy"- who knows!
I do believe she is a real foster carer. It must be a minefield to write these stories without outing herself or the children if so.

Ah don't ruin my vision of the books 😭

Not my sort of book but surely she can’t be basing her stories on real kids?

Just here to thank you for introducing me to the idiom, 'Jumped the shark.'

I had to Google it to find out what it means 🤣

@EmpressaurusWitchDoesntBurn

Not my sort of book but surely she can’t be basing her stories on real kids?

I’ve read all her books. I think they are based on real children she has fostered but the stories, names are altered. And obviously her own name is different. She does not reveal the area of Britain where she lives. I’ve alternatively thought she lived in Surrey/ Sussex maybe, and also Yorkshire. I think the majority of the stories happened years ago and her own family’s timeline is altered to fit the story.

Does anyone else think she uses the word “presently” to much?

Although I’ve not read recent books…

Yes she does say 'presently' weirdly often

I find various things about her writing jarring. She fosters children from incredibly rough and tough background, yet she seems very set in her middle-class, slightly snobbish ways - one of the later books has a really pointed little rant about social workers not taking their shoes off, using her carpets as a doormat, and how disrespectful she finds it. She's often judgemental about the families in really small, superficial ways - always commenting on their clothes and noting that someone is "badly overweight" (she loves that phrase). Everyone must have a bath or shower every night, etc. And I've always thought it was pretty awful of her to have had all these incredibly difficult and disturbed children coming in and out of her growing children's home and lives.

I do agree with a lot of the points made above
There was one book I read where she seemed to be judged a child's mum about something but I swear later in the book she did the same thing herself!
I can't remember what book it was or what it even was now
And yes still I love the books...

sadpapercourtesan why would a social worker remove their shoes?
For a start, they probably go into some homes where a quick exit might be needed! (not a FC home, of course- no physical danger there presumably, but habit is habit!)

@UserWithNoUserName

sadpapercourtesan why would a social worker remove their shoes? For a start, they probably go into some homes where a quick exit might be needed! (not a FC home, of course- no physical danger there presumably, but habit is habit!)

I agree - it's Cathy Glass who finds it disrespectful, not me!

sadpapercourtesan- I understood, didn't mean to imply you did!

If they're asked to remove the shoes and they don't listen then it would be disrespectful?

But I haven't read that particular book where that's mentioned

@purpleme12 the presently thing drives me irrationally bonkers!!!

If you’re reading Cathy - use; currently/at this time… buy a thesaurus!

I love Cathy Glass and her sandwich lunches and read everything she writes.
It makes me smile that she works into every book the fact that her hubby left her for another woman.
But of course she's completely over it now
I always assumed that the children's stories are a bit like Mumsnet threads. There's a grain of truth in there but lots of details have been changed for privacy and artistic license.

@LazySaturday

I love Cathy Glass and her sandwich lunches and read everything she writes. It makes me smile that she works into every book the fact that her hubby left her for another woman. But of course she's completely over it now I always assumed that the children's stories are a bit like Mumsnet threads. There's a grain of truth in there but lots of details have been changed for privacy and artistic license.

This post made me smile about the sandwich lunches and always working in that her husband left her for another woman 😄

She always makes a casserole for dinner as well