The Miseducation of Evie Epworth

By Matson Taylor

Published by Simon and Schuster UK

What it’s about?

Yorkshire, the summer of 1962. Sixteen year-old Evie Epworth stands on the cusp of womanhood.
But what kind of a woman will she become?

Up until now, Evie’s life has been nothing special: a patchwork of school, Girl Guides, cows, milk
deliveries, lost mothers and village fetes. But, inspired by her idols (Charlotte Bronte, Shirley MacLaine and the Queen), she dreams of a world far away from rural East Yorkshire, a world of glamour lived under the bright lights of London (or Leeds).

Standing in the way of these dreams, though, is Christine, Evie’s soon to be stepmother, a manipulative and money grubbing schemer who is lining Evie up for a life of shampooand-set drudgery at the local salon.

Luckily, Evie is not alone. With the help of a few friends, and the wise counsel of the two Adam Faith posters on her bedroom wall (‘brooding Adam’ and ‘sophisticated Adam’), Evie comes up with a plan to rescue her bereaved father, Arthur, from Christine’s pink and over-perfumed clutches, and save their beloved farmhouse from being sold off. She will need a little luck, a
dash of charm and a big dollop of Yorkshire magic if she is to succeed, but in the process she may just discover who exactly she is meant to be.

What I think:

I loved this book!

The opening chapter is absolutely hilarious and I was completely hooked.

Evie is charming and intelligent and very witty. Having just finished her O Levels she has to decide what she is going to do next and what kind of woman she is going to be in. But career choices in a 1960’s Yorkshire village and Evie has very little guidance.

Fututre step-mother Christine is a brilliant villain. Vain and money grabbing, she has wormed her way into the Epworth’s life. She’s gradually replacing antiques with tupperware and the aAGA with an electric oven. Her ultimate plan is sell off the farmhouse and have a package holiday to Spain. She absolutely hideous. And her fashion sense is something truly speacial

Neighbour Caroline is a complete contrast to Christine is smart and sophisticated, black capri pants and a mini cooper. She is everything Evie aspires to be. Caroline takes Evie under her wing and introduces her to new experiences. Evie also helps Caroline in return.

Evie is such a great narrator. Hones and witty her voice rings true throughout the book.

This book is so warm and funny. I’m already recommending it to friends. It’s been described as the best thing to come out of Yorkshire since Wensleydale. And I think that might just be true.

You should absolutely pre-order The Miseducation of Evie Epworth – it’s brilliant!:

Hive: click here

Waterstones: click here

About the author:

Matson Taylor grew up in Yorkshire but now lives in London. He is a design historian and academic writing tutor and has worked at various universities and museums around the world; he currently teaches at the V&A, Imperial College, and the RCA. He has also worked on Camden Market, appeared in an Italian TV commercial, and been a pronunciation coach for Catalan
opera singers.

Follow Matson on Twitter: click here

Thank you Matson Taylor and Anne Cater for inviting me to be a part of this of this blog tour – one of my favourites of the year so far.