Man at the Helm

Product Information

Nina Stibbe is one of the rare authors who can talk about the sad, tragic, painfully shameful in such a way that it is impossible not to laugh. The unique talent and gold standard of the author of humorous prose, her books largely have an autobiographical basis. This is a mature gift that has managed to wait for its time. Imagine. that her first novel "With Love, Nina" (Love, Nina) was based on the impressions of thirty years ago from working in 1982-1984 as a nanny in the house of Mary K. Wilmers, editor-in-chief of the London Book Review. This book doesn't fit into a category easily. I found it to be very funny, but I felt uneasy and anxious pretty much the whole time I was reading it. The young narrator is compelling and the whole family is believable but odd. And endearing. Somehow they either laugh or accept with a shrug every crazy thing that happens to them, so I tried to, but I just kept feeling like things could spiral out of control at any moment. The kids articulate this feeling in their worry that they'll get sent away to a home because their mother isn't doing a good job of taking care of them. So I guess I took on their anxiety, and it was combined with my own outrage at the mother's inability to parent, but then I also took on their desire to take care of her. An odd set of feelings, but I guess that means that the writing took me on that journey. And again, moment to moment, a lot of it is very funny (albeit with a British sensibility, and there were times I thought I might not be getting some of the humor as it was referring to things I didn't know about).

Man at the Helm - Stibbe, Nina: 0241003164 9780241003169: Man at the Helm - Stibbe, Nina: 0241003164

Ship simulators [ edit ] A ship bridge simulator with 3-D graphics creates scenarios with realistic sights and sounds to train mariners in ship handling. The proliferation of autopilot systems and the increased computerization of operations on a ship's bridge lessen the need for helmsmen standing watch in open waters. Nine-year-old Lizzie (our narrator) is the perfect conduit for her creator, just the right mixture of childhood innocence and incredulity for the necessary deadpan delivery of Stibbe's particular brand of comedy. Read it and be charmed ( Independent)Nina Stibbe was born in Leicester. She is the author of the hugely acclaimed Love, Nina, which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Book of the Year Award and won Non-Fiction Book of the Year at the 2014 National Book Awards. She lives in Cornwall with her partner and two children. Man at the Helm is her first novel. Land-based ship simulators may feature a full-scale replica of a steering stand with a ship's wheel. Such simulators incorporate magnetic and gyro compasses (or repeaters) for steering. Moreover, a rudder angle indicator that responds appropriately to the helm is part of the configuration. Man at the Helm manages to take this antiquated, politically dicey formula and make it work in 1970's England with a nine-year-old narrator, her wise 11-year-old sister, and their sweet stammering little brother. Like Lizzie Bennet, Lizzie Vogel has to find a man, but not for herself. "If a lone female is left," says Lizzie's sister, "especially if divorced, without a man at the helm, all the friends and family and acquaintances run away.'" So the sisters begin a list of potential helmsmen, and on that list goes practically every man in the hostile village they've been exiled to after their father has an affair with a man named Phil and then re-marries, starting a new, cuter family. The book is told purely from Lizzie's perspective, I found this got very boring after a while. The characters have no opportunity to shine either, I found them all very flat and one dimensional. This book should have been amazing, but it just wasn't. Helmsmen of merchant and military ships that are underway stand watch at the helm for a set period of time before being relieved by another watchstander. The person being relieved will complete any course change or other critical maneuver that is in progress before handing over the helm.

Man At The Helm - Radio 4 Sitcom - British Comedy Guide Man At The Helm - Radio 4 Sitcom - British Comedy Guide

If you liked 'Love, Nina' (and if you didn't, stop reading my review, we're clearly not going to get on), you will love this too. Although narrated by the adult Lizzie, the voice is still that of a nine-year-old and there gives emotional tug and pull between what a child sees and feels and what the wisdom and hindsight of adulthood give. Read on and you might feel that the village, despite its horribly self-satisfied and small-minded inhabitants, has a point; for anyone expecting a jaunty satire on a closed community's reactions to a family of blow-ins will find themselves surprised. That comic edge is undoubtedly there, enhanced by a full-on display of evocative period detail (a fancy-dress parade to which Lizzie goes as Miss Decimal, dressed up in Bacofoil as a 50p piece; the comic Whizzer and Chips as a special treat; egg-and-bacon pie rebranded as quiche lorraine – this was the texture of a 70s childhood). Charming and bittersweet, with a very English flavor, this social comedy is distinguished by Stibbe’s light touch and bright eye. On the job training [ edit ] Underway replenishment during which an oil tanker refuels ships at sea demands that the helmsman steer an extremely precise course.Let me tell you how delicious this book is: Jane-Austen delicious. The particular pleasures of a Jane Austen book are wit and dignity in the face of impending financial doom. The doom is caused by crazy relatives and simply being a dependent female in a male-centric world, and the only cure is to find a good man. Find sources: "Helmsman"– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( September 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)