Goggle-Eyes

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Goggle-Eyes, or My War with Goggle-Eyes in the US, is a children's novel by Anne Fine, published by Hamilton in 1989. It features a girl who thinks she hates her mother's boyfriend. [2] In the frame story, set in a Scottish day school, that girl Kitty tells her friend Helen about hating her mother's boyfriend. Delightfully, wonderfully penned, with much wit and an appreciated sense of thematic balance, Anne Fine with Goggle-Eyes gives to readers from about the age of eleven or so onwards an engaging, thoughtful and also not afraid of admitting her mistakes storyteller with Kitty. But furthermore and very much appreciatively, Fine textually also shows both sides of the nuclear power/nuclear weapons debate, and by making neither camp villainous, by showing both the pros and the cons equally. And indeed, by leaving the question of nuclear power yes or no rather open-ended and unanswered in Goggle-Eyes, by having Gerald Faulkner appear as reasonable and that although neither he nor Kitty and her mother end up being converted, that Gerald is still going to be pro nuclear energy and nuclear weapons and Kitty and her mother against this, but that they can nevertheless be friends and even partners, Anne Fine shows with Goggle-Eyes that families can be happy and harmonious even if there are political and philosophical differences encountered, and that everyone in Kitty's new family unit, including herself and Gerald are working hard at the end of the story she tells to Helen in Goggle-Eyes to make things work out. It is here that Gerald comes to the fore, taking them home and looking after them, cooking for them and making sure everything is as normal as possible while Rosie is in custody. Kitty begins to see Gerald in a new light, and these scenes are touching as she finally begins to thaw towards him. However, the twist in this tale is that it isn't Kitty that threatens this new happy arrangement but Rosie, who arrives home on bail at night and is stunned that Gerald has sent the kids to bed, and even more stunned by his admonishment of her irresponsible behaviour as a parent. The resulting argument sees Gerald depart, but while Kitty has finally got her wish, she now desperately wants him to stay. There is some irony in this, but can anything be done to put things right?

But Kitty Killin is not just a brilliant story-teller, she's also the World's Great Expert when it comes to mothers having new and unwelcome boyfriends. So it's no surprise that she's the one chosen to sort out Helly, who's gone into meltdown. Kitty decides to share her story about old Goggle-eyes - possibly one of the worst episodes in her life...Sure, you can embrace your goggle eyes and endure your co-workers’ comments about your pre-work swim habit, or you can hide them by wearing glasses with frames that cover the dents. But you don’t have to view goggle eyes as the price you pay for a good swimmer’s high. Third, consider the type of goggles to wear. This is a very individual thing—some people prefer goggles with lenses lined with foam, others like ones with super-thin rims. Both can help you avoid goggle eyes. Just find what works best for you. Ask Around Goggle-Eyes was first published in 1989 - more than 30 years ago! Here's the message Anne Fine wrote for its birthday:

Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2020-09-03 10:01:33 Associated-names Jenkins, Alison; Fine, Anne, 1947- Goggle-eyes Boxid IA1924106 Camera Sony Alpha-A6300 (Control) Collection_set printdisabled External-identifierHeading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Though readers often find themselves inadvertently laughing aloud as they read Anne Fine's novels, as she herself admits, "a lot of my work, even for fairly young readers, raises serious social issues. Growing up is a long and confusing business. I try to show that the battle through the chaos is worthwhile and can, at times, be seen as very funny." In 1994, this unique combination of humour and realism inspired the hit movie MRS. DOUBTFIRE, based on Anne's novel MADAME DOUBTFIRE and starring the late comedic genius Robin Williams.