About the Book
Glasgow 1936. In the very heart of the city, Evie Jameson, the child of a poor tenement family is determined to follow her dreams of becoming a singer, but must persuade her loving family of where her vocation truly lies.
Her path is paved with triumphs and setbacks. ‘The world is bigger than Glasgow – do you want to see it?’ her agent challenges her, sparking excitement in her heart. ‘Yes! Yes, I do!’ she says, and her resolve only deepens when war breaks out and she is called on to serve her country.
The conflict thrusts Evie into dangers and adventures she could never have imagined, but amid the chaos, will she also find love?
From London in the Blitz to magical, mysterious India her courage and integrity are put to the test and she must draw on the strength forged by her proud Scottish heritage.
Format: ebook (354 pages) Publisher:
Publication date: 10th June 2025 Genre: Historical Fiction
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My Review
As I discovered when I chatted to Zoe in October last year (read the full Q&A here) the inspiration for the book’s main character, Evie Jameson, is Zoe’s own mother Celia. Sadly Celia did not live to see her fascinating life depicted in fictional form.
The book opens in 1936 and takes the reader through Evie’s eventful life up to the point where she makes an important decision which I’m going to say no more about except to say it may leave you slightly tearful. (Evie’s story will continue in the sequel to Julia Sleeps, entitled Julia Wakes.)
We first encounter eleven-year-old Evie Jameson living with her family in a Glasgow tenement. The Jamesons are a large family – Evie has six siblings – but her mother Maggie and father Johnny somehow manage to put food on the table even though it’s a struggle at times. Often Johnny is out of work and the family have to go through the demeaning process of claiming the dole. There’s brilliant detail about daily life for a family like Evie’s in the 1930s everything from the rota for cleaning the close (the tiled entrance to the tenement building) and the shared toilet, to trips to the ‘steamy’ to do the laundry.
From her youngest days Evie has been determined to become a singer and to share her beautiful singing voice with a wider audience than just her family. I really loved the relationship between Evie and her father who, despite the family’s financial struggles, is always eager to support her ambitions. Following success at a local ‘Go As You Please’ singing competition, Evie attracts the attention of theatrical agents. Soon she’s singing with dance bands, entering – and winning – regional competitions, appearing in variety shows and radio broadcasts. The book really captures the atmosphere of the theatres, cinemas and dance halls where Evie performs. Blossoming into a beautiful young woman, Evie attracts plenty of admirers but she’s focused on her career. Friendship, yes, but nothing more . . . for now.
The path to stardom seems clear until the war intervenes. Evie knows she needs to play her part in the war effort, especially as two of her brothers have joined up. Fortunately she’s accepted into ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association) travelling the country as part of a company entertaining the troops. It’s not a glamorous lifestyle, living in one set of digs after another, but for Evie the thrill she feels when she steps on stage never goes away. However this is wartime and you can’t expect everyone to come through it unscathed.
My favourite part of the book was the final section in which Evie, keen to spread her wings even further, travels to India as part of ENSA. There are wonderful descriptions of her travels around the country as part of a small company putting on shows in a variety of venues. As you might expect though, it’s not all plain sailing, ‘Because here was this strange thing called life, turning on the edge of a coin.’
Julia Sleeps is an engaging coming-of-age story full of colourful detail and vividly drawn characters.
Listen to Zoe reading an excerpt from Julia Sleeps here.
In three words: Heartwarming, authentic, fascinating
About the Author
Zoe writes: I’m a stage school educated girl from West London, UK and have sung professionally all my life. I have been fortunate enough to work in TV, film, radio and musical theatre, playing the title role in the musical Annie in the West End of London as a young girl, amongst other credits. After appearing in Starlight Express for five years I became a solo singer, following in my parents’ footsteps in taking engagements all over the world. In 2014 my husband Kenny and I moved to France where we continue to play concerts.
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