Love Lessons (novel)

Love Lessons is a British novel intended for older readers by Jacqueline Wilson, first published by Doubleday in 2005. It is illustrated by Nick Sharratt, although the only illustrations in this book are the chapter-headings.

First edition

Some of the characters in Love Lessons are similar to those in one of the author's previous books, Waiting for the Sky to Fall (1983).

Plot summary

The book revolves around a 14-year-old narrator, Prudence 'Prue' King. Prue and her sister Grace are homeschooled but are forced to go to a comprehensive school after their father, a bookshop owner, suffers a stroke. Being introverted and artistic yet bad at mathematics, Prue does not fit in as well as Grace but soon develops a close relationship with her art teacher, Mr Raxberry 'Rax'. She also does not have many friends after some girls at school harass her for the lingerie she bought using money she was given to pay for maths tuition. Prue realises that she has fallen in love with Rax and Rax (also known as Keith Raxberry) somewhat reciprocates, despite being married with children, whom Prue occasionally babysits. Eventually, Prue moves to a private grammar school and Rax remains at the comprehensive. However, the end of the book shows that Prue is still in love with him, despite having been parted due to suspicions of their relationship arising at school.

Main characters

Prudence 'Prue' Charity King - A fourteen-year-old girl who is homeschooled by her father, and the narrator of the novel.

Grace Patience King - Prue's eleven-year-old younger sister.

Keith 'Rax' Raxberry - The art teacher who teaches at Wentworth.

Toby Baker - A popular boy in Prudence's year and Rita's former boyfriend. He is dyslexic and gets Prue to help him with his reading.

Mrs. King - Prue and Grace's subdued yet caring mother.

Bernard King - Prue and Grace's short-tempered and domineering father. He has a stroke at the start of the book and spends the majority of the book in the hospital. He does not want his daughters to go to a conventional school and insists on homeschooling them, despite an inspector raising concerns about the quality of their education. He also forbids them from owning a TV or eating foreign food, leading the children to have a limited knowledge of the world.

Rita Rogers - Toby's former girlfriend, at the start of the book, but he later dumps her for Prue, although Prue is not interested.

Marianne Raxberry - Rax's wife and the mother of Harry and Lily.

Controversy

Due to an underage student kissing her teacher, who then somewhat reciprocates her romantic feelings, the book has become more controversial in recent years.[1]

In 2023, Wilson stated that she would not write the book today, as well as acknowledging that she had doubts at the time about whether to write this particular plot.[2]

References
  1. Gibbons, Lottie (9 February 2019). "Mums are BANNING Jacqueline Wilson books saying they're 'unsuitable' for children". Liverpool Echo. Liverpool. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  2. Hattenstone, Simon (7 August 2023). "'I wanted to be No 1. But a certain JK Rowling came along': Jacqueline Wilson on rivalry, censorship – and love". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
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