We began with a discussion about Hans Christian Andersen’s life story prompted by LR’s choice of his autobiography.

His terrible childhood and the difficulties encountered in his early adulthood, gave an insight into the often sad and dark nature of many of his stories.

We also discussed our memories of reading his work as children , particularly the most well known  - The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea and The Emperor’s New Clothes.

We went on to talk about some of his darker stories - The Little Match Girl, The Red Shoes and The Ice Maiden - stories which wouldn’t be deemed suitable for children of today - certainly not without a trigger warning!