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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
As I was reading this book I kept reminding myself that this was written in 1995 and, whether or not I want to believe it, that was already 18 years ago! With this in mind, I had to make some allowances to the more "dated" aspects of the book. I don't think this kind of book is very "in" anymore but Marian Keyes still has a funny writing style that grabs you in and makes you feel included.
I did feel that it dragged on a little, especially in the 1st half. I wanted some clarity into Claire and James's relationship but that only came in the 2nd half and when it came it was really disappointing. This is probably not a genre for which you can talk about realistic characters - this is far too stereotyped and idealized to use such a word - but I felt the male characters could have been a lot better drawn. Couldn't they have been a little "greyer" instead of so black and white? And the fact that Claire had a baby seems to have little effect in the overall story: the baby is usually in the background and there aren't many considerations about maternity and the effect it had on Claire. The ending also left a lot to be desired: the way the circumstances all came together in such a way was too forced and unnatural.
It's an extremely easy read - 600 pages, yes, but most paragraphs consist of only one sentence and the sentences are often short. It's not a dumb book either, it has some interesting ideas in it, particularly about feelings and relationships.
I did feel that it dragged on a little, especially in the 1st half. I wanted some clarity into Claire and James's relationship but that only came in the 2nd half and when it came it was really disappointing. This is probably not a genre for which you can talk about realistic characters - this is far too stereotyped and idealized to use such a word - but I felt the male characters could have been a lot better drawn.
Spoiler
I didn't understand how James and Claire had such a lovely marriage and how he becomes such an insecure, childish bastard all of a sudden; and Adam is far too perfect to be even remotely believable.
I hadn’t heard of this author until Val McDermid kept having her main character, Karen Pirie, pick up a Marian Keyes novel. It happened enough that I figured the authors must be good friends. It’s the kind of publicity you give your bestie, especially since Detective Pirie seems like she’d be a pretty ruthless GoodReader.
This was a very entertaining story. It’s light and filled with humor and emotion.
This was a very entertaining story. It’s light and filled with humor and emotion.
Marion Keyes is fast becoming a favorite of mine. This is the second book of hers that I have read, and of course, I loved it. I was really able to relate to Claire, and I loved Adam. James was such an ass. I really love how Keyes is able to keep her books fun and light, even when dealing with a person's sorrow.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I started this audiobook before Christmas and just kept stopping and starting with it. I really feel the narrator of an audiobook is so important and if you’re not a fan, you’re just not going to stick with it, unfortunately that was the case for me with this book, but today I had to work and with less emails/calls I was able to power through. It’s also still free on Audible plus, and I was partly afraid it would vanish soon, if I left it too long!
We meet Claire, who’s baby bubble burst, when she was callously dumped in the labour ward. We see her run home to her mammy, mourn the loss of her marriage, lose the “watermelon” to a diet and exercise plan of strictly vodka and orange juice and have a flirtatious fling with her sister’s “boyfriend”.
This is a nostalgia read filled with references to the past: fax machines, landlines, telephone boxes, travelling with a child without a passport,no mention of maternity benefit, maintenance payments, but that’s just me being picky. It’s a charming, lighthearted read that has opened me up to the rest of the Walsh series. I have the next book in the series and am promising myself I’ll get to it soon!
I've actually read this book twice. Once when I was a thirteen (I got it as a present, in fact) and once when I got older just to see how different my impressions would be. Turns out that at thirteen, it was a pretty okay book but, at twenty, it was quite shit.
While I don't think there's anything wrong with the basic plot, I found myself very angry with the main character. Not only was she an irresponsible mother, too caught up in her own angst and drinking to care for her newborn, but she was far too focused on her weight and the fact that she couldn't live without a man. I know there are some women who feel this way, of course, but it was horribly dull and repetitive to read about. Not to mention frustrating.
Also, the other characters were all stereotypical to the point of being cringe-worthy, and I had a hard time finding any kind of structure in the storyline. A lot of it was just a big blob of whining and anecdotes that contributed very little to the plot. The book had too little structure to be this long. It just wasn't enjoyable at all.
Claire was far too annoying and I honestly didn't feel much sympathy for her when she got dumped. She was irresponsible and selfish and I really don't think that should be praised. While it was nice that she gained more confidence in the end, I just wish she'd been less proud of her immaturity.
Just... no. No. Not a good book.
While I don't think there's anything wrong with the basic plot, I found myself very angry with the main character. Not only was she an irresponsible mother, too caught up in her own angst and drinking to care for her newborn, but she was far too focused on her weight and the fact that she couldn't live without a man. I know there are some women who feel this way, of course, but it was horribly dull and repetitive to read about. Not to mention frustrating.
Also, the other characters were all stereotypical to the point of being cringe-worthy, and I had a hard time finding any kind of structure in the storyline. A lot of it was just a big blob of whining and anecdotes that contributed very little to the plot. The book had too little structure to be this long. It just wasn't enjoyable at all.
Claire was far too annoying and I honestly didn't feel much sympathy for her when she got dumped. She was irresponsible and selfish and I really don't think that should be praised. While it was nice that she gained more confidence in the end, I just wish she'd been less proud of her immaturity.
Just... no. No. Not a good book.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really enjoyed reading this book, was like a long conversation and Birds Eye view into your best friends life. Laugh out loud funny and makes you gasp at points. Didn’t feel like a struggle to read the 500+ pages. I’d be interested to read the other books about the Walsh sisters, but I’m worried they won’t be as good as this one!
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed the general story line of this book; however, certain features of the authors writing irked me throughout the novel, and left me quite distracted. Proper use of quotation marks was lacking, and often thoughts and conversation were intertwined with apostrophes half hazardously placed making the section extremely confusing and difficult to follow.
The plot was rather predictable with no major twists, and characters weren’t particularly well-developed (other than Helen?). Don’t get me wrong, I still liked this read, as it was light and surface-level: exactly how I like my summer reads to be.
The plot was rather predictable with no major twists, and characters weren’t particularly well-developed (other than Helen?). Don’t get me wrong, I still liked this read, as it was light and surface-level: exactly how I like my summer reads to be.