Take a photo of a barcode or cover
2.91 AVERAGE
2.91 AVERAGE
I actually enjoyed this book a lot I think it was fun and enjoyable and an easy read, however it did leave me feeling a little uncomfortable at some points. Reading through reviews on here ( to make sure that I was not alone with this feeling of discomfort- which I wasn't ) I found a lot of comments sympathising with the antagonist, and at the time - half way through the book - I didn't really understand it, now that I've finished i totally get where they were coming from.
So the book starts of lovely and comical with a clear "villain" and a clear "heroin" which added to the lighthearted feel of it and whereas in most case I'd find this approach immature, I actually did not mind it. And then Rosie goes and sleeps with Thomas, which left me with conflicting opinions because one hand he's standing up to his controlling, manipulative missus, however he cheated on her and cheating is still wrong. Plus the fact that Thomas is literally like twice Rosie's age and his wife is Rosie's employer. Okay so Glenn may not have been the most endearing person but does that mean she deserves to be cheated on by her husband with a human who she employed, gave a home to and trusted with her grandchildren. Which leads on to the second point. Her "relationship" with teddy. This is what really bothered me. Fair play she was not employed to babysit teddy, and yes he was legally an adult, however I feel that she is a very confident 40 something year old woman and he is merely a very shy, nervous 18 year old boy. Both were drunk, she was supposed to be almost a parental figure to him and he was very vulnerable. To me the whole thing was just very inappropriate and left a bad taste in my mouth. Teddy was also portrayed as very immature and was led on by Rosie which was very unfair.
And then there was the whole situation with Kemble being very appropriate, although she did not refuse she was not in a position to consent to begin with plus earlier that evening he sexually harassed her. But suddenly that was completely fine because he's gay? So in short all three of these sexual relations were wrong for one reason or another. And then Rosie finds out she's pregnant and the baby could belong to any one of them.
Both Thomas and teddy offer to stand up and act as fathers, Kemble on the other hand slut shames the woman he practically raped and says he wants nothing to do with the baby. And teddy is told he doesn't need to worry he just go off to college, so although he was taken advantage of he still had a part to play in it and didn't even have to face the consequences, he was just immediately relieved from any "father duties". But after all this Glenn is still regarded as the bad guy, and Rosie is just completely let off the hook and is allowed to continue living in their house????
So the book starts of lovely and comical with a clear "villain" and a clear "heroin" which added to the lighthearted feel of it and whereas in most case I'd find this approach immature, I actually did not mind it. And then Rosie goes and sleeps with Thomas, which left me with conflicting opinions because one hand he's standing up to his controlling, manipulative missus, however he cheated on her and cheating is still wrong. Plus the fact that Thomas is literally like twice Rosie's age and his wife is Rosie's employer. Okay so Glenn may not have been the most endearing person but does that mean she deserves to be cheated on by her husband with a human who she employed, gave a home to and trusted with her grandchildren. Which leads on to the second point. Her "relationship" with teddy. This is what really bothered me. Fair play she was not employed to babysit teddy, and yes he was legally an adult, however I feel that she is a very confident 40 something year old woman and he is merely a very shy, nervous 18 year old boy. Both were drunk, she was supposed to be almost a parental figure to him and he was very vulnerable. To me the whole thing was just very inappropriate and left a bad taste in my mouth. Teddy was also portrayed as very immature and was led on by Rosie which was very unfair.
And then there was the whole situation with Kemble being very appropriate, although she did not refuse she was not in a position to consent to begin with plus earlier that evening he sexually harassed her. But suddenly that was completely fine because he's gay? So in short all three of these sexual relations were wrong for one reason or another. And then Rosie finds out she's pregnant and the baby could belong to any one of them.
Both Thomas and teddy offer to stand up and act as fathers, Kemble on the other hand slut shames the woman he practically raped and says he wants nothing to do with the baby. And teddy is told he doesn't need to worry he just go off to college, so although he was taken advantage of he still had a part to play in it and didn't even have to face the consequences, he was just immediately relieved from any "father duties". But after all this Glenn is still regarded as the bad guy, and Rosie is just completely let off the hook and is allowed to continue living in their house????
emotional
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:
No
Rosie Kitto has run away from her life as a primary school teacher in Cornwall to nanny for a fancy family in New York. Glenn and Thomas, their son Kemble and his sons, 28 year old Tommy and twins Red and Three. Kemble is going through a slightly bitter divorce and the whole family under Glenn's influence are stiff and unhappy.
Rosie's presence gradually warms things up, doors open, curtains open, light floods in both literally and figuratively. But along the way things occur which turn everything on its head.
I did want more from the ending, maybe some clarity, but maybe they're leaving it as a Mamma Mia situation, without too much in the way of spoilers that gives a big hint as to the events of the novel. It is a trope I'm not a massive fan of (initials A.P.) but it did work well in this situation.
Overall I did really enjoy this though, I loved how everything progressed and everyone grew.
Rosie's presence gradually warms things up, doors open, curtains open, light floods in both literally and figuratively. But along the way things occur which turn everything on its head.
I did want more from the ending, maybe some clarity, but maybe they're leaving it as a Mamma Mia situation, without too much in the way of spoilers that gives a big hint as to the events of the novel. It is a trope I'm not a massive fan of (initials A.P.) but it did work well in this situation.
Overall I did really enjoy this though, I loved how everything progressed and everyone grew.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved this book, couldn't put it down. Great characters
I enjoyed the first part of the book thoroughly (Act I) and then in Act II it definitely took a twist and turn to a plot that I had not been expecting! With each turn of the page I was really wondering where the author was taking this novel, but in the end I was fairly amused and okay-satisfied with the results.
An amusing read and I will say that Act I had me smirking at some of the comparisons and comments made.
An amusing read and I will say that Act I had me smirking at some of the comparisons and comments made.
Wat een gaar boek. Ik kan er geen chocola van maken.
Als ik een samenvatting moest schrijven, zou die als volgt luiden: Raar wijf genas drie mannelijke leden van dezelfde familie van al hun problemen door met ze naar bed te gaan, en iedereen klapte.
Als ik een samenvatting moest schrijven, zou die als volgt luiden: Raar wijf genas drie mannelijke leden van dezelfde familie van al hun problemen door met ze naar bed te gaan, en iedereen klapte.
I am so disappointed. I had high expectations because I find Dawn French very funny. I read 100 pages or so before I had to stop because I could not take it anymore. The language is getting in the way of me enjoying the reading, it feels like I am reading bad fanfiction. The characters don't feel new and the dialogue and dynamic a bit forced. Not picking this book up again. It seemed like such a promise of a good book and it let me down.
I am so irritated by this book!
First off, the book cover and book description makes you think it's going to be some light-hearted, chick-lit esque novel about a Mary Poppins/Maria Von Trapp character teaching an uptight family to be less, well, uptight.
It isn't; it has a lot more edge to it than that - which should come as no surprise to anyone who has read one of French's previous novels or watched any of her comedy (stuff she's done with Jennifer Saunders rather than Vicar of Dibley).
Why do publishers have this obsession with marketing a work by a female author that isn't literary fiction as chick lit? Why can't just be marketed as a novel? Like books by male authors are?
Mind you, the second thing that really annoyed me about this novel is that French lacks the courage of her convictions to continue with the edgier stuff until the end. She raises a few issues but then conveniently overcomes them. I think it would be much more interesting if the pitfalls of the "saying yes to everything" philosophy of Rosie Kitto, the book's heroine, were highlighted to a greater extent. There are several events that occur as a direct result of this philosophy that in real life would not play out as smoothly as they do in the book.
One can only hope in later novels, French is tad a braver and lets her books end more messily than this one does.
First off, the book cover and book description makes you think it's going to be some light-hearted, chick-lit esque novel about a Mary Poppins/Maria Von Trapp character teaching an uptight family to be less, well, uptight.
It isn't; it has a lot more edge to it than that - which should come as no surprise to anyone who has read one of French's previous novels or watched any of her comedy (stuff she's done with Jennifer Saunders rather than Vicar of Dibley).
Why do publishers have this obsession with marketing a work by a female author that isn't literary fiction as chick lit? Why can't just be marketed as a novel? Like books by male authors are?
Mind you, the second thing that really annoyed me about this novel is that French lacks the courage of her convictions to continue with the edgier stuff until the end. She raises a few issues but then conveniently overcomes them. I think it would be much more interesting if the pitfalls of the "saying yes to everything" philosophy of Rosie Kitto, the book's heroine, were highlighted to a greater extent. There are several events that occur as a direct result of this philosophy that in real life would not play out as smoothly as they do in the book.
One can only hope in later novels, French is tad a braver and lets her books end more messily than this one does.