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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not a bad book, but not really my cup of tea. Relatively fast paced, though really more medium.
Story follows two siblings in their 60s who deal with their elderly father. Some family history is discovered. That’s about it.
Story follows two siblings in their 60s who deal with their elderly father. Some family history is discovered. That’s about it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-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
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another excellent book from Deborah Moggach, although I'm not sure anything is ever going to quite match up to Tulip Fever. I didn’t like the first half so well, mainly because I thought I knew where it was going and it all seemed a bit predictable. But I should have known that I did not, in fact, know where it was going and it went in a much less obvious and better direction.
You won't like any of the characters particularly. This was just ok for me. Not a patch on Stolen although I read it because of the impact that had on me.
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this book pleasantly surprised me! i had expectations of where it was going and was much happier with where it actually went. great family saga with a focus on the older adult experience.
reflective
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Since his wife died, intellectual James, once an eminent professor has been living alone in the Cotswolds, becoming increasingly frail in his old age. His children, Robert and Phoebe are both in their early 60s and have their own busy lives and need someone to care for their father so they are overjoyed to find Mandy from Solihull. 50 years old, overweight with Rosemary West specs, she comes highly recommended and James immediately takes a liking to her which means Robert and Phoebe can return to their lives knowing their father is in safe hands.
Robert lives in a large house in Wimbledon with his wife, a breakfast news reader on the TV. His children have left home, he has lost his job in the city, misses his dog and yearns to write a novel, hiding away in his garden shed. Phoebe lives alone in a small Welsh town, is a an artist, and is sleeping with Torren, a hippy who lives in a hut in the forest.
Mandy makes James happy – they go on jaunts together to hedgehog sanctuary’s and shopping centres and enjoy watching the birds together in the garden. To begin with the siblings are happy with Mandy’s care of their father but they soon become worried. Their father is becoming even more frail and forgetful, he visits his solicitor, the siblings find Mandy has been going through some personal items of their father and she starts making little digs at them about their lifestyles.
I really enjoyed this family drama. The cast of characters are all pretty unlikeable but with reason. Robert and Phoebe are both pretty spoilt and despite neither having jobs or commitments, they are both “too busy” to take care of their elderly father, They both feel inadequate in his eyes and still feel resentful of how distant he was in their childhood.
There are secrets a plenty that are revealed and it didn’t go the way I expected it to. It is a very knowing book – the idea of caring for an elderly parent is a modern day nightmare for many and siblings often battle to pass the care to the other. It is something both my husband and I have had to deal – both our mums had cancer and juggling work, childcare and our own lives wasn’t easy but I think we did our best and I hope our mums would of agreed with that. There was definitely resentment between my sister and I though!
Looking at family relationships, the insecurities children feel and the rivalry between siblings, I really enjoyed this very honest look at family life. I think it was perfectly suited to someone of my age (mid 40s) as I think I could relate to the themes more. I’m glad to have finally read this author.
Robert lives in a large house in Wimbledon with his wife, a breakfast news reader on the TV. His children have left home, he has lost his job in the city, misses his dog and yearns to write a novel, hiding away in his garden shed. Phoebe lives alone in a small Welsh town, is a an artist, and is sleeping with Torren, a hippy who lives in a hut in the forest.
Mandy makes James happy – they go on jaunts together to hedgehog sanctuary’s and shopping centres and enjoy watching the birds together in the garden. To begin with the siblings are happy with Mandy’s care of their father but they soon become worried. Their father is becoming even more frail and forgetful, he visits his solicitor, the siblings find Mandy has been going through some personal items of their father and she starts making little digs at them about their lifestyles.
I really enjoyed this family drama. The cast of characters are all pretty unlikeable but with reason. Robert and Phoebe are both pretty spoilt and despite neither having jobs or commitments, they are both “too busy” to take care of their elderly father, They both feel inadequate in his eyes and still feel resentful of how distant he was in their childhood.
There are secrets a plenty that are revealed and it didn’t go the way I expected it to. It is a very knowing book – the idea of caring for an elderly parent is a modern day nightmare for many and siblings often battle to pass the care to the other. It is something both my husband and I have had to deal – both our mums had cancer and juggling work, childcare and our own lives wasn’t easy but I think we did our best and I hope our mums would of agreed with that. There was definitely resentment between my sister and I though!
Looking at family relationships, the insecurities children feel and the rivalry between siblings, I really enjoyed this very honest look at family life. I think it was perfectly suited to someone of my age (mid 40s) as I think I could relate to the themes more. I’m glad to have finally read this author.
The Carer, by Deborah Moggach, is a bittersweet story of two sexagenarian siblings. It presents their personal travails as they navigate the murky waters of remaining independent whilst dealing with a frail elderly parent. Their eighty-five year old father, James, is a retired Professor of Particle Physics. He was married for sixty-four years to the equally intelligent but now dead Anna. Since breaking his hip James cannot manage the stairs in his cottage so sleeps alone on a single bed at street level. His children, Robert and Phoebe, wish to continue with their own lives unencumbered by their father’s practical needs. They therefore hire a live-in carer to enable him to stay in his own home several hours drive from where they live.
Finding a carer willing to move to a sleepy Cotswold village and give James the attention he requires proves a challenge. After a couple of false starts they find Mandy, an overweight and garrulous fifty-two year old who arrives with impeccable references. The recently morose James is transformed under her care. Gone are the stimulating conversations and intellectual musings. In their place is an interest in village gossip, scratch cards, daytime TV and visits to shopping centres.
Robert and Phoebe retreat feeling both relieved and guilty. Robert is writing a novel in his garden shed in London, avoiding his beautiful and successful wife who goads him about his failures. Phoebe, an artist living in a small Welsh town where every second person harbours artistic tendencies, is indulging in an affair with a local woodsman. Both siblings feel frustrated at the direction their lives have taken blaming parents they remember from childhood as neglectful.
Mandy berates Robert and Phoebe for still harbouring grudges against their parents. She has little time for such self-pity when they are farming out their father’s care. As her employers, the siblings do not appreciate being spoken to so plainly. Privately they worry that what Mandy is saying may be true.
Story chapters are told from key characters’ points of view. The reader learns the bare bones of the siblings’ backstories, their thwarted desires and concerns. As Robert and Phoebe go through their days, James and Mandy appear to be getting on well. There is, however, a growing suspicion that the affable carer is not trustworthy. Phoebe and Robert prevaricate over whether they are being paranoid or if they should be concerned. And yet, do the family want to lose a carer doing a job they are unwilling to take on themselves?
There is a gentle humour in the writing as key events unfold and threads are spun together. The author captures the pathos of aging, both the elderly James and his no longer young children. It is a nicely structured depiction of some of the challenges and risks inherent when bringing a stranger into intimate contact with a loved one. There are gently mocking observations to lighten any darkness in the tale.
The final third of the book adds an unexpected dimension. It offers an interesting exploration of familial secrets and their impact on relationships.
I found the pace somewhat slow in places but then this is not to be the sort of book I normally read. The topic is timely given our aging population. A complex issue wrapped within a wider, droll tale – easy but not empty entertainment.
Finding a carer willing to move to a sleepy Cotswold village and give James the attention he requires proves a challenge. After a couple of false starts they find Mandy, an overweight and garrulous fifty-two year old who arrives with impeccable references. The recently morose James is transformed under her care. Gone are the stimulating conversations and intellectual musings. In their place is an interest in village gossip, scratch cards, daytime TV and visits to shopping centres.
Robert and Phoebe retreat feeling both relieved and guilty. Robert is writing a novel in his garden shed in London, avoiding his beautiful and successful wife who goads him about his failures. Phoebe, an artist living in a small Welsh town where every second person harbours artistic tendencies, is indulging in an affair with a local woodsman. Both siblings feel frustrated at the direction their lives have taken blaming parents they remember from childhood as neglectful.
Mandy berates Robert and Phoebe for still harbouring grudges against their parents. She has little time for such self-pity when they are farming out their father’s care. As her employers, the siblings do not appreciate being spoken to so plainly. Privately they worry that what Mandy is saying may be true.
Story chapters are told from key characters’ points of view. The reader learns the bare bones of the siblings’ backstories, their thwarted desires and concerns. As Robert and Phoebe go through their days, James and Mandy appear to be getting on well. There is, however, a growing suspicion that the affable carer is not trustworthy. Phoebe and Robert prevaricate over whether they are being paranoid or if they should be concerned. And yet, do the family want to lose a carer doing a job they are unwilling to take on themselves?
There is a gentle humour in the writing as key events unfold and threads are spun together. The author captures the pathos of aging, both the elderly James and his no longer young children. It is a nicely structured depiction of some of the challenges and risks inherent when bringing a stranger into intimate contact with a loved one. There are gently mocking observations to lighten any darkness in the tale.
The final third of the book adds an unexpected dimension. It offers an interesting exploration of familial secrets and their impact on relationships.
I found the pace somewhat slow in places but then this is not to be the sort of book I normally read. The topic is timely given our aging population. A complex issue wrapped within a wider, droll tale – easy but not empty entertainment.