Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved this book!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I quite enjoyed this book. It was an easy read. Has jumped on the bandwagon a bit about the recent surge in stuff about the menopause. Two women help to stave off the forced closure of the local allotments. Preferred the character Bev, but ultimately felt the ending was rushed.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The main character in this book is Janet Pimm, a rather prickly septuagenarian who lives a small life and feels more kinship with her plants in her allotment than with other people.
She sticks to a strict routine and does her best to avoid her neighbour Bev's attempts at friendship.
A series of events leads to her beloved allotment being threatened with closure, resulting in Janet and Bev making a road trip to try to help get things set right again.
Janet is fiercely independent and we learn a bit of her background history, where we find out she is incredibly intelligent but has been routinely overlooked and ignored (in her eyes). There is also a lost love and other tragic events which add a bittersweet flavour to her memories as she tries to retrace some of her steps from years ago.
The themes of loss, bereavement and wasted or lost opportunities are sensitively handled by the author and echo across other characters, as Janet starts to integrate more with her fellow allotmenteers and not self isolate so much.
There are lots of gardening references throughout as that's her first love and it was quite interesting to learn some of the medicinal properties of different plants.
By the end Janet is much less of the 'invisible woman' she feared she had become - a lovely story celebrating the strength of older women.
She sticks to a strict routine and does her best to avoid her neighbour Bev's attempts at friendship.
A series of events leads to her beloved allotment being threatened with closure, resulting in Janet and Bev making a road trip to try to help get things set right again.
Janet is fiercely independent and we learn a bit of her background history, where we find out she is incredibly intelligent but has been routinely overlooked and ignored (in her eyes). There is also a lost love and other tragic events which add a bittersweet flavour to her memories as she tries to retrace some of her steps from years ago.
The themes of loss, bereavement and wasted or lost opportunities are sensitively handled by the author and echo across other characters, as Janet starts to integrate more with her fellow allotmenteers and not self isolate so much.
There are lots of gardening references throughout as that's her first love and it was quite interesting to learn some of the medicinal properties of different plants.
By the end Janet is much less of the 'invisible woman' she feared she had become - a lovely story celebrating the strength of older women.
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Janet Pimm is a rather prickly character when we first meet her. She is not particularly warm and friendly to her fellow allotmenteers. When she tries to share her knowledge of plants with them it always seems to come out wrong, in a critical kind of way, so she’s not well liked there. She’s obviously a very intelligent woman and we get glimpses of what her earlier life has been. She’s also obviously endured sadness though for a long while we can only guess at what that has been. When her beloved allotment is threatened, the one constant in her life, she is determined that’s not going to happen and is on a mission to get to the bottom of what’s happening.
Janet is well used to being on her own and accepts that as her lot. She doesn’t particularly appreciate her cheerful neighbour Bev always trying to befriend her as if she was some kind of worthy cause. In her own way, Bev also feels she has become invisible, something many women experience as they get older. Her feelings are so easy to understand.
I had expected most of this book to be about the fight to save the allotment but in fact it’s just as much about Janet and Bev’s unexpected adventure and all the more enjoyable for that. Janet’s determination to save the allotment is certainly the catalyst for what happens but we find out just what this invisible woman is made of and it turns out she has a core of steel.
The friendship that developed between Janet and Bev was truly remarkable. Janet was known for being difficult to approach, making it unlikely for her to form close friendships. Yet, Bev’s sunny disposition managed to break through her barriers and positively transform her life. It would be unwise to underestimate these “invisible women” and disregard their potential contributions.
This is a really heart-warming book about a community which rallies together to protect what is important to them. The author conveys an important message about the need to care for nature, not just on the small scale of an allotment but also for the wider world. I was inspired by the idea that growing plants and nurturing the earth is not only about the present but also investing in the future. This is so true on many levels. The Invisible Women’s Club is a captivating book which will have you cheering on the characters. It’s an uplifting read celebrating community, friendship and the resilience of women, especially when they band together.
Janet is well used to being on her own and accepts that as her lot. She doesn’t particularly appreciate her cheerful neighbour Bev always trying to befriend her as if she was some kind of worthy cause. In her own way, Bev also feels she has become invisible, something many women experience as they get older. Her feelings are so easy to understand.
I had expected most of this book to be about the fight to save the allotment but in fact it’s just as much about Janet and Bev’s unexpected adventure and all the more enjoyable for that. Janet’s determination to save the allotment is certainly the catalyst for what happens but we find out just what this invisible woman is made of and it turns out she has a core of steel.
The friendship that developed between Janet and Bev was truly remarkable. Janet was known for being difficult to approach, making it unlikely for her to form close friendships. Yet, Bev’s sunny disposition managed to break through her barriers and positively transform her life. It would be unwise to underestimate these “invisible women” and disregard their potential contributions.
This is a really heart-warming book about a community which rallies together to protect what is important to them. The author conveys an important message about the need to care for nature, not just on the small scale of an allotment but also for the wider world. I was inspired by the idea that growing plants and nurturing the earth is not only about the present but also investing in the future. This is so true on many levels. The Invisible Women’s Club is a captivating book which will have you cheering on the characters. It’s an uplifting read celebrating community, friendship and the resilience of women, especially when they band together.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A fabulous partnership develops between curmudgeonly recluse Janet, and her over sharing “people person” neighbour Janet when their local allotment land is threatened with closure to make way for luxury apartments. Corrupt officials must be taken down, thank heavens Janet has many hidden talents. Witty and heartfelt.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a 5* read for a while, but tailed off a bit at the end. The title and cover design suggest that it is light chick lit for older women, about a bunch of feisty older ladies confounding the expectations of the young and prejudiced. At first, that impression seems to be wrong. The moving descriptions of Janet’s desperate loneliness and failings really got to me. I thought it was going to be a much deeper read than I had expected. Then it reverted to type, and the feistiness comes to the fore. It’s still very good though. A really good story, with a good range of characters, beautiful descriptions, and some tense moments. I will want to read more by this author.
I always include major spoilers (hidden), to help with my memory issues. Read them at your peril! -
Janet, 72, lives alone, has no friends at all, no family. She assumes that any friendly overtures are pity. Her one solace is her allotment, where she tends her patch of rare and medicinal plants for a strict time period everyday. Her fellow allotmenteers mostly avoid her. Then disaster strikes the council announce that Japanese knotweed has been found on the allotments, and they are declared a biohazard and are to be closed. But all is not as it seems. Janet sets out to find out who is at the root of the dastardly doings, and prove it, unexpectedly aided by her neighbour, Bev, and her ex-GCHQ colleague, Glynis.
I always include major spoilers (hidden), to help with my memory issues. Read them at your peril! -
Janet, 72, lives alone, has no friends at all, no family. She assumes that any friendly overtures are pity. Her one solace is her allotment, where she tends her patch of rare and medicinal plants for a strict time period everyday. Her fellow allotmenteers mostly avoid her. Then disaster strikes