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A review by mejisilliterate
Grown Ups by Marian Keyes
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
immediately writing this after finishing the book and it’s HARD not to give it a five. But that’s because of the ending, and I know with some reflection it probably wouldn’t hold up.
the cast is actually amazing. with that many characters to keep track of, it’s hard to make sure every storyline stays consistently interesting. keyes did a wonderful job of this, with few faults, except maybe with the character of liam at times. i just found that he grew very flat by the end, which is a shame because i think to start he had really interesting complexity. also i think it’s a shame he’s the only major character whose storyline didn’t have a sufficient full stop. we don’t have a clue about his future, which going along with the fuller endings of the other characters, in comparison his conclusion felt, well, inconclusive.
some spoilers ahead
i ADORED the relationships that were endgame (which i include ferdia and nell into because i love them too much to not have hope for their future :,) Cara and Ed were my favourite couple and their storyline was the best in my opinion. heartbreaking, but yet hopeful. i’m a sop for love, so even though jessie and johnnys fight and reunite was a bit stretched, i still loved it anyway. and finally, ferdia and nell. the bittersweet to round off the saccharine. in my mind i know that it was both a great writing choice and character choice for nell to work on herself after a difficult and possibly traumatic marriage, and same goes for ferdias complete compliance and understanding of nell’s choice, which really is a masterful way to demonstrate his maturity. at first, when i started to sense that keyes was setting up a relationship between them, i was a bit unsure. However, ferdias character journey, which really should be studied because it was SO good, allowed the relationship to develop in a truly believably loving way (and in a hot way! man i was crushing on him a bit at the end…)
the cast is actually amazing. with that many characters to keep track of, it’s hard to make sure every storyline stays consistently interesting. keyes did a wonderful job of this, with few faults, except maybe with the character of liam at times. i just found that he grew very flat by the end, which is a shame because i think to start he had really interesting complexity. also i think it’s a shame he’s the only major character whose storyline didn’t have a sufficient full stop. we don’t have a clue about his future, which going along with the fuller endings of the other characters, in comparison his conclusion felt, well, inconclusive.
some spoilers ahead
i ADORED the relationships that were endgame (which i include ferdia and nell into because i love them too much to not have hope for their future :,) Cara and Ed were my favourite couple and their storyline was the best in my opinion. heartbreaking, but yet hopeful. i’m a sop for love, so even though jessie and johnnys fight and reunite was a bit stretched, i still loved it anyway. and finally, ferdia and nell. the bittersweet to round off the saccharine. in my mind i know that it was both a great writing choice and character choice for nell to work on herself after a difficult and possibly traumatic marriage, and same goes for ferdias complete compliance and understanding of nell’s choice, which really is a masterful way to demonstrate his maturity. at first, when i started to sense that keyes was setting up a relationship between them, i was a bit unsure. However, ferdias character journey, which really should be studied because it was SO good, allowed the relationship to develop in a truly believably loving way (and in a hot way! man i was crushing on him a bit at the end…)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder