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A review by okiecozyreader
Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
At first, this book reminded me of Ove or Eudora Honeysett - an older character who makes friends and develops a new community. Which I loved. But then, it became even better as they each influenced each other. I also loved her author’s note about growing older in advertising. Looking forward to the chat on Sunday with @lbloverofbooks!
Trains are wonderful. To travel by train is to see nature and human beings, towns and churches and rivers, in fact, to see life. AGATHA CHRISTIE
“Second Rule of Commuting: you may nod to someone if you’ve seen them on a significant number of occasions, even—in extremis—exchange a wry smile or an eye roll at one of the guard’s announcements over the loudspeaker, but you never, ever talk. Unless you were a nutter.” Ch 1
“Nothing really bad could happen to a man in Gucci loafers, could it?” Piers, Ch 9
“…keeping his feet trapped in the life he was no longer sure he wanted while the waters rose slowly around him.” Piers, Ch 9
“…Fourth Rule of Commuting.”
“What’s that?” said Sanjay, wondering if there was a pamphlet he should have read.
“Never surrender a seat once occupied.” Ch 16
“ She’d spotted Iona straightaway—how could you not? She was exactly the sort of woman Emmie wanted to be when she was old. She was totally individual—iconic, even—and obviously didn’t care at all what anyone thought of her.” Ch 21 Emmie
“Then Sanjay thought about Iona, and what she would have done if she’d been on the train that morning. She’d never have let someone suffer that humiliation, and there was no way she’d let this one lie, either.
Be more Iona, he said to himself. “ Ch 22
“Why had it taken her so long to see her train carriage as a fascinating portal into other people’s stories, rather than just a way of getting from A to B? Ch 24
“It’s the Fifth Rule of Commuting,” said Iona. “Always come prepared for any eventuality.” Ch 24
“Did they not know that the Third Rule of Commuting was never to eat hot food on the train?” Ch 28
“Because she’s elegant but fierce. You know, Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” Ch 30
“First Rule of Commuting,” she said. “What’s that?” he said. “You need to have a job to go to,…” Ch 42
“And, as Iona told her constantly, in life confidence was everything. If you’re going to get it wrong, Martha, make sure you get it wrong with PANACHE…” Ch 46 Martha
“When the thing you’ve feared for so long actually happens, you have nothing left to be scared of anymore. “ Ch 47, Piers
“Why was it that men with gray hair and wrinkles achieved gravitas, whereas well-preserved women like herself became invisible?” Ch 48
“Do you remember Tina Turner’s Private Dancer album?” said Iona. Louisa nodded. “It was her most successful ever. Her comeback after years of commercial purgatory. You know how old she was when she released it? Forty-five! And she was only getting started. She did her last world tour aged seventy.”Ch 59
“But then the pandemic hit, and I found myself looking back on those days with an incredible sense of nostalgia. I also started to wonder what would have happened if I’d ignored the unwritten rule of commuting and had been brave enough to talk to my fellow commuters. What adventures might those conversations have taken me on?” Authors Note
Trains are wonderful. To travel by train is to see nature and human beings, towns and churches and rivers, in fact, to see life. AGATHA CHRISTIE
“Second Rule of Commuting: you may nod to someone if you’ve seen them on a significant number of occasions, even—in extremis—exchange a wry smile or an eye roll at one of the guard’s announcements over the loudspeaker, but you never, ever talk. Unless you were a nutter.” Ch 1
“Nothing really bad could happen to a man in Gucci loafers, could it?” Piers, Ch 9
“…keeping his feet trapped in the life he was no longer sure he wanted while the waters rose slowly around him.” Piers, Ch 9
“…Fourth Rule of Commuting.”
“What’s that?” said Sanjay, wondering if there was a pamphlet he should have read.
“Never surrender a seat once occupied.” Ch 16
“ She’d spotted Iona straightaway—how could you not? She was exactly the sort of woman Emmie wanted to be when she was old. She was totally individual—iconic, even—and obviously didn’t care at all what anyone thought of her.” Ch 21 Emmie
“Then Sanjay thought about Iona, and what she would have done if she’d been on the train that morning. She’d never have let someone suffer that humiliation, and there was no way she’d let this one lie, either.
Be more Iona, he said to himself. “ Ch 22
“Why had it taken her so long to see her train carriage as a fascinating portal into other people’s stories, rather than just a way of getting from A to B? Ch 24
“It’s the Fifth Rule of Commuting,” said Iona. “Always come prepared for any eventuality.” Ch 24
“Did they not know that the Third Rule of Commuting was never to eat hot food on the train?” Ch 28
“Because she’s elegant but fierce. You know, Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” Ch 30
“First Rule of Commuting,” she said. “What’s that?” he said. “You need to have a job to go to,…” Ch 42
“And, as Iona told her constantly, in life confidence was everything. If you’re going to get it wrong, Martha, make sure you get it wrong with PANACHE…” Ch 46 Martha
“When the thing you’ve feared for so long actually happens, you have nothing left to be scared of anymore. “ Ch 47, Piers
“Why was it that men with gray hair and wrinkles achieved gravitas, whereas well-preserved women like herself became invisible?” Ch 48
“Do you remember Tina Turner’s Private Dancer album?” said Iona. Louisa nodded. “It was her most successful ever. Her comeback after years of commercial purgatory. You know how old she was when she released it? Forty-five! And she was only getting started. She did her last world tour aged seventy.”Ch 59
“But then the pandemic hit, and I found myself looking back on those days with an incredible sense of nostalgia. I also started to wonder what would have happened if I’d ignored the unwritten rule of commuting and had been brave enough to talk to my fellow commuters. What adventures might those conversations have taken me on?” Authors Note
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting