Rock Paper Scissors - Alice Feeney

 44%

29.10.24

No realistic people were harmed in the making of this novel.

What Alice Forgot - Liane Moriarty

 62%

24.10.24

Moriarty's tenth novel is about to come out so finding the only other one I hadn't read in the library was serendipitous. This was a fun yet surprisingly complex read - a woman forgetting the last ten years was almost like time travel but it cleverly stopped short of 'young her undoes the mistakes of older her', examining all the implications. Talking of mistakes, I enjoyed it all the way up to the ending(s), which were hugely disappointing, considering what had gone before.

Evidence of the Affair - Taylor Jenkins Reid

 n/a

08.05.24

It's a short story, really, so I won't give it a grade, but TJR's work is always entertaining. I mean, it's no Clarissa (what is?) but the epistolary structure worked well in the context and had a few intriguing twists (spoiler: the evidence of the affair was not the letters). But was it really set in the mid-1970s? More like the 1950s - that cultural part didn't ring true.

Unravelling Oliver - Liz Nugent

 63%

02.03.24

Another distraction from the slog of Ordinary Monsters, this was deceptively engaging - it was only afterwards that I realised what a dark story it was. But then it wasn't particularly realistic or subtle - Oliver was such a pantomime villain and most of the other narrators were so 'nice' that their behaviour wasn't very convincing and 'what happened and why' wasn't very satisfying. But it was a good read.

Really Good, Actually - Monica Heisey

 51%

04.02.24

The quality of the writing was indeed really good. But not the awful, self-obsessed narrator, who did female characters as much of a disservice as those written by the male authors I've read recently. There was no conflict or plot or anything relatable to anyone who's not a white middle-class 20-something living in Toronto. It just went on and on. And on. And on a bit more.

Sorrow and Bliss - Meg Mason

 59%

04.01.24

Towards the end of this book, the protagonist (and simultaneous antagonist) comments on her 'striking unlikeability and attention-seeking punctuation'. Both these things are true, although we are apparently supposed to believe she is an unreliable narrator, safe in the unquestioning love of her family and (second) husband. The structure was circular and meandering, presumably like the narrator's mind, but that didn't bother me as much as the entitled middle-classness of it all.

Truly Madly Guilty - Liane Moriarty

62%

18.05.23

I've now read most of Moriarty's novels and it's clear she sticks to the formula that works for her - various narrators from white, middle-class Australian families experiencing low-to-medium level trauma. She will tease you with what might have happened for most of the book, and then throw in a few twists that have been hinted at earlier on, and then continue with the story for rather longer than is necessary. In this one, I liked the portrayal of different marriage dynamics and the realistic sense of obligation that people have to each other over time. I doubt I'll remember much about it in a year, though.

French Braid - Anne Tyler

 

54%

29.04.23

Anne Tyler at her best is superlative. This was not her best, or even her middling. As a narrative covering the ebbs and flows of family dynamics over time, it worked fine, but the story and characters just weren't worth caring about. And enough of the pointless pandemic epilogues!

One True Loves - Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

49%

29.01.23

I think this was TJR's last novel before she found herself a niche in fake celebrity memoirs. Those are better. Perhaps it's the more focused characters in the later books - the two men in this seemed to be exactly the same so no wonder the narrator struggled to choose between them. And I have no idea what they saw in her. Unsurprisingly, that made the whole premise a little rocky.

That Summer - Jennifer Weiner

 

58%

20.09.22

The simplistic cover designs do this book no favours by implying it's a chick-lit beach read - but it soon becomes clear that beaches can be dangerous places. Its serious message is somewhat undermined by the pantomime villain of a husband, who any real wife would have left years ago, and by the weird 1950s vibe of what was supposed to be a contemporary story. The alleged twist was also so telegraphed from the beginning that I was surprised to learn from reviews that it was a twist at all. But it was interesting enough, in a 'rich people's drama' kind of way.

The Husbands - Chandler Baker

 52%

24.10.21

It wasn't badly written but it was badly executed. A sympathetic, believable main character would have been a good place to start. (And a four-year-old who goes to school is not a toddler. Was that a deliberate metaphorical choice or just poor editing?)

Recipe for a Perfect Wife - Karma Brown

55%
28.04.20

I don't really know what to make of this. On the one hand, it was an appealing two-day read with an interesting premise. On the other, the story depended on the protagonists' unrealistically irrational behaviour. Why do contemporary novels feature such unlikable women with whom we are expected to empathise? The ending of both narratives was decidedly iffy and heavy-handed. And, of course, it needed a decent edit, but what book doesn't these days?

Standard Deviation - Katherine Heiny

71%
21.08.18

This was fabulous! It immediately appealed in Waterstones, for some reason, and my instincts were good (for once) as it turned out to be unusually funny and quietly rather wise. One for recommending but with the warning that (spoiler about lack of spoilers) it doesn't really end properly; it just serves up a defined slice of life.

Clock Dance - Anne Tyler

62%
14.07.18

I love Anne Tyler's writing so much that I got this as soon as it was published (the UK cover isn't as appropriate as this one, presumably the US version). Her books are wise and quirky and well-observed... and this was... yet it seemed unremarkable, even inconsequential. It's really a series of short stories about the central character but doesn't quite hang together as a novel. If it wasn't Anne Tyler, I probably wouldn't be so indulgent.

The Sudden Departure of the Frasers - Louise Candlish

65%
20.12.17

Now, this is interesting. In many ways, this is quite like 'Exquisite' (the book I read before it) - an overdramatisation of a domestic situation told from two unsympathetic points of view. It's silly and frustrating and unrealistic but, oddly, it's also fun, engaging and highly readable, the sort of story that's perfect for winter nights on a beanbag with a glass of mulled wine.

A View of the Harbour - Elizabeth Taylor

60%
14.09.17

Like a muted Under Milkwood, this captures particular community at a particular time. The characters and location are deftly sketched and not much happens very convincingly.

The Tortoise and the Hare - Elizabeth Jenkins

65%
28.09.16

I ordered this from the library on a whim, after reading several glowing reviews. It's certainly of its time (late 1940s/early 1950s) and, to modern readers, the main character can be maddeningly passive as her awful husband blatantly takes up with another woman. But modern minds could also view it as a fairly convincing account of emotional abuse that causes depression and loss of self-confidence. It is beautifully written (if oddly edited) and rather intriguing in its account of class behaviour.