According to Yes, Dawn French

According to Yes is the latest release from bestselling author and critically acclaimed comedian Dawn French. This is a novel about what happens when you start to say yes after a lifetime of saying no.

Eccentric 38-year-old primary school teacher Rosie Kitto bounces into the impeccably dressed and faultlessly demure world of Manhattan’s upper-class, blissfully unaware of the scrupulous, unspoken rule book: no unruly behaviour, no emotional displays and definitely no fun.

Rosie enters the Wilder-Bingham family as a nanny and injects fun and noise into their life – unwelcome only to head of the household, Glenn, who measures her happiness by tangible success rather than any kind of actual enjoyment. Rosie collides with this pristine world bearing an extraordinary capacity for fun and an oversized bow to match.

The Wilder-Bingham family isn’t quite as together as it first seems though, and as the threads begin to unravel, Rosie leads them down a path that, one-by-one, transforms their outlook on life. At the same time Rosie harbours a secret grief of her own and is forced to embark on a journey of emotional and in the end, life-changing self-discovery.

French covers the big issues of love, betrayal, grief and heartbreak in this witty ode to family life in the 21st century. The novel itself isn’t that short but it really took no time at all to get through. It is an easy read but doesn’t fall short on sustenance – it’s not purely light and airy but fun and poignant with some hilariously perceptive observations of family life. According to Yes has a wacky storyline that is hard to believe but equally I was so convinced by Rosie’s character that it seemed feasible that she would find herself in such a ridiculous situation. French embraces the imperfections of human action and captivates the capacity for absolute absurdity in our lives.

It is an enlightening and feel-good read offering a fresh look at life and how to embrace it. The premise is certainly verging on the unbelievable, but it is funny and enjoyable to the end.

We Love This Book

According to Yes, Dawn French

According to Yes is the latest release from bestselling author and critically acclaimed comedian Dawn French. This is a novel about what happens when you start to say yes after a lifetime of saying no.

Eccentric 38-year-old primary school teacher Rosie Kitto bounces into the impeccably dressed and faultlessly demure world of Manhattan’s upper-class, blissfully unaware of the scrupulous, unspoken rule book: no unruly behaviour, no emotional displays and definitely no fun.

Rosie enters the Wilder-Bingham family as a nanny and injects fun and noise into their life – unwelcome only to head of the household, Glenn, who measures her happiness by tangible success rather than any kind of actual enjoyment. Rosie collides with this pristine world bearing an extraordinary capacity for fun and an oversized bow to match.

The Wilder-Bingham family isn’t quite as together as it first seems though, and as the threads begin to unravel, Rosie leads them down a path that, one-by-one, transforms their outlook on life. At the same time Rosie harbours a secret grief of her own and is forced to embark on a journey of emotional and in the end, life-changing self-discovery.

French covers the big issues of love, betrayal, grief and heartbreak in this witty ode to family life in the 21st century. The novel itself isn’t that short but it really took no time at all to get through. It is an easy read but doesn’t fall short on sustenance – it’s not purely light and airy but fun and poignant with some hilariously perceptive observations of family life. According to Yes has a wacky storyline that is hard to believe but equally I was so convinced by Rosie’s character that it seemed feasible that she would find herself in such a ridiculous situation. French embraces the imperfections of human action and captivates the capacity for absolute absurdity in our lives.

It is an enlightening and feel-good read offering a fresh look at life and how to embrace it. The premise is certainly verging on the unbelievable, but it is funny and enjoyable to the end.

We Love This Book

Dear Committee Members, Julie Schumacher

This unique work of epistolary fiction tells the tale of Jason Fitger, a beleaguered professor of creative writing and literature whose once promising career has faded and his romantic life left in self-proclaimed tatters. This distinctive narrative is presented through a collection of satirical letters of recommendation that Jason begrudgingly produces en masse for his colleagues and students.

Through the letters we learn of Jason’s frustrations towards the internal politics of higher education, resentment towards financial cuts and of his comically articulated unsuccessful relationships. Dear Committee Members is a sardonic commentary on the superfluity of menial formalities and a self-reflexive critique on the meaningless praise that he is required to conjure in these endless LORs. Embedded with subtle witticisms that keep you on your toes throughout, this is ultimately an inventive and intriguing portrait of contemporary life.

It definitely appeals to that classically English melancholic pessimism and is my sort of humour completely, but while it left me wanting to meet Julie and share her quirky sense of humour (perhaps over a pint or two), as a book I’m not sure if it works. A lucid story does unravel and there are characters that almost come to life, but it is hard to feel as though you know them in any great depth and that is what I was left pining for.

Dear Committee Members is chuckle-worthy and certainly different, but not for the plot driven reader.

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The Twilight Hour, Nicci Gerrard

In The Twilight Hour, Nicci Gerrard literalises the tidying and burying of memories and secrets into the physical process of clearing one’s possessions away.

At 94, Eleanor Lee is fiercely independent and refusing to become a burden to her family she opts to go into a nursing home to ease their anxieties. She agrees to move out only under the agreement that she will employ an absolute stranger to sort through her books, photographs, paintings and letters that have been gathering dust for years. Peter, a recently broken-hearted young man who we learn relatively little about becomes Eleanor’s stranger and ultimately remains ours.

The Twilight Hour is a framed narrative which unravels Eleanor’s story through the letters and notes Peter finds, and the questions that they prompt. It is a wonderful jab-in-the-ribs reminder that old people were young once and they can still feel the passion, lust and heartbreak that they felt in their twenties.

Brilliantly eye-opening this truly enjoyable read tells the story of an obscure love story of the passion of an old woman and a dead man. Together, the two strangers embark on a cleansing journey of blowing the dust off of old memories reliving them and eventually, laying them to rest. In Eleanor, Peter finds a purpose, and in Peter, Eleanor rediscovers her younger self and embraces the painful memories of lost love.

A Girl Called Summer, Lucy Lord

A Girl Called Summer follows three interlocking stories of love, lust and hippies on the idyllic and notoriously debauch island of Ibiza.

Bella, Andy and their delightful daughter Daisy are starting a new life in their dream house. They are in every way the very picture of perfection, aside from a somewhat distractingly gorgeous neighbour, and Andy’s admirable but intrusive commitment to getting his next book finished. Will the White Isle rock their long-awaited fresh start?

Meanwhile in Hollywood, Tinsel town’s hottest celeb couple, Jack and Tamara, famously known as ‘Jamara’, are successfully acting their way through a love-less engagement. Vulnerable and deeply insecure after a lifetime in the spotlights, and only recently clean and sober, a trip to the party island of Ibiza inevitably pushes her and the relationship to the limits.

And then there is the lovely Summer Larsson: native of Ibiza and full-time ray of sunshine, who, in a whirl-wind of romance and deserted beaches falls head over heels in love with one half of Hollywood’s poster couple.

Summer really does change it all.

I began reading with the expectation of light-hearted frolicking and cliché love affairs, but was pleasantly surprised by its unforeseen depth, and at times, darkness. An easy read without being trashy – definitely one for the suitcase.

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