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Original poster

I recommend We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver

85 replies

albosmum · 23/09/2005 21:53

I really enjoyed this book and would like to recommend it!

OP posts:
spookymoo · 05/10/2005 18:45

I thought it was brilliant - but agree with expat, Lionel herself is barking.

ladybundyful · 05/10/2005 18:44

oooh no pressure then

havae just started the Mammoth Cheese, so alan will have to wait his turn...

bakedpotatooooowoooh · 05/10/2005 18:39

OK I'm going out tonight, will take it in my bag for tube ride. Last chance.
Treats (and a bit of light b*ggery) in store for you, then, Ladybundy

ladybundyful · 05/10/2005 18:24

suedonim, i tell them the children hid them..or just leave the dosh on the counter

go on, bp, if you try it i'll try the alan hollinghurst thingummy

suedonim · 05/10/2005 18:23

Oh well, I'll look for it at the library again . That's if they let me have any more books. I had a phone call about my overdue ones last weekend and still haven't done anything about them.

ladybundyful · 05/10/2005 18:23

bp can i implore you to try again?
(i am notorious for abandoning books...star of the sea, cloud atlas - which i did go back to )

bakedpotatooooowoooh · 05/10/2005 18:16

suedonim, that's where I got bored too

ladybundyful · 05/10/2005 17:58

pwomise, sweety

ikwym nqc, but wonder if this is becuase my own experience of motherhood has been so positive, i find it hard to imagine feeling like she does, but still don't find it in-credible

(did you get the hat pattern btw?)

JoolsToo · 05/10/2005 17:56

I found the style not very easy but the subject matter was so good and the story so persevered and really enjoyed it

suedonim · 05/10/2005 17:54

I got to the red-paint-smeared-over-the-house bit. Does it really improve from there on? Do you promise I won't be wasting my time?

NotQuiteCockney · 05/10/2005 17:25

I liked it a lot ... although I remember finding some of the stuff about being a mum not entirely convincing. Don't remember what, now, of course.

FauxVampire · 05/10/2005 16:18

ladybundyful, Did not think Notes on a Scandal could be surpassed! Will let you know if I think it has been when I finish. May then have to start a thread with spoilers.

The thing is, with a first person narrator all the way through (so far as I've got), it's bound to be a bit claustrophobic. But what a thing for a writer to pull off. Suedonim, and others, have another go. I'm betting on it proving worth it.

ladybundyful · 05/10/2005 16:12

do try to stick with it suedonim, i got a bit stuck at the start too

suedonim · 05/10/2005 16:07

I couldn't get into this book and took it back to the library unfinished, which is rare for me! I think it was the stream-of-consciousness stuff I didn't like. But maybe I should give it another go.

Lucyfercat · 05/10/2005 13:25

Lionel Shriver was on that bookclub type programme a few months ago on BBC1 and she was fantastic. Anauthor that comes across as well on TV as in print.

ladybundyful · 05/10/2005 13:23

fauxvampire, enjoyed notes on a scandal too, but nowhere near as much as Kev

FauxVampire · 05/10/2005 13:18

I think (not having finished it yet) that it has echoes of Zoe Heller's Notes on a Scandal - which I loved. I imagine this narrator, like Heller's, may not be the most admirable person on earth; plus the horror as it unfolds.

ladybundyful · 05/10/2005 13:16

bakedpot, agree to start with...but got beyond this and totally enjoyed it. and I am difficult to please. very.

FauxVampire · 05/10/2005 13:13

Still enjoying it... It's got a lot of Americanisms in it which make it harder to read; I'm sure I'm missing some cultural references. Apparently no British publisher would take it until it was discussed on Woman's Hour.

katierocket · 05/10/2005 13:10

no way bakedpot - I am genuinely shocked that you think that. I thought it was brilliantly written.

popsycal · 05/10/2005 12:57

i just bought it yesterday..

expatinscotland · 05/10/2005 12:44

Will you be my best mate, baked? I agree 100%.

bakedpotatooooowoooh · 05/10/2005 12:14

I started this and couldn't bear the way it was written. Overblown and unwieldy, imho.

BaronessMarsLady · 05/10/2005 12:10

I am currently reading this. Her words really pull you in.

Not reading the thread in case someone lets some info slip!

expatinscotland · 05/10/2005 11:57

I recommend therapy for Lionel, who is far more frightening that Kevin.