Shrines Of Gaiety, Kate Atkinson (possible spoilers)

I agree that the ending seemed a rushed afterthought. I enjoyed the book, however, including the time period. My favorite characters were Niven, Gwendolyn, and Keeper. I especially loved that Keeper "swooned" when Niven petted him.

Owen is a very memorable book character.

KA’s book of short stories is on my Christmas list. Hoping I’m going to love it, I enjoyed Shrines of Gaiety but certainly not as much as her other books (except Transcription).

Well, I am still emotionally impacted by, "A Prayer For Owen Meany," but believe you and it will be next after I finish this one. I do love John Irving.

I miss Owen.

I was also a bit disappointed, I normally like her stuff and was expecting a lot but then ending seemed rushed and the narrative rather simplistic. It couldn't seem up live up to its promise of colourful characters and setting.

Thank you; I ended up purchasing John Kennedy Toole's "A Confederacy of Dunces," and I am enjoying it. I love well-written literature. I will read "The Cider House Rules" since I am addicted to John Irving's books. I now realize that I saw the movie but did not read the book.

VictoriaMay
The Cider House Rules is my favourite John Irving. You will love it.

I reallty liked some of the early books but not her latest ones. So won't bother with this new one unless I see it in a charity shop going cheap.

It's bland and I am disappointed. I've read and thoroughly enjoyed most of her books and eagerly awaited this one. Fifty pages in and I'm not going any further.

I devoured the Jackson Brodie novels and was also swept away by her other books. I did not read "Transcription."

I just read John Irving's "A Prayer For Owen Meany," then "A Widow For One Year." Both were phenomenal.
I may revisit others I enjoyed decades ago - perhaps "The Cider House Rules."

A friend recommended Eudora Welty's works.

Eh... it happens but this was an expensive Kindle purchase.

greengreengrass25

Yes, I also love that detail about dogs in KA’s books.

I’ve put her new short stories on my Christmas list.

Tempted to get it now but have started the new Strike which is another behemoth of a book and will probably take me till Christmas to get through!

I thought it was a good read overall

Yes the ending was a bit rushed and the lorry was a bit irritating

What happened to the dog

KA always includes dogs which I love

Florence returned but had lost her naivety so was very different

Was the girl that Frobisher found in water another girl not Florence as he also found glasses but it was confusing

KA’s background reading is fantastic: Dope Girls is one of the best books I’ve read in my life.

History of the drug scene, who ran it, who bought and used, in Victorian/Twenties London and how drugs got outlawed (slowly).

Better. I enjoyed Shrines but it’s too long and Nellie had too many dull children.

I like to think it was the real Florence, otherwise how would she know where to return home to?
I found Frobisher's outcome disappointing as he was such a major part of the story, maybe the author couldn't see what he might do beyond living with his poor wife for the rest of his life?
Would also have been good to know what happened to Gwendolene too as she was a main character!
I really enjoyed the book but found the ending unsatisfactory!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Agreed it isn’t KA’s best but it’s still fantastic.
Loved the characterisation particularly Niven and Gwendolyn.

I was a little underwhelmed. I recently reread Transcription which I enjoyed more.

Agree the Jackson Brodie books are just great, fun reads.

I read it and enjoyed it, mainly because I just like spending time in KA's head, but agree that it could have been a bit more... savoury? I think that period is fascinating but maybe that's the whole point: what's fascinating and glittery to us at a distance (roaring 20s, Golden Age Hollywood, Carnaby St, etc) was fairly mundane when you were living it. The National Archives did some really interesting online lectures last year around the release of the 1921 census and there was an excellent one about Kate Meyrick, on whom Nelly is based.

As a side note I also listened to the audio book, narrated by Jason Watkins, and he gives the northern contingent such Last of the Summer Wine accents it's as if half the book is written by Alan Bennett.

There were several points in the book that felt off. I thought Freda might have caused Owen Varley's death but nothing further came from that incident (unless I missed it). But more importantly, Gwendolyn sources photographs of Freda and Florence, and Frobisher muses that the girl just found might be the latter and then finds that both victim and Florence wore a crucifix. And then the investigation goes nowhere despite Frobisher spotting a girl on the next page who looked like Freda.

And please KA or your proofreader make up your mind if you are going to stick with mortuary or morgue.

I love Kate Atkinson but was a bit disappointed with this one. I didn’t find the characters convincing. Also , unusually for her, the prose and dialogue were sometimes a bit clunky. I liked the setting, but It didn’t quite work as a story.

Just finished reading Shrines of Gaiety and loved it!

Florence’s storyline intrigued me. I think the author left it vague for the reader to work out like a little mystery.

My guess is that it was the real Florence who returned home at the end (she went on to have kids who had big feet and were adenoidal which are pretty specific hereditary details) but she seemed different to her Mum because I think she’d been badly damaged. I think Maddox or the other cop got her hooked on drugs (Freda found powder in her drawer) and I think she rigged the handbag being stolen to pay for them and as her habit got worse was forced into prostitution (she got picked up in the car). She was able to return home when the policemen died/went to jail. Her Mum thought she was different because she was: drug-addled and with PTSD. It was Freda & Gertie who looked similar (petite with blonde ringlets so both different physically from heavyset Florence) I think the drowned girl was just a poor random girl and a bit of a red-herring from the author.
Just my tuppence worth, lol.

Have just read this and loved it, so interesting to hear the very different views here. Behind the Scenes is my favourite novel of all and I thought KA was very much back on form with this novel following Transcription. Also loved Life after Life, and A God in Ruins.

Yellowsun. Try the Brodie series or Behind the Scenes at the Museum.

She’s phoning it in
I’m enjoying it to be fair

but nothing like the earlier ones which I totally adored and still re read

it’s been this way for the last 4 IMO

I’m glad others felt the same.
I was slightly disappointed with transcription and very disappointed with this having adored life after life and a god in ruins and enjoyed all of the Jackson Brodie ones.
I though it was stilted and nothingy.
Im not buying the Florence as an imposter theory.

I thought it was ok but didn’t excite me. I also wondered what the point was. The first KA book I tried was Transcription which I gave up on as just didn’t get into it. I was hoping this would be my gateway book. What would people recommend?

I enjoyed it! More than Transcription

I borrowed this from the library, and as it was new, I had to return it after just a week, so I speed read it, and now can't check for details.

So, spoilers to follow...

Who was it who killed Ramsey's "friend"? I didn't understand why.
And I've now forgotten Florence getting the last word - I just remembered the Gwen Nevin ending. What happened with that? And, ridiculously, I can't remember what the lorry has to do with anything - can someone remind me please?