Please can you talk to me about Marian Keyes?

[Flossiecotton]

I am half way through my first Marian Keyes novel courtesy of the freebies on Audible. She is not an author I have considered before, but I am loving it. I wonder if any one would like to discuss Brightest Star in the Sky. I don’t mind spoilers. In particular, did you have a favourite character?

I really enjoyed Grownups! Got it free from my local library on my Kobo which was a plus.

Thank you all. As I am enjoying brightest star I guess I am in for a treat as the consensus seems to be that it’s not her best.

Does anyone care to share what they don’t like about it. I am listening on Audible as I drift off to sleep. I think I missed some of it. I was a good bit in before I realised the days were counting backwards.

As a counterpoint, I finally got help with an eating disorder after reading about it in whatever that book was (forgotten the title, but the one where she works in a hotel and goes out on her lunch break to binge).

I got referred after reading that because I saw patterns in my own behaviour mirrored in the book, and I’d never felt so seen.

I’m still in therapy for it and it’s not easy but I would never have been diagnosed or got help if it wasn’t for that book

edited to say the name of it was Grownups

Rachel's Holiday is my favourite. I remember really loving that but never loving another one as much. Its worth reading Again Rachel though if you enjoyed the first one. It must be strange at times other countries reading her books as her humour and stories/ families are so lrish..like me. She is a very open person about her own life struggles which is refreshing.

Someone mentioned preferring Cecilia Ahern, another lrish writer, but l don't like her books at all and completely fail to understand their popularity.

I don't like MK's writing at all but she's practically James Joyce in comparison to Cecilia Ahern.

😂
You are very bold (an Irish expression for naughty) @Grabyourpassportandmyhand !!!

I thought the way she introduced Marnie in This Charming Man was very clever. No spoilers, but if you read it, I'm sure you understand what I mean.

I was disappointed by the new one, as others have said it has way too many characters

I really didn't like grown ups. I remember reading it at the beginning of lockdown which didn,t help

But I do remember one of the main characters in it calling her younger kids "the bunnies" so twee and awful it made me so irrationally ragey

Love her early stuff

And love the brightest star in the sky. I wanted the polish guy and Lydia to get together as they clearly had such magnetic sexual chemistry

I have just finished listening to Grown Ups, which is read by Marion herself. She has a lovely voice and I think it's a great book, but I couldn't keep up with all the many, many people! I didn't attempt to really as it was just light listening for me

I read Watermelon when I was 24, getting over a miscarriage and my XH having an affair.

I didn't get out of bed until I'd finished it! It was ĺike a voice was telling me all the things I was experiencing and it was okay.

I'm listening to The Break atm, on Audible. I'm 53 and Marian Keyes is still the person I would like as my best friend ever!

@Grabyourpassportandmyhand Oh yes.

@LuckySantangelo35 I'd not read anything of hers for a while but loved Rachel's Holiday back in the day and I really enjoyed Again, Rachel. As ever, you have to just let some of it pass you by (the mother's party subplot was a bit oot) but Rachel's story was so well told, and fitted so well with what we'd learned about her character it was great. I couldn't put it down by the end.

@weareallqueens

thanks! I do find some of the stuff about the Walsh parents for example a bit caricature and unbelievable

I like Irish writers generally but I prefer Patricia Scanlan to Marian Keyes on the whole.

I love The Walsh family books - I've read and listened to them on Audible more than once!

Mammy Walsh's A-Z of the Walsh family on Audible is one of the funniest things I've listened to 🤩

I've recently read the latest one and found mammy walsh's conversations about oral sex etc completely out of sync with her original character. Remember the thong argument in Rachels's Holiday?
Her latest stuff feels forced whereas the early stuff was just brilliant

I am a big fan of hers, she’s such a great writer and look forward to her Strictly commentary every year.

The Walsh family books are so good, but you should read them in order. Rachel’s Holiday is the best of all of them, it’s my go to comfort read. I enjoyed Again, Rachel but The Cloisters stuff was too much. It was a great plot device in the first book as a way for Rachel to face her addiction, but second time round it was just a bit dull.

I read the latest book on Anna on holiday and enjoyed it, but the Joey thing felt a bit odd. He was a minor character in the other books. I’m going to have to go back a read her other Anna book to see if it missed something.

This Charming Man is excellent, I had no idea where that one was going.

I got really into Marian Keyes books when I got Angel for free with a magazine years ago. I then went back and started with the Walsh sisters from the beginning as well as reading all her standalone books. I like them so much I used to pre-order them, and I was so looking forward to the long-awaited Helen Walsh story. But it was a huge disappointment. I feel like everything went down hill from there. I also didn't enjoy The Brightest Star in the Sky very much, however some elements of it were good. I haven't read a Keyes book since the Helen Walsh disappointment.

I liked Again, Rachel a lot - but probably getting old, as was having trouble following all developments with the Cloisters people. Didn't have the issue with the original book.

I can see this is an old thread but I've just seen on mariyan keyes instagram that the Walsh sisters are getting their own tv series, I can't wait and really hope it does the books justice.

I'm looking forward to that. Heard her talking about it on Alan Carr's podcast. she's so funny.

Oh you've just made me so happy! I really hope they pull it off.

So excited to meet Luke Costello http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/amiibeingunreasonable/5264780-so-excited-to-meet-luke-costello

Started a thread about the tv series if anyone wants to jump on and discuss when it's released, the cast is being announced next Friday!

@guest speakers, I can't wait! It's made me so happy too.

Rachels holiday was brilliant, so funny. I read them when they first published. When she thinks the hotel is being done up but in fact she is in a clinic to get over her addiction.
Another book, i cant remember the name, when her boyfriend was telling her she needed to lose weight. She started eating the bread which was half finished and before she knew it she had finished it. Realising her boyfriend would notice she then went and bought another and had to eat half of it to get to the origial size of the first one.
Her descriptions were were brilliant and i remember another book where she described this guy who was about 20 ish. He had dark curly hair, dark eyes and was very handsome. Years later i was in Waterloo station and this guy started walking towards me and i tjought, "thats him in the story".
Ive not read any in a while so must look them up.

I love the Rachel books and The Break, but I've got terrible brain fog sometimes and in her books where there are loads of characters I've really struggled to keep up with who's who. She does have me in absolute stitches at times though, she's great.

Ooh I can't wait to see who will play Luke, Rachel and Helen in the tv series.