Of Mice and Maltesers - LadyBee's book

[LadyBee]

This book is a first novel, and I think shows that quite a lot but I still found it got under my skin; I thought about the characters in it for quite a while after, even though I didn't think it was terribly profound or even moving it did draw me in. I thought that the writer probably put quite a lot of herself into the book but I'm curious to know what other readers think.
Also - do you think that this is actually 'chick-lit' with serious cover? And did the publisher miss a trick by not marketing it to the masses?

Hi LadyBee. I have to admit that I've never heard of this book or the author before. If I saw it in a book shop, I probably wouldn't buy it because of (a) the cover and (b) the recommendation from Karen Joy Fowler (I hated 'The Jane Austen Book Club'). But that's just the literary snob in me and I suspect that I will probably really enjoy it! When I'm browsing for books, I usually read the first couple of paragraphs to see if I like the style of writing. In this case, I'm a bit undecided - the initial tone seems quite chatty - but I will get started in earnest in a couple of days...

I know! When I saw the 'author of the Jane Austen ...' thing I groaned inwardly. It just seems to label it completely but I expect because she's a first-time author maybe it was difficult to get more well-know authors to do the 'puff'?
I picked this up because of the title, I like old movies and jazz standards and this rang bells, also because as I was reaching for it one of my colleagues said 'that's actually really good'. I think it was the 'actually' that clinched it - as though she understood I might be a bit [hmmm] about it, but to give it a chance.
Am interested to know what you thought about the child character?

Hi Ladybee & FlyingMonkey.

Well, am just about to finish your book, Ladybee

I think you're right when you say that the characters have something that probably stays with you for a while. They're quite vividly drawn. That said, I have to admit that overall I didn't enjoy the writing style too much. I think you're right- she's a first time author & very often this shows & she falls into cliches & phrases that sound as if they should be on bumper stickers. But still, there's something quite fresh & alive (by that I mean, vivid, who jump out of the page) about the characters themselves (particularly Cornelia & Clare, not so much Teo who seems a bit too good to be true.

I still haven't finished the book so will stop here for now... just wanted to say I've found this a quick, light, enjoyable read. Not my usual cup of tea but I certainly didn't dislike reading it.

Hola ladies.

Maria, agreed, I wasn't too keen on the writing style initially as it seemed quite contrived. I definitely thought that the Clare narrative was more successful and more of a compelling story, possibly because it was written in the third person. However, once the two threads of the story came together I was hooked, despite some of the cliched elements, and will admit to having a tear in my eye by the end (can I blame post-pregancy hormones so I don't sound like a complete wuss?!).

I did think the male characters were a bit of a let down. I'm not sure any man can be as emotionally frigid as Martin and Teo was just a bit of a dullard...

Yup, I agree about the male characters. The more I think back to this book, the more I wish there was less emphasis on the 'romance' relationships and more trust that the female relationships were enough - the friends, the female 'mentor', the mother-daughters.

Well yes, the men were certainly too extreme. Teo: certainly too good to be true, too much of an angel. Martin: as FlyingMonkey said, completely emotionally frigid & a mystery (not well described). I also didn't like the character of Clare's mother. Even though I understand she was supposed to have bipolar disorder, it simply didn't ring true to me that she didn't ask for help at some point or talk to someone about her issues (surely she must have had moments of lucidity). Anyway, all in all I liked aspects of the book & disliked others.

This wasn't really my cup of tea TBH, although I agree that the female characters, especially Clare, were well drawn. The writing style didn't do much for me and the film references felt a bit shoe-horned in to me (as did the random references to medieval literature that kept popping up!)

There were some parts of the plot in particular that really seemed to creak for me. I just didn't find it credible that a woman with mental health problems would go missing after abandoning her beloved daughter - and could even have killed herself - and yet no-one contacts the police! There was a vague attempt at employing a private detective and that was all - even after Martin died. I just found this a bit daft and not credible. Also - Teo. So he's this stunningly attractive, intelligent, sensitive, self-confident man and just because he gets fed up of one night stands decides to enter a marriage of convenience with a (not very nice by the sound of it) childhood friend, even though he's only in his thirties?! Not believable for me. And the romantic ending was hugely predictable (although not how it would end between the mother and daughter).

It didn't feel like chick lit to me - a bit too heavy. Not sure what it reminded me of really...?

Oh yes artifarti, you're absolutely right, THAT'S what I was getting at (and couldn't quite put my finger on it). I wrote that it didn't ring true to me that Clare's mother didn't ask for help, but more obviously, why didn't anyone call the police for god's sake?! Not just for Clare's sake, but for the poor woman's sake who might have tried to commit suicide, or been in all sorts of trouble!! Didn't ring true at all (and was actually a pretty heartless thing to do, to not call the police. It was portrayed as something 'good for Clare' but actually what could be worse for Clare than her mother dying!).

True about Teo too. Why did he marry that woman?! I'm not sure the book makes the point clear.

Sorry LadyBee but i didn't like this book.

There were a few things.
Firstly I didn't like how Cordelia kept telling what I was thinking in the first chapter. The characters were not just beautiful but "film star" beautiful IYSWIM. Not everyones perfect.........are they .
I also disliked the constant references to movies/ actors and actresses.
Everything turns out to be perfect - she falls in love with Clare, inherits a house when she needs one, has got a warm supportive loving family, a BIL who falls in love with her and a best friend who is always there at the right time .

Whilst reading this I was constantly hoping the story would get better, sadly for me it didn't.
Please dont be offended, we will have many different POV before going full circle .

Hello, don't worry, I'm not offended - I knew it wouldn't be to everyone's taste. In fact I'm not sure it's entirely to mine , I just like reading first novels and thought this one had some successful elements.
The film references are interesting - definitely a love it or hate it thing. I personally do a lot of referencing films in my life, as I was VERY into cinema for a long time so it doesn't seem strange to me.

Haha LadyBee, you sound like my DP! He grew up constantly watching films, then studied them and now works in a related field and so everything is like something in Citizen Cane/Alien/Brazil/Taxi Driver/something with Clint Eastwood in it/something Bulgarian and pretentious from the 1950s/etc. etc. Maybe that's why it drove me so mad!

I have just sent this book on to PistachioLemon. It took me a while to work out whose book it was... luckily I had browsed this thread before starting the book so I had it flagged!

To begin with it took some getting into. I don't get so many extended reading sessions these days what with work and two under threes! That was okay though as it turned out to be quite an easy book to pick up and put down again throughout the month.

It was an easy read and I can't say that I was particularly attached to any of the characters. Then again, I can't say I actively disliked any of them either. I agree with earlier posters who said that they were all a bit too perfect for playing the role they had been given. The film references got on my nerves too.

That said, I didn't dislike the book and neither did I love it. I do think the story was a good one to tell and really could have been better told - imagine if they whole thing had been told from the viewpoint of Clare or something and what it really is like to be in such an awful situation. There seemed to be a lot of potential to the story that the book didn't live up to.

As for Teo - I knew what was going to happen but it just became a bit to good to be true kind of thing. I was glad when it did but maybe just because it wrapped everything up.

Still, an interesting read.

I've got it this month so getting this onto my threads.

Apolgies for taking so long to get back to this thread - it's Whinegums here btw, ex mistletoeandwhinegums over Christmas.

I'm afraid I couldn't finish the book - I really didn't like it at all. I didn't mind Clare's story (didn't get very far with it, so I have no idea how it all turned out) but the Cordelia bits annoyed me so much I couldn't bring myself to read any more!

Sorry I don't have anything else to say about this one.

Hi - I think Ladybee you are spot on when you say you feel there is a lot of the author in this book. I had the same sense, and I think it's this book's saving grace. I felt like I was listening to a good hearted person caring person, which made me forgive a lot of the book's shortcomings.

It was a "cosy" book, a woman-to-woman sort of book. But in the end didn't really enlighten us about the human condition (which I think all novels really should set out to do), and I agree with a lot of the criticisms above. I enjoyed reading it! But it was like my guilty secret of watching the Gilmore Girls a lot when I was on maternity leave with dd1 (feeding her and hoping for some similarly idyllic mother daughter relationship - I blame the hormones!! But the atmosphere was similar).

I've just finished this book, and TBH, I wasn't a fan. I started as soon as I got it, and it says a lot that it's taken me most of the month to read it.

I didn't like the style of writing - it was a bit too cosy bumptious. I also thought the whole story was very far fetched - it read like something a navel-gazing teenager would write.

And as for the ending...

I also had it in my head, for some reason, that it was set years ago - the language in the first chapter seemed oddly old-fashioned - so when there were cultural references that were 21st century, I found it a bit odd.

I'm glad I read it. It's good to come out your comfort zone, but I wouldn't read another book by that author.

I've just sent this on today and have been reading the comments above before posting. AgentP - I know exactly what you mean about having the period wrong. I thought maybe it was the cover or maybe the setting of the first chapter in the diner but I was also confused for a while.

I did enjoy this - I kind of like 'cosy' - and it was an easy read. It was an interesting book, I was quite intrigued how it was going to end because I felt instinctively that it was the kind of book that would have a happy ending but coudln't work out what that could be (what would be happy for one character wouldn't necessarily be so for another).

I agree that the male characters were pretty uninspiring. Teo - OK but yes, some holes in his back story I thought. As for Martin, again I was quite interested where he was going to wind up because it was clear pretty early on we weren't supposed to like his character.

A good read and nice to have something a little more lighthearted. Thanks LadyB.

Good thing this is not called the 'no excuses' book club - I just didn't seem to findthe time to read the whole book. It was an adequate book, but I wasn't convinced or intrigued enough to want to finish the story..

Sorry

Well, I liked it Ladybee! I enjoyed the film references and i love a happy ending - yes it was a tad (hmm, make that HUGELY) unbelievable that everything just falls into Cordelia's lap as if she has a fairy godmother, but i didnt care .

I loved the Clare character - but she acted awfully maturely for only 11 didn't she. I liked her reminiscing about all the good times she had with her mother, as all we saw was the mother being all odd and unmotherly.

The chatty style of Cordelia felt awkward but not annoyingly so - although i kept thinking she was going to say "reader, I married him".

It probably is verging on chick-lit, but I really enjoyed it and did another marathon candle burning session late into the night to finish it. Thanks LadyBee!

ps. I think im in love with Teo.