Has anyone read The woman who went to bed for a year by Sue Townsend?

[beujolais]

Has anyone read this? would love to know what it is like as i sacrificed it at the book shop yesterday for a box of rose and violet creams!

Yes, to be fair he does have a back story and a hint of complexity. He just didn't quite cut it as a fully realized character for me.

I quite enjoyed this, but perhaps it's unfortunate that it was published not long after Ali Smith's There But For The which covers v similar ground.

Communist- I'd never heard of Ali Smith's book. Perhaps Smith's publishers were kicking themselves that Sue Townsend was doing it!

Going back to the book, what I found interesting is that she started from an angle that Eva was the only sane, sensible one, and ended with an angle that Eva was very much less than sane by the end.

I enjoyed the book because of it's mixed messages and it's different layers. It wasn't cut and dried but then neither is life.

I quite enjoyed the book, it certainly had its faults but it was an entertaining read. I did get sent a review copy though, and I wouldn't buy it new in hardback, or at the full current Kindle price. I found some of the characters a bit caricaturish and didn't like it as much as the Adrian Mole series.

elkie- I had a review copy too- Are you a Vine Voice? (secret handshake)

Yes I am

me too! Nice to meet another one!

I've been trying to spot your review, but failed. (I thought you might have used some of the same bits as you've posted here). Who are you on Amazon?

Didnt enjoy this at all - not hilarious, no laugh out loud bits! some stop and think for 30 seconds - but not much else!

Bought it for my mum and she thought the ending was a bit strange whatever that means. Read Queen and I think it was that one and the ending was one you always tell school children never to write!!!

OP not fiction but have just read Jon Ronson the psychopath test - was excellent and cheap on amazon.

Oh no I got this for Christmas and haven't had time to read it :(

Yes I have. It was my Christmas present from my bookclub. We all buy a book we would like to read and then pick a number and get that book. Did I enjoy it? Hmmmm it made me laugh but towards the end I got bored and cross. Overall a very meh 6/10. If it had carried on like the begining it would probably have been a nine.

I was loaned it by a friend at work who thought it was wonderful and I'm halfway through and really struggling. Does anyone ever get likeable? Or is it supposed to be a comedy of manners and I'm missing the point?

It's not great literature, but I quite enjoyed it, on the whole. Liked the concept of the much-put-upon mother/drudge suddenly turning round, going completely on strike, and getting her own back (in this unexpected way) on her family who have so taken her for granted, and for so long. There is a real ring of truth in that aspect of it. Not sure how believable most of the other characters are, though! Some flashes of insight and funny moments here and there. I seem to recall the ending as being somewhat unsatisfying and inconclusive.

I read it and frankly it was boring and disappointing. No much of a story and not much of an ending. No funny bits. A few hours of my life I will never get back!

I thought it was very lazy writing. Basic research hadn't even been done leaving clanging errors and characters borrowing traits of her previous characters which made a barely believable plot unreadable.

It struck me as being an almost exact female counterpoint to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, except she stays in bed and people come to her, as opposed to him going out and people coming to him. Only 100 pages to go now so will finish it but I want to smother everyone with her duvet.

I had really mixed feelings about it. I thought it was really clever to begin with - the simplistic idea, together with the 'overly simple' character names, easy reading, etc. And I thought Eva was great. But I held a book group at work for it and actually lots of people hated it. Ah well, it's provocative, anyway!

poor effort I thought

lazy

one of my fave characters is Pauline Mole

so this was a let down

Started it in October and just can't get into it.
Infact may have left it in a hotel.....

I liked it, it had energy, anger and sadness as well as some humour.

I thought the husband was a bit too crappy, and Alexander a bit too dreamlike though!

Enjoyed reading it very much. Imo it deals with mental ilness, not an easy topic.