'Mums@Home' by Sophie King-- a novel about mumsnet, surely?!

[Orlando]

Was in Smiths today and saw this. Here's its Amazon review...

Synopsis
Love, laughter, and logging on...Calling all mums! What would you do if your husband had a fling? Have you ever had to keep a terrible secret from your kids? Do you sometimes wish you had a life outside being a mum? Are you pregnant and alone? Caroline, Mark, Susan and Lisa are as different as the parenting problems they face and each has their own reasons for logging on to the Mums@Home website for the very first time. At first they are cynical about the site - how can faceless people possibly help or understand what they are going through? But as the weeks pass and their family problems escalate, each of them begins to realise that Mums@Home has become a lifeline - somewhere to go for advice, to be heard, to escape, or to belong...Sophie King captures the zeitgeist once again with this warm, moving and engaging look at modern parenting and finding friends.

Like, who needs to read about it when we're living the life??

(Actually, I've always thought that there was a novel in here somewhere, but would have made it a murder/mystery myself, with all the clues hidden in the posts...)

So who's going to read it and report back?

I have actually got it in my bag at the moment, although not started it. As soon as I get near the end of one book (currently Mark Billington, Lifeless) I like to have the next one ready. Thought I would finish Lifeless on the train but met up with a friend and chatted instead. Hopefully finish Lifeless tonight and then can start Mums@Home. Not sure what to expect really, not my normal type of reading.

bollocks

that's my tell-all novel shafted then

sophie bleeding king got there first

I think we probably DO know what to expect after hanging around here! Can she make it as bizarre, funny, litiginous and dramatic as the real thing?

Do keep us posted when you've read it!

I've always thought it could be a tv prog, a Clocking Off type thing.

(yours would be funnier, Cappucino.)

I must write some more of my Great Twenty First Century Novel and stop just resenting people who do get off their @rses...

MI - snap. :(

The depressing thing is that when you think about it, we've all bloody written her novel for her.

There are huge swathes of literature I avoid on the basis of jealousy and minor acquaintance. This is childish and embittered.

I did see this in the shops and nearly bought it but it looked dull. At first I thought "bloody hell, it's MN!" but when I read the format of the messages the mums write, it didn't actually seem like MN at all. More like a newsgroup, I think they communicate through emails rather than on a chat board like this.

Would be interested to hear from someone who has read it though.

Orlando how kind you are!

I bet it's not full of rubbish about shopping lists and discussions about whether Chris from Cbeebies is gay

Bitch.

um... who was that aimed at expat?

Sophie King I hope...

yes

Heavens, MI, me too!

Blimey, sounds as if she got her inspiration from this site or similar?

I'm very envious I bought an at home course with the view to writing ...well...anything got to step 3 then left it to ....errrrr....gather dust

I did buy the ringed notebooks, 1 large and 2 small so that I could keep my notes, jot down characters etc...but 1 has been scribbled on and the other has lists in it. The big one is being used by dh for work.

I just keep comforting myself by thinking of these old dears you read about who start writing in their 70s. Maybe mine will be a novel about having a meet up on the moon with mumsnetters

My literary jealousy is paticularly acute when the successful author is the same age as me - or younger.

I have to confess to having read it! Not obviously based on characters from here, but certainly the author has experience of this or similar sites/forums! The authour was used to watching people having different personalities online (including a single dad pretending to be a mum to get advice). Also picked up on odd bits such as middle class mum being irritated by poor spelling!

Of interest because it was based on the MN type of experience (people realising that their friends/acquantances were also members of the forum, and it included a description of a meet-up). But not great literature in its own right - there are better books in the genre.

Self knowledge too great - know I will never write anything in the serious or even lightheartedchicklit vein as too lazy. Its a relief - leave the getting organised, motivated and rich to someone else.

Oh I feel better now I've read it isn't brilliant!

Shall be back in Asda tomorrow to restock on notebooks and before you know it mumsonline chick lit will be penned (or microsoft worded)

I do have a novel planned actually but it's just getting motivated. There is a bit of internetting in my plot, also travelling and a lady of an ....ahem... certain age.

Ok, so it's me and my life slightly embroidered and I'm stealing bits of my RL friends stories too as they're involved in the story. Just have to get my fingers tap tapping and get my ar$3 in gear

I think it's true though that most of us have a book in us we just have to have the time, energy and enough patience to see it through.

I'm gonna write a bunch of drivel like James Joyce and call it literature and get rich and famous like him.

Oh, wait, I already have a permanent case of verbal diaorrhea.

Damn!

There goes that idea.

Reading this book at the moment - its brilliant.

Still reading the thread title as Stephen King...

Snafu - were you waiting for Satan to post then?