Find out what Mumsnetters thought of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon

[SorchaMumsnet]

For the first book giveaway of the year, we'd like to introduce you to debut author Joanna Cannon and her first novel The Trouble with Goats and Sheep. You can also read her top tips for aspiring authors.

Mrs Creasy is missing and The Avenue is alive with whispers. The neighbours blame the disappearance on the heatwave, but ten-year-olds Grace and Tilly aren't so sure.

As the summer shimmers endlessly on, the girls decide to take matters into their own hands. And as the cul-de-sac starts giving up its secrets, the amateur detectives find much more than they imagined.

We ask all winners to share their thoughts about the book on this discussion thread. However, you don't have to win a free copy to take part in the discussion - anyone who has read The Trouble with Goats and Sheep can post their thoughts on this thread.

Everyone who posts detailed feedback on the book by the end of Thursday 23 February will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 Love2shop voucher.

This giveaway is sponsored by HarperCollins

When Mrs. Creasey disappears, 10 year old Grace and her slightly younger friend Tilly decide to investigate. After learning from the vicar that God is everywhere they decide that while they are looking that they will also look for God.

A heat wave, a cul-de-sac, a man who doesn't fit in, God in a drainpipe and secrets many, many secrets and two very entertaining young protagonists. The girls find out many things, not necessarily things that will solve the case, because in truth they do not have the ability to understand everything they hear nor able to put it in the proper context. They also do not have all the pieces, but individual people do. The dangers of judgment and banding together to deliver their own justice. Throughout the novel we hear a great deal about shame, because though everyone talks about everyone else here, their are those who are keeping something back, things they don't want known because it will shame them.

This is a marvelous novel, written in a lighter toe but dealing with some very important and weighty subjects. The part when the girls are in church and the vicar is talking about sheep and goats was laugh out loud funny. I read some of that to my husband. Ultimately this is a novel about friendship and a heat laden summer when two young girls learn a far more valuable lesson than they ever expected.

I enjoyed this, really set the scene well and characters you rooted for.

bought back memories of angel delight, but apart from that didnt do much for me.

Wow, I well remember that long, hot summer of 1976 and the setting is well crafted to capture the era with the inclusion of some memorable products. The characterisation of two 10 year old girls was also very effective as I was a similar age back in 1976, roaming around, generally being a kid, so could easily transport myself back.
That said, I wasn't really sure what was going on for a while, so found predicting what might happen difficult.

This was full or secrets and surprises.....bags of wit and humour too which was right up my street! Very cleverly written and just loved Grace & Tilly's perspective!

No but it is next on my list- it looks fab

Loved it. I was about the age of the main characters in 1976 so it was a nostalgic read for me, not so much from the point of view of their lives as I had a very different upbringing but because it brought me right back to how I viewed the world as a child and how inexplicable some things involving adults seemed to be. Hindsight is a great thing!

I haven't got my copy yet - look forward to reading it

Loved it, felt really real.

I liked it a lot has a lot of surprises .

I am over half way through this book and am really enjoying it. I have had a little trouble getting my head around all the characters but have found the story interesting and fast paced. The book centres around the whereabouts of one of the residents of the street who has gone missing, seen through the eyes of two pre teens. I would recommend this book

First of all I must say I did enjoy this book and read it quite quickly. Like others have said above, I am also of a similar age to the girls and experienced the sort of freedom that they had (in comparison to today – think of all the posts on MN about today’s 10 year olds and how much freedom they should have!).
I thought some of the author’s descriptions were quite clever and well thought out - “A tribe of girls….. They stood on the opposite corner doing nothing except being older than me” or “and rows of terraced houses, which handcuffed families together through chance and coincidence.”
Conversely, a few things did jar – on several occasions I felt that the author was perhaps trying a little too hard with her descriptions or to place it in the particular time frame.
I loved the way Walter was introduced to the story. He came across as a gentle, shy man but at the same time, you couldn’t help but worry for the girls in case the rumours were true.
The introduction of the Kapoors was a partly amusing, partly embarrassing diversion from the story. I was horrified by the naïve racism of even the nicer characters and even more horrified to realise it probably was quite accurate 40 or so years ago. How times have changed.
The Jesus on the drainpipe bit was odd – OK, fine for the girls to find Him and keep watch for a few days, but a whole bunch of adults? Unlikely.
I’ll be honest and say I thought the ending could have been expanded on slightly but none else seems to have mentioned that, so maybe it’s just me.
Other things kept bothering me which unfortunately detracted slightly from the story – every time I saw the word Avenue in relation to their houses, it grated – an avenue is a straight road, not a cul-de-sac/circular road as it is shown as at the front. Also the names Grace, and possibly also Tilly – no one was called Grace in the 1970s unless you were an old person.
It was great to be reminded of some things I’d forgotten – macramé bags, Whimseys, old fashioned library tickets, Kays Cataogues and Angel Delight. Other times, some of the items mentioned didn’t seem right and I wonder whether the author had actually checked her facts – Free Range eggs were, I believe, very unusual in the 1970s and the Bennett household probably wouldn’t be the type to try out this new-fangled idea. Also not sure that Bouncy Castles were around then but could be wrong. And was Sun Cream called that in the 1970s? I thought it was still called Sun TAN Cream or Sun TAN oil back then?
But sorry, I’m just being a bit fussy because really it was a very good read which I would recommend to friends (and also to my book group who I’m sure will love it).

Thank you for the copy of this book.

At first I was a bit anxious about the title and the beginning of the first chapter but I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. IThe writer reflects the lives and times of communities in 1976. Thoroughly enjoyed this read.

I haven't read "Trouble with goats and sheep" but sounds very interesting. I do remember the heatwave of 1976. I came on holiday to Devon and ended up coming to live in Devon for good the following year.

I'm too young to be nostalgic about this era but it was still an enjoyable read and I was able to tease my partner about him being a 70's child haha! I'd recommend it to a 40+ audience as I think they'd get more out of it but it's a fun book for the under 40's too.

Many thanks to Mumsnet / HarperCollins for a copy of this book. What I expected at first to be a light whimsical read is instead a highly perceptive examination of everyday lives, laced with a ominously dark undertone.

The story takes place in an almost idyllic suburban setting, set against the backdrop of a sweltering 1970's English summer. Mrs Creasy has disappeared and 10 year-old Grace and Tilly have taken it upon themselves to investigate. They find their street reveals secrets far deeper than the disappearance itself, but intrinsically tied to that singular event. As stated on the cover, this is "part whodunnit, part coming-of-age",

Exquisitely written, the sheer attention to detail transports us to the 1970's - 'Kays Catalogue', 'Angel Delight', 'Whimsies' and 'Brian Clough'. The story has well-developed characterisation, and is interspersed throughout with humour and a sense of irony. And by the end, we truly see what is meant by poetic justice. A pretty long book, with an ambitious narrative, but one that clearly a lot of hard work has gone into to get right.

Enjoyed reading this book. Took me back to my childhood and the glorious summer of 1976, I was a year younger than the girls in the book and remember roaming round the village and checking out the Kay's catalogue. Seeing the story from the girls perspective was interesting and realising how they didn't fully understand the adult world. The story slowly uncovered the secrets that the adults hid. The ending felt a little rushed, without the completion I expected, but I'm guessing from the girls view then ending was the return.
An enjoyable book.

Narrated by a inquisitive 10 year old, I couldn't help but warm to, the reader is led around a typical British cul-de-sac gradually learning about the different homelives and the part each resident has to play in the disappearance of the popular Mrs Creasey.

An enjoyable read that is dripping with sweat so reminiscent of the summer of 1976. A very British read teeming with retro detail which brought on nostalgia. I think I could walk into most 60s cul-de-sacs and imagine it back in the 70s being filled with the characters in The Avenue.

I received this as a free copy, thanks so much for that. I started it a week ago and finished it last night, basically I have been reading it every chance I get and have found it hard to put down I was enjoying it so much. I am swayed by covers and the cover and title/blurb would definitely have enticed me to buy if I'd seen it while browsing. I really connected with the setting and the characters from early on. I was born in the 70's and just remember the heatwave of '76. The 70's references all the way through were very interesting in terms of jogging my memory and also as a comparison to how things have changed. The characters and the storyline I found very well crafted, the main story line, the missing person, leads us along a path of other interconnected sub plots that gained weight and momentum as the book progresses . (I did sometimes have to flick back to check a name etc as there are a lot of characters/neighbours to get to grips with, but this wasnt a problem, I got caught up in the story every time I picked it up) I particularly liked how the book was mostly told from the perspective of Grace , who is 10, I found this brought both a lightness and a depth to the events and the story. I felt very satisfied with how the book ended and most of the time I feel slightly unsettled when I come to the end of the book. I'm very glad I read it and I would really recommend it.

Thank you Mumsnet and HarperCollins for a free copy of this book.

Overall I found this book to be enjoyable and full of humour. I don’t remember the long hot summer of 1976 (partly because I wasn’t born until 1984) so the nostalgia was somewhat wasted upon me. However, I did like the effect of telling the story through the innocent eyes of the children.

I liked this book but also found it somewhat unsatisfying in that you were left tying up a lot of loose ends by yourself (not a bad thing I suppose) but some weren't tied up at all - bit "Russian novel" in that aspect! (no noticeable beginning, lots of middle and no ending )

But I did enjoy reading it, even though bits of it made me sad for the characters (yes I AM that sad myself!)

Thanks all for your feedback. It seems like most of you really enjoyed reading the book and it certainly proved nostalgic for some! Mmm angel delight...

The winner of the prize draw is... GreenShadow! Congratulations - do check your emails for more details.

Oh wow! Thank you so much Sorcha, Mumsnet and Harper Collins. I'll look forward to receiving the email (nothing in the inbox yet...)

Apologies GreenShadow - you should have received it now! Do let us know if not

Email received and replied thank you.