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Original poster

Wife in the North - brilliant, brilliant book.

17 replies

katierocket · 20/07/2008 21:41

It is a topic close to my heart (moving to country from city and all that entails) but god it's so well written - funny and sad and just amazing here

OP posts:
CristinaTheAstonishing · 20/07/2008 21:42

I read some extracts and it seemed well written. I'll wait till it goes cheap, though.

CristinaTheAstonishing · 20/07/2008 21:43

That IS cheap with Amazon.

Original poster
katierocket · 21/07/2008 10:01

some beautifully written parts about being a mother but what I find particularly endearing is the way she finds humour in her bleakest moments.

OP posts:
TwoIfBySea · 22/07/2008 23:31

From the ad on site it sounds like the most patronising nonsense. Completely put me off even attempting to read it even though I usually scour these threads for future reads.

WendyWeber · 24/07/2008 22:38

I am really impressed with it, very well written & extremely moving in parts (still shudder thinking of Yorkshire Mother's eldest son )

But why did she keep running out of petrol? After the 3rd time I wanted to shake her. Her car has a fuel gauge, surely?

Original poster
katierocket · 25/07/2008 06:18

TwoIfBySea- The description does it a huge disservice. It's a shame because from that and the cover it comes across as standard chick lit fare and it's far from that. She has a beautiful writing style.

OP posts:
jezzemx · 24/08/2008 20:49

I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a brilliant read. One of those books that you can read in about 2 days and have a laugh and cry with. Being from the northeast myself I've had fun trying to guess the towns and beaches she describes. The one thing I must say is I am left with a feeling of envy her life in the country and her house sound gorgeous.

traceybath · 24/08/2008 20:53

i loved this book but it did make me cry - some bits were just so sad.

squilly · 25/08/2008 15:33

I read this and found it o.k. but no great shakes to be honest.

I found her running out of petrol so often very annoying and at times she was just a little too sorry for herself.

Of course, once you find out why this is, later in the book, your empathy kicks in and you start to make allowances, but still. I found her a bit too 'soggy hanky' for my liking.

Perhaps I got ticked off with her because she was so obsessed with London. I'm an adopted northerner and I felt like telling her to bog off back to the smoke for the majority of the book.

Or maybe it's because I read Petite Anglaise, a similarly Blog based novel and enjoyed it more.

Whatever the reason, I certainly wouldn't recommend this to anyone as anything other than a well written, light read. If it isn't chick lit, it's certainly a close neigbour to it!

LongDroopyBoobyLady · 25/08/2008 15:35

I didn't like it either - too much moaning for my liking!

AbbeyA · 25/08/2008 15:48

I haven't read it, but used to read her blog before I got fed up with it. I thought she was very lucky to live in a lovely old house in rural Northumbria and couldn't imagine why she would want to swap it for London, so it was difficult to feel sympathetic to the moans!

AbbeyA · 25/08/2008 16:05

If you go to this page for the blog, you don't need to buy the book, unless you really want to!

Birdly · 16/09/2008 21:10

Agree with Katie - it looks very much in the narrow chicklit vein but actually offers so much more. Very sad, very funny. I enjoyed it much more than I was expecting to.

zippitippitoes · 16/09/2008 21:13

i read some extracts and thought yuk

it seems to cause a bit of a split this book

Slickbird · 16/09/2008 21:14

I'm reading this at the moment too, and I am enjoying it, but I agree about the fixation with London (I've lived there and was quite happy to leave it!!) I think she goes on about it too much. I think most people would have resigned themselves quicker or adapted sooner to the new life. I also think if she wasn't adapting, she would move back. That's the only bug bear. Other than that, really good. So far.

MuffinMclay · 16/09/2008 21:18

Just abandoned it 3/4 way through. I thought it was utter codswallop, I'm afraid.

Very badly written imo, and far too much moaning. Plenty of us look after children with little weekday help from a dh but with no 'Girl Friday' to help out or trips to LA or spas to recharge out batteries.

By the 3rd time she'd run out of petrol I was shouting 'FGS you stupid woman, how hard is it to look at a dashboard', and by the 5th time I could take no more.

Thought the husband sounded a complete tosser though.

LurkerOfTheUniverse · 16/09/2008 21:57

i gave up about half way through

i thought she could write well, but it was so whiney, why give up your whole life on the whim of your partner?

she sounded so miserable and her husband sounded like a prime knob head

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