Friday 29 May 2020


Grown Ups, by Marian Keyes.

            Millions of Marian Keyes fans will heave a sigh of pleasure at the appearance of her latest book.   True to form, it follows the fortunes of yet another Irish family, the three Casey brothers, over the course of six months.  As we all know, a lot (good and bad) can happen in such a short time, and Keyes fans can settle back and prepare for the tragicomic read that Ms Keyes is so good at:  strong, credible characters;  lots of slap and tickle, and plenty of wonderful Irish craic.  What more could we ask for from the Queen of Chick Lit?  Except that this time, not all the boxes are ticked.
            It is Johnny Casey’s 49th birthday party.  Wife Jessie has pulled out all the stops to prepare (catered) a five-star spread, inviting his brothers Ed and Liam and their families, and all appears to be proceeding satisfactorily – until Ed’s wife Cara, suffering from delayed concussion from an earlier ‘incident’, decides to reveal family secrets that will profit none of them to know.  ‘Loose Lips Sink Ships’ could not be more apt as the Casey Family Ship starts listing terribly under the weight of the revelations:  Johnny has a separate secret bank account that struggling businesswoman Jessie is unaware of – and it appears he has been having an affair with an ex-family-friend;  youngest brother Liam, (still forty, though!) recently married for the second time to considerably younger theatre set-designer Nell (whom all the family children adore) bonked a teenage friend of Jessie’s daughter on their Tuscan holiday;  Cara, a Bulimia sufferer who told everyone she was cured, was caught in the act of bingeing – by Nell and Ferdia, Jessie’s eldest son (but still nine years younger than Nell) who can’t keep their hands off each other.
            What a party!  What a Rage!  What a mess.
            Ms Keyes works hard to bring us all up to speed with the plot details and how all these lamentable situations developed, but halfway through this mighty tome (upwards of 640 pages) the action slows to a pace that snails would breeze past – which is a great shame, for at her best Marian Keyes is a hugely entertaining writer who can combine with great empathy the highs and lows of our frenetic modern existence:  in this story she has thrown too many balls in the air without being able to catch them all.  FOUR STARS.  (Because she’s Marian Keyes).    

Friday 22 May 2020


Nothing to See Here, by Kevin Wilson. 


           Lilian Breaker has not made a success of her life to date, after being expelled as a formerly promising Scholarship teenager from a prestigious Tennessee prep school for taking the fall for her very rich room-mate.  Lilian’s mother’s silence was bought with a big pile of money – not that Lilian saw any of it, but strangely enough, she is still in contact many years later with rich room-mate Madison, who is now married to Jasper Roberts, fabulously rich Senator for Tennessee, and aspirant for the soon-to-be-vacant position of secretary of state.  Madison’s future is golden but, being kind as well as breathtakingly beautiful (Lilian is not), she thinks of Lilian often and to that end, has a position at the Roberts estate that might interest her:  would she like to be Governess (‘like a Nanny?’ says Lilian, but no, a Governess is much more high-end, she is informed), to twin children, a 10 year-old boy and  girl  from Senator Robert’s first marriage.  Their mother is dead and there is no one currently to care for them –Stepmother Madison can’t;  her life is much too busy, especially as she has produced son Timothy – who goes to day-care and has an unusual obsession with stuffed toys. 
‘Come and meet Bessie and Roland, Lil, see what you think’.
            Okay, then.
            Lilian has never been able to resist the siren call of her best and only friend and reluctantly embarks on the weirdest adventure of her life so far, as she discovers that Bessie and Roland are Madison and Jasper’s shameful secret, a secret that would destroy Jasper’s political aspirations permanently if it were revealed. 
For Bessie and Roland ignite.
            Yes, they internally combust.  If they get upset, angry or frightened they start to burn, real flames that don’t harm them, but play havoc with the furniture, not to mention creating unnecessary attention from the fire department:  they must be kept the absolute opposite of upset, and Lilian is just the person for the job. 
Really?
            Kevin Wilson has produced a fantasy for the bizarre times in which we live.  All his characters, especially the heroic Lilian, are larger than life, as they must be to convince the reader to believe.  His story is hugely funny but the humour leavens the difficulty of trying to keep a family together these days – especially a new one.
            Yep, nothing to see here guys, unless you turn the pages.  This is a great book.  SIX STARS.