Synopsis & Book Info:
Everyone hates the perfect family. So you’ll love the Battles. Mo is about to hit the big 50, and some uncomfortable truths are becoming quite apparent: She doesn’t understand either of her teenage kids, which as a child psychologist, is fairly embarrassing. She has become entirely grey. Inside, and out. Her face has surrendered and is frightening children. Dora is about to hit the big 18 . . . and about to hit anyone who annoys her, especially her precocious younger brother Peter who has a chronic Oscar Wilde fixation. Then there’s Dad . . . who’s just, well, dad. A TINY BIT MARVELLOUS is the story of a modern family all living in their own separate bubbles lurching towards meltdown. It is for anyone who has ever shared a home with that weird group of strangers we call relations. Oh and there’s a dog. Called Poo.
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Michael Joseph
ISBN: 9780718157869
Purchase at Amazon
Author Bio:
Dawn French has been making people laugh for thirty years. On purpose. As a writer, comedian and actor, she has appeared in some of this country’s most long running, cherished and celebrated shows, including French and Saunders, The Comic Strip Presents ..., Murder Most Horrid, The Vicar of Dibley, Jam and Jerusalem, Lark Rise to Candleford, and more recently, Roger and Val Have Just Got In. Her bestselling memoir, Dear Fatty, was published to critical acclaim in 2008. This is without a doubt her first novel.
©2010
My Opinion:
I like stories about families, the more dysfunctional the more entertaining. This book didn't lack in either of those departments.
Mo, the mom and main narrator of the book, is one of those women you can't decide if you love or hate her. Her daughter, Dora, is a cheeky flake that you adore. Peter, her son, is a mess and possibly sick in the head. And lastly the hubby, whose name you learn at the very end of the book, is almost invisible yet strikingly prominent all at once!
So many emotions, and yet I'm left feeling just okay about it all. I can't put my finger on anything I hated about the book, but the best part for me was the puppy being named Elvis, so what does that tell you?! It didn't go immensely far. It just was.
2.5/5
Recommend? If you enjoy contemporary fiction.
~I received a copy from Penguin. I was not compensated for my opinion.~
Hmm, I'm not sure what to think after reading your review but it sounds like it was an interesting read. Maybe I add it to my wish list.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame it was just so-so for you. I'll probably skip it.
ReplyDelete