A good blog does Not a novel make!
Note to self; when selecting a book for the next 'Incognito Book Blog' avoid novels written by bloggers. I'm afraid Gill Sims that definitely includes you! It seems to be a growing trend among publishers to approach bloggers with offers of book deals. Whilst every day situations reported in a short form blog can be entertaining, and Gill Sims blog is definitely entertaining, it requires a completely different skill set to produce a well crafted novel.
Unfortunately this months choice offered non of the requisite ingredients for a good read, no plot, no strong characterisation, no twists, no turns. This book was a formulaic attempt to cover all the bases. From the 'badly behaved' children, who in reality never put a foot wrong, to the obligatory dysfunctional relatives. The divorced friend, the gorgeous gay friend, the vacuous school mothers and the long suffering yet boring husband.
"What's the plot?" I heard myself scream ! The author didn't even offer an answer to her own question....'Why does mummy drink?' FML if I know. Mummy wasn't driven to drink by her unruly self centred children, she chose to drink on each of her many nights out. How can the reader be expected to develop any feelings of sympathy for such a hedonist. 'Mummy' seems to have decided that the usual responsibilities that come with raising children were not for her, choosing instead to continue a social life most singletons would be proud of.
It is really not clear who the target audience for this book is. It failed to deliver the warm humour of 'Bridget Jones' Diary' as shallow characters left the reader ambivalent as to the fate of 'mummy'. Perhaps the author attempted to explore too many themes, resulting in a lack of depth and clarity. Were we supposed to despise the coven of mothers at the school gate, again the BBC T.V. series 'Motherland' did this brilliantly. Perhaps we were to consider the strengths and weaknesses of different 'middle class' parenting techniques. The portrayal of 'mummies' extended family was so extreme it lost its plausibility becoming instead a predictable parody of the bohemian family on the paternal side and the helicopter pushy parents on 'mummies' side.
No depth, no substance, no plot. I wish we had enjoyed this book but unfortunately it left us feeling rather irritated but at least we are all now well versed in the language of abbreviation...FML we said with one accord. We may be non the wiser as to 'mummies' motivation for drinking but we all felt after that book we deserved a stiff whisky!
Join us next time when we review "Relish " by Prue Leith, will she have us reaching out for the chardonnay?
