Post by janetandjohn on Nov 13, 2016 14:10:15 GMT
Yes, I really did only buy this because of the title. Sometimes you just can't resist, can you? But if you want something that's light, but clever and amusing, this might be just the one for you.
Sue Bowl is 16 (well, coming up to 17). Naive, virginal, enthusiastic, and general all round nice girl. After school, she has gone to stay at her aunt's house following the suicide of her mother, and the quick take up of another woman by her father. Her aunt Coral lives in which is sometimes referred to as a crumbling pile, half of which is not habitable due to woodworm, dry rot and the usual problems that beset many of those large country houses. Aunt Coral has a cook and one lodger, plus a live-in friend. She's a shop-aholic with no funds, and although Sue has only met her once, in childhood, they quickly form a bond. Sue is still young enough to be looking for that first time boyfriend, and Coral wishes she were young enough to find one! Two pages in I spotted a mis-spelling, and spouted my usual complaint about "proof readers these days" - but having found several more very quickly, I realised that Sue is not very good at English language, often using words in the wrong context, and adopting spoonerisms and malapropisms - also her attempt at a novel is so dire that........ I'll let you find out for yourself!
There are mysteries to solve too - Aunt Cameo's early death for one, noises in the night for another. The tale is told in the form of two diaries, very different in style and with plenty of clues so that you know who is "talking", this is a funny and different book which I enjoyed more than I thought I would. On the back cover, there's a quote from Mark Gatiss - "deeply eccentric and very, very funny". He appears to be a friend of the author, but nevertheless, I think he's right!
Sue Bowl is 16 (well, coming up to 17). Naive, virginal, enthusiastic, and general all round nice girl. After school, she has gone to stay at her aunt's house following the suicide of her mother, and the quick take up of another woman by her father. Her aunt Coral lives in which is sometimes referred to as a crumbling pile, half of which is not habitable due to woodworm, dry rot and the usual problems that beset many of those large country houses. Aunt Coral has a cook and one lodger, plus a live-in friend. She's a shop-aholic with no funds, and although Sue has only met her once, in childhood, they quickly form a bond. Sue is still young enough to be looking for that first time boyfriend, and Coral wishes she were young enough to find one! Two pages in I spotted a mis-spelling, and spouted my usual complaint about "proof readers these days" - but having found several more very quickly, I realised that Sue is not very good at English language, often using words in the wrong context, and adopting spoonerisms and malapropisms - also her attempt at a novel is so dire that........ I'll let you find out for yourself!
There are mysteries to solve too - Aunt Cameo's early death for one, noises in the night for another. The tale is told in the form of two diaries, very different in style and with plenty of clues so that you know who is "talking", this is a funny and different book which I enjoyed more than I thought I would. On the back cover, there's a quote from Mark Gatiss - "deeply eccentric and very, very funny". He appears to be a friend of the author, but nevertheless, I think he's right!