So here we are, its our first bloggy book club review *excited!*…. hehe.
Our first book was the bootiful Sophie Dahl’s “playing with the grown-ups” . I have to say at first I wasn’t really hoping for allot from this book, Sophie being an ex model, (Naomi Campbell’s swan comes immediately to mind..and not in a good way!) and being Roald Dahl’s granddaughter, I love his books, but I am never sure whether relatives of talented people only get the chance to do the same by proxy.
But I was wrong. I was enchanted by this book, she seems to conjure up such warm, “full” characters that you cant help but fall in love with them. I even had a soft spot for Marina’s very hopeless drunk boyfriend, pitiful as he was.
And as for kitty’s Mum Marina. I loved the whole story of how wretched her mum was, but at the same time it wasn’t a two dementional, Marina- bad..Kitty- good story. There was so many layers to their relationship. Some good, some almost hideously bad (the drugs bit comes to mind). But in the end kitty, her brother and her sister still had a warm affection for their very broken Mum. I love that it shows that we are all complex, different individuals and we can still love the most flawed of parents.
The only slight criticism of the book for me, was the rather abrupt ending, it felt a little rushed and unsatisfactory some how. But that might have just been because I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to see them go visit Marina, and to see what happened to Kitty and the baby… I would so definitely be up for second helpings ….Sorry, a terrible pun considering lovely Sophie now seems to have become a rather good chef! ;P
So that’s what I thought, over to you, fab Book Club members..what did you think? 
XXXX
You know how every book club always has someone who comes but, ahem, hasn’t read the book!!! Well, ahem, I think that that is me…. The book sounds great! I WILL have to go to the library and get it.
Look forward to everyone else’s comments!
Maggy
hehe! no worries Maggy, i am sure you have been super busy ;D
XXXXX
if you want to try the next its Under the Skin, By Michel Faber… chosen by @allaboutheboys. Looks like a fab choice,if u wanna check it out
Wildly promiscuous, irresponsible and self-absorbed for the most part, Kitty’s mother Marina isn’t going to win any awards for Best Mother and reading this book, you do find yourself frowning at a lot of her choices. I (probably like the rest of you) didn’t like Marina at all when I started the book but as time went on and realization crept in, I started to sympathize with her.
Must say initial shocks aside, I allowed myself to be swept up in Kitty & Marina’s little world, accepting everything from the shocking to the laughable as being completely ‘normal’. Marina’s Bohemian lifestyle is portrayed as breezy, romantic and effortlessly glamorous and I just went along with it all – perhaps as a reader I was forgiving of Marina because Kitty was.
In the final part of the book, as things very rapidly start to spiral into disaster, I found myself separating from Kitty, as if up until that point I was right there with her enjoying her wild life until things start to get serious and you expect Kitty to realize too that she’s crossing the line, but she doesn’t.
I liked the fact that even at the beginning of the book, you just know something terrible is going to happen and that everything you’re reading is leading up to these moments at the end of the book. It is perhaps for this very reason I was disappointed with the ending – yep, it IS abrupt! I wish there had been a little more about present-day Kitty, or rather a little more on HOW teenage Kitty overcame issues from her childhood to BECOME the well-adjusted present-day Kitty we were all reading about.
Overall, this is an intelligently written tragi-comedy: good pace, well-constructed with multi-layered characters and relationships. I liked the hazy warm feel of the writing and the way the story unfolds through Kitty’s rose-tinted spectacles. Thanks for an excellent suggestion – there is so much more to this book than meets the eye (I’m thinking of the sugary front cover and blurb!) All-in-all an enjoyable read exploring a whole host of issues without ever becoming cumbersome in the subject matter or the style of writing.
Overall Score: 4/5
whoop! Now that’s what I’m talking about Mrs!!! (Sophie) what a review!!!
Totally agree with all, you nailed it when you said Dahl manages to touch on some really full on issues without it being heavy or worse…. a Jeremy Kyle style piece -where kitty uses her crappy childhood as a reason for everything to fall apart- take on things. I am so over that stuff! Kitty never felt sorry for herself and I found myself feeling strong for her !!! Lets see if anyone else has another view point ;D XXX
Okay, first a confession: I haven’t finished the book. But from what you are saying, the ending is abrupt and disappointing. Oh, dear!
I did (do?) like the book and find myself caring for both Kitty and Marina. You do experience Kitty’s life through her eyes at whatever stage of enlightenment she is at, which can be heartbreaking at times. And as much as I want to dislike Marina, I could understand her delusional vision of her place in the world. She wants to FEEL her life rather than live it, which is hopelessly romantic and incredibly self-destructive. So as selfish as she is, I felt sorry for her rather than anger.
I read a nonfiction book by Jeanette Walls called “The Glass House” a few years ago in which the author presents a similar childhood, and I would shake the book while reading it because I wanted to throttle the author’s parents. I kept thinking: Wake up! Take care of your kids! You had your chance, now think of someone else besides yourself! There’s something compelling about not living by the rules of society, but how tragic the consequences when it influences children to follow in their footsteps.
So now I’ll finish the book and have my fingers crossed that Kitty can reconcile her feelings for her Mom. Shhhhh! Don’t tell me how it ends…
xxoxRichela
Richela thank u SO much for another FAB book review, you folks are way more eloquent than me.
XXXX
So glad we are on this little reading journey together… PS… we wont spoil the ending ..promise!
It’s wasn’t a book that I would ever have read on my own, but ended up really enjoying it, thanks, bloggybookclub!
The characters were really well put together and all were believable. Despite, at times, really wanting Marina to be the “baddy” of the story her character still evoked sympathy.
The ending? Yes, I was a little disappointed and felt a bit cheated as though the author had just got bored and wanted to finish, but dispite that it was a really good read.
Thanku Claire, fab review, am so glad you liked it… just waiting for a bad one now ;D
Maybe we should all write to miss Dahl, tell her we need a second Kitty book ! So we can all rest at night ;D xxxxx
Ah a little late to the party but I’m heeere!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book from cover to cover. Like Claire, it definately wasn’t a book that I would have picked out on my own so I’m very gladd for the suggestion. It’s a read I’ll treasure.
What I enjoyed the most was the realistic and three dimensional character who were surrounded by a fabulous world that never once dipped into the unbelievable or excessively soapy. The real danger of a book like this, a bohemian and well off family, private schools, homes in England and New York, drugs, parties, beautiful people everywhere, is that it could have swiftly fallen apart into another “waaaaah I was born into privilege and my life has been soooo haaaaard” whine-fest. It never really did.
I really loved Kitty’s spirit. She made stupid mistakes just like a teenager would, but I never felt that she had to be condemned and punished for it with the crushing hand of adult judgment. Her mistakes like kissing her friend’s crush, and taking drugs, were horrible to be sure, but Kitty was written with such depth into her mind that I almost felt as if I were in her head or on her shoulder, a part of her, and almost understanding of her point of view to the extent that I kind of would feel myself arguing her case. Heh. I really liked that Kitty’s story did not go some stereotypical route which would have had her youth and innocence being exploited by one of Marina’s boyfriends, or had her chasing after and snagging a teacher in order to fulfill a void daddy complex keft by Mr. Fitzgerald.
Kitty’s time in boarding school was well written. The scene where she fought off the hazing in the toilet was one of my favorites. Her spirit was perfectly showcased here, it symbolized her story. No matter how hard the forces of life were trying to flush her down the toilet she would be damned if she’d actually go down that drain and she was going to fight and claw if she had to, to stay afloat. Some people are sinkers, some are swimmers and some manage not to get that wet. Kitty was definately one of those who had just enough presence to keep from drowning.
Marina was a joy. As flawed and screwed over as she was, I found myself rooting for her. Horrible mother, yes, but not a one dimensional villain. I never doubted at any point that Marina loved her children, she adored them obviously, and despite her constant craving for male affection and her chasing of the ideal lifestyle, she also wanted to see her children living well–even if she totally sucked at providing it. I felt myself pitying Marina deeply. I have nothing but the greatest sympathy for those with depression and mental illness and I kept hurting for Marina cause I wanted her to get the help she so sorely needed. Her being a successful artist was a nice touch, because I began to imagine Marina from a fan of her art’s point of view, as if her life were being scattered across glossy magazine articles alongside her paintings and tales were told and re-told of her affairs and her children and her painfully glamorous bohemian lifestyle.
I forget his name all ofa sudden, but her alcoholic boyfriend was very well written. Even he could have been written as a stereotypical bad guy but was not. I’ve had my experience with alcoholics, the disease runs in my family on both sides and I was quite impressed with this depiction. Often, an alcoholic in real life is someone who can be so charming, and friendly and loving and so desperate for affection but their deep gnawing fear of success and their belief that they’re not worth the shit on a pig’s ass keeps them back on the bottle and throwing away their chances at happiness.
The ending did not bother me so much. I rather liked it. To me, Marina’s sparkling cheerfulness through her broken state, the children at her side, warmed me. Marina was broken, probably forever would be, but Kitty, her love, was back and the moment was tender and bittersweet.
There’s my two cents!!!
Can’t wait to read the next book! *scampers*
I going to hold my hands up I haven’t read the book I have been super busy winding down my Kate dads business and I couldn’t get a copy I live in an town with an horrific shopping centre so I have placed an order with the good old wh smith for me to read as it sounds like a great book!
OK. I might be about to make myself unpopular, but I wasn’t that drawn in by the book. Yes, it basically told a wonderful story and created colourful characters, but at times I felt like I was pattering through a large cliche and reading a book that had about 5 potential stories in it, rather than one. The bohemian, arty mother who pulled her children through her life, rather than thinking about their needs feels like a done deal several times over.
Whilst I could empathise with the characters, I did not feel the need to keep reading and turning the pages. The wayward life of Kitty, was by comparison to some people I grew up with, rather tame and considering the lifestyle her mother chose I think needed to be more explored, or at least defined. Not sure if I I feel let down by the author, or that the book has been edited to within an inch of its life. It seemed that every time I started to enjoy a part of the storyline, up popped a resolution and we moved on to the next part of the plot. There didn’t really seem to be any consequences for any of the lifestyle choices or any real understanding of what the scenes Kitty and Marina became involved in are really like. As a result, the ending didn’t really come as much of a surprise, as it was like most of the other mini-storylines in the book, build up and fizzle.
Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t drag my way through the book trying to reach the end, it was a pleasant read, but I was hoping for more depth and more continuation with every turn of the page and it never came.
The good thing is that I would probably have never picked the book up, so I’m glad to have read it and broadened my reading range. Just not sure I’d rush to read another Dahl, if they’ll be as naive as this one felt.
Eeeek. Feel horrid now having written that, but just wasn’t that enthralled. Sorry if I’m the only one
Some great reviews – not sure mine will live upto the detailed thought processes above ! I have to say I agree with Zoe. Not normally one for reading books by “famous” people turned authors. I think they get a lot of support and ghost writing ?
The book started off promising and set the scene of Kitty’s life, in many ways normal teenage behaviour, The time at the boarding school, you could really empathise with her, the thought of having to put “your knickers in a basket each night ” !!, her homesickness and the bullying but when things took a turn for the worse with the drugs, her mother etc it wasn’t dark enough, almost written like it was an acceptable part of life. Her friend was briefly mentioned as a voice of dissent but again no depth. The twins were an afterthough, Marina was a lightweight. I got the idea of what she was about but felt there was no real thought to her character. I felt we were “almost” getting information all the way through the book but that it never quite gave you enough detail.
The jump halfway through the book from what was happening and then backwards and forwards in time seemed to lack purpose. The end was most definitely rushed and as commented above I was left feeling like there was a massive hole where Kitty just upped and left on the plane and the next minute was pregnant and returning, no history, nothing.
I spent most of the book thinking, what is the point of this book, what is it telling me. I came to the conclusion – nothing ! Sorry : (
Maybe I have missed the point.
Aw poor Sophie Dahl! … i still love u (jokes).
xxx
This is getting good, its great to hear such differing views. Anyone else?
Just wanted to respond to some of the points raised by Karen (above)
I think that the whole point of the book was to give you a glimpse into Kitty’s upbringing and what it was like having a (manic-depressive?) mum like Marina. Kitty goes on several journies throughout the book: physical, spiritual and symbolic. It’s all the journies combined that help Kitty realize in the end that somewhere along the line she wound up on a dubious and potentially dangerous path and that she needs to get away from her mother to ‘save herself’ – that’s what the story’s about I think: getting to this moment of realization.
Where the author has seriously skimped on is showing us what long-term effects Kitty’s early experiences had on her in later life (apparently none, judging by the accounts we get of present-day Kitty) I totally agree with you – I really wanted to see what happened to Kitty after she left her mother… I guess we have to assume that after realizing things were falling apart, Kitty was just smart enough to turn things around by herself and maybe meeting her husband helped her a lot with this.
Oh and I know what you mean about celebrity-writers, but I wouldn’t think for one moment that this book had been ghost-written for the lovely Miss Dahl!
Me neither Sophie, no ghost writing…. I think it sings of her voice in every sentence. And very beautiful sentences they are too.
X
I don’t mind being challenged by books but do enjoy simple, well written stuff that makes me think.
And thats what I found in this book. I do think there maybe some subtleties of the story that both Zoe and Karen didn’t see. But thats the great thing about books. More so than films or drama I think. Its up to the readers interpretation
Unfortunatly, homeschool started last week so I have’nt read the book either. Although I am intrigued by what I’ve read here. Can’t wait for the next one though.
In response to Sophie, I agree with what you say but still feel WE have to kind of assume that conclusion ourselves. Do you understand what I mean ? Its difficult to explain, I felt the writing was really niave, simplistic and full of obvious statements and cliche’s ! Will try to find some examples for you if I can. Then it just ended ! Like she needed to get it finished or something so instead of giving us a chapter on Kitty’s life in New York and an explanation, it was just a hurried conclusion.
I suppose I like books that really challenge my thinking, found this one too “easy” . Hope you see what I mean when you read my selection xx
Ok, I’ll shut up ! I don’t do subtle : ) xx
And that is why I LOVE you Karen! and am very much looking forward to the different pace of your book.
XXXX
You are very much like Big J (if you dont mind me saying) in that you dont suffer fools or books that meander along at there own pace, gladly
And Ps..please dont ever shut up ;D XXXX
That’s a lovely way to put it Helen – “it sings of her voice in every sentence” – I like that!:D
Karen, I do definitely see what you’re saying but I found the writing to be far from naïve and simplistic – I think authors often leave deliberate gaps in the story so they can make their readers think a bit and come up with their own interpretation. With this story, it’s all from Kitty’s perspective so there are bound to be gaps because she doesn’t have the wisdom/self-awareness right from the outset – it only comes later when everything’s a mess and the self-loathing kicks in. Do you see what I mean?
Sophie…I am now just going to write..”what she said” under all your comments about this book, you seem to have a knack of saying what i mean…just better ;D XXXX
LOL! Aww, thanks Helen, hehe! :p
Okay so my tuppence.
Like lots of other people here, i wouldn’t have picked this one up in a month of sundays. And i got a lot of comments like “what are you reading dahl for?”. AFter all, she is currently fronting the most cringeworthy cookery show on the planet.
Right. I was dubious to say the least, but overall i was fairly impressed. The book was seriously flawed in certain aspects -mainly for me a really unclear chronology, not helped by the odd flash forwards at really strange times. I was never really sure how much time had elapsed, how old kitty was, or the other characters at the differnet points in the story. Sometimes the characters talked and behaved like grown ups and then Dahl would throw something really incongruous in that didn’t seem to fit. I found this particularly with Kitty’s younger sibilings, and kitty herself, though i did wonder with kitty whether this was deliberate to convey the tension between her as a child trying to be an adult.
BUT, i do think Dahl is a talented writer. (who’d have thought it, it’s not as if she comes from a rich pedigree….). Her writing is very descriptive, she uses some really wonderful metaphors the really resonated with me. She describes Kitty’s missing heel tapping out a war march as she walks home defiantly after rowing with her friend, and earlier describes Marina lounging about like an oyster in its shell. These became even more impressive to me when i started the new book by Michael Faber which is more about action, drama and surprising twists than anything descriptive.
Overall, i think her writing style can be very beautiful, but the book lacks some consistency of character and timeline. I’m sure this will get better with successive books.
M2M
Loving all the comments, glad I’m not the only one to not simply love the book. Not sure that I was missing any subtlety (although like Karen, I don’t do subtle), I did just generally feel the book kept things a bit lighthearted. Perhaps the author didn’t want it to be a dark book, but wanted to just show the jumpy nature of a life with a skippy mother, but if that was the case, then I feel the boarding school and strange friends was enough, pulling a bit of a drugs scene in was unnecessary. That, I think, was when I got fed up of the plot. Perhaps I just like my books to smack me in the face with the plot and give me a good punchy finish!
Looking forward to the next one, shall get to read that on my holidays! Yay.
This is fun. Reading is fun again. Thanks all.
x
i have to say the light-hearted tone to the book that everyone is criticizing, i took that as being on purpose to reflect kitty’s naivety at the gravitass of her situation. i.e. to her it is normal / everyday, to us it is pretty hideous.
TOTALLY Disagree with Henrietta about Michel Faber’s book not being descriptive. But we’ll leave that discussion until everyone has read the book.
Sorry guys, better late than never. As is my world at the mo, I surprisingly finished the book early and no2 in the bloggybookclub, but haven’t been well enough to review. Anyways, here is my short review.
I found the book an easy read, and fairly light hearted, hence why I managed to read it quite quickly. I was quite surprised by the author, I wouldn’t have picked something up by Sophie Dahl normally, so I am glad I have gone out of my reading box.
I found it lead itself to short story type format rather than having a strong plot. I liked that it didnt automatically make Marina an alcoholic, as many novels do, and that it addressed depression issues. However, I found the twins to be a bit of an after thought and that they could have been worked in better. I also thought it was very much about the beginning and middle and yet more middle with no thought of the ending until the last couple of pages. So I was quite disappointed by that.
I think it is a nice holiday read that you can switch off to and I was fairly impressed by the author. Although it felt like a first attempt at writing.
Sorry if I have repeated any of the above comments, feeling poorly again so have just burbled my thoughts and haven’t had a chance to read the above comments. Will do so soon.
Looking forward to blogging about ‘Under the Skin’. I’ve finished so don’t want to give too much away but I’m glad I climbed out of my box again to read something I thought to be scary, but actually totally different from my expectations.
Great review Mrs! Thanku so much for commenting from your sick bed Jude
xxxx
Ooh, quite a difference of opinion judging from the discussion above. The worst books for reading groups are where every one hates them or everyone loves them. In my opinion the best ones are the ones you wouldn’t necessarily have picked up yourself, but you can appreciate everyone’s views.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t have high expectations for this book. It appeared to be quite a fluffy, light book, which as said by others above, I wouldn’t have picked up. However, I did get hooked in very quickly. It was a welcome distraction from the slog of AS Byatt’s The Children’s Book.
I thought Kitty was a great character, who had to draw on her own emotional resources continually throughout her childhood and adolescence. Playing second fiddle to younger siblings, sent to boarding school away from her grandparents and nanny, then having to readjust to the move to America as her Mum deemed it an appropriate time for her to join them.
I liked the flashback scenario of the book, that all of it was leading up to that first event described in the book. I did expect though that Kitty was going to attend a funeral, not a reunion. Overall I thought it was a great representation of an awkward journey through adolescence. It was simply written, but had some great one liners & I really warmed to Kitty. She wasn’t a whiny character & didn’t resent her mother, she gradually took on the role reversal & became the parent.
I think it made a perfect summer read, easy to get into even with the distraction of bored children coming to the end of their holidays.
Looking forward to the next one.
thanku Cara,
xxxx
I think your so right. The best we can hope for in our club is to be challenged by other peoples choices. We might love em..or maybe not so much…
But at least we have been introduced to something different, getting out of our normal comfort zone is going to be fun!
I am really glad you warmed to my choice too
Helen, I’ve been a member of a library book group for 7 years now, and I love having my opinions challenged on a particular book. Sometimes I come away from a meeting of a book I hated, with a different appreciation of it as others loved it and helped me see it in a different light. Other times, another member could have been really derogatory about a book I loved, and by giving specific examples for discussing characters, they too can come away with a different take on it.
I also think that you get different things from books at different times/stages in your life. There are times when you want a thought provoking challenging book and really get a lot out of it, one which you will remember for years to come. Other times (especially with young kids around) just finishing a book makes you feel like you have achieved something and if that is a cheesy chic lit, then it’s better than a copy of Hello (in my opinion, anyway).
I’ve just finished Child44 Tom Rob Smith for a book group on Thursday. The cover calls it a “gripping Cold War thriller”, never in a million years would I have choose this myself. A friend on Twitter laughed and said only if it was the last book on the shelf would she read it. Surprisingly, I thought it was great. I can’t believe what it was like living under Communist rule in 1950′s Russia. Really glad I gave it a chance.
[...] the very contentious Under the skin (@allaboutheboys choice) . My Mums personal fave was mine (Sophie Dahl’s one, and our first read) but she also has a soft spot for Between the bridge and the river as [...]