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itdcbb_lidek's review
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
aligra77's review
4.0
This is a gentle book about three women and the children in their lives. Nan has a grandson Billy who is helping her find a comfy coffin for when the end finally comes. Blanche has a granddaughter Kitty but is estranged from her son so access to Kitty is difficult. Despite being wealthy she finds the thrill of shoplifting hard to resist. Minna lives in a shepherds hut and assumes the role of grandmother to the emotionally volatile Rose. All three women’s lives cross through various circumstances and the friendships made encourages each of them to live their lives for themselves and not for others. Not my favourite Salley Vickers book but charming all the same. I received a free copy of this book, a favourable review was not required and all opinions expressed here are my own.
philippakmoore's review
3.0
Grandmothers is a poignant, amusing and well-written tale of three older women, two of whom are grandmothers and a woman who is a surrogate grandmother to a little girl who lives next door to her (I had one of those as a child so that brought back a lot of happy memories). All of these women have tricky relationships with their families as well as regrets, shame and secrets. I enjoyed it but found the switching between the three storylines got a little tiresome at times as, inevitably, some were more interesting than the others! But overall a good story well told, and I enjoyed the (mostly) London setting very much!
WIth thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC.
WIth thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC.
fionadinw's review against another edition
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thebookboy's review against another edition
3.0
The concept of Grandmothers is fabulous - a split narrative which explores three different women in the golden years of their life and their relationships with the younger generation. This is something that Salley Vickers does best - writing character studies and stories which, though not much may happen, still have a lot of heart.
However, despite there being the keen perceptions which I have come to expect from Vickers in these pages, Grandmothers somehow falls flat. There are outstanding moments - meditations on death, legacy, relationships etc. But there are also some flaws which really detract from the novel as a whole.
I think my greatest problem was that some of the plot just seems so far fetched, which is almost heightened by the realism of the characters. There's lots of chance meetings and decisions to shack up together which mingle the three narratives, and some of this felt very forced indeed. These staged scenarios really take away from the plot and it leaves a weird sort of emptiness to the interactions, especially as they seem so against the nature of some of the characters to begin with. I also struggled with the age portrayals of some of the children. There's one bit in particular that mentions the concept of Toy Story being weird at considered new when it was brought out (meaning that the child would have been a child when I was...25ish years ago) but the book is clearly set in modern times. So this time discrepancy doesn't make much sense - unless they mean Toy Story 4, which doesn't seem to be the case. A small nitpick, but one which stood out as a lack of research.
The main grandmother characters were all rather enjoyable though, and it was refreshing to read portrayals who aren't the typical sweet, old, Werther's Original sucking ladies that they tend to be in a lot of books. Here we have glamorous shoplifters, straight talking coffin buyers and a woman who helps to harbour imagination through encouraging a girl (who is not her granddaughter) to play open heartedly with her toys, and all three characters leading the different strands are competently drawn.
Unfortunately, characters aren't enough to support a book where the plot tries to be more interesting than it needs to be, and what could have been a beautifully prosaic, artfully considered novel turns into something slightly underwhelming and which doesn't quite reach its full potential.
However, despite there being the keen perceptions which I have come to expect from Vickers in these pages, Grandmothers somehow falls flat. There are outstanding moments - meditations on death, legacy, relationships etc. But there are also some flaws which really detract from the novel as a whole.
I think my greatest problem was that some of the plot just seems so far fetched, which is almost heightened by the realism of the characters. There's lots of chance meetings and decisions to shack up together which mingle the three narratives, and some of this felt very forced indeed. These staged scenarios really take away from the plot and it leaves a weird sort of emptiness to the interactions, especially as they seem so against the nature of some of the characters to begin with. I also struggled with the age portrayals of some of the children. There's one bit in particular that mentions the concept of Toy Story being weird at considered new when it was brought out (meaning that the child would have been a child when I was...25ish years ago) but the book is clearly set in modern times. So this time discrepancy doesn't make much sense - unless they mean Toy Story 4, which doesn't seem to be the case. A small nitpick, but one which stood out as a lack of research.
The main grandmother characters were all rather enjoyable though, and it was refreshing to read portrayals who aren't the typical sweet, old, Werther's Original sucking ladies that they tend to be in a lot of books. Here we have glamorous shoplifters, straight talking coffin buyers and a woman who helps to harbour imagination through encouraging a girl (who is not her granddaughter) to play open heartedly with her toys, and all three characters leading the different strands are competently drawn.
Unfortunately, characters aren't enough to support a book where the plot tries to be more interesting than it needs to be, and what could have been a beautifully prosaic, artfully considered novel turns into something slightly underwhelming and which doesn't quite reach its full potential.
aliciagriggs's review against another edition
4.0
A really pleasant read. This book follows three older ladies, all very different from one another. One is a bit grumpy, straight-talking, and has a fascination with her funeral, the second one is a quiet woman who has taken to academia (or at least academic literature) in her later years and likes to keep to herself, and the final one is a stylish woman who has a difficult relationship with her son, which makes it difficult for her to see her beloved grandchildren.
The book does delve into their past a little, but it mainly focuses on their present life, which I enjoyed.
The book does delve into their past a little, but it mainly focuses on their present life, which I enjoyed.
seaswift14's review against another edition
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
abk298's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
emmaisreadingabook's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25