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katykelly's review
4.0
4.5 stars
Lewycka creates a very British comedy here, one with a multi-national cast but a setting so utterly British (actors in Waiting for Godot, corner shops, flats and social workers) that it feels familiar and somehow homey.
Berthold Sidebottom is an out-of-work actor, aggrieved at the success of another better-known actor, born on the same day - George Clooney. His mother dies unexpectedly in hospital, he has been living with her for years after his divorce and fears that new bedroom taxes and the flat they share being in his mother's name, he will be forced to leave.
What would you do in these circumstances? Invite the lady in the next hospital bed to impersonate your dead mother and move in with you? That's a coincidence - just what Berthold decides to do!
Inna is Ukranian, with a wobbly but rather funny grasp of English (I love what she renames the parrot!), and takes to her new role as Bertold's flatmate/mother. It can get confusing though, when Bertold falls for the beautiful young Kenyan neighbour who has begun working nearby, and tries to get involved with her attempts to stop the shared cherry tree garden outside from being torn down to make way for luxury apartments.
Violet has her own story here, not only part of Bertold's, but I found this secondary, though it adds to the tone of greed, corruption and 'I'm alright Jack' mentality that Lewycka reminds us is not uncommon at the moment. Violet's new job involving making the rich richer at the expense of the poor doesn't connect too well with Bertold's but could have been a book in itself.
Bertold's story of course involves Suits, people who come knocking and threaten his carefully constructed plans to keep his flat, and when acting jobs only come up that involve him dressing up as a coffee bean, you can see why he is so desperate.
Lots of small plots get skipped over, there's a neighbour who's legless (Legless Len), called in for a meeting about his benefit (and his spare bedroom), a single father lawyer with a son forever on his mobile phone, and later Violet's story concludes in a very rushed way with a connected but new-feeling corruption plot that really needed more time to conclude.
I did thoroughly enjoy this, mainly for Bertold's story rather than Violet's, which could have been left out, put into another book, and not been missed. Inna reminds me of characters from 'A Shorter History' from the same author, Bertold's story has the same whiff of the lower classes struggling along hoping for good luck, and a screwball plot may just tip the balance in their favour.
It feels very British, looks at relevant and current topics, it does feel like it tries to squeeze too much in, but also manages to be very charming at the same time, and ends with warmth and the same humour seen throughout.
Not quite her best, but a great read, and speaks loudly of community and family.
With thanks to Netgalley for the advance reading copy.
Lewycka creates a very British comedy here, one with a multi-national cast but a setting so utterly British (actors in Waiting for Godot, corner shops, flats and social workers) that it feels familiar and somehow homey.
Berthold Sidebottom is an out-of-work actor, aggrieved at the success of another better-known actor, born on the same day - George Clooney. His mother dies unexpectedly in hospital, he has been living with her for years after his divorce and fears that new bedroom taxes and the flat they share being in his mother's name, he will be forced to leave.
What would you do in these circumstances? Invite the lady in the next hospital bed to impersonate your dead mother and move in with you? That's a coincidence - just what Berthold decides to do!
Inna is Ukranian, with a wobbly but rather funny grasp of English (I love what she renames the parrot!), and takes to her new role as Bertold's flatmate/mother. It can get confusing though, when Bertold falls for the beautiful young Kenyan neighbour who has begun working nearby, and tries to get involved with her attempts to stop the shared cherry tree garden outside from being torn down to make way for luxury apartments.
Violet has her own story here, not only part of Bertold's, but I found this secondary, though it adds to the tone of greed, corruption and 'I'm alright Jack' mentality that Lewycka reminds us is not uncommon at the moment. Violet's new job involving making the rich richer at the expense of the poor doesn't connect too well with Bertold's but could have been a book in itself.
Bertold's story of course involves Suits, people who come knocking and threaten his carefully constructed plans to keep his flat, and when acting jobs only come up that involve him dressing up as a coffee bean, you can see why he is so desperate.
Lots of small plots get skipped over, there's a neighbour who's legless (Legless Len), called in for a meeting about his benefit (and his spare bedroom), a single father lawyer with a son forever on his mobile phone, and later Violet's story concludes in a very rushed way with a connected but new-feeling corruption plot that really needed more time to conclude.
I did thoroughly enjoy this, mainly for Bertold's story rather than Violet's, which could have been left out, put into another book, and not been missed. Inna reminds me of characters from 'A Shorter History' from the same author, Bertold's story has the same whiff of the lower classes struggling along hoping for good luck, and a screwball plot may just tip the balance in their favour.
It feels very British, looks at relevant and current topics, it does feel like it tries to squeeze too much in, but also manages to be very charming at the same time, and ends with warmth and the same humour seen throughout.
Not quite her best, but a great read, and speaks loudly of community and family.
With thanks to Netgalley for the advance reading copy.
cashawkins's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
stvalentine's review
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-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
4.75
a bizarre and truly entertaining novel with a cast of characters as irritating and head-scratchingly odd as they are loveable - and simultaneously a reflection on the ubiquitous global housing crisis and what people will do to hold on to what they have.
kvog's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
missmesmerized's review
4.0
Als Bertholds Mutter stirbt, wirft ihn das nicht nur emotional aus der Bahn: seine Wohnung ist bedroht, denn diese subventionierte Unterkunft war nun einmal an Lily geknüpft. Das Amt muss also überzeugt werden, dass diese doch noch lebt und kurzerhand zieht Inna ein. Was die quirlige und bisweilen verwirrte Ukrainerin alles durcheinanderwirbeln wird, ahnt der erfolgs- und arbeitslose Schauspieler da noch nicht. Bald schon steckt er inmitten größter Scherereien. Auch in der Liebe will es nicht so klappen, aber vielleicht gibt es doch noch Hoffnung.
Einmal mehr ein hochgradig skurriler Roman von Marina Lewycka. Wie auch schon in anderen Romanen besticht dieser durch unbeschreibliche Charaktere, die liebevoll bis ins letzte Detail durchdacht sind und ihre Rollen durchgängig überzeugend ausfüllen. Dies ist eine der ganz großen Stärken des Romans. Daneben bestechen der Wortwitz und insbesondere der Sprachenmix, der immer wieder zu Missverständnissen und herrlichen Dialogen führt, so dass das Lesen eine reine Freude ist. Leider bleibt die Handlung etwas auf der Strecke. Insgesamt passiert wenig, der gesamte Handlungsstrang um Violet war zwar interessant, aber letztlich mit der Haupthandlung nicht in Zusammenhang zu bringen und am Ende fast überflüssig. Auch hatte ich den Eindruck, dass hier unterschwellig zu viele Widererkennungen aus anderen Romanen sind – etwas mehr Innovation wäre gut gewesen.
Für den Roman als solches bleiben für mich nur 3 Sterne, für die unglaubliche Sprachakrobatik leg ich noch einen drauf.
Einmal mehr ein hochgradig skurriler Roman von Marina Lewycka. Wie auch schon in anderen Romanen besticht dieser durch unbeschreibliche Charaktere, die liebevoll bis ins letzte Detail durchdacht sind und ihre Rollen durchgängig überzeugend ausfüllen. Dies ist eine der ganz großen Stärken des Romans. Daneben bestechen der Wortwitz und insbesondere der Sprachenmix, der immer wieder zu Missverständnissen und herrlichen Dialogen führt, so dass das Lesen eine reine Freude ist. Leider bleibt die Handlung etwas auf der Strecke. Insgesamt passiert wenig, der gesamte Handlungsstrang um Violet war zwar interessant, aber letztlich mit der Haupthandlung nicht in Zusammenhang zu bringen und am Ende fast überflüssig. Auch hatte ich den Eindruck, dass hier unterschwellig zu viele Widererkennungen aus anderen Romanen sind – etwas mehr Innovation wäre gut gewesen.
Für den Roman als solches bleiben für mich nur 3 Sterne, für die unglaubliche Sprachakrobatik leg ich noch einen drauf.
megprescott's review
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
noahee's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
dunneniamh's review
3.0
This novel follows a block of flats in London, occupied by a mishmash of nationalities, from Nigerian to Romanian to Ukranian to Australian. Everyone lives in the building designed by socialist Lubetkin, who may or may not have had an affair with the main character's mother. The plot is centered around the death of the son's mother and his swift adoption of a Ukranian lady in order to retain his hold on the apartment in the Lubetkin building.
Lewycka has a very deliberate style and it just didn't click with me. Though it was interesting at times, and I certainly liked the characters from Eastern Europe the most, I found myself often getting lost within the narrative and not being entirely sure as to what the plot truly was.
I enjoyed this book? Sort of? It was a struggle to get through, but there were little nuggets of goodness.
Lewycka has a very deliberate style and it just didn't click with me. Though it was interesting at times, and I certainly liked the characters from Eastern Europe the most, I found myself often getting lost within the narrative and not being entirely sure as to what the plot truly was.
I enjoyed this book? Sort of? It was a struggle to get through, but there were little nuggets of goodness.
bookforthought's review
3.0
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
Actual rating: 3.5/5
It's not often you find a nice, satirical novel dealing with the complexities of modern life. This book provides just that. Ms Lewycka gives us insight on what life in modern London is like when you're just a normal person struggling between unemployment, health issues, an overly-complex love life... and of course, your everyday benefit fraud. When Berthold's mother dies, he is forced to take Inna, a complete stranger met at the hospital, home with him to impersonate his mother until he can transfer the tenancy of the small council house in his name. But Inna, with her eccentricites, Ukranian food and broken English might be just what Berthold needed to jump start his life again.
This book was really interesting in many respects. I enjoyed taking a look at Berthold's life and that of the people who shared his same situation. This book can boast an impressive cast of colourful characters, each more bizarre than the last, and they were truly a joy to read about. Inna in particular was a favourite of mine, with her weird view of the world and her adorably funny way of speaking. And while I have to admit I wasn't a big fan of Berthold's at the beginning (and throughout most of the book), he did kind of grow on me by the end, and I was happy to see him change so radically throughout. I also enjoyed Violet's storyline - the young, Kenyan girl who tries to make it and the big city, but soon has to decide between her integrity and her job. She is a tough character, trying hard to find herself and her path in the midst of chaos and definitely very admirable.
On the whole, this was a very enjoyable read. The only thing that disappointed me a little were actually my expectations of it: it was pitched as "hilarious", so I was expecting a lot more humor than I actually found in it. Sure, I smiled through most of it, but I never found it laugh-out-loud funny. Now this may totally be me not getting it, but it still left me slightly dissatisfied exactly because I was expecting a different thing. But if you like a good satire, it's definitely worth a read!
For this and more reviews, visit Book for Thought.
Actual rating: 3.5/5
It's not often you find a nice, satirical novel dealing with the complexities of modern life. This book provides just that. Ms Lewycka gives us insight on what life in modern London is like when you're just a normal person struggling between unemployment, health issues, an overly-complex love life... and of course, your everyday benefit fraud. When Berthold's mother dies, he is forced to take Inna, a complete stranger met at the hospital, home with him to impersonate his mother until he can transfer the tenancy of the small council house in his name. But Inna, with her eccentricites, Ukranian food and broken English might be just what Berthold needed to jump start his life again.
This book was really interesting in many respects. I enjoyed taking a look at Berthold's life and that of the people who shared his same situation. This book can boast an impressive cast of colourful characters, each more bizarre than the last, and they were truly a joy to read about. Inna in particular was a favourite of mine, with her weird view of the world and her adorably funny way of speaking. And while I have to admit I wasn't a big fan of Berthold's at the beginning (and throughout most of the book), he did kind of grow on me by the end, and I was happy to see him change so radically throughout. I also enjoyed Violet's storyline - the young, Kenyan girl who tries to make it and the big city, but soon has to decide between her integrity and her job. She is a tough character, trying hard to find herself and her path in the midst of chaos and definitely very admirable.
On the whole, this was a very enjoyable read. The only thing that disappointed me a little were actually my expectations of it: it was pitched as "hilarious", so I was expecting a lot more humor than I actually found in it. Sure, I smiled through most of it, but I never found it laugh-out-loud funny. Now this may totally be me not getting it, but it still left me slightly dissatisfied exactly because I was expecting a different thing. But if you like a good satire, it's definitely worth a read!
For this and more reviews, visit Book for Thought.