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Wife in the North
 
 
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Wife in the North (Paperback)

by Judith O'Reilly (Author)
3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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Customers buy this book with The Desperate Diary of a Country Housewife by Daisy Waugh

Wife in the North + The Desperate Diary of a Country Housewife
Price For Both: £9.76

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Product details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin (3 Jul 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0141033436
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141033433
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 44,122 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Jenny Colgan, author of AMANDA's WEDDING
'I howled with laughter, tears of recognition at every bloody page. My only problem was choosing who to pass it on to first.'

Jane Fallon, author of GETTING RID OF MATTHEW
'Genuinely funny and genuinely moving'

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84% buy the item featured on this page:
Wife in the North 3.5 out of 5 stars (28)
£5.99
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Customer Reviews

28 Reviews
5 star:
 (11)
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 (5)
3 star:
 (4)
2 star:
 (4)
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Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (28 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars beautifully written, 11 Aug 2008
By Mrs. K. A. Wheatley "katywheatley" (Leicester, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
As a blogger myself I was really interested to see what happens to a blogger who gets propelled to the literary stratosphere. I had read some of the blog but not all, and was not really sure what to expect from the book.

It was beautifully written and very poignant. Judith agrees to her husband's life long dream to life in Northumberland and uproots her existence to live in total chaos with two small boys, whilst also being heavily pregnant. The house is not ready. It is too small. It takes months for planning permission to be granted and the money keeps running out. Her husband, the man who wanted to live there in the first place, comes home for the weekend once every three weeks and spends most of the rest of the time in London, which is where she wants to be but isn't. She catalogues her woes in this blog/book.

People have criticised the book and the woman for being petulant and selfish. I disagree. She is writing about what is true for her. I feel that if I were in her shoes, I too would be rather depressed and find it very hard to find a silver lining. Living on what is a building site, out of boxes with three small children, one a newborn who is waking most nights is not easy, not easy at all. I applaud her for having stuck it out and not run off screaming into the distance.

My only beef is that this book is being marketed as a 'hilarious' read. It isn't. It is funny, in places, and indeed has some laugh out loud moments, but it is also tragic, poignant and heartfelt. It tells the truth of someone's chaotic life, their highs and lows and at times I felt that I could weep with empathy. Don't be fooled by the cover. It is not a jolly read. It's much more than that.
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars tricky one, this......., 15 Sep 2008
By kermit 333 (England UK) - See all my reviews
gosh this book stumped me - at first I was all set to give it one star because of the womans incessant moaning and whinging on how wonderful London is blah blah blah wish she was back there yadda yadda yadda and this went on for the entire book! I pushed myself to finish it as I wanted to know if the family ever returned to London...... and yes WHY was it her husband's job to fill up the car when he's in London????? Does she never check her fuel herself....? And the fact that she was extremely well off - most of us normals wouldn't have the money to do what she and her husband did.... buy two cottages and knock them into one have the builders in for months rent a house to live in meanwhilst and then at the end of it all install the Londoners dream of the AGA (mega bucks) and clawfooted bath (ditto) I certainly didn't find it funny despite what it said on the front cover!

And yet, and yet, she writes like a dream come true in some of her ruminations, particularly her observations of nature. And near the end of the book I was absolutely slain by her stark account of family tragedy - the suffering was there in every word. So I guess you pays your money and takes your choice - I see other reviewers liked it...... takes all sorts!!!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Lots to relate to, 19 Aug 2008
By Helena Frith Powell (Abu Dhabi) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I haven't even finished the book and feel compelled to write a review, partly to defend Judith against the nasty ones here complaining about her running out of petrol. I have had a few of those for my own books, one even complaining that I have a husband called Rupert! This is a really great read. There is so much to relate to, to laugh at and to sympathise with. Judith writes brilliantly, her style is totally addictive and she has a really poignant way of expressing things, especially her feelings for her children. I hope this book does really well, it deserves to. So what if she doesn't know where the nearest garage is?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars It does get better- stick with it!
I bought this book based on the fact that I am a mother of a similar age living in a rural area. At first I couldn't get into it and had to keep re-reading and going back to find... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Bookworm

5.0 out of 5 stars Like marmite...
It seems this book is like Marmite - either loved or hated. I loved it. Yes, yes, ok, I can't get my head round someone never checking the fuel gauge on their car but I think... Read more
Published 3 months ago by S. Stanford

5.0 out of 5 stars laugh out loud funny
you need this woman to be your friend!
its definatly the best book on the market at the moment. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Ms. L. Walters

1.0 out of 5 stars Wish I hadn't bought this book
If you like "humour" borne out of moaning then this is the book for you. Unfortunately I don't and struggled half way through and then gave up. Escapism this is not.
Published 4 months ago by Ian Davis

1.0 out of 5 stars A Waste of time
It is very rare for me to give up on a book but I could not finish this one. I found it boring, repetetive and self pitying. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Book worm

4.0 out of 5 stars Well, it made me laugh!
I wasn't sure about this book until I was quite a way into it. I kept expecting it to be full of hilarious moments as the cover seemed to promise which, in truth were few and far... Read more
Published 5 months ago by S. West

2.0 out of 5 stars What a whinge fest
My first thoughts are that the whining and unrelenting complaints became tedious in the extreme. I'm sure (and I think I'm being generous) in its original blog format it was a lot... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Net

3.0 out of 5 stars Try Norway if you think Northumberland's cold
My Dad bought me this, clearly spotting a connection between Judith O'Reilly's situation and mine. We moved to Norway two years ago, two children and eleven animals in tow and... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Dr. Cath L. Murphy

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing chick lit
I read this after reading an extract in the Times and was really disappointed. The extracts gave a good idea of what to expect - chatty, funny writing, but the book as a whole is... Read more
Published 6 months ago by altjo

1.0 out of 5 stars Whinge in the North
Y'know, I hate to say this but... go back to London, you clearly hate Northumberland! Every page is a whinge and after 50 it becomes tedious. Read more
Published 6 months ago by periodictable

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