Painting Ruby Tuesday (Hardcover)

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Review
This is a quirky black comedy which takes a breezy look at memory, responsibility and guilt. Jane Yardley's first novel maintains a lively style as it unfolds the story of four murders, three affairs, two marital collapses and one big lie. In the summer of 1965, Annie Cradock's innocent village childhood is shattered by a spate of murders. For Annie, the worst of these is that of her much-loved role model, Jenny Clitheroe. Through a series of farcical blunders, Annie perverts the course of justice so the crimes remain unsolved. Interwoven with this plot are episodes from Annie's adulthood; she becomes an energetic musician, frustrated by her marriage and still curious about Jenny Clitheroe's death. Yardley's characterization is one of her strengths. Annie is an offbeat child who matures into a maverick woman. The adult Annie regards her childhood self wryly, generating much of the book's humour. Yardley writes children well: she draws comedy from the frustrations of childhood and from young people's limited frame of reference. The novel's vivid imagery is informed by Yardley's synaesthesia. This ability to 'hear' in colour is also ascribed to her characters, Annie and Jenny. Images of Beethoven's music as green and Mick Jagger's as red lend the novel a surreal originality. Constant shifts between past and present allow Yardley to explore Annie's guilt effectively. Elsewhere, however, the novel's structure is a weak point. The plot is over-reliant on coincidence and a great deal of exposition is done repetitively through dialogue. These more pedestrian sections of the novel seem under-edited when set against Yardley's light, witty style. But this remains a lively, original first novel, and the comic set-pieces alone show Yardley's promise as an author of fresh, oddball tales. (Kirkus UK)

British headmaster's daughter stumbles upon a murder. Not quite a mystery and not exactly a coming-of-ager, Yardley's debut presents an array of mild-mannered eccentrics in an Essex village, circa 1965, seen through the eyes of Annie Cradock, a curious and sensitive ten-year-old. Annie is fascinated to find that Mrs. Clitheroe, her pretty, dithery music teacher, also sees music in color (a precious conceit of this discombobulated plot). Annie adores music, pop tunes in particular-and she's such a bloody little genius that she creates a sculpture she calls "Ruby Tuesday" before the Rolling Stones make the song famous. Her beloved father, a not-too-strict headmaster with a taste for whimsy, builds a replica of the Empire State Building out of 7,574 matchboxes and flies off to Idlewild to present the silly thing to Mayor Robert Wagner at the World's Fair. Not long after that, Mrs. Clitheroe is murdered. Did the seemingly harmless rag-and-bone man do it? Or was it one of the gypsy travelers who camped near the village? It's all very confusing to Annie (and to the reader). Years later, Annie decides to go along when her second husband, Alan, a biotech company CEO, accepts a job offer in New York. Perhaps she can teach singing. But her old childhood friend Babette asks whether Annie can truly be happy with renting a teaching studio in Manhattan and commuting from Westchester, which is where Alan wants to live. It's a good question. Meanwhile, Annie (in London with Alan to await her visa) has begun an intense affair with Daniel, husband #1 (on their reignited passion: "Perhaps it was always inevitable . . . "). Can she go to New York and leave Daniel once again? What about Alan? Back to the past: a 40-year-old photo album turns up unexpectedly and provides some intriguing clues to the mystery of Mrs. Clitheroe's death. A talky denouement wraps it all up. A rather trivial tale-and probably too British to interest many American readers. (Kirkus Reviews)

Company Magazine, March 2003
'A series of murders rocks ten-year-old Annie's sleepy home town, and she's the keeper of vital clues... A compelling read'

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13 Reviews 5 star:  (10) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.6 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   11 of 11 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Simply brilliant, 28 Jan 2005 By  Taylor (Orpington, Kent) - See all my reviews This review is from: Painting Ruby Tuesday (Paperback) I bought this in Sydney and read it on the flight home, a multi-delay 30-hour journey from hell, and just buried myself in this. It is gorgeous. There's a clever mystery, great jokes, passages so touching you could cry, and a heroine who is completely irresistible. An absolute must read. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   11 of 11 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book, 18 Jan 2005 By A Customer This review is from: Painting Ruby Tuesday (Paperback) I'm always interested to read other people's reviews of books I've read so I drop in occasionally on the Amazon pages of old favourite reads of mine to see what's being said by others. So I was sad to read recent comments as they in no way match my experience. I read this book sometime ago now, but the characters and story has stayed with me and from time to time is reviewed in my mind with pleasure. I enjoyed the growing up of the main character and the way we are allowed to see her thinking change and mature. I heartily recommend this book. By the Way: Why haven't I given it a 5, if I liked it so much? That's because I never give top marks (in anything) cos however great I always leave room for even more! Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   10 of 10 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Relish the writing, 1 Feb 2005 By  "tomnapier" - See all my reviews This review is from: Painting Ruby Tuesday (Paperback) These reviews all seem intent on retelling the plot from different angles so instead here is some show and not tell. "It was another fine late summer day, the morning air sweet as apple juice, the sky cloudless but for a high cirrus, blown by some unfelt stratospheric wind into feathery lace. The same wind had also nibbled the vapour trail from a recently passed jet, tickling its edges into a sort of twist like a cable stitch so the entire sky looked like something ambitious knitted by my mother." Not a fan of murder stories? Then read Painting Ruby Tuesday for its glorious language. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 13 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars She's a rainbow... This is an appealing book, beautifully written - the author's first book and one which will lead you searching out her others. Read more Published 18 months ago by R. Lowther 5.0 out of 5 stars Pick it up; laugh, cry, laugh, smile and tell your friends I've been socialising a lot recently and in nearly every conversation I've been enthusing about this story. Read more Published on 18 May 2005 5.0 out of 5 stars Touchy feely, lovely Our heroine's marriage is falling apart and she is remembering five grisly murders from when she was a little girl... Read more Published on 2 Feb 2005 by Briony J 5.0 out of 5 stars Great read This is a story with two strands to it, the adult woman looking back on 1965 when she was ten-years-old and her little village was rocked by a series of murders. Read more Published on 19 Jan 2005 5.0 out of 5 stars The magical colours of music Mainly told with the voice of a ten year old girl, Annie, the story is set in the Sixties in a sleepy village thats suddenly turned on its head by murder. Read more Published on 19 Jan 2005 by Clair Krieger 5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, Touching, Musical. A compelling read. This is a compelling book brimming with beautifully observed characters that are larger than life but totally believable, as seen through the eyes of 10-year old Annie Craddock... Read more Published on 18 Jan 2005 5.0 out of 5 stars Murder tale but out of the ordinary This came highly recommended as it seems to have been picked up by reading groups. It's a tale from the 60s narrated in the first person by Angharad Cradock, a 10 year old girl... Read more Published on 18 Jan 2005 by rebeccawow2 5.0 out of 5 stars What a lovely read! It is the summer of 1965, the Beatles are touring America and the Stones are in the charts with Satisfaction. Read more Published on 18 Jan 2005 2.0 out of 5 stars Very slow start and rather dull I'm afraid this one takes an age to get going and, once it did, I wasn't really predisposed to be won over. Read more Published on 11 Jan 2005 5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, touching, musical, I couldnt put it down The jacket of this book caught my eye and the story hooked me instantly. This is a compelling book brimming with beautifully observed characters that are larger than life but... Read more Published on 18 Feb 2003 by A reader from Leicestershire Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 13 customer reviews...

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