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Behind the Scenes at the Museum (Paperback)

by Kate Atkinson (Author)

4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (73 customer reviews)

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This item: Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
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Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
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Product details

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Black Swan; New edition edition (1996)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0552996181
ISBN-13: 978-0552996181
Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.7 x 2.8 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (73 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,750 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category:
#2 in Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > A > Atkinson, Kate

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Product Description

The Times

'An astounding book…without doubt one of the finest novels I have read for years'

The Sunday Times

'Enchanting. It hops with sprightly omniscience from past to future and back again'

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	83% buy the item featured on this page: Behind the Scenes at the Museum 4.3 out of 5 stars (73) �4.90
	7% buy Case Histories 4.0 out of 5 stars (62) �5.19
	5% buy One Good Turn: A Jolly Murder Mystery 3.5 out of 5 stars (87) �5.97
	3% buy When Will There be Good News? 3.7 out of 5 stars (119) �4.14

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Customer Reviews

73 Reviews

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (73 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the gems in recent years, 4 May 2005

By A Customer

This book has to be one of my favourite books of recent years. It was just such a pleasure to read from beginning to end, that like most good books you just don't want it to end.

The characters were beautifully written, the plot even better, and there was such genuine wit and humour that it was very easy to laugh and cry at the same time.

The plot centres around the life of Ruby. Right from her conception we follow her in her life with her very disfunctional family.

If there's one book you're going to buy today then make it this one. You won't regeret it, and if for some reason you don't buy it today then make sure you do at some point, otherwise you'll be missing out something quite special.

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57 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Absolute Gem!, 15 May 2007

By	Boof (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I picked this book up as part of a 3 for 2 offer in a bookshop when I had already chosen my first two and was in a rush - I didn't even read the blurb on the back, I just vaguely remembered someone telling me how good it was.

What an absolute treat then to find that this ended up being the best of the lot - infact I can honestly say that I haven't enjoyed a book so much in a long time (and I read alot). From the very first paragraph I knew I was going to enjoy Behind the Scenes at the Museum; this book made me laugh and cry. The characters were all so real that I was desperate to know more about them, and I just love the way that the book jumps from present day to another time in the past of this strange but wonderfully fascinating family.

The story starts with the conception of Ruby Lennox in a drunken fumble with her parents in their House Above the Shop in York. Ruby narrates even before her birth and sets the scene with her family - a very disfunctional one at that. The second chapter then goes back in time to Ruby's Great-Grandmother, Alice and her 5 children and from here on in we flit back and forth between Ruby's life and those of her ancestors. All the characters in this book are so 3 dimensional it made me greedy to find out more about them and I found myself thinking about them even when I wasn't reading at the time.

I'm so glad I picked this book up and I am now desperate to read Kate Atkinson's other books. I just LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book and can't recommend it highly enough.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply outstanding - WORTH EVERY MINUTE, 30 Nov 1999

By A Customer

"Behind The Scenes At The Museum" has to be the best book I have read in the last 10 years. As a young child I greatly enjoyed books but could not find a book which inspired me in the same way. I was ready to give up on books, and so I was thrilled when a teacher recommended it to me.

Kate Atkinson's opening to the book, "I exist!" tempted me to read on... and I'm so glad I did. The main character, Ruby explores relationships and thought processes of people in her family, exposing her family history. She takes on a super-intelligence as she talks the reader through her conception, childhood and later consequences in life. Her perception of her mother, "Bunty" as an overworked, neglected housewife is a great focus, providing some very funny moments.

The language is witty and charming, forming an instant affinity and friendly nature with the reader.

The narrative form of this book makes an easy and very pleasant read, and Atkinson's intervening comic remarks and observations made me laugh at loud! I would definitely recommend this book to a friend who enjoys an outstanding read, and it is well worth the time and money spared to read it.

Tina Gordon

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!
I read this book when it first came out and enjoyed it so much I recommended it to all my friends. Having read a collection of short stories by Kate Atkinson recently and "One... Read more

Published 9 days ago by Uf Cotter

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant
I genuinely found this book moving at times and funny at times. It is fundamentally about the lives of ordinary people and I can't believe that I am alone in recognising... Read more

Published 28 days ago by Graham R. Hill

3.0 out of 5 stars Moments of Brilliance
My first impression of this book was that it had too much noise. It was the literary equivalent of being talked at by someone who speaks too quickly and has too much to say, but I... Read more

Published 1 month ago by Book Scout

2.0 out of 5 stars disappointment again

I SENT FOR THIS BOOK WITH GREAT ANTICIPATION,SADLY I WAS SO DISAPPOINTED: CASE HISTORIES, AND ONE GOOD TURN WERE BRILLIANT AND SUBTLE OBVIOUSLY I MISSED THE... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Sonia Martin

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book in every way
This is the story of several generations of a family from the perspective of one member of that family, Ruby. It is a fabulous book, spanning most of the 20th Century. Read more

Published 5 months ago by E. Chaplin

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply exceptional
My delight in this book was, I admit, heightened by the fact that I was born & brought up in York and was almost the same age as the lead character - so a whole heap of nostalgia... Read more

Published 5 months ago by J. Humphries

1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible
I found it very difficult to stay interested in this book for longer than a page or two. It is packed full of characters to whom you feel no connection. Read more

Published 6 months ago by A. Thomas

2.0 out of 5 stars Gave up
I never ever give up on a book so this one goes to top of the list. I have struggled with it to the extent that I find myself wishing it just ended. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Siobhan Cullen

1.0 out of 5 stars Yawn
If you like hearing about what someone's Auntie Mable did in 1940 that wasn't very exciting, then you will love this book. Read more

Published 8 months ago by Chez

5.0 out of 5 stars read it!
I have always been an avid reader and devoured children's books when I was small moving on to the classics as a teenager. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Matilda Honey

› See all 73 customer reviews...

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