I loved this for the clear eyed look at the absurdities of everyday life,the realities of families and the humour which made me laugh out loud whilst reading it.In fact,I became so engrossed I couldn't put it down ,waiting to see what happened next.Although it might not sound interesting to read about a woman who spent a year in bed,it's exactly the opposite.The real story is the gradual unravelling of family dynamics as Eva,the mother,takes to her bed after her twins have left for university.Not because she's suffering from empty nest syndrome but rather that she's had enough of being the wife ,mother and entire support system.All the characters are brilliantly drawn,especially her husband… Read more
I nearly didn't buy this novel but am so pleased that I did.It's an unsentimental story about an orphan who spent most of her first 18 years in children's homes.What saves her from despair and hopelessness is her passion for flowers.This is beautifully described and convincing.Ultimately,it's a book about the harshness of a loveless life which ends in a hard earned redemption.It moved me to tears.
As both a Master NLP Practitioner and writer,I was looking forward to some new creative ideas for stretching myself.This is not what I got.If it didn't have "NLP" in its title,you would never think it has anything to do with resourcefulness,flexibility or the meaning of the communication is the response it gets.It consists of a structure to adhere to ,clumsily combined with some inner visualisations.Heavy,plodding and patronising.
