Just when you think your family is normal…..

My nan used to read two books a day sometimes. She devoured Mills & Boon books along with any gentle tale of life in the country or a family saga. My nan would have loved this book. It’s not a bad book, just a quick look at all the red stars on Goodreads tells me there are plenty of people who loved this quiet, suburban tale.  A tale centred around an Irish 40th anniversary surprise party and the bombshell announcements which follow from good old mum; the person you would least expect to have secrets.

It just didn’t grab me. The characters weren’t really that interesting and I didn’t care enough about them. The father seemed to be extremely weak with no story of his own and the fact that the ending wrapped up so neatly and happily just didn’t sit right.  I’m told from the book jacket that there were witty moments to be found inside, but I didnt find them, however, there were some heartwarming andn touching ones.  I think it could be a cultural or generation gap for me; bombshell part one, really wasn’t that much of a big deal, which gave me another reason to feel distant from the story and the characters.  I found myself skipping pages and slipping away from the story completely.

What I can say though, is that i’m pretty sure my nan would have loved it, so Maureen, I send this tale up to you in the heavens!

2 stars for me – Skipping pages is never a good sign.

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Copy given to me for honest review by Hachette Australia.