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Everyone hates the perfect family. So you’ll love the Battles. Mo is about to hit the big 50, and some uncomfortable truths are becoming quite apparent: She doesn’t understand either of her teenage kids, which as a child psychologist, is fairly embarrassing. She has become entirely grey, inside, and out. Her face has surrendered and is frightening children....
Who is in Coma Suite Number 5? A matchless lover? A supreme egotist? A selfless martyr? A bad mother? A cherished sister? A selfish wife? All of these. For this is Silvia Shute, who has always done exactly what she wants. Until now, when her life suddenly, shockingly stops. Her past holds a terrible secret, and now that she is unconscious in a hospital bed, her constant stream of visitors are set to uncover the mystery of her broken life. Meanwhile she must lie there, victim of the beloveds, the borings, the babblings and the plain bonkers. Like it or not, the truth is about to pay Silvia a visit. Again, and again and again...
With a sharp eye for comic detail and a wicked ear for the absurdities of life, Dawn French shows just how an RAF girl from the west country with dreams of becoming a ballerina/bridesmaid/thief rose to become one of the best-loved comedy actresses of our time.
The story of a relationship that everyone thought was forever and which is now in danger of being for never, The Break is about getting older and staying in love when life, real life, is trying to pull you apart.
Jennifer Saunders' comic creations have brought joy to millions. From Comic Strip to Comic Relief, from Bolly-swilling Edina in Ab Fab to her takes on Madonna or Mamma Mia, her characters are household names. But it's Jennifer herself who has a place in all our hearts. This is her funny, moving, and frankly bonkers memoir, filled with laughter, friends, and occasional heartache - but never misery. Bonkers is full of riotous adventures.
Lou Clark knows a lot of things. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop, and she might not love her boyfriend Patrick. Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live, and now everything feels small and joyless. What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.
Everyone hates the perfect family. So you’ll love the Battles. Mo is about to hit the big 50, and some uncomfortable truths are becoming quite apparent: She doesn’t understand either of her teenage kids, which as a child psychologist, is fairly embarrassing. She has become entirely grey, inside, and out. Her face has surrendered and is frightening children....
Who is in Coma Suite Number 5? A matchless lover? A supreme egotist? A selfless martyr? A bad mother? A cherished sister? A selfish wife? All of these. For this is Silvia Shute, who has always done exactly what she wants. Until now, when her life suddenly, shockingly stops. Her past holds a terrible secret, and now that she is unconscious in a hospital bed, her constant stream of visitors are set to uncover the mystery of her broken life. Meanwhile she must lie there, victim of the beloveds, the borings, the babblings and the plain bonkers. Like it or not, the truth is about to pay Silvia a visit. Again, and again and again...
With a sharp eye for comic detail and a wicked ear for the absurdities of life, Dawn French shows just how an RAF girl from the west country with dreams of becoming a ballerina/bridesmaid/thief rose to become one of the best-loved comedy actresses of our time.
The story of a relationship that everyone thought was forever and which is now in danger of being for never, The Break is about getting older and staying in love when life, real life, is trying to pull you apart.
Jennifer Saunders' comic creations have brought joy to millions. From Comic Strip to Comic Relief, from Bolly-swilling Edina in Ab Fab to her takes on Madonna or Mamma Mia, her characters are household names. But it's Jennifer herself who has a place in all our hearts. This is her funny, moving, and frankly bonkers memoir, filled with laughter, friends, and occasional heartache - but never misery. Bonkers is full of riotous adventures.
Lou Clark knows a lot of things. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop, and she might not love her boyfriend Patrick. Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live, and now everything feels small and joyless. What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.
Four classic episodes from the original TV series: Arrival, Songs of Praise, Easter Special and The Christmas Lunch Incident. Welcome to Dibley, a perfect village full of some perfectly peculiar people - including Alice Tinker and her underactive brain, Owen Newitt and his overactive bowels, and Letitia Cropley and her orange cake with Branston pickle icing.
Part autobiography, part self-help, part confession, part celebration of being a common-or-garden woman, part collection of synonyms for nunny, Sarah Millican's debut audiobook delves into her super normal life with daft stories, funny tales and proper advice on how to get past life's blips - like being good at school but not good at friends, the excitement of IBS and how to blossom postdivorce.
Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive - but not how to live. Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend. Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything. One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world....
Merham is a well-ordered 50s seaside town - the kind of town where everyone knows their place (and those who don't are promptly put in it). Lottie Swift is an evacuee who has grown up with the respectable Holden family and loves Merham. The Holden's daughter Celia, however, chafes against the constraints on the town and longs to escape....
You'll be wincing in recognition and scratching your head in incredulity, but like Marian herself you won't be able to stop laughing at the sheer delightful absurdity that is modern life - because each and every one of us is clearly making it up as we go along. She has wonderful and tickling words of advice for those fast approaching 50.
Meet the daughters of Iris Parker. Dee, sensitive and big-hearted; Rose, uptight and controlled; and Fleur, the reckless free spirit. At the reading of their mother's will, the three estranged women are aghast to discover that their inheritance comes with very tricky strings attached. If they are to inherit her wealth, they must spend a series of weekends together over the course of a year and carry out their mother's bucket list.
There are three things you should know about Elsie. The first is that she's my best friend. The second is that she always knows what to say to make me feel better. And the third...might take a little bit more explaining. Eighty-four-year-old Florence has fallen in her flat. As she waits to be rescued, Florence wonders if a terrible secret from her past is about to come to light; and, if the charming new resident is who he claims to be, why does he look exactly like a man who died 60 years ago?
On Coronation night the ex-pat community in Hong Kong gathers for a celebration party, and 21-year-old Joy falls in love at first sight. She is engaged within 24 hours, but will not see her fiancé again for a year. Fifteen years later, when Sabine, her mother and grandmother are brought together, not only a deeply buried family secret is discovered, but also some fundamental truths: about the conflict between love and duty, about women's choices, and about mothers and daughters.
Paula has had Robert's back since they got together as drama students. She gave up her dreams so he could make it. Now he's one of the nation's most popular actors. And Paula's just discovered he's having an affair. She's going to remind Robert just what he's sacrificing, and then she's going to break his heart like he broke hers. It will be her greatest acting role ever. Revenge is sweet. Isn't it?
Kindness - The Little Thing That Matters Most aims to motivate and inspire by showing listeners what a difference even a small act of kindness can make. It uses the voices of those who have been helped by the author's charity - 52 Lives - to ground the ideas in real-life action. The audiobook is themed around 52 simple actions you can do to spread kindness. Interspersed throughout are nuggets of science explaining the positive effect kindness has on the brain and on the heart.
Rachel Walsh is twenty-seven and the miserable owner of size 8 feet. She has regular congress with Luke Costello, a man who wears his leather trousers tight. And she's fond - some might say too fond - of recreational drugs.
Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Spectacles, the hilarious, creative and incredibly moving memoir from much loved comedian, writer and presenter Sue Perkins. When I began writing this book, I went home to see if my mum had kept some of my stuff. What I found was that she hadn't kept some of it. She had kept all of it - every bus ticket, postcard, school report....
Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook addition of According to Yes, the hilarious new novel by Dawn French.
The Foreign Land of the Very Wealthy - otherwise known as Manhattan's Upper East Side - has its own rigid code of behaviour. It's a code strictly adhered to by the Wilder-Bingham family. Emotional displays - unacceptable. Unruly behaviour - definitely not welcome. Fun - no thanks. This is Glenn Wilder-Bingham's kingdom. A beautifully displayed, impeccably edited fortress of restraint.
So when Rosie Kitto, an eccentric 38-year-old primary school teacher from England, bounces into their lives with a secret sorrow and a heart as big as the city, nobody realises that she hasn't read the rule book. For the Wilder-Bingham family, whose lives begin to unravel thread by thread, the consequences are explosive. Because after a lifetime of saying no, what happens when everyone starts saying...yes?
What disappointed you about According to Yes?
The main character, lovely lovely Rosie was actually rather unlikeable. I wouldn't want a friend like her who presents herself as caring and fun, but in fact bulldozes her way into people's lives doing whatever she wants because she thinks it's for the best. Never questioning her actions, no signs of remorse.
Has According to Yes put you off other books in this genre?
No
What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
The ability to drive my car! The narration was very good, I think it was a wise move to have more than one narrator.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Irritation.
Any additional comments?
I had high hopes for this book, love Dawn French. I thought it would be an easy going light read with a touch of New York from a UK perspective. Which I suppose it is, but I just found the main character so annoying.
22 of 23 people found this review helpful
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
Nothing.
From the stereotypical country bumpkin of a nanny ( clearly based on French, herself) to the god awful drag along storyline
Would you ever listen to anything by Dawn French again?
Not a chance.... I thought she was funny not cringeworthy
What didn’t you like about the narrators’s performance?
Stereotypes all the way through. Have some imagination at least! Glenn was the only partially believable voice.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
**PLOT SPOILER**
Total disappointment with the relationship that builds in a completely farcical manner between the nanny and the grandfather. Oh so he has no life, no fun, no adventure due to the bitter tongued wife, Glenn. Doesn't mean he has to shack up with the plump, very British, "let's make her quirky cos she's got an accent" nanny! The fact they end up in bed together was the final nail in the coffin for this book after a massively dreary start to the unbelievably irritating whine of French's nanny.
Any additional comments?
Don't bother. I thought the other negative reviews might be wrong, after all; its Dawn French!
What a waste of time!
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
Any additional comments?
Each of Dawn French's novels have been a bit worse than the previous one. I loved " A Tiny Bit Marvellous." "Oh Dear Sylvia" was a bit slow in some spots, but was saved by its ending. "According to Yes" was a big disappointment The lead character comes across as a middle age slut. While she is funny and witty, I just couldn't warm to her character. While there is nothing inherently wrong by a liberal, sexually uninhibited heroine, I don't think this story is the right venue.
13 of 14 people found this review helpful
I was excited as this seemed like a motivational story.. I am Cornish and 38 so was excited to read . Very disappointing Rosie was rude and unlikeable and the story was ridiculous. More like a play than an audio book. Not much happens then it ends. Boring and at some points cringey.
16 of 18 people found this review helpful
light hearted and easy to snuggle down with.
..... I recommend this one !
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
This is not my normal genre of reading. But I am a fan of Dawn French so I wanted to listen to one of her books. I saw her in to talking about this book so decided to go with it.
It was a pleasant story and I really warmed to the character Rosie. She comes into the life of a family that are strained in many ways and even though things go wrong it shows that you can make the best of any situation if we care enough. Like I said this isn't my normal genre of reading as I love gritty thrillers but it was nice to have a change and I really enjoyed this a lot.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Who was your favorite character and why?
Loved Rosie - full of life and optimistic - fabulously positive ways of dealing with people!
What about the narrators’s performance did you like?
Dawn understood her characters so well that she really brought them to life for me!
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Mary Poppins for adults!
Any additional comments?
Loved this book - great story - great characters - couldn't wait to get back in my car to continue listening!!
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
Ok so it's not very believable but I don't care about that... It's about as uplifting and happy as it could possibly be. And now I just have to find all those places in New York for myself...
6 of 7 people found this review helpful
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the characters in the book who developed really well throughout. This book worked well with different narrators. Worth a listen.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Really enjoyed this book. Couldn't tear myself away and listened to the majority in one day! Raises a smile in several places. I thought the difference in narrator change would bother me but I settled into that quite quickly. Would listen to again, and again.
7 of 9 people found this review helpful
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
This is a weirs book, in parts hysterically funny, in parts exceedingly frustrating - especially the parts leading up to Rosie having sex with Teddy and Campbell. It was bad enough she entered into an affair with Thomas, but to then "just happen" into sleeping with this grandson and son is just adding insult to injury.
Rosie is also a frustrating know-it-all who acts as if she stands on a moral high ground. She is right in her observations, but given everything else it is also two-faced... however you can't help but like her and also feel for her.
You also can't help but feel for the "villain" of the story, the Queen Bee of the household, Glenn. She is unlikable, and much about why she is the way she is is left unsaid, just hinted at, but somehow you feel like you get to know and understand her.
This book leaves you thinking.
The narrators really added to the story, excellent job!