Summertime

Publisher and industry reviews

UK Kirkus review

If you are a mother you will laugh out loud throughout this book and want to pass it on to all your deserving friends. It tells of the delightful chaos of Venetia Summer's household when her boyfriend David has temporarily gone to a Brazilian rainforest and she is left to fend for herself. Three children, her eccentric mother and her brother's forthcoming wedding at her house do little to distract Venetia from the anxieties of long-distance love. Her new neighbour, rich, but with only one eyebrow, hopes she will look for love a little closer to home but the children take matters and emails into their own hands. Of course there's a happy ending but enough doses of daily drama to make us all feel we've earned it. Every single character is richly observed and drawn with likeable exasperation. And the relief to find that one's own failings are not so unusual is enormous. On running the home, Venetia comments, 'Housewifery has deserted me. Open the fridge and notice Giles's cricket socks in there. Just cannot think where else I might put them, so shut the door again, leaving them there.' On encountering the competitive school mother: 'I am irritated to note the flatness of her stomach, but remark some flab on the underarm to savour.' On nurturing one's children: 'After an hour in our rooms, which I spend wracked with guilt at having screamed, "You sodding little philistine swine" while throwing half their Nintendo into the fire, Felix is now happy and chatting, even though it was at him that I screamed, "You are driving me insane", to which he replied, "But you've always been like this, Mummy."' This is more than a very funny book - it's pure therapy. (Kirkus UK)

|

Add to wish list

|

Tell a friend