Jane Wenham-JonesCritiques

I bought this some years ago - it was published in 2007 and reprinted in 2010 - and used to enjoy the late writer's column in 'Writing Magazine'. However, apart from the fate of all such books in the digital age - they go out of date in a few years especially the coverage of digital publishing (which is very rudimentary in this one) - the whole tone is one of trying too hard. I soon lost count of the many references to alcohol, drunkenness and general 'wine o'clock' hilarity which I'm afraid I didn't find very amusing.

There were a few interesting points, but even those have to be treated with caution - for example, although the Richard and Judy Bookclub is still in existence it is now a website as far as I know and I don't know when it ceased to be a TV programme. However, it does still seem to be the case that Waterstones buy books centrally (there is an interview with one of their book-buyers of the time).

There was a bit of laziness in a couple of places where the author states that she knows nothing about a particular type of writing, but recommends a book about it which she admits she hasn't bothered to read - but the author on the one about TV writing is apparently a nice bloke. It ends with several pages of quotes about writing from different people in the book trade, which I must admit I skimmed. So for me this rates an OK 2 stars.

The Big Five-O follows 4 friends, all coming up to their 50th birthday and a big birthday bash is being planned. The friends are; Charlotte, a devoted mother and wife but struggling with the fact her daughter has left home for Uni. Fay, a successful businesswoman, no children and has a toyboy, Sherie is single but loves her cat and Roz is a single mum struggling to make ends meet. All of these ladies have secrets.
Throughout the book we find out more and more about each character, the secrets they are keeping although one secret is not revealed until near the end of the book, you will understand why as you read it.
This book had me laughing in places, anxious in others and sad in places too. I really liked the writing style and Jane Wenham-Jones wrote a fantastic book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and will definitely lookout for more from her in the future.

Another enjoyable read. funny too

i quite enjoyed the wine bar experience with this book and the lives of the 3 owners. An enjoyable read, although i had sussed out Victor quite early on.. I would buy her books again.

Another enjoyable read. funny too

This story is told through the point of view of three women, Clare, Anna and Ellie. Clare and Anna are middle aged and married with men that are couple of decades their senior. Anna's husband Jeremy is getting old and frail. Clare's husband Rupe has just retired and drinks heavily. Clare's daughter Ellie has just met Tom, who is twenty years older. We get to be part of their lives for a couple of months. All of the three women contemplate their lives and relationships. What is it like to be in your prime while your husband is aging and getting decrepit? Is there something that needs to change?
This is a real feel-good story. All characters are lovely, even though some of them may appear quite brusque at first. Family and friends are important and I was keeping fingers crossed that everything would turn out well in the end.
I like the writing style and how the author uses words. It's like being wrapped in a warm blanket on a comfy sofa.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins UK One More Chapter for a copy of this book.

Prime Time by Jane Wenham-Jones is an absolutely marvelous novel that is smart, sassy and wicked funny. To read my review in its entirety, please visit http://www.bookreviewsandmorebykathy.com/2012/02/16/prime-time/

I read this book in super fast time, basically because I devoured it! I needed to know what was going to happen next. The author kept us all guessing as to the potential outcome/s, which is essential in any book. I loved the characters. I cringed at the miscommunication - we've all done that to friends, or had it done to us. I ended up hating who know who (can't say who, as I don't want to spoil it for others).
I enjoyed Jane's writing, her characters, and her plot immensely.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to other women in their 40's!!! Read it. You'll love it, and no doubt you'll recognise bits of yourself in it. And maybe it just helped me put on my trainers and go for a quick walk round the block!!!
Loved it, and look forward to Laura's next adventures! I hope she has more.

I had to really sit down and take a deep breath before writing this review….
Maybe I needed a few drinks before reading this and I would have liked it more.
I honestly have to say that this book was seriously one of the worst books I have read in a very long time. I do not know where to start. First, the paragraphs had me so confused because one moment it would be talking about one character and the next here we were in conversation with two different characters.
This book is about three women who are very different and hardly know each other, but decide to open a wine bar together.
There is everything from a husband who likes to dress as a woman, a psychotic brother, a depressed man, a single mom with three bad kids, a woman who only cries for her dogs, a pill-popper, and a crazy ex-girlfriend. This book was way to left field for me. Now, the only reason I did give the book one star (besides the fact that I have to give it something) is Sam. I adored him but for real, he needed to grow up and be a man and say No! He needs to run very fast because who wants an egotistical winch like that. This book is in serious need of an editor because I do not know how it was published.

Rather different to this average book about writing, this one is full of anecdotes, humour - some of it rather risque - and a great deal of advice to drink heavily and eat a lot of chocolate. Clearly not all to be taken seriously, but I found it very readable and quite inspiring in places. The author doesn't try to inflate her experiences or suggest that getting published is just a matter of hard slog and brilliance; nor does she focus on layouts or grammar or even how to construct plots. Instead she looks at reasons why people might become writers, and suggests pretty much any outlet (greetings cards, film strips, restaurant critiques...) rather than producing a novel.

Then there's some general good advice to those who are determined to go ahead, punctuated with more anecdotes and suggestions, and then a brief overview of how to get published. Perhaps. I read the first half over just a few days before getting a bit bogged down in the final chapters, not realising (since my version was a Kindle freebie) that the end of the book is simply pages and pages of quotations about writing from other writers. I read the first twenty or so then got bored, and skipped through the rest.

Worth perusing for anyone who is interested in an honest, often self-deprecating account of the life of a writer, with some humour, some bad language, and much that should be taken with a huge pinch of salt.

I really want to like this book, but it was just another rah rah you can do it craft book. I didn't feel like I learned any new tips.

Sorry, it is just one star as I found this book very difficult to read because of the sudden switches of scenery and characters which were not marked in any way (i.e. as you are reading about one character the following sentence would be about someone else in a completely different scene). The story itself was not bad. Incidentally, I read the Kindle edition.

I enjoyed this book as well as gaining quite a few tips from it. It wasn't the meaningless manufactured slog that you usually get from books about writing. Not only did it engage you as if you were a friend, it provided tips on various areas of writing and the stages after that. I recommend it for anyone else who might be starting out as a writer.

Wannabe a writer we’ve heard of? is an indispensible guide for any new author wanting to be sure that their great work is read by more than just their mum and next door neighbours. Jane Wenham-Jones is a romance author who describes herself as a media tart, getting on TV and radio, into newspapers, in front of audiences and anything else that will help promote her books. This book is therefore packed full of her own experiences explaining what has worked for her, as well as what she’s seen work for others. There’s a wealth of good information in here, a lot of which I wish I’d read a couple of years ago. A lot of things she explains around preparing for your book’s launch are things I’ve either had to figure out for myself or wish I’d known back when my novel was a looming publication date.

Don’t be put off by the genre of her novels if you write something different; the vast majority of the advice she provides can apply equally well to all genres of fiction as well as non-fiction books.

This book covers a range of topics, from book launch parties to press releases, networking to WI talks, radio to TV. All of these subjects are treated in the same light-hearted manner, making it an enjoyable read as well as extremely informative. There are plenty of anecdotes to make you chuckle, and some examples of the worst that might happen. If you live in fear of arranging a book signing and having no one show it, it’s comforting to read quotes from a famous author describing how exactly that happened in their early days.

In a lot of ways, for someone working hard at book promotion, this book is worth its cost just for the comfort of knowing that everyone else has to work at it too. I would heartily recommend this book, particularly if you are in the process of having a first book published.

I have not read a book in this style before - unless you include Bridget Jones. It involves the story of Cari who spilts up from her husband Martin and then proceeds on an adventure in the world of property redevelopment with her pal, the madly optimistic Nigel and his band of various workmen.

This book took it's time in beginning for me: I found the first half of the story was making too much of an effort to make me laugh and it didn't come off, but the second half of the story became a little more dark and real and actually had me start to feel! Which I think is a good sign in a book.

I don't think I'll be reading many more books like this, but I am glad I gave it a go. I'm not sure who to recommend this too as I've not read chick-lit of late, but if you like a little dark humour then this could be for you.

Review here: http://bookannelid.wordpress.com/2008/07/12/raising-the-roof-by-jane-wenham-jone...

This is very different to any other ho to writing book I've read as it is full of great inside info but is also terribly funny. Jane Wenham-Jones reveals the tortured path to getting published and has top tips from leading names in the industry. Highly reccomended!

This is a really good book about an agency that supplies alibis to unfaitful women. You can imagine the hilarious happenings when it al goes wrong!

It is a brave writer who has mental health issues running through what can be classed as chick lit, or romantic fiction. But in the hands of Jane Wenham-Jones this is done with respect and understanding. Ms Wenham-Jones also has that rare skill in her genre of making the romance sensuous without graphic description - the growing attraction between Sam and Gaynor in this novel is a case in point. One Glass is Never Enough is a page-turner of story-telling excellence.