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From bonding to bondage, from B&Q to Belarus, along with seven smelly cats, three useless handymen, two slimy estate agents, social workers, a bonker lady. The story of a very unlikely friendship. Georgie Sinclair's husband has walked out; her sixteen-year-old son is busy surfing born-again websites; and all those overdue articles for Adhesives in the Modern World are getting her down. So when Georgie spots Mrs Shapiro, an eccentric old Jewish émigré neighbour with an eye for a bargain and a fondness for matchmaking, rummaging through her skip in the middle of the night, it's just the distraction she needs. And although they mistrust each other at first - Georgie doesn't like the look of that past-its-sell-by-date fish, while Mrs Shapiro thinks Georgie needs to smarten herself up and grab a new husband - a firm friendship is formed over the reduced-price shelf at the supermarket. Then Mrs Shapiro is admitted to hospital and to Georgie's surprise, she is named as her next of kin. But sorting out Mrs Shapiro's semi-derelict mansion in Highbury, home to seven stinky cats with agendas of their own, is no easy job when the handyman called in to change the locks turns out to be not what he seems and his two assistants, 'the Uselesses', are doing more breaking than fixing. And what about the two slimy estate agents (one with a charming taste for bondage) who start competing to trick Mrs Shapiro into selling her rickety old house, or the social worker determined to commit her to a nursing home? As Geogie steps in to help her new friend, she finds herself unravelling a mystery which takes her from Highbury to wartime Europe to the Middle East, and learning a bit about DIY along the way.… (plus d'informations)
jayne_charles: Similar 'hands across the cultural divide' themes going on in both books. Despite very different settings, I was constantly reminded of one whilst reading the other.
Two stars seemed unnecessarily harsh, so I've gone for three. This is quite an odd book. On the face of it, quite a cheery romp through the end of a marriage, and an unlikely friendship with an eccentric old woman. However, there are sub-themes of Middle Eastern history and politics and religious cults all bound together with the metaphor of glue. I read it willingly enough, but at the same time, I rather wanted to get it over with so I could get on with something more worthwhile. ( )
Plus a bit of a star. Well written and a comforting angle to some uncomfortable topics. The author has packed in some interesting takes on a whole lot of subjects - WWII, Irish troubles, Israel/Palestine, old age, teenage, middle age, housing - with some parallels drawn but not overdone. A light touch. I can see from other reviews that a lot of readers were disappointed but not sure what they are demanding. I enjoyed sharing the few hectic months with the protagonist that offered life changing potential and don't feel that tragedy or drama would have been a more fitting outcome than the one we were offered. And happy to share some optimism for a few hours. ( )
This book tries to deal with too many subjects - lonely elderly, immigrants, marriage, religion and even the Israel-Palestine conflict. In the midst of it all, Marina Lewycka tried to sew it together using the theme of adhesives, but this makes an awkward story overall. ( )
Plus a bit of a star. Well written and a comforting angle to some uncomfortable topics. The author has packed in some interesting takes on a whole lot of subjects - WWII, Irish troubles, Israel/Palestine, old age, teenage, middle age, housing - with some parallels drawn but not overdone. A light touch. I can see from other reviews that a lot of readers were disappointed but not sure what they are demanding. I enjoyed sharing the few hectic months with the protagonist that offered life changing potential and don't feel that tragedy or drama would have been a more fitting outcome than the one we were offered. And happy to share some optimism for a few hours. ( )
I'd read a couple of Marina's other books, the Ukranian Tractors, and Strawberry Fields, so decided to give this one a try as well. Likeable, and i'll probably give it another go one day.
I was lucky enough to interview Marina Lewycka about this book. It's an excellent read and (as you would expect!) it zips along... you can hear the interview here.
From bonding to bondage, from B&Q to Belarus, along with seven smelly cats, three useless handymen, two slimy estate agents, social workers, a bonker lady. The story of a very unlikely friendship. Georgie Sinclair's husband has walked out; her sixteen-year-old son is busy surfing born-again websites; and all those overdue articles for Adhesives in the Modern World are getting her down. So when Georgie spots Mrs Shapiro, an eccentric old Jewish émigré neighbour with an eye for a bargain and a fondness for matchmaking, rummaging through her skip in the middle of the night, it's just the distraction she needs. And although they mistrust each other at first - Georgie doesn't like the look of that past-its-sell-by-date fish, while Mrs Shapiro thinks Georgie needs to smarten herself up and grab a new husband - a firm friendship is formed over the reduced-price shelf at the supermarket. Then Mrs Shapiro is admitted to hospital and to Georgie's surprise, she is named as her next of kin. But sorting out Mrs Shapiro's semi-derelict mansion in Highbury, home to seven stinky cats with agendas of their own, is no easy job when the handyman called in to change the locks turns out to be not what he seems and his two assistants, 'the Uselesses', are doing more breaking than fixing. And what about the two slimy estate agents (one with a charming taste for bondage) who start competing to trick Mrs Shapiro into selling her rickety old house, or the social worker determined to commit her to a nursing home? As Geogie steps in to help her new friend, she finds herself unravelling a mystery which takes her from Highbury to wartime Europe to the Middle East, and learning a bit about DIY along the way.
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