Growing Up for Beginners
An uplifting book club read
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3.5 • 4 Ratings
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- £2.99
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- £2.99
Publisher Description
'A beautiful book, so compassionate... and ultimately very hopeful. I enjoyed it hugely.’ Marian Keyes
‘A clever, bittersweet, uplifting novel’ Sophie Kinsella
'Writing with proper heart' Rachel Joyce
It’s not easy being a grown-up, but Eleanor hoped she’d be better at it by now...
When Eleanor waves her daughter off for a gap-year trip, she finds herself stuck as a satellite wife, spinning in faithful orbit around her domineering husband, with only her clever but judgmental father Conrad for comfort.
Andrew isn’t mastering the art of growing up either. But when he finds his belongings dumped in bin bags on the drive, even he can see that his girlfriend is hinting he should move out. With no other options, he moves back in with his parents.
Backing onto their garden lives artist Cecilia, living in chaotic clutter and dreaming of her ex-lovers, still acting like a stroppy teenager at the age of 66.
Four lives are drawn together by long-buried secrets of the past, and it is time for them all to grow up... before it’s too late.
What readers are saying about Growing Up for Beginners:
'The characterisation is brilliant, and the astute storytelling, punctuated by stiletto-sharp wit, produces an effervescent and spirit-lifting story.' Sunday Mirror
'A poignant and beautifully articulated tale of love and loss, memory and forgetting, grief and guilt, new love and letting go. I was engrossed, often tearful, and finally, uplifted.’ Isobel Wolff
‘Simply wonderful. I was totally enchanted, devoured it in a day, and have been raving about it ever since.’ Fiona Walker
Customer Reviews
Enjoyable
I’m pleased to be able to share my review for Growing Up for Beginners today. Thank you to Boldwood Books for my digital advanced review copy via NetGalley – my thoughts are my own and not influenced by the gift. Thank you also to Claire Calman for taking time to answer some questions – the question and answer session is included after my review.
Synopsis
It’s not easy being a grown-up, but at 47, Eleanor hoped she’d be better at it by now…
But when Eleanor waves her daughter off for a gap-year trip, she finds herself stuck as a satellite wife, spinning in faithful orbit around domineering husband Roger, with only a stash of hidden books and her brilliant but judgmental father Conrad for comfort.
Andrew isn’t mastering the art of growing up either. When he finds his belongings dumped on the drive, although he may not understand women very well, even he can see that this looks like some kind of hint… and so moves back in with his parents.
Backing onto Andrew’s parents lives artist Cecilia, always ready to recount tales of her innumerable ex-lovers, whilst her daughters feel she’s like a misbehaving teenager.
But now four lives are drawn together by long-buried secrets of the past, and it is time for them all to grow up, before it’s too late.
A desperate decision … A lost letter … A powerful secret hidden for thirty years…
My thoughts:
This is the first book I’ve read by Claire Calman. I love the gorgeous cover, it is bright, cheerful and fits the story perfectly.
The story is told by various characters / POV’s and I found it took a few chapters to get into the flow of the story. Looking at the reviews on Goodreads, some readers quickly gave up – my advice is to stick with it if you can, it will be worth it.
As the title suggests, it is time for some of the characters to grow up. Eleanor, whose children have now flown the nest, has to deal with her husband Roger, who is one of the most obnoxious characters I’ve ever met in a book and her dad, Conrad. She meets Andrew (via Conrad), who suddenly finds himself living back with his parents (with a mum determined to feed him up) and needs to move forward with his life. My favourite character is Cecilia, who embarrasses her daughters with tales of her flamboyant past.
I enjoyed the book and hope you will be tempted to read it too. Topics covered include lost love, parenting issues, adultery, sibling relationships, creativity and a love of books.