Tag: 3rd September

‘More than a Woman’ by Caitlin Moran

I love Caitlin Moran. I think she is funny, brave and always readable. I love the fact she has turned her considerable journalistic writing skills into a career in which she produces brilliant fiction and non-fiction books. She is the reason I have a Times subscription (she is a regular writer for them) and a shelf full of her previous books.

That needed to be said up front. Although I read and review lots of books, I’m not the most impartial reviewer in this case. Evidence: I pre-ordered this book and paid out of my own pocket! No ARC, no waiting for the prices to come down, no second-hand copy, no waiting for Christmas…honestly, this is all so out of character for me!

With that said, I did wonder how she would have enough to say about the topic of being a woman. She covered a lot of ground (rather marvellously) in her book ‘How to be a Woman’ ten years ago – how much more is there to say?

Loads, it turns out. Moran is now in her forties (like me) and has plenty to say about this stage in her life. It is in middle age that (Moran observes) life becomes less about you and more about everyone else – your children growing up, pressures of work, ageing parents – and it is really tough. You aren’t the same person as you were ten years ago and it needs a whole new way of navigating. Add into this the current state of society – it’s safe to say the patriarchy hasn’t yet been smashed – and Moran has plenty to write about.

This book is structured into chapters denoting an hour in the middle-aged women’s day. Thus, we are taken from 7am (The Hour of ‘The List’) through various points in the day – The Hour or Parenting Teenage Children (eeek – not looking forward to this myself!), The Hour of Housework, The Hour of Crisis… It is all hugely relatable and it is strangely comforting that the things I stress about seem to be universal.

Particularly striking for me was ‘The List’ as I’ve done a lot of thinking about mental load recently and the fact that women seem to bear the brunt of the thinking about things. It was heartening to read Moran’s own list and think that I am not the only one trying to keep on top of work, parenting, marriage, life admin, pet care…

Yes, there are a lot of serious points made here about women’s place in society and the pressures to ‘have it all’ (read: ‘do it all’). However, it is also absolutely hilarious and Moran is unafraid to share some rather intimate things. It is like a chat with your best friend, if your best friend is a totally unfiltered over-sharer! The bathwater thing (you’ll have to read it) really made me laugh out loud…

As well as being laugh-out-loud funny in places, there are some really serious points, especially Moran’s daughter’s fight with anorexia. I found the story extremely moving and am glad that Moran (and her daughter, because it was shared with her permission) included this intimate story that shows that each family has its struggles behind closed doors.

This is a feminist book but one that should be required reading for everyone – it is so insightful and engaging that I think anyone would enjoy it (and probably learn something along the way).

Please do go and buy a copy of this book. If you are a women of a similar age to Moran (or live with one) then you will recognise a lot here. It is uplifting and extremely funny, but will leave you with a lot of food for thought.

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‘A Tomb With a View: The Stories and Glories of Graveyards’ by Peter Ross

This book was one of the huge number published on 3rd September and one that I had pre-ordered because I had heard such good things about it. This turned out to be money extremely well-spent!

I realise that a book ostensibly about death, graveyards and memorials isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I urge you to trust me on this one.

This book is actually so much more about life than death – Ross explores some brilliant life stories and – over the course of the book – speaks to lots of people who speak passionately about graveyards, memorials and the rituals surrounding death. These range from someone who manages and cleans remote war graves for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, makers of memorials, those who tend graveyards, those involved with burials of all forms, historians overseeing ossuaries and people mourning their own lost loved ones. All are fascinating and passionate about their topics, their stories at once moving and often humorous or quirky.

Ross has sought out a whole range of stories around his central theme of graveyards – the book is more than Ross visiting tombs and telling the stories of the occupants. Instead we hear of unmarked graves for babies, a witch, a prostitutes’ graveyard finally being recognised by the church, groups of volunteers fundraising to save burial grounds, Karl Marx cookie-cutter souvenirs, conscientious objectors and so much more. All of life is here.

As much as death, life and the people left behind are the focus and there are moments of joy and comfort here as well as grief and tragedy.

Although Ross’ role in this book is to illuminate, to interview, to document, he is also a brilliant guide through the diverse topics that the book covers. He writes beautifully and is unafraid to ask questions or seek out the unusual – a bit like a Louis Theroux of graveyards! It is clear that he is hugely invested in the stories he is telling and the stories are thoughtfully and respectfully told. It never steps into the realms of the mawkish or distasteful.

Reading about all these people united by the theme of death was an incredibly intense experience, but one I found ultimately and profoundly comforting. There was a real sense of the cycles of life, the respect for the dead and the care for the living that was strangely uplifting.

I highly recommend this book – it isn’t depressing or a tourist’s guide to graveyards as you may expect. It is life-enhancing, always fascinating and beautifully-written.

A (fairly rare!) five stars from me.

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‘The Thursday Murder Club’ by Richard Osman

One of the most hyped new releases of 3rd September – happy publication day to Richard Osman’s debut crime novel!

I’ve long admired Richard Osman on ‘Pointless’ and have read some of the non-fiction quiz/humour books that he has written with Alexander Armstrong. I was, therefore, very keen to see this wit and verve applied to fiction and am very grateful to NetGalley for my ARC.

The story follows four older people living in a retirement village who have, for various reasons, come together to discuss cold crimes in their Thursday Murder Club. When a murder happens connected to the developers working on the retirement home , they are keen to launch their own investigations. Due to their connections and wiliness, they start to run rings around the nice but two-steps-behind police officers assigned to the case.

I really liked that these characters were not diminished by their age and infirmity. Some of them had ailments and frailty, but they were also mentally tough and funny and clever and – to be honest – trying to live their best life in retirement. They drew on their years of experience and the professional skills from their former careers and achieved a lot. The mystery surrounding Elizabeth’s past career was an interesting conceit and allowed the amateur detectives access to important information, while the willingness of them all to play on the stereotypes of infirm old people was humorous – they absolutely knew when to use their age to their advantage!

The setting was also inventive and drew on the conventions of classic crime novels by providing a closed community for the sleuths to work within.

I wasn’t really prepared for some of the poignancy of the novel. It has some very funny lines and situations, but it is also sad in parts about ageing and grief. This really adds depth to the novel and -I will admit – really surprised me.

Overall, this is an enjoyable and fairly light read. I was going to say it was a cosy crime novel, but I think the depth of the emotional hit removes it from this – these are a bunch of real people with real problems, but who are finding comfort in community and crime-solving!

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Header photo with thanks to Sincerely Media for sharing their work on Unsplash.