Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Penguin UK (2003), 368 pages
Description
"Over the last decade, Sue Townsend has written a monthly column for Sainsbury's Magazine, which covers everything from hosepipe bans and Spanish restaurants to writer's block and the posh middle-aged woman she once met who'd never heard of Winnie-the-Pooh." "Collected together now for the first time, they form a set of pieces from one of Britain's most popular and acclaimed writers that are funny, perceptive and touching - exactly those qualities that have helped the diaries of Adrian Mole sell, in total, nearly seven million copies worldwide."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
User reviews
LibraryThing member vancouverdeb
Sue Townsend describes the book as representing " a sort of sanitized autobiography" , which I suppose it is. Sue was commissioned by a magazine to write about "800 wise and witty words each month" and essentially that comprises this collection of short essays. Overall it was an enjoyable read, a
Sue writes on a variety of topics, her humourous take on purchasing her first Aga " ... it was love at first sight. The warmth, the classic lines,the strength, the fact that Agas are always hot and ready for action appealed to me. The Aga has many of the qualities that one would like , but so rarely gets, from a lover." She also writes a fair bit about her young adult children in both fun and serious ways. Other topics include travel, writing itself, her increasing loss of sight due to diabetes and many other topics.
Overall, it was a good read, but not fantastic. After some 334 pages of short essays I am looking forward to book with a cohesive plot. 3. 7 stars.
Show More
nice break from the " February Gloomies" that sometimes descend upon me after too many days of rain/overcast here in Vancouver. Sue writes on a variety of topics, her humourous take on purchasing her first Aga " ... it was love at first sight. The warmth, the classic lines,the strength, the fact that Agas are always hot and ready for action appealed to me. The Aga has many of the qualities that one would like , but so rarely gets, from a lover." She also writes a fair bit about her young adult children in both fun and serious ways. Other topics include travel, writing itself, her increasing loss of sight due to diabetes and many other topics.
Overall, it was a good read, but not fantastic. After some 334 pages of short essays I am looking forward to book with a cohesive plot. 3. 7 stars.
Show Less
LibraryThing member eas
Started but could not finish - and neither could my sister!
A 'collection of monthly pieces' written over the last decade for Sainsbury's Magazine, I took it on holiday thinking it would provide something to dip in and out of: some light reading. However, I was disappointed particularly given the
I am glad I read Sue Townsend's excellent book about the Royal Family's 'move' to a council estate (cannot remember the title but it was excellent) before picking up this one. If I had not then I would never have read another Sue Townsend book in my life.
A 'collection of monthly pieces' written over the last decade for Sainsbury's Magazine, I took it on holiday thinking it would provide something to dip in and out of: some light reading. However, I was disappointed particularly given the
Show More
write-ups - but then I should have noted the sources of some of the latter: 'Heat', 'Hello' ....I am glad I read Sue Townsend's excellent book about the Royal Family's 'move' to a council estate (cannot remember the title but it was excellent) before picking up this one. If I had not then I would never have read another Sue Townsend book in my life.
Show Less
LibraryThing member IonaS
Sue Townsend is the funniest author I know and I enjoy being made/allowed to laugh aloud occasionally, so I’m now steadily making my way through all her books.
This book is a collection of Sue’s articles from her monthly column for Sainsbury’s Magazine. At first, I was a bit disappointed by
As a child, I read in one of my father’s Somerset Maugham books that the easiest way to be funny was to tell the truth. And this is what Sue does – she tells the truth about the various ups and downs of her life, including her serious health problems.
Sue is able to write about anything, as is indicated in the last lines of her articles when she needs to create a specific number of extra words to give the article the exact length required by her editor.
The first article in the collection that riveted me was “Janet and John”, where she satirizes the idealized and simplistic family life depicted in these, our first reading books.
“They got on remarkably well, unlike most brothers and sisters I know, --- They spent a lot of time shouting, ‘Look, Spot, look! Look at the ball! Fetch the ball!’”
When Daddy came home from work, he sat in his armchair and read the newspaper. Mummy smiled serenely as she prepared tea. She then came to the kitchen door and shouted, ‘Come here, Janet! Come here, John!’
Sue hints at an “alternative” Janet and John book she has come across, called “Janet and John go into care”.
“Daddy is getting ready for work. ‘Where are my gloves, Mummy?’ he asks. ‘Look, Daddy, look, there are your gloves’, snaps Mummy, ‘though why you would want to wear gloves in August defeats me!’
Spot runs in and knocks Daddy’s briefcase over. A copy of Health and Efficiency slithers out and falls open at a picture of nudists playing tennis. John runs in, ‘Look, Janet, look!’ Daddy hits John on the head with his pipe, kicks Spot and leaves for work. Mummy dries her tears and walks to the village shop. She is still upset by the row with Daddy, and slips a tin of corned beef into her wicker basket.
Mummy is arrested for shoplifting ---. John looks up and sees Mummy in the back of a police car.”
And so on.
Another column discusses the advantages of being king (were Charles to become king, for instance).
“having twenty-four hour room service (every day) --- They don’t lie awake at night worrying about class, agonizing, ‘Am I upper-lower-middle?’ or ‘Am I lower-working scum?’ Kings can confidently assert, ‘I am upper, upper, upper’ and know that no British person will contradict them.”
To sum up, this is a brilliant, relaxing read. It is addictive and unputdownable, one of Sue’s best.
I have a great admiration for Sue Townsend who gifted us with all those hilarious books in the midst of her own grave health problems and growing blindness. She gives us an accurate representation of British life in these last decades as well as making us split our sides laughing.
This book is a collection of Sue’s articles from her monthly column for Sainsbury’s Magazine. At first, I was a bit disappointed by
Show More
these articles since they seemed a bit short and lacking in substance. But soon I was totally addicted as with her other books.As a child, I read in one of my father’s Somerset Maugham books that the easiest way to be funny was to tell the truth. And this is what Sue does – she tells the truth about the various ups and downs of her life, including her serious health problems.
Sue is able to write about anything, as is indicated in the last lines of her articles when she needs to create a specific number of extra words to give the article the exact length required by her editor.
The first article in the collection that riveted me was “Janet and John”, where she satirizes the idealized and simplistic family life depicted in these, our first reading books.
“They got on remarkably well, unlike most brothers and sisters I know, --- They spent a lot of time shouting, ‘Look, Spot, look! Look at the ball! Fetch the ball!’”
When Daddy came home from work, he sat in his armchair and read the newspaper. Mummy smiled serenely as she prepared tea. She then came to the kitchen door and shouted, ‘Come here, Janet! Come here, John!’
Sue hints at an “alternative” Janet and John book she has come across, called “Janet and John go into care”.
“Daddy is getting ready for work. ‘Where are my gloves, Mummy?’ he asks. ‘Look, Daddy, look, there are your gloves’, snaps Mummy, ‘though why you would want to wear gloves in August defeats me!’
Spot runs in and knocks Daddy’s briefcase over. A copy of Health and Efficiency slithers out and falls open at a picture of nudists playing tennis. John runs in, ‘Look, Janet, look!’ Daddy hits John on the head with his pipe, kicks Spot and leaves for work. Mummy dries her tears and walks to the village shop. She is still upset by the row with Daddy, and slips a tin of corned beef into her wicker basket.
Mummy is arrested for shoplifting ---. John looks up and sees Mummy in the back of a police car.”
And so on.
Another column discusses the advantages of being king (were Charles to become king, for instance).
“having twenty-four hour room service (every day) --- They don’t lie awake at night worrying about class, agonizing, ‘Am I upper-lower-middle?’ or ‘Am I lower-working scum?’ Kings can confidently assert, ‘I am upper, upper, upper’ and know that no British person will contradict them.”
To sum up, this is a brilliant, relaxing read. It is addictive and unputdownable, one of Sue’s best.
I have a great admiration for Sue Townsend who gifted us with all those hilarious books in the midst of her own grave health problems and growing blindness. She gives us an accurate representation of British life in these last decades as well as making us split our sides laughing.
Show Less
LibraryThing member LyndaInOregon
Collection of Townsend's columns originally published in Sainsbury's Magazine. Most are amusing, but on the whole, this is better dipped into over a period of time than read in long stretches.
Original language
English
Original publication date
1993-2001 (original articles)
2001 (book)
Physical description
368 p.; 5.08 inches
ISBN
014100861X / 9780141008615