Grandmothers
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By Salley Vickers
avg rating
6 reviews
The new novel from Salley Vickers, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Librarian
‘Heart-warming… Grandmothers is a beautifully written and moving celebration of this love, too often unsung, that reaches out across the generations’ The Times
Grandmothers is the story of three very different women and their relationship with the younger generation: fiercely independent Nan, who leads a secret life as an award-winning poet when she is not teaching her grandson Billy how to lie; glamorous Blanche, deprived of the company of her beloved granddaughter Kitty by her hostile daughter-in-law, who finds solace in rebelliously taking to drink and shop lifting; and shy, bookish Minna who in the safety of shepherd’s hut shares with her surrogate granddaughter Rose her passion for reading. The outlook of all three women subtly alters when through their encounters with each other they discover that the past is always with us and that we go on learning and changing until the very end.
Grandmothers is a beautifully observed, sometimes subversive, often tender and elegiac novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Librarian.
‘A fond portrait of what it is to love a child, both yours and not… a tonic for the overlooked modern grandmother’ Sunday Times
‘Vickers sees with a clear eye and writes with a light hand. She’s a presence worth cherishing in the ranks of modern novelists’ Philip Pullman
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#This book was loved by the vast majority of our bookclub and scored very highly. They thought the depiction of the various grandmothers or surrogate grandmothers was well done and the whole book was thoroughly enjoyed by most. The average score was 7 out of 10.
Grandmothers follows a year in the lives of three women whose personalities and approaches to being a grandparent are poles apart from each other. Nan is fiercely independent and tries to teach Billy, her grandson, to think for himself. Minna is shy and retiring, a surrogate grandmother to Rose who she adores. Glamorous Blanche is at loggerheads with her daughter-in-law and, as a result, sees very little of her granddaughter Kitty but is nonetheless expected to pay for her upbringing. Inevitably their paths cross as the book progresses.
There was a lot to like about this book. It takes a gentle look at life, love and parenting from the point of view of these three very different grandmothers. There were some good storylines and some perceptive insights as well as some tender moments.
This book could have been (should have been?) wonderful as there were a lot of interesting characters and thought-provoking observations, all woven into a well constructed story. However somehow, for me, it just missed the mark. This was a shame as I felt it was a wasted opportunity. I’m not sure that I can pinpoint what the problem was exactly – maybe it could have done with some more humour or maybe it lacked a certain depth, I’m really not sure. I just feel that there have been a lot of books and a lot of films in recent years which feature the older generation and which have a wow! factor which this book just didn’t quite achieve.
I am grateful to the Publishers for me sending me this book as I did enjoy reading it. On that basis, I would recommend it to anyone, despite the fact that I feel there are improvements that could be made. I have not read any Sally Vickers before but will be looking out for more of hers.
Grandmothers is the story of three women and their grandchildren, or at least psuedo grandchild. It’s a gentle story that follows the lives of each of the women including their relationships with the children and each other.
The writing is thoughtful and this is an easy read.
At times, I found the story didn’t quite make sense. Whilst there was a connection between all the key characters, I didn’t feel it was strong enough. There were a few loose ends that never seemed to be resolved. At times I wondered why the author included various antidotes or descriptions.
Having said this, I enjoyed reading this book but would have liked the author to have delved deeper into each character and their connection to each other.
Disappointing. Have read other books by this author and really enjoyed them. Not this time.
I not very good
The story is gentle, enjoyable and kept me turning the pages. I found it easy to engage with the 3 main female characters. Don't let the title put you off, you don't need to be a grandmother to enjoy this book.
