Sweet Fa

by Siobhan Curham

Football widows- the time for grieving is finally over! A neglected woman is a dangerous thing, so when four very different ladies join together to wage war on their football obsessed partners, who knows where the game will end?

Genres: Chick Lit

Paperback

First published June 6, 2002

About the author

Hi, I’m Siobhan - which for those of you not familiar with the wonder of Irish names, is actually pronounced, Shiv-on!

I’m an award-winning author of over 50 books, fiction and non-fiction, for adults, young adults and children, and my first book was published back in 2000, so I’ve been at this writing game for almost a quarter of a century now.

I’m also a former council estate kid and a university drop-out - I dropped out because I didn’t think I had what it took to make it in the middle class world of publishing. Thankfully I managed to overcome my self doubt and fear and achieve my writing dreams, and now I love helping others do the same through my mentoring, courses and talks.

I don’t know about you, but during the pandemic I felt as if my life had collapsed in on itself and I’d had to shrink myself to fit this strange new world of lockdowns and zoom calls (oh, so many Zoom calls!) and working from home and working alone. Even when things returned to some semblance of normal back in 2022, I felt that I’d lost sight of who I was and I’d definitely lost my joy for living.

Then, an unexpected trip to Jamaica changed everything, jolting me back to life and reminding me of who I truly am. In a bid to never lose sight of myself and my sense of wonder and purpose again, I started travelling more and writing a weekly Substack letter called Wonderstruck. And in September 2023 I gave up my home in the UK and pretty much all of my worldly goods to solo travel the world while I write my books and mentor other writers.

I send Wonderstruck out to my subscribers every Sunday morning, writing about the places I visit and the lessons I learn there. My sole aim for writing this letter is to inspire others to rediscover their own sense of purpose, wonder and adventure.

If you've enjoyed reading any of my books I'd love it if you joined the Wonderstruck community over on Substack.

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing my books, I really appreciate it!

Siobhan

Substack: siobhancurham.substack.com
Facebook: Siobhan Curham Author
Instagram: @SiobhanCurhamAuthor
Twitter: @SiobhanCurham

For more information about my books, mentoring and courses, please visit: http://www.siobhancurham.com

Reviews

[Louise George · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sweet Revenge of the Football Widows tells the story of four very different women – Belle, Maz, Ginny and Anna – who, frustrated by their partners’ constant obsession with the beautiful game, decide to take their revenge in various subtle (and not so subtle) ways.

For me, this story was much less about getting even and more about self-discovery. Three of the main characters – Belle, Ginny and Anna – undergo quite significant personal journeys throughout the book and it was interesting to see their stories unfold and their characters develop as the book progressed. The way their characters evolved felt very natural too – they were all still very much the same people at the end of the book and yet changed at the same time. The only one of the quartet who didn’t seem to have much of a personal story arc was Maz, but then she seemed the only one who was mostly content with her life anyway and less irritated by being a football widow.

I loved the characterisation of the women in this book – they were so true to life and I suspect many women reading this book would find elements in a least one of the four main characters that they could identify with – restless and passionate Belle; timid, artistic Anna; snobby perfectionist Ginny and brash extrovert Maz. Ginny was probably the most difficult character to warm to in many ways but her underlying vulnerability gave her enough of a sympathetic edge for her to become a little more likeable.

The football-mad men (with the exception of Anna’s abusive partner Tom) were also mostly portrayed in a sympathetic way – this book could have very easily portrayed them in quite a negative light due to being more from a female perspective but it didn’t and that was one of the many strengths of this novel. Seeing how Tom appeared to be quite a catch from Belle’s perspective also showed how domestic abuse can be so invisible when looking from the outside in – Anna appeared timid and socially awkward whereas Tom appeared to be completely charming. Seeing Anna’s point of view gave a very realistic insight into how many victims of domestic abuse feel and whilst there were many moments when she frustrated me by not standing up for herself, I also understood why and watching her slowly embrace the person she was and move forward was a highlight of the book.

As the story gained momentum in the second half, I found it hard to put it down! I loved the final little twist at the end of the book which rounded the story off beautifully. Overall, a very enjoyable read for football widows and non-football widows alike.

[Lauren Nazareth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me do the following four things:

1. Laugh out loud on a quiet train. More than once!
2. Miss my stop on said train due to being too engrossed in the story.
3. Listen to Neil Diamond’s ‘You Don’t Bring Me Flowers’.
4. Look up Siobhan Curham’s next book.

You don’t need to love (or even hate) football to enjoy this book. It is a book primarily about friendship and how four women support each other and help them follow their dreams when faced with living with their partners who are more interested in the latest football score!

Siobhan Curham has a wonderful narrative voice that draws you into her story and makes you feel part of each plot the women plan against their partners. Incredibly funny at times but also quite moving at other times when she touches upon serious issues such as infidelity and domestic violence.

I’d recommend it to anyone and I can’t wait to read Siobhan Curham’s new book!

[Catsalive · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sweet FA

1. Do you feel like you come a poor second best after a team of eleven hairy men with groin strain?
2. Does your heart sink at the start of the football season?
3. Do the highs and lows of your life revolve around football scores?
4. Have you been known to mutter, 'what the hell is the offside trap anyway?, 'But Eastenders is on the other side', or 'It's only a game.'?

If you have answered 'yes' to two or more of these questions throw on your black shawl and down some cooking sherry, because like it or not, you're a football widow. But don't despair. The years of grieving are officially over. It's time to come together, even the score, take control...

A neglected woman is a dangerous thing, so when four very different ladies join together to wage war on their football-obsessed partners, who knows where the game will end?

An OK read. Mildly amusing but the characterisation was a bit superficial, a bit lightweight.

[Fareeha · Rating 1 out of 5]

A crass, crude book which for-no-good-reason-except-the-writer-doesn't-know-otherwise-and-thinks-its-a-great-read-for-being-so-'anal' with hardly a real laughable moment. Must stay away from !

[Leanne Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a football, tennis or rugby widow, read this. It is totally riveting.