Not Married, Not Bothered

by carol-clewlow

Riley Gordon would not go as far as her best friend, Magda, who has decided to have the full wedding ceremony and celebrations. So far, so traditional. But in Magda′s case, the lucky person she will be saying I do to is herself. It is Magda′s statement for single women everywhere. This is Riley′s call to arms, her challenge to celebrate singleness, and to re-establish that much maligned, splendid word: spinster.

The life of Riley is an excellent one. She has no issues, no life crises. She is celebrating her life. Her mother is not so sure. Her marriage to Riley′s father may have been a mistake, but as a merry widow, at least she is allowed lovers. Her sister, happily married with two children, is certain that married life is the right choice. Riley′s extensive relations, including those in the more successful branch of the family, feel free to give their opinions, frequently and unasked. Her various friends, straight and gay, are delighted to have such available and lively companionship. And her lovers, all ex at present, simply wonder when they might be able to weight the balance from freedom towards themselves.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

346 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2005

Reviews

[Claire Sayan]

Omg I don't even know what this book is about! I've just read over 330 pages of absolute and utter tripe!

[Hazel J]

I found it hard to get into this book at first but persevered, making sure to read enough in one go, and I ended up enjoying it. I’m not of the generation where it is expected anymore that people marry but I could still appreciate the authors experience and I enjoyed her outlook on ‘spinsterhood’. I liked her style of writing- I really had you thinking and she makes some good points about marriage, relationships and solitude. I giggled quite a few times with irony of certain dialog she describes. The style is also sarcastic but lighthearted which I liked. However, I did not like the more lengthy authors side notes (found that they disrupted my flow or ease of staying ‘in the zone’ at times). The characters of described well, particularly that of her judgemental and opinionated mother. There is a story to it which develops the more you read and it feels like there is a sort of, happy/satisfying ending. Overall I enjoyed it and it would certainly be a feel good read for those who might consider themselves a ‘spinsta’!

[Lucy-May]

Review: https://wp.me/p8MbIo-2wv

[Sophie Houston]

Excellent book - woeful editing and proofreading. What a shame.

[Lorraine]

Personally I was a bit disappointed in this book. Maybe it's because the previous reads of my year were so good but I went into this book expecting laughter and crying about the pros and cons of single life. A few bits did make me smile but, to me, it felt like most of it was about her relationships and how/why they went wrong.

[Kirsty Gamble]

Awful book - I rarely give up on books but have shelved this half way through!

Poorly developed characters, every time a name pops up I have no recollection of having ‘met’ them before.

Super annoying foot notes that add nothing but interrupt the flow far too often.

Don’t waste your time with this.

[Gillian]

3 and 1/2 stars.
Not sure about this at the start but I liked it much more as I read further. At times I forgot to read the footnotes.
Funny. Carol Clewlow has GSOH :-) and writes dialogue really well.
I will look for more of C.C.'s work.

[Zara Fisher]

I couldn't read it, the only word I can use to describe the style of writing it irritating :(

[Christy Dargue]

Nearly gave up on this book not my thing

[Cherry]

Hilarious! And heart wrenching at the same time. And gets points for mentioning Zamboanga, Philippines.

[Eugenia Oranekwulu]

This book made no sense. I didn't understand were the story was going and true out all the book i was constantly not understanding what was goig on.

[Joanna]

Not really my cup of tea. Skimmed through a lot of it tbh

[Jill Lamond]

Could have done without the footnotes!

[Jadine]

DNF Just wasn’t engaged with the writing style

[Susan Hone]

Just read a review which I understood completely no idea what the book was about.

[Anna Maree]

I couldn't get into this book at all. I've given up, something I never do.

[Colette]

Had to skim the last 70 pages. I’ve loved Carol Clewlow’s other books and could easily read them again. But I found this one to be too much like a research paper on being single with numerous characters thrown in. Parts were very clever, but the back stories and asides were too detailed and often irrelevant and uninteresting. In the end I didn’t care about any of the characters, I just wanted the book to finish.

[Karen-Leigh]

This book speaks to me as I am today. It is a vote for spinsterhood and a paean to solitude. It puts into words the pleasures and benefits of staying single in a humorous and balanced manner. It shows that it takes strength of mind and a deep understanding of oneself to go against society's compelling argument for 'family values'. There were huge sections I wanted to underline and commit to memory.

[Kylie]

Struggling to get into this book....but will keep at it....for now.

Updated: I've finally abandoned this book. When I first saw it, it looked like it would be a very clever, witty read. It's not! It really is very boring. I couldn't get into it at all and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Very disappointing.

[Danica Dobisova]

One of those books, in which the heroine's choices keep irriteting me but keep me reading at the same time. She claims she "doesn't do regret" and in the end she really won my symphaties by accepting life as it is, good, bad and everything in between.

[Hanan]

funny read.

[Kelly Simpson]

a very funny, witty read about never getting married.

[Kim]

I really struggled with this book- I thought it would get better but eventually gave up on it.

[Simona]

Horrible book. So boring and without any salt and pepper. I cannot think of any reason why should anybody waste their time with this.

[Laura]

Tried reading this book, went back to it a few times but just could not get into it and as it was a library book I had to take it back without finishing it.

[Teresa D]

I did'nt think I was going to enjoy this,but it grew on me and as a baby boomer could really relate to what the author was saying.