Eggshell Days

by Rebecca Gregson

Emmy, Niall, Sita and Jonathan miss their train back to London from a Somerset wedding, escaping Britain's worst rail crash in sixty years. Upon reflection of their mortality, the friends reevaluate their lives and come to a decision. They will all, along with Emmy's daughter Lila, Niall's girlfriend Kat, and Sita and Jonathan's children Jay and Asha, move into the ramshackle manor house Emmy recently inherited in Cornwall. In the idyllic setting, they hope to simplify their lives.

As renovation of the house begins, a closely-guarded secret threatens to be uncovered. The bricks and mortar of the group's long friendship starts to crumble. It soon becomes clear that fresh starts have little to do with geography, and the four of them realize that escape to the country doesn't mean escape from life's problems. As choices are made and the truth comes out, will they be able to hold their friendships together?

Touching and thoughtful, with quietly elegant writing and easily relatable characters, Eggshell Days is a novel to treasure.

Genres: Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Rebecca Gregson is a former BBC and newspaper journalist. She lives in Cornwall with her husband and two children. Her bestselling debut Katherine's Wheel and Zebras Crossing are also available from Pocket Books....

Reviews

[Ilona · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Some parts of the book I truly enjoyed, some strained credibility a bit, and some annoyed me to death. The book left me feeling sad. Poor little 10-year-old Maya doesn’t deserve the mother she’s saddled with – or rather, Emmy, her mother, doesn’t deserve her amazing daughter. (She deserves a swift kick, is what she deserves, and though the author seems to be suggesting she’s received one and learned a lesson by the end of the book, I’d say that’s far from a given.) Evidently a compelling book, given how it annoyed me, and even though I couldn’t say I enjoyed reading it, I’d probably wouldn’t discourage someone from reading it..

[Lesley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I almost stopped reading, about 35% in, but decided to persevere - I wish I had given up.

It was very slow, no depth to the story at all, and then it finished in a rush in the last few pages.

[Tara Leegan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read the first 75 pages.......did not engage me

[Sophie Houston · Rating 4 out of 5]

So glad I picked this up at random! Absolutely excellent.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eggshell Days is about people trying to achieve the bucolic life that city-dwellers often dream about living. It begins when four long-time friends go to a wedding. Jonathan and Sita are married with three children Jay, Asha, and Lily, Emmy is a single mom of one child, Maya, and then there is Niall, an Irish bachelor. Niall meets Kat at the wedding and they all get separated which results in them missing their train back to London by minutes. This irritating circumstance quickly becomes a blessing when the train they were meant to be on crashes, killing dozens of passengers, leaving all of them shaken and re-evaluating their lives.

Emmy has just inherited a sprawling farmhouse in Cornwall from her Uncle Toby. Before the crash, they joked about all four of them moving into the house, but they decide as a group to move to the countryside and embrace the simple life for at least six months. Kat, now hooked up with Niall, has been included only because of Niall.

It’s a fantasy many people have; living in the country with your best friends, growing your own food, and taking time to smell the roses. While the children quickly grown to love it, the reality for the adults, who are used to being London residents, find the reality of communal living is a bit less romantic. The old house needs a lot of work which they all seem to be good at, but the main problem is actually getting around to it.

Jonathon would rather restore an old chapel on the property than the kitchen. Sita is beginning to regret giving up her career as a full time doctor. Emmy’s old feelings toward Niall are resurfacing and Niall is feeling the same way. The catty Kat is only living there on some weekends and holidays; she’s clearly only there for Niall and isn’t very kind to the rest of the group.

The title, Eggshell Days, is what Emmy calls her bouts of depression, presumably because everyone has to walk on eggshells while around her. This is important to note, because it’s one of many flaws the characters have. They are all quite flawed, but they are written as normal flaws. They deal with their own innate selfishness, bouts of temper, and poor habits while trying to overlook the others’ imperfections

Overall: Bloody marvelous.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one. 4 friends are returning from a country wedding when they miss their train due to traffic. It was their good fortune to miss the train, they escaped one of the worst RR wrecks in many years. They viewed this event as turning point and each decided they were ready to leave the hustle bustle life of London. They all moved to an older country estate, needing some attention. Their aim for the simple life was a good one in theory, but they had to unpack some of their psychological baggage before they were each able to get on w/ their lives in the right directions.

Passing along to another reader.

[Rita Mahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for British "countryside" novels so I loved this one. A group of lifelong friends decide to leave London behind for life in the country at an estate one of them inherited. Of course, nothing runs smoothly....tensions arise and the bindings of friendships unravel. Found it difficult at first to keep track of the characters but by the end of the book felt like they were friends of mine.

[Vi Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really buy into the basic premise of this book ie four long-standing friends on the cusp of 40 sharing a house together even as an experiment. However, it did give a launch pad for a trip through their lives and neuroses. This would be a great holiday read - it'll keep you amused by the pool but the characters won't be haunting you in the nightclub.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed development of relationships between the characters in this book and the way the characters responded to living in such close quarters with each other. I particularly enjoyed the way the children were an integral part of the novel and the way all the characters grew.

[Monae · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like I was reading a literary version of the show 'Friends'...However, the characters were interesting people to read about and had very believable personalities.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A group of friends looking for a simpler life retreat to manor house in Cornwall. I enjoyed the characters and found the story of their experiment in communal living very absorbing.

[Meghan Mathews · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay, the characters were so self absorbed, none of them should have been raising kids. Reminded me of some reality tv show!

[Sue Kozlowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Friends miss being killed in a train crash. They all go live in a manor, Bodinnick, in Cornwall, England. Emmy has a daughter Maya - They find out that Niall's brother, Cathal, is the father.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good twists.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

so far kind of difficult to stay with.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting

[Trina Hollis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made me think of the TV show friends it's about a group of friends sharing a house.