Close To Home

by Deborah Moggach

At 23 Brinsley Street, Kate Cooper struggles with her two babies, the household chores and an effort of keeping up her appearances for her high-flying husband. Next-door, Sam Green struggles with his novel, his wife goes out to work and his self-absorbed daughter strives to keep up the appearance of a teenager. As the long, hot summer draws on, a heady brew of magic and mischief awaits them all.

240 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1980

About the author

Deborah Moggach is a British writer, born Deborah Hough on 28 June 1948. She has written fifteen novels to date, including The Ex-Wives, Tulip Fever, and, most recently, These Foolish Things. She has adapted many of her novels as TV dramas and has also written several film scripts, including the BAFTA-nominated screenplay for Pride & Prejudice. She has also written two collections of short stories and a stage play. In February 2005, Moggach was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by her Alma Mater, the University of Bristol . She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a former Chair of the Society of Authors, and is on the executive committee of PEN.

Reviews

[Sally Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of Kate Cooper (which the author admits draws heavily on her own experience as a young mother ). Kate has two very young children, and her husband James is frequently away on business. Kate loves her husband and her babies, but sometimes struggles with the sheer daily grind of childcare, housework , cooking and shopping. She can’t help reflecting on the time when she was working, unencumbered by the demands of domesticity.
Next door lives Sam with his wife Jetta, a psychiatrist ,and Marion, their teenage daughter. Sam has given up paid work to follow his dream of becoming an author. In fact he spends most his time drifting around the house achieving nothing, and fantasising about Kate as he watches her in her garden with her babies.
The combination of Kate’s restlessness and Sam’s availability make for a potentially marriage threatening situation.
The author brings the characters to life in such an accomplished way. I particularly liked the portrayal of Marion, a somewhat awkward girl trying to find her way through the tricky business of growing up without much help from either parent.

[Ruby Singh · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my 5th book by Deborah Moggach and the worst one. It's published 1979 and I notice the ones that I've read by her and enjoyed were all written 30 years later.
Close to Home was her second book. Her writing style and storytelling have improved substantially since then.
The book is a slow meandering story about 5 occupants of 2 next door houses and their lives and obsessions with an other.
I found the sentence structure and style clunky at times, so I had to keep re-reading the sentence.
The story was a little far fetched and nonsensical but harmless enough.
I found it odd that for a third of the book Kate's youngest child is not mentioned at all, as if he's disappeared. There was too much detail about the monotony of motherhood, which I found very dull.

[A J HOOPER · Rating 4 out of 5]

The wonderfully hot summer of 76 or 77 and two families live next door to each other in Camden Town. Although in very different circumstances, Blank, the young housewife, dealing with two babies and the frustrated husband next door (James) meet for a concentrated bang in the toolshed.
Secondary plot is the 17 daughter (of James and Jetta) Marion, who is driven mad by the heat and carried out an extraordinary heist of her own.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. A poignant trip back to the 1970s, complete with its sexism and stereotypes. Growing up around that time, it felt like a trip down memory lane with many reminders that it wasn't all perfect.

[GaiB]

DNF - maybe not in the mood for domestic drama

[Jayne Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, undemanding read about some goings-on between two families living next door to eachother. The story is pleasantly character-driven, and the enjoyment for me was in the witty observation of their personalities. From the frustrated author to the unconventional teenager and the miserable mother-of-two, it was impossible not to recognise or sympathise with them.

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable - well written, utterly believable characters and a deliciously complicated situation of attraction between two neighbours which is very neatly resolved, though not in the way the reader expects.

[Lysergius · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harmless entertainment.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love all her books - this one was no exception. Very easy to read and completely understandable - no twists or turns - just straightforward scenes from everyday life.