Mutton

by India Knight

'My most memorable builder line, in the days when they still talked to me, was "Your eyes are like spanners. Every time I see them, my nuts tighten." It's vulgar, I grant you, but no-nonsense... Are my eyes still like spanners? They look all right to me as I peer into the hall mirror. There are lines at their edges, obviously, but that's because I'm 46 and I smile. I also laugh. I laugh now, mirthlessly and exaggeratedly, to make the bigger lines come: hahaHA. They're not tiny, the lines, but nor are they huge. I mean, they're not crevasses... You know how in films women of a certain age press their palms against their cheeks and pull up, to view the effect a hypothetical facelift might have, and how this denotes "Our heroine realizes that she is ageing"? I'm not going to do that.'

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Humor, Contemporary, 21st Century

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

India Knight is a British journalist. Her novels have been translated into 28 languages.

Knight, a native French speaker, lived in Brussels until about the time she turned nine. After migrating to the United Kingdom, she was educated in London. She was awarded an exhibition to Trinity College, Cambridge, where she read Modern Languages from 1984-1987, before starting her career in journalism.

In addition to writing for and contributing to major British magazines and newspapers, India Knight writes a prominent weekly column for The Sunday Times. She is also a regular guest on British radio and television.

After writing an article in The Sunday Times about her daughter's special needs - her youngest child has DiGeorge syndrome.

Knight lives in London with her three children.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Despite being a work of fiction, this read like a true-life self-obsessed journal.
I could see flashes of myself from about ten years ago…so maybe just didn’t want to be reminded of that!😂

[Barry Pierce · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mutton? More like bull.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Navel gazing white conservative middle class British bollocks that was at times downright offensive.
Especially irritated with the narrators tirade against age difference relationships with a particular weighting against the older woman with younger man construct, while at the same time berating the whole nip and tuck business. Dear Ms India: if people stopped being so ageist in all forms, inlcuding tirading against age difference relationships, the whole nip and tuck business wouldn't be such a multi billion pound industry. Love happens outside of pre-agreed norms and as long as both partners have reached age of consent and there isn't an underlying abusive relationship it isn't 'icky'. Ever. But I guess for someone who is more preocupied with 'marionette lines' in their face and how not-to-dress that concept is a bit far out there.
Oh and don't get me started on the tired taking-the-piss-out-of-fantasy-nerds trope. Next note to author: only if you are an accomplished fantasy nerd yourself do you get to successfully take the piss there. And then only if you are a really really intelligent, well-balanced, and H_I_L_A_R_I_O_U_S accomplished fantasy nerd. Since you are lacking on all counts, you should have left it alone. It was so lame, it needed a Zimmerframe.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this, although I wasn't entirely sure what it wanted to be.

The 'novel' part of it was quite thin in places and the main 'character', Clara, felt massively autobiographical. Woman, in her 40s, two sons, one daughter, two ex-husbands... all sounds very familiar. And there was an anecdote or two I recognised from India Knight's non-fiction, so that was a bit odd.

The underlying theme - how women manage to negotiate the minefield that comes with ageing, walking the tightrope between 'mumsy' and 'mutton' and the pressure that comes with it, the prevalence of cosmetic procedures and the problems that the disconnect between age and appearance can cause - is an interesting one and was explored in a witty and perceptive way. I'm not sure it worked as a novel, though - it felt like it wanted to be a long non-fiction piece but as it wouldn't be publishable in that format, it was shoehorned into a novel.

Although the story wasn't entirely successful for me, I did enjoy the book and it made me laugh out loud several times, so that was good.

[Helena Halme · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book on my Kindle in three days flat, and it left me in good humour.

Reading Mutton isn't going to change anyone's life, but this funny tale of two women and their struggles with getting older is an entertaining and happy read. The question, to Botox or not to Botox is the main subject matter, but there is also the underlying question: what is it that makes us happy? Is it good looks, or complete abandonment to good food and drink, not caring about the consequences? Or is it simply love? The conclusions India Knight lets the reader draw from the story are not rocket science, nor are they particularly earth shattering, but they are certainly life-affirming.

Plus, if, like me, you've been following the main character, Clara's, life in India Knight's previous novels, Mutton feels like visiting a mad set of friends you'd forgotten about.

Not a book for the men of your life, but certainly a book to recommend to your 40-something friends.

[Katia N · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know India Knight for her columns in The Sunday Times. I read them long time ago and found them witty and funny sometimes. So that was the reason why i bought this book. Also i liked the first page. I knew it would be very light read, but i wanted to have a laugh. And i cannot say i am satisfied in this way.

The witty moments are all buried in a soup of a very sweet sticky nonsense and you need to search hard for them. I cannot complain i waisted too much time as the book is thin. You can read it on the train if you ran out of the things to do. But do not expect something serious or on the contrary laugh out loud stuff.

[Sang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inconsistent, patchy, formulaic in bits, but so stunningly and uproariously funny and perceptive in the others, that 4 stars just felt rude. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and think it's a fab take on being a woman in your 40s. I'm definitely reading more of her books, having only read her columns before.

[Tracey Sinclair · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am very ambivalent about India Knight - at her best, she can be hilarious - but she also can be insufferably middle class smug, and this book is the equivalent of the TV show Outnumbered. Not particularly funny, and the narrator was annoying. Didn't finish.

[Ana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just didn't get this book. At all.

[Frances · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started brilliantly - the prologue made me laugh - and ended well, after losing its way in the middle.
Despite being in the same age band as the protagonists, and therefore supposedly facing the same kind of issues, I just kept thinking 'get a grip and stop being so obsessed with appearances'.
The plot, such as it was, felt contrived and I didn't warm to any of the characters, with the exception of Clara's sisters, who played only a minor role. Just not my kind of thing, I guess.

[Ingrid · Rating 1 out of 5]

Chose this book because of the smashing reviews about how hilarious it is supposed to be. Did not even make me giggle, not once. No real story line, everyday routine that you don't really need to read about since you're living it yourself. When towards the end of the book the main character travels to Scotland there is a potential story in the works but that's where it ends. Boring from beginning to end.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read whilst ill in bed. Main character is 2 years older than me, so I could empathise with her dilemma over what to wear & preferring to watch tv at home, rarher than go to trendy wine bars in the evenings.

[Tracy Hollen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
I waited a long time for more fiction by India Knight, and I wasn't disappointed. At first I thought it was going to solely focus on ageing and plastic surgery, but that was only an introductory element to the story. It was perfect for a quick, happy weekend read.

[Kimberley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it :)

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, it's a lot better than her previous effort. So I think India Knight is back on form. I would recommend this without too many reservations, it's funny about the ageing process.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

By far the best India Knight I have read

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love all of India's books, this one was funny and heartfelt, as ever.

[Norma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very funny book.

[Julie Baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read My Life On A Plate years ago, and forgot all about India Knight because another book didn't materialise while she was still on my radar. Then I read Darling earlier this week and adored it! I have made my sisters and my friend buy it already! Today I finished Mutton. It was wonderful. Not only well written and very, very funny, but also thought provoking. I am around the age of the main female characters, and some of the ageing issues I could really relate to. Although not the wanting to date and shag parts-I have been too deep in menopause for too long to be able to relate to having that urge.

[Mincahuni · Rating 2 out of 5]

At times going into stereotypes and cliches about getting older and what kind of problems and opinions women can face but overall there is some humor and it's interesting to read how different people deal with the same thing (getting plastic surgery or not, how to deal with your outlook and inside insecurities). I was annoyed at reading many over the top American ideas or society related expectations that I've never faces or I've not cared about. Still, at times it was a good read. Wouldn't read it again and am surprised I read it till the end.

[Nrr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing but too coincidental

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really not what I was hoping for, can't say I found it as "laugh out loud funny" as many of the pull quotes suggested. Still I'm sure it will be a talking point in the next bookclub!

[nina turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, I thought it could have been funnier.

[Lynn V · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heavy on rambling, light on plot.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mutton by India Knight was a hilariously funny novel, that had me laughing right from the beginning to the very end. It's a story about growing old and trying to preserve the youthfulness of the human body for as long as possible. I mean, it has really come to something when the builders down the road don't even throw a whistle or vile comment your way any more, hasn't it?!

The first thing that I really loved about Mutton was the comical way that it was written. It's written in first person, so we get to experience everything through the main character's eyes. Clara Hutt is our main lady; wrinkles, flabby bits and no longer catching the attention of the builders down the road, she's beginning to wonder where her youthfulness and her confidence has disappeared too. The book itself isn't too long but isn't too short either, just the right size to keep you entertained yet never bored. The plot flows easily and rather quickly, not focusing on one part of the story for too long, which I find sometimes happens. It's written in an informal, funny and blunt way, which leaves you giggling constantly. The thing with Clara Hutt is that she is just so down to earth and easy going. She also speaks fluent sarcasm too, which I understand perfectly!

The characters within the story were all fantastic and felt incredibly real to me; kind of like the cast from a soap opera, all drinking tea and having completely random conversations about whatever they can think of just to pass the day. There's Clara, the main character. Then there's Gaby, who is Clara's old best friend from years ago, who has dropped in for a nice little visit. You also have Jack, Clara's son, and Sky, who is Jack's girlfriend, who lives in with the family. There's lots of characters, they're all fun and they really bring the story to life.

One of the topics that lingers quite strongly throughout the whole book is the topic of plastic surgery; botox and lip etc. When Clara's friend Gaby arrives, Clara cannot quite believe how fantastic her best friend now looks, even all these years later. Gaby won't reveal anything about how she is still looking so good, but Clara can guess. Knowing her best friend has gone so far in order to keep her youthfulness in tact, Clara begins to wonder if maybe she should take a little walk down this road too.

It's all fun and games! It's a fantastic journey into the world of older women and the things that worry and trouble them. It's funny, it's shockingly true to the point, and I can't count the times that I exploded with laughter whilst reading it. I absolutely loved this story, and I'd recommend it to anyone who's looking for a quick and easy read, or for anybody looking for a novel that will give them a good laugh, I can promise you that this book will do the job for you!

I would also just like to mention that I acquired this book as a win for the a comp that I entered on Goodreads. I would also like to mention that this was my first EVER competition winner so I was very excited about it!

Fantastic story, I could read this one again and again :)

[Jennifer Lawler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this gem in one (late) night sitting!

Clara Hutt is 46-years-old and is feeling good about herself. She is separated, maintains a good relationship with the father of her children, has had until this current drought, a fairly active and satisfying love life. All in all she seems to be taking the ageing process in her stride. That is until a couple of things give her a cause for thought. Namely, the lack of wolf-whistles or winks from a building site, despite walking past several times (just to be sure) and the arrival of Clara's old friend Gaby.

Gaby, who once accompanied Clara on the couch with bags of crisps and bottles of wine, left the UK for a ridiculously healthy sounding yoga-based lifestyle in the US. Her total transformation into a svelte, yoga-toned, calorie counting and beautifully glamorous 49-year-old bothers Clara. Where are the rolls of fat gone? What's with the unfaltering discipline when it comes to dieting? And, most important of all, why doesn't Gaby's face look her bloody age?!

Clara is perturbed, she begins to spend a little more time scrutinising her crows feet in the mirror, a little more time pulling the skin of her forehead upwards 'just to see' what it might look like. It's only a matter of time before she succumbs to Botox and becomes fascinated by the world of cosmetic surgery.

Knight's book is hilarious. Clara astutely observes cosmetic surgery fanatics masquerading as lucky women naturally blessed with great genes. Her reaction upon discovering just how common cosmetic enhancement is —shock, disillusionment, suspicion and a little betrayal—is honest, thoughtful and funny.

Lest you be bored by a book full of Botox needles, Knight has included a very entertaining subplot involving her son, his girlfriend Sky and Sky's bonkers father, Bernard. Having a bit of fun with literature's latest obsession with fantasy series, Knight makes Bernard a hugely successful author of the genre. Sky naturally is a big fan but Clara gets a surprise when the normally cool, collected Gaby goes weak-kneed at the thought of meeting the eccentric author. Much to Clara's dismay, the pair proceeds to litter their conversations with all sorts of odd vocabulary only Bernard's die-hard fans will understand. One thing leads to another and before you know it Clara and Gaby find themselves travelling to meet Bernard who has been dispatched by his publisher to a remote Scottish island to complete his next book.

Knight manages to weave these two plot lines together perfectly so that Clara's new-found concern with aging is soothed by Gaby's relaxed regression into her true, as opposed to cosmetically enhanced, younger self.

A great read by accomplished journalist India Knight, two thumbs up!

[Becki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clara Hutt is a forty-six year old mother of three who on the whole likes her life until her best friend from childhood Gaby comes to live with her. Gaby has lived in LA being a yoga mogul, and all that entails. The last time Clara saw Gaby she was the thin pretty one, but the tables have turned with Gaby returning looking closer to thirty-six than her actual age of almost fifty.

So regular readers of the blog will know that MUTTON isn’t the typical style of book to be reviewed on here. However, I chose to give this book a try to write a review about it for a number of reasons. First though it’s fair to say that I am not the intended reader of this book, I’m around two decades younger than the main character, but I’m also (shocking and disturbing as it is) not the intended audience for the young adult books reviewed here, but that doesn’t stop me enjoying them. I ended up chosing to read MUTTON based on a single, very important, fact: it sounded interesting.

In a lot of ways Clara reminded me of a slightly older Bridget Jones or Carrie Bradshaw. MUTTON certainly has a similar tone and feel to the books, although the focus of the book is more on growing older than on friendship or love – however both do feature prominently in the book. One of the things I found really interesting about the book was the discussion about appearance and our own attitudes towards it and how they change over time. I emphathised with the discussion about being age appropriate in terms of clothes – and does it really matter? Sex was also discussed frankly in the book, and I think Knight handled the topic brilliantly.

The thing that drives MUTTON, and that I most love, are its characters. There isn’t really a plot per se to the novel, it’s more of a character study and I actually enjoyed this. Normally I’m quite plot driven, but for me the characters driving the story really worked in this book. The secondary characters seem real on the page – I especially loved Clara’s sisters and mother. Jack and Sky seemed like believable teenagers, and I thought Knight created an interesting dynamic between son and mother. Perhaps the most interesting secondary character in the book is Gaby. In a lot of ways it is through her that the events in the novel fall out.

I really enjoyed reading MUTTON, even if I am a bit young for it. If you’re looking for a book for your mother, or aunt, or an older friend then you should seriously consider this book. It’s light and fun, but at the same time a little bit thought-provoking. If you’re my age or younger and think it sounds interesting then give it a go – it may surprise you.

Originally posted on TheFlutterbyRoom.com I got my copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Penguin for a copy of this novel to review.



Right, anyone that reads my blog and reviews regularly may have noticed that I don’t really do “chick lit”. But when Penguin offered me a copy of Mutton by India Knight I jumped at the chance…expecting a novel similar to “Bridget Jones Diary” but from a slightly older point of view, that wasnt exactly what I got – but what I DID get was a laugh out loud wry and humerous look at the joys and downfalls of reaching a certain age…

Clara is pretty much every woman…she certainly had a hint of me in there – and when her friend Gaby moves in, all glamorous and youthful looking with a rather strange outlook, hilarity ensues as Clara begins to question what “growing old gracefully” actually means…

My daughter Mel, who is 22, and I both read this book at around the same time…she started first and at one point I got a text message from her telling me I was only allowed to read it if I promised not to get botox or bring men home randomly to fulfill my inner urges – unless I reassured her on this point she said, she was banning me from reading “Mutton” A few laughs later and I was finally allowed to have it back…and I must say it was a whole lot of fun!

India Knight has a fine sense of irony and a wry eye to the ridiculous side of suddenly realising you are probably just slightly too old to get away with that mini skirt now, but equally you don’t want to go all mumsy. Also the relationship Clara has with the younger members of the household is quite realistic (certainly from my experience) and I loved the way that you could pick this book up at any age teenager onwards and probably find something to love.

Highly enjoyable – while writing this review I was giggling as certain parts of the story came back to me. Its not going to change your life – but thats not the point. What it WILL do is give you a lovely little break from your own existance and let you live a short time in someone elses shoes. Great fun!

I will have a feature article on “Mutton” running on the blog in the near future where Mel and I will be doing a joint review to look at the novel from the younger perspective as well – I think you might find it interesting. As a 40 something myself, Mel’s comments on the whole “growing older” scenario often have me laughing away…so look out for that one coming soon!



Happy Reading Folks!

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a difficult book for me to review, particularly as after the first fifty pages or so I would only have offered it one star.

This is my fault of course for choosing to read it as I plucked it from the supermarket shelf and snuggled it into my trolley under the mental compartmentalisation of ‘holiday reading’ during a recent shop. I don’t really do ‘chick-lit’ in any form but I do generally like India Knight’s offerings via The Times, thus …

Clara Hutt was not a main character I liked or warmed to during my initial quarter of reading. I suppose after reading a little more though I discovered that she and I are generally quite the same and, slowly but surely, I did identify with her more as a modern world Brit-chick and so laughed along with her more as the story progressed.

Thank goodness though that the whole story did not continue in a line of ‘’what do I really think of plastic surgery?’ type banter’ – I really couldn’t have stood for that! Instead, via her characters, Knight does quite cleverly and quite discretely discuss contemporary womanhood, bodily perfection and imperfections and touches on a few raw nerves – some of them possibly clarifying that many of us are blessèd or lucky enough to be able to immerse ourselves in the highly trivial perplexities of life whilst also thinking of the ‘common good’. Maybe this is really an essay of ‘champagne socialism’ for women or indeed an account of ‘having your cake and eating it’ if you like – all the old adages lie true here. Maybe it’s also a metaphorical account of being prepared to throw things off your plate if you don’t actually like eating them. Get the drift – hmmmm (I told you I AM like the protagonist – sorry)??!

Of course, these loaded sentences must make the book seem a little bit twee and trite and, yes at times, I wholly felt it was. I guess the message here is if you want a little bit of contemporary truth (disguised under the banner of mature/maturing woman chick-lit) then read on. If you are requiring a read with deep depth, stubborn seriousness and frenetic flavour then this read is definitely one you should fight off from hovering around your shopping trolley like a wanton wasp in the summer sun.

Either dive in heartily or bat it away frantically (I soooo told you that this book was a difficult one to review)! It’s just a matter or ‘either/or’ here!! Black or white. In or out. You choose so bottoms up to that choice my girlyfriend!

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be an honest exploration of what it means to be a female in her 40s; what happens when the builders stop wolf-whistling you, the laughter-lines start to form and you start to question what you can wear - veering away from mumsy and yet not wanting to be 'mutton'.

Despite my not being quite into even my 30s yet, there were still things I could relate to in this book. I was definitely nodding along at the references to wanting to stay in instead of going out to trendy wine bars, and I found it quite refreshing that the novel touches on the concept of comparison amongst women and how hard it is to not feel envious of a skinnier friend who seems immune to the ageing process. It sounds really superficial in its themes and I suppose to an extent, it is, but I enjoyed the candid approach to discussions about dieting ("how odd it should be that you have to eat like hungry poor people in order to look expensive"), relationships, fashion family, female friendships, sex and feminism (and what they all mean to women in their 'mid-life).

These 'discussions' hang on the plot line of an old friend of the main character moving back in with her, an old friend who is obsessed with her appearance and has done everything she can to avoid looking (and feeling) her age. My only criticism of the book would be that I thoroughly enjoyed the exploration of these issues but that they sometimes felt crowbared into the plot. There are some quite lengthy sections with little development, and then others where they are more focussed on the progression of the story, and at times it felt a little disjointed. (The plot has some really funny, enjoyable moments too, it's just that they didn't always marry up).

Overall, it was an enjoyable, light-hearted read, and an intelligent, thought-provoking insight into forty-something womanhood.