The Cornflake House

by Deborah Gregory

For fans of Kate Atkinson, Barbara Trapido, and Alice Hoffman--the magical story of an unconventional family in the English suburbs

Eve has grown up in a decidedly unconventional family, one of seven multi-racial children with different fathers and a mother named Victory who raises them her own way. When Eve is eight, Victory calls upon her hidden talent--second sight, 'the ability to harness chance.' It's a gift that often brings Victory forebodings of disaster, but it also wins her first prize in a cereal-box competition. The rag-tag family leaves its trailer home for a house in a leafy London The Cornflake House . The neighbors' consternation at their arrival has comic, then disastrous, consequences.

Now Eve is a young woman in prison. How she got there, and how her amazing mother planned long ago to get her out, makes for a dramatic and utterly original novel of family and magic.

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1999

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book reminded me of why I shouldn't buy books I've never heard of just because they are cheap.

[Evelien · Rating 4 out of 5]

waw, so for once I am the odd one out in the other direction. Though this rarely rated and read book here on goodreads earned a meagre 2.5, I gave it a 4!
The story drew me in from the first pages - Eve, is writing to a mysterious Matthew from out of prison. We only discover bit by bit what her 'crime' was for which she thinks she should not be punished. And as she tells her story to Matthew, her lawyer and her son, she reveals her life as the eldest of seven, raised by a single mom, living an unconventional lifestyle in the 2nd half of the 20th century in the UK.
The author touched on so many subjects: choosing an unconventional lifestyle, but longing for a sedintary life and stability, what it means to be the eldest in a large family, funny and tragic clashes and stories of being different, at home, in school, in the suburb. I loved every page and raced through it.
Only setback -SPOILER- even at the end we do not find out who Matthew, the visitor and listener is ...

[Anastasia · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I am desperate, I will read anything with a catchy title or a cover that appeals to me. What a disappointment! Good story idea-- terrible execution.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book more this time. The main character writes, from prison, about her childhood. She was the eldest of seven children, all by different fathers, and her lifestyle was quite spectacular.

[Mary Taitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The protagonist, Eve, is in jail, and it is not entirely clear at first why. It seems that she's been accused of killing her mother, which she insists she did not do. It isn't until the end of the book that we learn what really happened==that's the est part, the end. Eve's mother, Victory, has second sight and bestows some of her gift on her daughter, Eve. But in jail, the magic has deserted her. Eve has "fallen in love" with a mysterious man named Mathew who came tot eh jail to interview her, and the book consists of letters to Matthew about Eve's childhood with her strange family of mismatched brothers and sisters. The book is a little haphazard and disorganized, which, while being perhaps true to the way someone would tell a story in jail, lacks the kind of narrative arc that would make it easier to follow. Still, I enjoyed it.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star because I stopped reading about 75 pages into it. I thought the narrator spent too much time speaking to her audience and not enough time story telling. When I decided I didn't care how it turned out, I decided to move on to a new book. I could see how people would love this but, but just not enough action for me.

[Maria (Ri) · Rating 2 out of 5]

A slightly bizarre but not too compelling story of a strange girl turned woman in her tale as told from a prison cell. It is an interesting premise, but ultimately, it was quite difficult to feel any desire to keep reading this book. It was just quite bleh.

[Sharonh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had no idea who Matthew was and still don't... who the hell was he? She talks to him throughout the whole book and I still don't know what part in the book he plays?