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Death & Other Inconveniences
National bestselling author Lesley Crewe's new novel explores widowhood, complicated family dynamics, and growing up at any age. Well, Dick's dead. Now what? Margo, his widow, is trying to dodge the tsunami of paperwork coming her way. She doesn't want to deal with the details ― why do you think she was married in the first place? Dick always handled the drudgery. Monty, Margo's ex-husband (the first one, not the dead one), is trying to support Margo ― who seems to be finally entering adulthood at the tender age of sixty-two. Their daughter Julia knows Margo needs her, but between work complications, house complications, and genius-yet-useless son complications, Julia's gasping for air already. Dead Dick's ex-wife Carole and their daughter Velma consider a Margo a maneater thanks to a few long-ago indiscretions, so the funeral is a nightmare. Life in New Brunswick lately is a tornado of siblings, children, pets, marriages, health issues, and endless bureaucracies. And at the centre of it all is Margo, living alone for the very first time, trying to endure everyone else's judgements about the woman she is when she doesn't even know herself. Maybe a cat will help. (The cat doesn't help.) How old do you have to be to come of age? ....and has anyone seen Dick's will? With humour and heart, national bestseller Lesley Crewe walks readers through the incredibly disruptive domino effects of the death of one unremarkable man.
280 pages, Paperback
Published June 18, 2024
48 people are currently reading
1007 people want to read
About the author
Lesley Crewe
19 books724 followersLesley grew up in Montreal, PQ. After graduating from Concordia University with a degree in English and Education, she and her hubby settled down in Homeville, Cape Breton and raised a family.
From 2000-2005, Lesley was a features writer and columnist (Home Fires) for Cape Bretoner Magazine, and from 2005-2009, a columnist (Lesley's Letters) with the on-line magazine, Cahoots.
In 2005 her first novel, Relative Happiness, was published by Vagrant Press, the fiction imprint of Nimbus Publishing. It was an instant bestseller, and was shortlisted for the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award. She has since written nine other novels.
In 2012, Relative Happiness was optioned for film, and in 2014, Lesley's characters came to life on the big screen. The movie was produced by Wreckhouse Productions, directed by Deanne Foley, and stars Australian Melissa Bergland (Winners and Losers), and homegrown Canadian talent like Susan Kent (This Hour has 22 Minutes), Jonathan Torrens (Mr. D, Trailer Park Boys), and Rob Welles (Trailer Park Boys).
From 2000-2005, Lesley was a features writer and columnist (Home Fires) for Cape Bretoner Magazine, and from 2005-2009, a columnist (Lesley's Letters) with the on-line magazine, Cahoots.
In 2005 her first novel, Relative Happiness, was published by Vagrant Press, the fiction imprint of Nimbus Publishing. It was an instant bestseller, and was shortlisted for the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award. She has since written nine other novels.
In 2012, Relative Happiness was optioned for film, and in 2014, Lesley's characters came to life on the big screen. The movie was produced by Wreckhouse Productions, directed by Deanne Foley, and stars Australian Melissa Bergland (Winners and Losers), and homegrown Canadian talent like Susan Kent (This Hour has 22 Minutes), Jonathan Torrens (Mr. D, Trailer Park Boys), and Rob Welles (Trailer Park Boys).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
May 27, 2024
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This was such a fun read even though the first thing that happens to Margo is her husband's death - Sounds weird right? But after her husband dies, Margo finally comes into her own...in her fifties. Go, Margo! Margo can finally get her act together with the help of her children, their spouses, her older siblings, her ex and his new spouse, and a couple of friends. She is very fortunate to have this family, and I loved them warts and all. I especially loved the way the author wrote Margo's granddaughters. I was killing myself laughing, especially when they repeated words they shouldn't have heard in the first place.
This is an ordinary story about an ordinary woman's ordinary life but to me, it was extraordinary in the mundane. Lesley Crewe's writing is superb. It is profound, wise, mysterious and thought-provoking. Death & Other Inconveniences is different from any book I have ever read. I highly recommend you pick up this or any other book (my favourite is The Spoon Stealer ) by Crewe, you won't be disappointed.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
The Book Review Crew Blog
This was such a fun read even though the first thing that happens to Margo is her husband's death - Sounds weird right? But after her husband dies, Margo finally comes into her own...in her fifties. Go, Margo! Margo can finally get her act together with the help of her children, their spouses, her older siblings, her ex and his new spouse, and a couple of friends. She is very fortunate to have this family, and I loved them warts and all. I especially loved the way the author wrote Margo's granddaughters. I was killing myself laughing, especially when they repeated words they shouldn't have heard in the first place.
This is an ordinary story about an ordinary woman's ordinary life but to me, it was extraordinary in the mundane. Lesley Crewe's writing is superb. It is profound, wise, mysterious and thought-provoking. Death & Other Inconveniences is different from any book I have ever read. I highly recommend you pick up this or any other book (my favourite is The Spoon Stealer ) by Crewe, you won't be disappointed.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
June 17, 2024
4.5
This was a fast, enjoyable, farcical look at a particular family in New Brunswick, Canada. Well, as the synopsis says, "Dick's dead." He choked on a ham sandwich. And the cleaning up of his various messes falls on his wife. However, this is not a good thing, considering she is fairly incompetent and hasn't quite grown into her adult responsibilities. I mean, remote controls confuse her. Although I do have to admit I can't get the hang of them anymore myself!
But Margo is going to learn—oh yes, she is. Over the next year, she will learn how to do things like stick up for herself, live alone, and even calmly help bring a new life into the world.
It is a sweet read perfect for the beach or poolside, filled with character growth and plenty of chuckles.
*ARC supplied by the publisher Nimbus Publishing/Vagrant Press, the author, and NetGalley.
This was a fast, enjoyable, farcical look at a particular family in New Brunswick, Canada. Well, as the synopsis says, "Dick's dead." He choked on a ham sandwich. And the cleaning up of his various messes falls on his wife. However, this is not a good thing, considering she is fairly incompetent and hasn't quite grown into her adult responsibilities. I mean, remote controls confuse her. Although I do have to admit I can't get the hang of them anymore myself!
But Margo is going to learn—oh yes, she is. Over the next year, she will learn how to do things like stick up for herself, live alone, and even calmly help bring a new life into the world.
It is a sweet read perfect for the beach or poolside, filled with character growth and plenty of chuckles.
*ARC supplied by the publisher Nimbus Publishing/Vagrant Press, the author, and NetGalley.
July 6, 2025
Death and Other Inconveniences is the fourteenth novel by Canadian author, Lesley Crewe. In early June, 2023, Fredericton butcher, Dick Sterling unexpectedly dies when he chokes on a ham sandwich. He leaves his second wife, Margo Donovan, homeless and virtually penniless, thanks to a gambling addiction of which she was unaware. Also surviving him are his resentful ex-wife, Carole and their angry daughter, Velma.
There are many challenges ahead, both practical and psychological, so Margo is lucky to have a very caring and supportive extended family around her, and a neighbour, Harman, who always has sound advice and delicious food when she needs it. It’s help she’s definitely going to need, and her daughter, Julia immediately offers a place to live, but Margo’s first instinct is to go to the family farm, to seek refuge with her older brother, Hazen and her sister, Eunie.
The family rallies around when there’s furniture to move, when there’s an encounter with Dick’s ex and daughter, with all the things that need to be sorted: “Who knew the business of dying was such an endless bog of bureaucracy? Months of continuous paperwork to be sorted out. Words like probate court, executor, intestacy, chattels, caveats. She started to think Dick was the lucky one. He didn’t have to deal with the godawful mess he’d left behind.”
Living with family, though, isn’t ideal, and Margo understands she’ll need to get a job if she wants a place of her own, something that brings independence but also unpleasantness, until she learns to stand up for herself.
Apart from dead Dick, his ex and daughter (who eventually tone down the vitriol), everyone in Margo’s sphere is someone you’d want to have in your family, depute the quirks: Margo’s ex, Monty and his new partner, Byron, her overachieving daughter, Julia, health-conscious son-in-law Andre and their delightful daughters, her laid-back son, Michael and his long-time girlfriend, Olenka, who relates all behaviour to the Animal Kingdom, her brother who bluntly tells his sister “that girl keeps her head in the clouds on purpose. It’s her way of abdicating responsibility”, her loving sister, and their lodger, Holly with her fondness for expletives.
As well as wisdom and insight, Crewe gives the reader plenty of (often black) humour: “He loved to barbeque! I don’t think he’d mind being cremated one bit, do you?” is just one example. Laugh-out-loud funny, heartwarming and uplifting.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing.
There are many challenges ahead, both practical and psychological, so Margo is lucky to have a very caring and supportive extended family around her, and a neighbour, Harman, who always has sound advice and delicious food when she needs it. It’s help she’s definitely going to need, and her daughter, Julia immediately offers a place to live, but Margo’s first instinct is to go to the family farm, to seek refuge with her older brother, Hazen and her sister, Eunie.
The family rallies around when there’s furniture to move, when there’s an encounter with Dick’s ex and daughter, with all the things that need to be sorted: “Who knew the business of dying was such an endless bog of bureaucracy? Months of continuous paperwork to be sorted out. Words like probate court, executor, intestacy, chattels, caveats. She started to think Dick was the lucky one. He didn’t have to deal with the godawful mess he’d left behind.”
Living with family, though, isn’t ideal, and Margo understands she’ll need to get a job if she wants a place of her own, something that brings independence but also unpleasantness, until she learns to stand up for herself.
Apart from dead Dick, his ex and daughter (who eventually tone down the vitriol), everyone in Margo’s sphere is someone you’d want to have in your family, depute the quirks: Margo’s ex, Monty and his new partner, Byron, her overachieving daughter, Julia, health-conscious son-in-law Andre and their delightful daughters, her laid-back son, Michael and his long-time girlfriend, Olenka, who relates all behaviour to the Animal Kingdom, her brother who bluntly tells his sister “that girl keeps her head in the clouds on purpose. It’s her way of abdicating responsibility”, her loving sister, and their lodger, Holly with her fondness for expletives.
As well as wisdom and insight, Crewe gives the reader plenty of (often black) humour: “He loved to barbeque! I don’t think he’d mind being cremated one bit, do you?” is just one example. Laugh-out-loud funny, heartwarming and uplifting.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing.
May 31, 2024
Yes, death can be very inconvenient. It is especially inconvenient when your husband The Dick (I mean named “Dick”) dies and his gambling debts leave you with nothing. The widow's family can be named The Quirkiest Family in the Land, and there's a donkey named Fred who plays with a yoga ball and farts.
We learn how inconvenient death can be from Margo, Dick's widow. She has to figure out how to put her life back together at the age of 62. Margo is a sweetheart, but she's also an airhead!
All this makes it sound like a plot that is way over the top. But, anyone who has read Ms. Crewe's books knows that her characters are anything but “normal”. And, if there is anyone who has not read her books, it's time to start!
The story makes me laugh in places but it also makes my heart proud to watch Margo evolve from the airhead who needs taking care of into a strong woman, ready to take on the world. She has a lot of support of her family through the transformation.
Every character in the story is interesting. They get introduced fairly quickly at the beginning but it doesn’t take long to figure out the family structure and their outside world.
Ms Crewe has a unique writing style that is hard to describe. All her storylines are a little over the top, as are her characters. But, they are all heartwarming. I'm always smiling when I finish one of her books. She's an automatic read for me, without even reading the blurbs or synopses. And, because she is Canadian, from Cape Breton, most of her books are set on the East Coast, an area I am very familiar with. It’s always fun to have a vision of the setting in my mind which might be close to the actual thing.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
We learn how inconvenient death can be from Margo, Dick's widow. She has to figure out how to put her life back together at the age of 62. Margo is a sweetheart, but she's also an airhead!
All this makes it sound like a plot that is way over the top. But, anyone who has read Ms. Crewe's books knows that her characters are anything but “normal”. And, if there is anyone who has not read her books, it's time to start!
The story makes me laugh in places but it also makes my heart proud to watch Margo evolve from the airhead who needs taking care of into a strong woman, ready to take on the world. She has a lot of support of her family through the transformation.
Every character in the story is interesting. They get introduced fairly quickly at the beginning but it doesn’t take long to figure out the family structure and their outside world.
Ms Crewe has a unique writing style that is hard to describe. All her storylines are a little over the top, as are her characters. But, they are all heartwarming. I'm always smiling when I finish one of her books. She's an automatic read for me, without even reading the blurbs or synopses. And, because she is Canadian, from Cape Breton, most of her books are set on the East Coast, an area I am very familiar with. It’s always fun to have a vision of the setting in my mind which might be close to the actual thing.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
June 15, 2024
“How old do you have to be to come of age?”
Author Lesley Crewe shows us that humour is a great coping mechanism for stressful situations.
I love that Margo has the ability to shift perspective and distance herself from what has the potential to paralyze her with anxiety and helplessness. She’s not only learning to live alone for the first time but she’s dodging well-meaning comments and the domino affects of the death of a family member.
I’d love to incorporate a little of Margo’s cognitive restructuring so that I can redefine and reappraise stressful situations more positively and more humourously.
I was once told that humour was the shock absorber of life. It certainly has enabled Margo to take the blows.
Allow Crewe to transport you to rural Cape Breton to experience how a group of amazing women deal with life’s ‘little’ stresses.
I was gifted this copy by Nimbus Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
Author Lesley Crewe shows us that humour is a great coping mechanism for stressful situations.
I love that Margo has the ability to shift perspective and distance herself from what has the potential to paralyze her with anxiety and helplessness. She’s not only learning to live alone for the first time but she’s dodging well-meaning comments and the domino affects of the death of a family member.
I’d love to incorporate a little of Margo’s cognitive restructuring so that I can redefine and reappraise stressful situations more positively and more humourously.
I was once told that humour was the shock absorber of life. It certainly has enabled Margo to take the blows.
Allow Crewe to transport you to rural Cape Breton to experience how a group of amazing women deal with life’s ‘little’ stresses.
I was gifted this copy by Nimbus Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
August 6, 2024
It's time to call it. I wanted to love this. I've heard so many wonderful things about Lesley Crewe but after reading reviews, it seems that this one is not the norm. This sounded like it would be a fun, lighthearted late-in-life coming of age but it wasn’t what I was hoping it would be. There was nothing wrong with the writing; it was easy to follow and flowed well, with humorous parts sprinkled throughout. It was the subject matter. I found myself putting the book down, enjoying the story enough, but not wanting to pick it back up again because it was slow and monotonous, with Margo’s everyday activities described in detail, which makes sense for the type of book it is but just wasn’t for me. I wanted more humor to get Margo (and me) through this difficult time.
I received a copy from #NetGalley for an honest review.
I received a copy from #NetGalley for an honest review.
May 24, 2024
“Death & Other Inconveniences” by Lesley Crew, is NOT, like the title and cover suggest, a cozy mystery. There’s no whodunit in this story, although it starts off with a death. From the very first page, Dick’s Obituary, readers know they are in for a different sort of ride. Luckily Julia rewrote the obituary her mother Margo first made for her husband. While it’s true that Dick the butcher did choke to death while eating a ham sandwich and that Dick’s first wife and daughter are insufferable (although she did say long-suffering), it wouldn’t be quite right to print all that.
It is true that Dick’s death caused all sorts of inconveniences, namely his penchant for gambling left his rather incompetent Margo penniless. For the first time in her sixty-four years, she needs to develop strength to be an adult. Which means becoming less dependent on her children and first husband and getting a job.
This was a fun read that is set in New Brunswick, Canada. Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel. My opinions are my own.
It is true that Dick’s death caused all sorts of inconveniences, namely his penchant for gambling left his rather incompetent Margo penniless. For the first time in her sixty-four years, she needs to develop strength to be an adult. Which means becoming less dependent on her children and first husband and getting a job.
This was a fun read that is set in New Brunswick, Canada. Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel. My opinions are my own.
August 28, 2025
Ugh. I wish I’d chucked it on the DNF pile
September 1, 2024
What an enjoyable read! Crewe does such a great job of creating relatable and authentic characters without needing a bunch of fanfare. No drama that seems outside of normal life....just showing how much drama can be in normal life. Margo's story is probably one that many women experience. Connecting all the changes that happen in a life kept the pages turning for me. I'd give it a 4.5 if there were half points so I rounded up. She's becoming one of my most consistently enjoyable authors.
July 15, 2024
I’ve read just about all of Lesley Crewe’s books, many of them are 4 & 5 star books, this unfortunately is not one of them. I wished I had stopped reading it but I continued on, it seemed silly, I didn’t really care for the characters - don’t waste your time, sadly, I’m rating this 2 stars!
July 11, 2024
This is a classic Lesley Crewe book. Characters that seem far fetched with circumstances that seem unlikely. But if you live in the maritimes, none of this is an exaggeration. All of the corny sayings are ones that I have heard all my life. Lesley manages to include all personalities in her book, from Margo, the widow, to her terrible husband, her adult kids that couldn’t be more different, her ex and his new husband, who are very supportive of Margo, her older brother and sister who live in the country and their renter who is a young woman that needed to be away from her neglectful and abusive family as well as her dead husband’s ex wife and threatening daughter. Lesley manages to bring them all together in a completely believable story.
I like that Lesley moves her stories along without long drawn out narratives. What I like best about this book is that Margo had her life turned upside down and felt very insecure and lacked self confidence but over the course of the book she became independent, self assured and more importantly, happy.
I like that Lesley moves her stories along without long drawn out narratives. What I like best about this book is that Margo had her life turned upside down and felt very insecure and lacked self confidence but over the course of the book she became independent, self assured and more importantly, happy.
September 17, 2024
No, I'm not obsessed with death or being a widow, it just so happens that the last two books I read had widowed protagonists. Here's my review of this one on my blog now. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2024/09/1...
February 28, 2025
Hilarious Canadian novel
January 16, 2025
A very enjoyable sweet read, will def be reading more Lesley Crewe!
June 27, 2024
For me this book is so relatable….in small ways, like the struggle to wipe a three year old’s nose or in big ways, like every first time mother’s fear that they don’t have a clue as to what they’re doing! There was the laugh out loud baby delivery scene and the wish I could come up with the snappy comeback scene. Lots of fun and stressful family interactions. All in all a joy to read.
October 25, 2024
This was an enjoyable, feel good read about a grandmother whose husband has just died. It follows her search to establish herself as an independent older woman.
June 4, 2024
1 stars
This is billed as a hilarious book. It is not funny. It is depressing and sad. This family is filled with a bunch of mean spirited bullies and dysfunction, aimed at mostly at Margo who just became a widow. I love funny and irreverent books, but this one is just meanspirited. I just cannot recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher.
This is billed as a hilarious book. It is not funny. It is depressing and sad. This family is filled with a bunch of mean spirited bullies and dysfunction, aimed at mostly at Margo who just became a widow. I love funny and irreverent books, but this one is just meanspirited. I just cannot recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher.
June 14, 2024
The cover summary hinted at a quirky family story and it delivered that.
Complicated feelings around death and grieving mixed with a zany writing style made this light and funny. There was substance as well. Each of the characters had their own issues to work through while navigating through complicated family dynamics.
I read this at night before bed and it was a good pallet cleanser after some long days.
Complicated feelings around death and grieving mixed with a zany writing style made this light and funny. There was substance as well. Each of the characters had their own issues to work through while navigating through complicated family dynamics.
I read this at night before bed and it was a good pallet cleanser after some long days.
July 1, 2024
This was my first Lesley Crewe and it most definitely WILL NOT be my last!! I certainly had a ball reading this one. This was such a fun read!! I kept bursting out in laughter and then of course had to read some parts to my husband…
Lesley sure knows how to write!!
Lesley sure knows how to write!!
June 30, 2024
Lesley Crewe has given us another brilliant reading treasure in this, her latest bestseller and likely-to-be award-winning novel. I cannot rave highly enough for the complete sense of satisfaction I felt with every page I read. I give it the highest possible rating - here, it is 5/5. It is what I most needed to read right now and I am sorry it had to end (but I could easily see a sequel; hint, hint).
This is a story of family - much like most families - and the trials & tribulations they experience following the death of one family member and how the survivors learn to cope in a whole new way. The fact that its main setting is where I spent my university days, Fredericton, NB, and a secondary setting is no more than 2 hours away, in Miramichi, NB brings it that much closer to reality for me. Crewe writes about the people we all know - Maritimers - and brings them, warts & all, to life, as she always does.
The novel deals with real people in realistic situations. We laugh (boy, do we laugh), we cry, we wonder, we identify - we become involved with these characters. The humour, for which Lesley is well known, is front & centre in this story. I've not laughed so much for a long time - thank you Lesley. Hers are the easy-to-read books I will read again. I love them.
I first discovered Crewe's work with The Spoon Stealers & fell in love with it. Since then, I've read most of her other works & loved them all - especially Nosy Parker and Recipe for a Good Life. I'm already wondering what will come next.
This is a story of family - much like most families - and the trials & tribulations they experience following the death of one family member and how the survivors learn to cope in a whole new way. The fact that its main setting is where I spent my university days, Fredericton, NB, and a secondary setting is no more than 2 hours away, in Miramichi, NB brings it that much closer to reality for me. Crewe writes about the people we all know - Maritimers - and brings them, warts & all, to life, as she always does.
The novel deals with real people in realistic situations. We laugh (boy, do we laugh), we cry, we wonder, we identify - we become involved with these characters. The humour, for which Lesley is well known, is front & centre in this story. I've not laughed so much for a long time - thank you Lesley. Hers are the easy-to-read books I will read again. I love them.
I first discovered Crewe's work with The Spoon Stealers & fell in love with it. Since then, I've read most of her other works & loved them all - especially Nosy Parker and Recipe for a Good Life. I'm already wondering what will come next.
October 8, 2024
I love a good Lesley Crewe novel. You can count on a couple of things: you'll laugh, you'll giggle, and you'll leave having had a good time.
This one was far from my favorites by Ms. Crewe, but the main thing I LOVED about it was that it is set in my hometown!!! For people in the US, in big cities, finding your hometown of Chicago say, or NYC, even San Francisco may not be a big deal, but finding your small city of Fredericton inside the pages of a novel is fantastic!! (Even if the author took some creative liberties lol)
This story contains Crewe's usual array of quirky but lovable characters, but for a change is set in present time, and not in Cape Breton. Refreshing, but I think the vibe works better when her stories are set a bit further back in the past. Probably just me. This one was fun, I laughed a lot, maybe got a little teary in the end and truly enjoyed a coming of age story about a 62 year old woman!!
Keep 'em coming Lesley Crewe!
This one was far from my favorites by Ms. Crewe, but the main thing I LOVED about it was that it is set in my hometown!!! For people in the US, in big cities, finding your hometown of Chicago say, or NYC, even San Francisco may not be a big deal, but finding your small city of Fredericton inside the pages of a novel is fantastic!! (Even if the author took some creative liberties lol)
This story contains Crewe's usual array of quirky but lovable characters, but for a change is set in present time, and not in Cape Breton. Refreshing, but I think the vibe works better when her stories are set a bit further back in the past. Probably just me. This one was fun, I laughed a lot, maybe got a little teary in the end and truly enjoyed a coming of age story about a 62 year old woman!!
Keep 'em coming Lesley Crewe!
June 26, 2024
4.5/5 STARS:
Setting: Fredericton, NB (Truly lovely city, I've been there many times.)
Main Character: Margo
Supporting Characters: Margo's children, Michael and Julia. Their partners, Olenka and Andre. Monty - Margo's ex husband, his partner Byron, Eunie and Hazen - Margo's siblings. Holly - 19 year old boarder and unofficial adopted child to Eunie and Hazen. Harman - neighbour and friend to Margo.
Dicky Sterling - Margo's suddenly deceased current husband who up-ends her world in the first chapter. Velma - Dick's daughter and Carole his ex-wife.
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Thoughts
My first impressions of this book were that I wasn't going to enjoy it too much. Margo seemed to be a weak character with a host of people around her that were going to be annoying AND unpleasant. I hate when most of the characters in the book have no redeeming qualities. I'm really pleased to report, that feeling didn't last the length of the book. Though I couldn't exactly relate to Margo's situations, her experiences and family made her seem a little more human. I began to root for her to stand up for herself. Seeing her develop some confidence and esteem was great. I'm reminded that Lesley is the master at taking dysfunction and turning it into a story of triumph and community through the struggles. Though it might be painful in the moment, it will be rewarding as it comes to its end.
It took me less than 12 hours to read this book. Once I started to enjoy Margo's progress and the progress of her support characters, I sped through.
Setting: Fredericton, NB (Truly lovely city, I've been there many times.)
Main Character: Margo
Supporting Characters: Margo's children, Michael and Julia. Their partners, Olenka and Andre. Monty - Margo's ex husband, his partner Byron, Eunie and Hazen - Margo's siblings. Holly - 19 year old boarder and unofficial adopted child to Eunie and Hazen. Harman - neighbour and friend to Margo.
Dicky Sterling - Margo's suddenly deceased current husband who up-ends her world in the first chapter. Velma - Dick's daughter and Carole his ex-wife.
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Thoughts
My first impressions of this book were that I wasn't going to enjoy it too much. Margo seemed to be a weak character with a host of people around her that were going to be annoying AND unpleasant. I hate when most of the characters in the book have no redeeming qualities. I'm really pleased to report, that feeling didn't last the length of the book. Though I couldn't exactly relate to Margo's situations, her experiences and family made her seem a little more human. I began to root for her to stand up for herself. Seeing her develop some confidence and esteem was great. I'm reminded that Lesley is the master at taking dysfunction and turning it into a story of triumph and community through the struggles. Though it might be painful in the moment, it will be rewarding as it comes to its end.
It took me less than 12 hours to read this book. Once I started to enjoy Margo's progress and the progress of her support characters, I sped through.
July 28, 2024
Oh my gosh! I love this story!
And what Canadian doesn’t like reading a Canadian author’s book.
This was such a fun read.
I think we all know a Margo; the woman who has always let others make her decisions for her (including the wrong financial ones), while she worries about how she looks.
Then there are always those family members who want to control all of those around them, including the Margos.
And the others who go through life, not quite conforming or growing up.
And how about those bully adults, whose lives are miserable and they have to make everyone else that way, too.
The outstanding humour, Lesley Crewe creates for all these characters interacting, had me laughing out loud so many times.
For anyone who enjoyed Jann Arden’s “The Bittlemores”, I felt it has the same small town, east coast feel. Although the stories are not all the same.
I’d like to be able to give this more than 5 stars!
And what Canadian doesn’t like reading a Canadian author’s book.
This was such a fun read.
I think we all know a Margo; the woman who has always let others make her decisions for her (including the wrong financial ones), while she worries about how she looks.
Then there are always those family members who want to control all of those around them, including the Margos.
And the others who go through life, not quite conforming or growing up.
And how about those bully adults, whose lives are miserable and they have to make everyone else that way, too.
The outstanding humour, Lesley Crewe creates for all these characters interacting, had me laughing out loud so many times.
For anyone who enjoyed Jann Arden’s “The Bittlemores”, I felt it has the same small town, east coast feel. Although the stories are not all the same.
I’d like to be able to give this more than 5 stars!
April 6, 2025
Who would have thought that a book about death could be so funny? Margo's husband Dick has died...choked to death while eating a ham sandwich in his recliner. Now Margo, who has never really had to handle anything in her life, has to handle his final arrangements, wind up his affairs, and deal with his difficult first wife and daughter. Unfortunately she finds he was heavily in debt and has left her destitute. Her adult children, her first husband and his new partner, and her much older siblings are all supportive, but not enthused about taking Margo in long term. During this first difficult year of widowhood Margo gets a job, an apartment, and her self confidence, finally coming of age at sixty two. Lesley Crewe writes great characters, and created some great personalities in Margo's family. Her adult children are complete opposites and their spouses are delightfully quirky. Her older siblings are in their seventies and also are experiencing a sort of coming of age. Even the pets are unique personalities. The end result is a touching story about pretty mundane stuff that is actually quite hilarious. This is definitely the funniest book about death ever written.
October 14, 2024
Crewe has another highly enjoyable read here! Set in Fredericton, NB, Death & Other Inconveniences centres around Margo, whose jerk husband dies unexpectedly. At 62, Margo needs to find herself and define herself, both as an individual and also within her relationships with her kids, siblings and friends. True to form, Crewe develops characters who are so real and faceted and just a joy to get to know. I gained an insightful perspective into the life of a young widower too.
September 8, 2024
I had a little trouble getting into this one. There were so many characters I was having bit of trouble remembering who was who, but once I found my groove, the book had me hooked. Ms. Crewe has a wonderful ability to create a community of characters so true to life you feel they could be your next door neighbour. Hazen was a favourite, not to mention the donkeys.
August 18, 2025
I’d give this a 3.5. This is one of her better books I’ve read. I’m not sold on her writing style yet, as I find she has a hard time articulating her words. There was a lot to grammatical errors in the last half of the book as well. The characters and the humour was on par though and made for an easy read.
December 19, 2025
I enjoyed this book. I was first attracted to it by the title, Death and Other Inconveniences. I’m a widow and the things that happened to Margo sometimes seemed very familiar but more comic. Mostly though, I really believe that “Older females are the world’s most adaptable creatures” (page 269).
July 5, 2024
Hilarious! Poor 62 year old Margo is bereft, and angry after her husband of ten years chokes on a ham sandwich and dies. Drowning in debt, Margo has to reinvent herself and go back to work. What ensues will crack you up.
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