Fresh Hell

Notting Hell Trilogy #3

by Rachel Johnson

'I just loved it. Lethally funny and so clever.' - Jilly Cooper


I ADORED it. It's the most fun I've had with a book in a long time, and I love how she writes - so many dazzling sentences and phrases.' - Marian Keyes

Debt, double-basements, dastardly bankers...and DIVORCE?

'Hell is other people' and journalist Mimi Fleming is fast realizing on her return to Notting Hill that there is no greater hell than the W11 neighbours with whom she shares an exclusive communal garden. Since she's been away, all her friends have become - impossibly - even richer, thinner, and YOUNGER. They're busy not just turning back the clock but also their homes into palatial iceberg houses - with basement swimming pools.

But Mimi's troubles are just beginning. There's the compromising and risky mission she'd undertaking to re-launch her so-called journalism career (plus an embarrassing case of mistaken identity thanks to Google). Then there's her children who will only communicate via WhatsApp . And worst of all, Mimi's fallen for someone, and it's certainly not her husband Ralph.

Ralph and Mimi have already been to Notting Hell and back. But is this the end or the beginning of something new?

Genres: Chick Lit, Humor, Contemporary, Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published June 18, 2015

About the author

Rachel Johnson is a British editor, journalist, television presenter and author based in London. She lives in Notting Hill, London with her husband. They have three adult children.

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Anna Ridley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really didn't like this book. I didn't find it clever or funny. Terrible, self-absorbed, selfish characters. I didn't care what happened to them or their pompous housing problems. Would not recommend to friends.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The low ratings for the previous two installments were somewhat of a warning for this book; however, I received a free copy from the publisher/Goodreads and therefore soldiered on.

If there was a point to this book, I seem to have missed it. Although I did not read the two predecessors, it was easy enough to catch on. Apparently, Mimi and Ralph underwent some great drama in Notting Hill, moved to the countryside and are now moving back to their old neighbourhood due to Ralph's job. Apparently, back in Notting Hill, things are moving along all the same- successful business men are working hard at their jobs, their wives are spending their money to compete with one another, large home renovations are angering neighbours and an anonymous company has purchased a great deal of land, giving the previously mentioned wives a cause to rally for.

Why Ralph and Mimi would move back is bewildering, as they are seemingly living a fragile peace in the countryside- after fathering a child with Clare (who is now living in their old house & back for more), Mimi retaliates with an affair with an eccentric artist, Farouche. While these problems may be the only interesting part of the plot, the emotions are really only touched upon during a brief chapter with a counsellor. If the focus of the book had been this couple trying to work through these issues, I may have been more interested. Instead, the author distracts with attempts at humour that only come off as shallow and not funny.

Most chapters alternate between Clare and Mimi, and each chapter makes both characters more and more unlikable. Unlikable characters are fine when they're complex and well developed, which neither of these are. Halfway through the book we're treated to Ralph's point of view, interspersed with Mirabel's social media/blog- it's hard to decide which adds less to the story.

In all, had I not received a free copy of this book, I wouldn't have bothered. I may have enjoyed it more having read the previous two books, but if they were anything like this one then I'm doubtful.

[A Reader's Heaven · Rating 2 out of 5]

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Debt, double-basements, dastardly bankers...and DIVORCE? 'Hell is other people' and journalist Mimi Fleming is fast realizing on her return to Notting Hill that there is no greater hell than the W11 neighbours with whom she shares an exclusive communal garden. Since she's been away, all her friends have become - impossibly - even richer, thinner, and YOUNGER. They're busy not just turning back the clock but also their homes into palatial iceberg houses - with basement swimming pools. But Mimi's troubles are just beginning. There's the compromising and risky mission she'd undertaking to re-launch her so-called journalism career (plus an embarrassing case of mistaken identity thanks to Google). Then there's her children who will only communicate via WhatsApp . And worst of all, Mimi's fallen for someone, and it's certainly not her husband Ralph. Ralph and Mimi have already been to Notting Hell and back. But is this the end or the beginning of something new?

This is apparently the third book in a trilogy. I wasn't aware of that when I started reading.

And based on what I read, I won't be reading the others.

Some of the quotes from established authors say this book is "lethally funny" and "...dazzling sentences and phrases." They must have read a different book than I did. I found this drab and pointless - nothing seemed to actually happen. Added to that, swapping perspectives every chapter and characters that were more cliche than people, this was a very hard book to stay interested in...


Paul
ARH

[Carolyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really didn't like this book. The characters were quite well written but extremely unlikeable. I hated all the worshipping of money. I believe that the author is trying to poke fun at the people who live the lifestyle of the super-rich but the sheer waste of money made me feel ill. The plot dragged on - I couldn't care less about subterranean basements., I couldn't care less about the love lives of these hideous people and I couldn't care less about...actually I can't think of anything else. It's a very thin story. The ending was bizarrely written and a completely unbelievable plot twist that so easily tied up all the loose ends. I hated all the different voices telling their side of the story - the changeover was very intrusive to the flow. It was not a gripping plot and having this lurch from one voice to another made me want to stop reading. I nearly did but I got a copy of the book from Netgalley in exchange for review.

[Bernadette Jansen op de Haar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining view of the Notting Hill set. The story is told from Mimi's, Clare's (Mimi's 'friend') and Ralph (Mimi's husband, and father to Clare's son (don't ask)). It features also a wonderful character: performance and conceptual artist Farouche who creates havoc where ever she goes. Fast paced with fiction sometimes resembling real life rather closely, it is an entertaining read for a lazy summer’s day.

[Claire · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really didn't like this book. I didn't think it was funny. Gave up after a couple of chapters

[Linda]

One of the most tedious books I have ever read, convoluted and boring.

[Soozee · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author failed to engage my interest in this tale - I didn't identify with any characters, couldn't be bothered to work out who was who (the narrator changed each chapter) and they seemed pretty interchangeable anyway. There was excessive use of acronyms and designer labels that left me cold.

If all the well-heeled of the south east of England are really so fatuous and obsessed with possessions, I just thank my lucky stars I'm poor and live in the north.

Sorry, the story line just was not well handled, nor did it interest me in the slightest. I had to force myself to finish the book (I really should learn you may as well ditch a book that's not working for you!).

[Mandy Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5,I liked this book,I read the first one ages ago and I enjoyed finding out what the characters are now up to,I liked reading about the outrageous items super rich people buy,do and wear. I find it difficult to rate books sometimes because they can be completely different and it’s hard to compare them,this is not a four just because I enjoyed books in my four category more,there is always a place for lighthearted books and I like a change from crime or psychological thrillers or romance. It made a change that Mimi’s affair was with a women too.

[Elisabeth Heien · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book in the trilogy starting with Notting Hell and Shire Hell,and while it was funny and amusing and full of clever and fast dialogue and ultra-rich-lifestyle references,it did not live up to the previous two books. But if you need some laughs and a quick read,by all means read this,but read the other two first,to really get to know the main characters.

[Paula Newham · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I picked this up from the library, I didn't realise it was book 3 in a series. Not that it really mattered, it did okay as a stand alone story.

I cant say that I enjoyed it much, it was funny in parts but the characters mostly irritated me (perhaps that's the point) and the chapters were long and waffling.

[Kally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book - wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next. Realised it’s the 3rd book in a set but each book is set at a different time period & location with the same main 4 characters so it will be nice to read the other 2 books to see how their stories started.

[Janette O'reilly · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not a good book. The author names labels I think to add word count it is so bad tummy awful.

[Haley Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very easy read with a light and straight forward story line.

A great read for a plane or train journey.

Gave a very cliched reality to London life!!

[Ptiteaurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

L écriture est fluide et sarcastique comme il faut mais je suis passée à côté de ce roman. Ces personnages de Notting Hill sont trop huppés pour avoir suscité en moi des émotions

chronique complète http://thelovelyteacheraddictions.blo...

[Pip Precious · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was jolly romp through the lives of the haves and have yachts!
Watch out for the graphic lesbian sex scenes....

[Twogirlsandbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le diable vit à Notting Hill est une saga chick-lit sympa qui fait office de petit plaisir coupable estival. Alors c'est avec un peu de nostalgie que je me suis lancée dans le dernier tome de la série. Ralph et Mimi Fleming quittent enfin la campagne anglaise pour revenir vivre à Notting Hill. Mimi tombe sous le charme de Farouche, une artiste en vogue. Sa vie de famille va basculer tout comme sa vie de femme.

Le gros point positif de cette histoire, c'est l'univers. J'ai adoré retrouver l'ambiance anglaise et les potins qui alimentent tout le quartier. J'affectionne énormément ce genre d'ambiance. J'ai bien aimé retrouver les personnages, notamment la famille Fleming et Clare qui sont à la fois drôles et touchants. Ce qui est bien dans ce tome, c'est d'avoir d'autres points de vue que ceux de Mimi et Clare. Dans ce tome, nous avons en plus les points de vue de Ralph et Mirabel, ce qui apporte quelque chose en plus à l'histoire. Dans ce livre, il y a beaucoup de nouveaux personnages, mais ils ne sont pas assez exploités et c'est dommage. A l'heure actuelle, j'ai même du mal à me souvenir d'eux.

Ce qui est dommage dans ce livre, c'est que l'histoire est rapide si bien qu'il n'y a pas vraiment d'intrigue. La romance présente dans ce livre est un peu trop rapide et pas assez exploitée à mon goût. C'est dommage parce qu'il est rare que je croise une romance F/F dans mes lectures. Pour une fois qu'il y a un peu de diversité, cette romance aurait pu être plus et mieux exploitée.

Pour conclure, Le diable met le feu à Notting Hill, est un livre qui m'aura fait passer un bon moment même s'il se lit très vite. Je ressors de cette lecture un peu déçue parce qu'il n'y a pas vraiment d'intrigue et la romance est trop peu exploitée. En tout cas, cette saga m'aura accompagnée trois années de suite alors je suis un peu triste de quitter l'univers et les personnages.

Twogirlsandbooks

[Cliff · Rating 3 out of 5]

The trouble with this book is that masquerading as fiction, it is so near the truth. Not that any of the characters are other than fictional (other, of course than Sam Cam and Call me Dave, who are guests at a 50th birthday party held in the Tate Modern, and Kirsty Wark), but they are representations of all the Yummy Mummies driving round Notting Hill ('Hell') in their Chelsea Tractors. The author is the sister of the excreable Boris Johnson, one time Mayor of London, vacillator on the subject of Brexit and now one of the three stooges supposedly overseeing that catastrophe. I assume therefore that Rachel Johnson is totally au fait with the scene she portrays in the book. Basically the story of a family who moved out of Notting Hill to the country but return to the area when father gets a London based job dealing with fracking. We follow the mother who has a lesbian affair, father who was an unwilling sperm donor for a neighbour and the general hoo haa concerning the plans to convert a local hous into an iceberg house (that means excavating underneath the house to provide two or three additional floors). These apparently were causing immense ill feeling amongst the residents of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea that the council had to take draconian powers to regulate them (see http://nlpplanning.com/blog/made-in-k...). I can't say I warmed to any of the characters in the book which are examples of exxactly what is wrong with our society. I realised that it was the third in a trilogy. I am not sure my blood pressure will take reading the earlier two, although I mave to admit I was laughing out loud at various passages in the book.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apart from not getting the point of the book I wouldn't call this funny, especially not lethally.
Too many clichés, switching perspectives and characters I didn't get warm with made this really difficult to not throw the book into the next corner.

[Kate Ainsworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't realise it was the last in a series of three. Wouldn't read the others. Although very funny and well written, the actions of Notting Hill dwellers and basement excavations was too near the possible truth. Acerbic writing with more than a nod to Dorothy Parker

[Sue Cotton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book about complicated relationships and iceberg houses, never knew they were called that. Follows on from her last book

[Ishmael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alright, but not anywhere near as funny as it thinks it is. Also, could have done with a trigger warning. Probably won't bother to read anything else by her.

[Stasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

First time I've taken so long to read a book. It was fine but nothing to make me go "Wow!" Maybe I would enjoy it more if I understood more of the innuendos that only British would understand, and also if it were a movie... I did appreciate when St.Lucia was mentioned though :)