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The Comfort of Others
Minnie and her sister Clara, spinsters both, live in a dilapidated country house in the middle of a housing estate, built when their father sold off the family's land. Now in their seventies, their days follow a well-established routine: long gone are the garden parties, the tennis lessons and their suffocatingly strict mother. Gone, too, is any mention of what happened when Minnie was sixteen, and the secret the family buried in the grounds of their estate.
Directly opposite them lives Max, an 11-year-old whose life with his mum has changed beyond recognition since her new boyfriend arrived. Cast aside, he takes solace in Minnie's careful routine, observed through his bedroom window.
Over the course of the summer, both begin to tell their stories: Max through a Dictaphone, Minnie through a diary. As their tales intertwine, ghosts are put to rest and challenges faced, in a story that is as dark as it is uplifting.
Directly opposite them lives Max, an 11-year-old whose life with his mum has changed beyond recognition since her new boyfriend arrived. Cast aside, he takes solace in Minnie's careful routine, observed through his bedroom window.
Over the course of the summer, both begin to tell their stories: Max through a Dictaphone, Minnie through a diary. As their tales intertwine, ghosts are put to rest and challenges faced, in a story that is as dark as it is uplifting.
- GenresFiction
230 pages, Paperback
First published May 19, 2017
6 people are currently reading
170 people want to read
About the author
Kay Langdale
16 books21 followersKay Langdale was born in Coventry, England.
From a young age she loved to read and to write.
She attended Bedford College, London University, graduating with a first class degree in English Literature and then went to Oxford University where she completed a doctorate on Samuel Beckett’s prose fiction. She briefly taught twentieth century literature at St Edmund Hall, Oxford before beginning work as an account handler and copywriter at a brand consultancy.
She is married to a South African entrepreneur, with whom she has four children who are now mostly grown. Kay divides her time between their homes in Oxfordshire and Devon.
Now writing her eighth novel, Kay also works as an editor for the charity The Children’s Radio Foundation which trains young broadcasters in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
When not writing Kay enjoys running, ballet barre, yoga, swimming, coastal walking, learning Italian, cooking and reading. Always reading.
From a young age she loved to read and to write.
She attended Bedford College, London University, graduating with a first class degree in English Literature and then went to Oxford University where she completed a doctorate on Samuel Beckett’s prose fiction. She briefly taught twentieth century literature at St Edmund Hall, Oxford before beginning work as an account handler and copywriter at a brand consultancy.
She is married to a South African entrepreneur, with whom she has four children who are now mostly grown. Kay divides her time between their homes in Oxfordshire and Devon.
Now writing her eighth novel, Kay also works as an editor for the charity The Children’s Radio Foundation which trains young broadcasters in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
When not writing Kay enjoys running, ballet barre, yoga, swimming, coastal walking, learning Italian, cooking and reading. Always reading.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
April 28, 2017
Eleven-year-old Max lives with his beautician mum, on a housing estate that surrounds an old manor house. Minnie, now in her 70’s lives in the manor house, Rosemount, with her sister Clara.
Max and Minnie’s bedroom windows overlook one another. Through a series of life stories, Max via his Dictaphone, Minnie via her diary, the two tell you all about their lives. Max about the present, and what he feels the future holds, now that his mum has got herself a new boyfriend and has pushed Max aside. Minnie about her past, and the extraordinary life that she led.
Eventually the two finally met, where an unpredictable, beautiful friendship occurs. Each is trying to come to terms with their lives, what they held and have yet to hold.
The Comfort of Others, is a majestic story of two very different people needing the comfort of one another. Max, who is an adorable young man, loves his mum very much. He does everything he can for her, including helping her with her beautician work. But when she takes on a new boyfriend who doesn’t particularly like him, he is left feeling alone and shut out. It has always been just him and his mum, now he feels that he has no-one.
Minnie is stuck at home. She watches the world go by from her bedroom window. Although she has Clara for company, she still feels isolated, plus she is living with a burden that she has held for many years. She is a sweet old lady, and just wants someone to talk to, and enjoy the company of another.
The story is heart-warming, and heart-breaking all at the same time. At periods throughout the book it is a hard read, because of the emotions that you will feel. The book is enthralling, whilst at the same time enchanting. It will have you falling in love with these two extraordinary people who are very real, and very likeable.
Ms. Langdale has an ease to her writing and knows how to suck you into a story, keeping you firmly attached to it. The Comfort of Others, was thought-provoking, vividly descriptive, and an absolute joy to read.
Reviewed by Stacey on www.whisperingstories.com
Max and Minnie’s bedroom windows overlook one another. Through a series of life stories, Max via his Dictaphone, Minnie via her diary, the two tell you all about their lives. Max about the present, and what he feels the future holds, now that his mum has got herself a new boyfriend and has pushed Max aside. Minnie about her past, and the extraordinary life that she led.
Eventually the two finally met, where an unpredictable, beautiful friendship occurs. Each is trying to come to terms with their lives, what they held and have yet to hold.
The Comfort of Others, is a majestic story of two very different people needing the comfort of one another. Max, who is an adorable young man, loves his mum very much. He does everything he can for her, including helping her with her beautician work. But when she takes on a new boyfriend who doesn’t particularly like him, he is left feeling alone and shut out. It has always been just him and his mum, now he feels that he has no-one.
Minnie is stuck at home. She watches the world go by from her bedroom window. Although she has Clara for company, she still feels isolated, plus she is living with a burden that she has held for many years. She is a sweet old lady, and just wants someone to talk to, and enjoy the company of another.
The story is heart-warming, and heart-breaking all at the same time. At periods throughout the book it is a hard read, because of the emotions that you will feel. The book is enthralling, whilst at the same time enchanting. It will have you falling in love with these two extraordinary people who are very real, and very likeable.
Ms. Langdale has an ease to her writing and knows how to suck you into a story, keeping you firmly attached to it. The Comfort of Others, was thought-provoking, vividly descriptive, and an absolute joy to read.
Reviewed by Stacey on www.whisperingstories.com
March 30, 2017
Beautifully written. Sometimes more is heard than said. Eleven year old Max had an author visit his school. He said everyone was a writer. Max final primary school report said that Max was not a confident speller. But he was a confident speaker.
His mum says he is a Chatty Cathy. Max pointed out to her that he was a boy, so he should be chatty Charlie, but his mum said that Charlie's not his name either.
His mum had a Dictaphone because she found it handy to help her keep a list of what she needed to get from the wholesalers. His mum said that Max could have the Dictaphone. Because Max couldn't spell, he used the Dictaphone to speak things as he sees it.
Over the course of the summer Max and Minnie share their stories. Max through his Dictaphone and Minnie through her diary.
I recommend this lovely short story of 230 pages.
His mum says he is a Chatty Cathy. Max pointed out to her that he was a boy, so he should be chatty Charlie, but his mum said that Charlie's not his name either.
His mum had a Dictaphone because she found it handy to help her keep a list of what she needed to get from the wholesalers. His mum said that Max could have the Dictaphone. Because Max couldn't spell, he used the Dictaphone to speak things as he sees it.
Over the course of the summer Max and Minnie share their stories. Max through his Dictaphone and Minnie through her diary.
I recommend this lovely short story of 230 pages.
August 4, 2017
Light and shade...
Eleven-year-old Max is dictating a story to a Dictaphone his mother gave him, inspired by a visiting author who told his class that writers are people who 'notice things'. The story he is telling is of his life, and of the summer in which the book is set. Max lives with his single mother and has never known his father. As a result, he and his mother have been very close, but now she's found a new boyfriend and suddenly has less time for Max. To make things worse, the boyfriend clearly sees Max as a nuisance. Max is feeling rather unhappy and lonely.
Opposite lives Minnie and her older sister Clara, two elderly spinsters still occupying the big house their parents lived in, back before they sold all their land to allow a housing estate to be built – the housing estate Max lives in. Now they're poor and struggling to keep the house in good repair. Minnie is also rather lonely. Her window faces Max's and they often notice each other, and when she sees him begin to dictate his story, it occurs to her that maybe she should write her story too, in an attempt to finally come to terms with some dark episodes in her past. As the summer progresses, these two people strike up an unlikely friendship...
This isn't my usual kind of book, so I'm surprised to discover it's been one of the books of the summer so far for me. It's very well written and the characterisation is great. The journal format of both sections means it slips in and out of present and past tense, but always appropriately to the story being told at the time. Young Max's voice doesn't always ring quite true for an eleven-year-old, but his observations of his mother and his own feelings about the changes that are happening around him feel completely authentic for a rather reserved and quiet boy of that age. Minnie is also excellent and through her we get taken back to the past – '60s, I think – at a time when the rigid class system in Britain was beginning to break down.
Max's story is quite light – although he's going through a difficult patch, Langdale doesn't over-egg the pudding by forcing him to go through major traumas or by making his mother and her boyfriend actively cruel to him. They're just a bit neglectful of his feelings and maybe a bit dismissive of his needs, but there's never any doubt that his mother loves him. She's a beautician who works in a room of their house, and a lot of Max's observations about her and her clients are very funny. Minnie becomes a kind of surrogate aunt to him, offering him tea and sympathy when he needs it.
Minnie's story on the other hand gets very dark indeed at points. In fact, there is one jarring note for me with the book, and I can't go into detail without spoilers – but there is one particularly upsetting scene which I feel is more detailed than necessary and is too grim for the general tone of the book. It's crucial to the story, so it's not its inclusion that bothered me – rather that it is written too graphically. Otherwise, though, Minnie's part of the book gives it depth and an adult voice, and the two stories together provide an excellent balance of light and shade.
Made me laugh, made me cry, and left me smiling – what more could you ask for really? Definitely a surprise hit and one I'm happy to recommend to anyone who likes a well written, character driven story. 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Hodder & Stoughton.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Eleven-year-old Max is dictating a story to a Dictaphone his mother gave him, inspired by a visiting author who told his class that writers are people who 'notice things'. The story he is telling is of his life, and of the summer in which the book is set. Max lives with his single mother and has never known his father. As a result, he and his mother have been very close, but now she's found a new boyfriend and suddenly has less time for Max. To make things worse, the boyfriend clearly sees Max as a nuisance. Max is feeling rather unhappy and lonely.
Opposite lives Minnie and her older sister Clara, two elderly spinsters still occupying the big house their parents lived in, back before they sold all their land to allow a housing estate to be built – the housing estate Max lives in. Now they're poor and struggling to keep the house in good repair. Minnie is also rather lonely. Her window faces Max's and they often notice each other, and when she sees him begin to dictate his story, it occurs to her that maybe she should write her story too, in an attempt to finally come to terms with some dark episodes in her past. As the summer progresses, these two people strike up an unlikely friendship...
This isn't my usual kind of book, so I'm surprised to discover it's been one of the books of the summer so far for me. It's very well written and the characterisation is great. The journal format of both sections means it slips in and out of present and past tense, but always appropriately to the story being told at the time. Young Max's voice doesn't always ring quite true for an eleven-year-old, but his observations of his mother and his own feelings about the changes that are happening around him feel completely authentic for a rather reserved and quiet boy of that age. Minnie is also excellent and through her we get taken back to the past – '60s, I think – at a time when the rigid class system in Britain was beginning to break down.
Max's story is quite light – although he's going through a difficult patch, Langdale doesn't over-egg the pudding by forcing him to go through major traumas or by making his mother and her boyfriend actively cruel to him. They're just a bit neglectful of his feelings and maybe a bit dismissive of his needs, but there's never any doubt that his mother loves him. She's a beautician who works in a room of their house, and a lot of Max's observations about her and her clients are very funny. Minnie becomes a kind of surrogate aunt to him, offering him tea and sympathy when he needs it.
Minnie's story on the other hand gets very dark indeed at points. In fact, there is one jarring note for me with the book, and I can't go into detail without spoilers – but there is one particularly upsetting scene which I feel is more detailed than necessary and is too grim for the general tone of the book. It's crucial to the story, so it's not its inclusion that bothered me – rather that it is written too graphically. Otherwise, though, Minnie's part of the book gives it depth and an adult voice, and the two stories together provide an excellent balance of light and shade.
Made me laugh, made me cry, and left me smiling – what more could you ask for really? Definitely a surprise hit and one I'm happy to recommend to anyone who likes a well written, character driven story. 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Hodder & Stoughton.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
June 29, 2016
Friends can be found in the strangest of circumstances.
Elderly spinster, Minnie, lives in the family home with her sister Clara. Their country estate, Rosemount, while once grand and vibrant with garden parties and tennis matches, has dwindled through the years and now they live a modest life with their crumbling mansion surrounded by modern houses.
Eleven year old Max lives directly opposite the ladies and can see them through his bedroom window. He notices that Minnie seems to be writing in a diary each evening, while he pours his heart out into a small dictaphone.
These two may have nothing obviously in common, but sometimes the bond between the young and the old surprises even the most cynical person.
Once again, Kay Langdale has delved into the mind of a child and brought them to life with her stunning prose. Max's story is one of change, uncertainty and coming of age. His mother has brought him up single-handedly and he is very perturbed when she finds a new boyfriend. It had always been just the two of them and Max is not feeling so great about the new arrival in their lives. Meanwhile, Minnie is coming to terms with her past. She is finally addressing long-suppressed memories and finds writing her diary has a therapeutic effect. She watches Max from her first floor window and sees he is a troubled soul. When she invites him into Rosemount for tea, an unlikely friendship develops between a child heading for adulthood and an adult who has hidden from the memories of her own childhood. A mutual love of antiques and straight talking become a ritual that both characters begin to embrace. Both are in pain and seem to have found their route to temporary relief.
A harrowing back story blends in with a modern tale of displacement; bringing a perfect novel of gentle friendship and respect. Using the polar opposite protagonists, the author shows pain from different perspectives, all the while showing how sometimes the elderly and the young have more in common than many expect. Both are semi-dependent and reply on others honesty. Both seem to require patience and understanding. Both can have moments of loneliness that can be forgotten by their younger/older contemporaries. Simply put; they have time for each other. No jobs, no dependents, no time-watching or responsibilities. Minnie may have her sister under the same roof, and Max has his mother, but neither feel relaxed enough to speak their minds in their home environments. Their unlikely friendship unfolds with mutual respect and they find out more about themselves than they ever anticipated. A wonderful array of minor characters bring added humour to the novel, with Max's friend Eddie hopping off the page with his quirky ways and Clara silently rambling through the corridors of Rosemount. The antiques that fascinate Max are enchanting and the reader can almost smell their history and see their dusty surroundings.
Don't be fooled by the cover of this novel, which implies a light, fluffy read. It is delightful and heartbreaking in equal measures. It shows how secrets can eat up a persons soul, yet the right friendship can free their spirit. If you are a fan of Maggie O'Farrell or enjoyed the wonderful Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey, this is the perfect read for you. It is a book written with beautiful words, endearing characters and is a tale of trust and mutual respect, no matter what your age...
Highly Recommended.
Elderly spinster, Minnie, lives in the family home with her sister Clara. Their country estate, Rosemount, while once grand and vibrant with garden parties and tennis matches, has dwindled through the years and now they live a modest life with their crumbling mansion surrounded by modern houses.
Eleven year old Max lives directly opposite the ladies and can see them through his bedroom window. He notices that Minnie seems to be writing in a diary each evening, while he pours his heart out into a small dictaphone.
These two may have nothing obviously in common, but sometimes the bond between the young and the old surprises even the most cynical person.
Once again, Kay Langdale has delved into the mind of a child and brought them to life with her stunning prose. Max's story is one of change, uncertainty and coming of age. His mother has brought him up single-handedly and he is very perturbed when she finds a new boyfriend. It had always been just the two of them and Max is not feeling so great about the new arrival in their lives. Meanwhile, Minnie is coming to terms with her past. She is finally addressing long-suppressed memories and finds writing her diary has a therapeutic effect. She watches Max from her first floor window and sees he is a troubled soul. When she invites him into Rosemount for tea, an unlikely friendship develops between a child heading for adulthood and an adult who has hidden from the memories of her own childhood. A mutual love of antiques and straight talking become a ritual that both characters begin to embrace. Both are in pain and seem to have found their route to temporary relief.
A harrowing back story blends in with a modern tale of displacement; bringing a perfect novel of gentle friendship and respect. Using the polar opposite protagonists, the author shows pain from different perspectives, all the while showing how sometimes the elderly and the young have more in common than many expect. Both are semi-dependent and reply on others honesty. Both seem to require patience and understanding. Both can have moments of loneliness that can be forgotten by their younger/older contemporaries. Simply put; they have time for each other. No jobs, no dependents, no time-watching or responsibilities. Minnie may have her sister under the same roof, and Max has his mother, but neither feel relaxed enough to speak their minds in their home environments. Their unlikely friendship unfolds with mutual respect and they find out more about themselves than they ever anticipated. A wonderful array of minor characters bring added humour to the novel, with Max's friend Eddie hopping off the page with his quirky ways and Clara silently rambling through the corridors of Rosemount. The antiques that fascinate Max are enchanting and the reader can almost smell their history and see their dusty surroundings.
Don't be fooled by the cover of this novel, which implies a light, fluffy read. It is delightful and heartbreaking in equal measures. It shows how secrets can eat up a persons soul, yet the right friendship can free their spirit. If you are a fan of Maggie O'Farrell or enjoyed the wonderful Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey, this is the perfect read for you. It is a book written with beautiful words, endearing characters and is a tale of trust and mutual respect, no matter what your age...
Highly Recommended.
August 17, 2017
This should be one of the easiest reviews I ever write as all I need to say is ‘read it NOW’. However I guess I won’t get away with that, despite that being all you need to know. This really is a beautiful book which will have you running through the whole gamut of emotions before you reach the end.
It tells the story of Max and Minnie’s friendship over the course of one summer. It is the summer that Max’s mum finds herself a boyfriend and Max finds himself at best sidelined so that he seeks the companionship of his elderly neighbour Minnie. Minnie isn’t a new neighbour, but this is the first time they’ve had recourse to really notice each other. As Max relates his inner thoughts to his Mum’s old dictaphone it encourages Minnie to put her thoughts to paper and face the demons she’s been hiding from.
It’s an unlikely friendship, but it works because they meet as equals enjoying the solace of each others company and quietly gaining confidence from it. All the characters are well written, but it is Max and Minnie that take centre stage, and Max is an absolute delight. Despite only being 11, he is an old soul, and it is impossible not to love him, this makes the injustices he suffer hurt all the more. I suspect it’s his inner wisdom in part that Minnie recognises and nurtures. Their blossoming friendship is a joy to behold and will have you yearning for a happy ending for both.
While Max’s troubles are all in his present, Minnie’s are all in the past, though they have never, quite literally, been laid to rest. Hers is a heartbreaking story which you cannot fail to be moved by. Between them they generate joy, humour, sadness, heartbreak and for me at one point horror. But that said, it is a book that is ultimately uplifting, representing for both, a coming of age, despite their disparate ages.
This has become my book of the year (so far) because it is so beautifully written, characterful, thoughtful, provocative and emotive. Minnie’s final entry in her diary is a quote from George Eliot which sums up her experience and is one we can all learn from,
‘it is never too late to become what you might have been’
I received a review copy via Bookbridgr for the purpose of writing this honest review
It tells the story of Max and Minnie’s friendship over the course of one summer. It is the summer that Max’s mum finds herself a boyfriend and Max finds himself at best sidelined so that he seeks the companionship of his elderly neighbour Minnie. Minnie isn’t a new neighbour, but this is the first time they’ve had recourse to really notice each other. As Max relates his inner thoughts to his Mum’s old dictaphone it encourages Minnie to put her thoughts to paper and face the demons she’s been hiding from.
It’s an unlikely friendship, but it works because they meet as equals enjoying the solace of each others company and quietly gaining confidence from it. All the characters are well written, but it is Max and Minnie that take centre stage, and Max is an absolute delight. Despite only being 11, he is an old soul, and it is impossible not to love him, this makes the injustices he suffer hurt all the more. I suspect it’s his inner wisdom in part that Minnie recognises and nurtures. Their blossoming friendship is a joy to behold and will have you yearning for a happy ending for both.
While Max’s troubles are all in his present, Minnie’s are all in the past, though they have never, quite literally, been laid to rest. Hers is a heartbreaking story which you cannot fail to be moved by. Between them they generate joy, humour, sadness, heartbreak and for me at one point horror. But that said, it is a book that is ultimately uplifting, representing for both, a coming of age, despite their disparate ages.
This has become my book of the year (so far) because it is so beautifully written, characterful, thoughtful, provocative and emotive. Minnie’s final entry in her diary is a quote from George Eliot which sums up her experience and is one we can all learn from,
‘it is never too late to become what you might have been’
I received a review copy via Bookbridgr for the purpose of writing this honest review
July 14, 2017
When we first meet Max, the eleven-year-old boy living with a single mother, we see him using a Dictaphone, taping his thoughts. Then one day, he looks across to the house next door, the one at the center of the compound, and sees Minnie, who appears to be writing in a diary.
Caught up in the alternating narratives of Max and Minnie, we are soon immersed in the story of their lives, and my empathy peaked, until I couldn’t wait for the next episode from each of them.
Eleven-year-old Max is frustrated by the changes in his life after his single mother connects with the man who fixes the boiler. A man unnamed, who seems annoying, at the very least, and somewhat verbally abusive. His teen daughter is a bully, and Max discovers how to deal with her, but I attribute his ability to do so from his newly found connection to Minnie.
Minnie is elderly, living with her older sister Clara, in Rosemount, the home at the center of the compound. Minnie’s writings in her diary recount events from the past that she has kept secret, specifically what happened to her in the early 1960s.
Set in England, The Comfort of Others takes place in the present, but veers into the past through Minnie’s entries. Max’s tapes are about his summer in the present, but also reveal how the intrusion of his mother’s new boyfriend has impacted his life.
My favorite parts were when Max and Minnie share their feelings with each other, and Minnie gives Max some ideas about how to deal with his mother’s boyfriend. He stands up for himself, expressing his feelings bravely and directly.
Minnie and Clara make life-altering decisions that sprang from Minnie’s ability to resurrect the secrets of the past and look at events in a new light.
An interesting story about friendship, secrets, and how communication can change lives. 5 stars.
Caught up in the alternating narratives of Max and Minnie, we are soon immersed in the story of their lives, and my empathy peaked, until I couldn’t wait for the next episode from each of them.
Eleven-year-old Max is frustrated by the changes in his life after his single mother connects with the man who fixes the boiler. A man unnamed, who seems annoying, at the very least, and somewhat verbally abusive. His teen daughter is a bully, and Max discovers how to deal with her, but I attribute his ability to do so from his newly found connection to Minnie.
Minnie is elderly, living with her older sister Clara, in Rosemount, the home at the center of the compound. Minnie’s writings in her diary recount events from the past that she has kept secret, specifically what happened to her in the early 1960s.
Set in England, The Comfort of Others takes place in the present, but veers into the past through Minnie’s entries. Max’s tapes are about his summer in the present, but also reveal how the intrusion of his mother’s new boyfriend has impacted his life.
My favorite parts were when Max and Minnie share their feelings with each other, and Minnie gives Max some ideas about how to deal with his mother’s boyfriend. He stands up for himself, expressing his feelings bravely and directly.
Minnie and Clara make life-altering decisions that sprang from Minnie’s ability to resurrect the secrets of the past and look at events in a new light.
An interesting story about friendship, secrets, and how communication can change lives. 5 stars.
May 22, 2017
The Comfort of Others is a beautiful book of friendship, forgiveness and hope. It is well written with a prose that engages the reader and enables the story to flow seamlessly throughout. The story is told in alternative chapters in the first person by Max and Minnie. I really liked the way that Max's chapters were in normal text and Minnie's, through her writing, in Italics; it distinguishes the old of writing things in a journal or diary, to the modern of Max speaking into his dictaphone. The old and new is a theme throughout the book; the selling of Rosemount grounds in the 1960's for social housing, the expectations of women and pregnancy in the 1960's to today, change in family dynamics. This theme is apparent in the relationship between Max and Minnie, she shows him the past through antiques in the house and he teaches her about the modern world.
Kay Langdale characterisation is discerning in her ability to write with such detail and feeling for both Max and Minnie. Each character is treated with empathy and understanding, in bringing their personal stories to life. Max and Minnie's interaction is heartwarming, they are able to bridge the generational gap and just see each other for who they are. One thing that I did note is that neither gave a name to the person that was causing the heartache: Max refers to his mum's boyfriend as 'he' throughout the book and it is not until the final chapter that he is given name. The same applies to Minnie who never gives a name to her baby, again just referred to as 'he'. This lack of personalisation is a coping mechanism, if a person doesn't have a name then do they really exist.
The Comfort of Other's deals with some very difficult issues; rape, teenage pregnancy, single parent families, and the blended family. All are treated with compassion and understanding in what are issues that cause contradictory view points. All arguments are dealt with fairly and I found the different outlooks really interesting and refreshing, so many books only portray one side of the story. For all the difficult issues this book is about how friendship can cross the the generational gap and that problems are better spoken about than bottled up.
I really enjoyed this novel and its honesty of feelings and human characterisation. The story line is subtle, insightful and beautifully narrated by Max and Minnie. This book is both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time , a charming read of the power of friendship.
Kay Langdale characterisation is discerning in her ability to write with such detail and feeling for both Max and Minnie. Each character is treated with empathy and understanding, in bringing their personal stories to life. Max and Minnie's interaction is heartwarming, they are able to bridge the generational gap and just see each other for who they are. One thing that I did note is that neither gave a name to the person that was causing the heartache: Max refers to his mum's boyfriend as 'he' throughout the book and it is not until the final chapter that he is given name. The same applies to Minnie who never gives a name to her baby, again just referred to as 'he'. This lack of personalisation is a coping mechanism, if a person doesn't have a name then do they really exist.
The Comfort of Other's deals with some very difficult issues; rape, teenage pregnancy, single parent families, and the blended family. All are treated with compassion and understanding in what are issues that cause contradictory view points. All arguments are dealt with fairly and I found the different outlooks really interesting and refreshing, so many books only portray one side of the story. For all the difficult issues this book is about how friendship can cross the the generational gap and that problems are better spoken about than bottled up.
I really enjoyed this novel and its honesty of feelings and human characterisation. The story line is subtle, insightful and beautifully narrated by Max and Minnie. This book is both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time , a charming read of the power of friendship.
November 4, 2023
Annoyed that I didn’t love this like other readers have??
Huuuuuge TW for rape and abortion.
Huuuuuge TW for rape and abortion.
June 28, 2016
Max is a sensitive eleven year who is very intuitive to the needs of others but it is his specific thoughtfulness to the needs of his single parent mother where the strength of his personality really shines through. Never knowing who his father is disadvantages Max but he seems to be able to cope with his fatherless state, that is, until his mother introduces a boyfriend into the mix and quite unintentionally, disturbs the equilibrium of Max’s methodical life.
Minnie is an elderly lady, who lives in the big old house on what remains of the original estate where Max and his mother now live. Locked in a bygone world Minnie starts to notice Max and gradually the two of them begin a tentative friendship. Told in alternate chapters, we get both Max and Minnie's story of their lives. Max uses a Dictaphone because he is not a confident speller and Minnie writes her journal using a beautiful fountain pen which once belonged to her father. Gradually, as the story of both their lives starts to emerge, the burgeoning relationship between Max and Minnie is quite beautiful to observe.
The power of friendship can never be overestimated and in The Comfort of Others, the author brings together two quite damaged people and with charm and sensitivity gives them the chance to tell their individual stories and somehow, together, they find common ground.
I really enjoyed this subtle and quietly confident novel which with delicate simplicity allows the story of two damaged people the chance to come to terms with both the past and the presen
Minnie is an elderly lady, who lives in the big old house on what remains of the original estate where Max and his mother now live. Locked in a bygone world Minnie starts to notice Max and gradually the two of them begin a tentative friendship. Told in alternate chapters, we get both Max and Minnie's story of their lives. Max uses a Dictaphone because he is not a confident speller and Minnie writes her journal using a beautiful fountain pen which once belonged to her father. Gradually, as the story of both their lives starts to emerge, the burgeoning relationship between Max and Minnie is quite beautiful to observe.
The power of friendship can never be overestimated and in The Comfort of Others, the author brings together two quite damaged people and with charm and sensitivity gives them the chance to tell their individual stories and somehow, together, they find common ground.
I really enjoyed this subtle and quietly confident novel which with delicate simplicity allows the story of two damaged people the chance to come to terms with both the past and the presen
September 29, 2020
Sublimely written book. Truly it was oftentimes like reading poetry.
“Her face had so much regret in it, it looked as if it was crayoned into her bones.”
And soooo many more that I wished I had it on kindle too as I highlighted so many parts.
And to think I may never have heard of this book had it not been in a pile at my garden centre and I liked the look of the cover and the blurb on the back.
Now I want to read everything Kay Langdale has ever written.
It perhaps should contain a trigger warning as it has some sensitive issues in it.
Beautiful book 📖💙
“Her face had so much regret in it, it looked as if it was crayoned into her bones.”
And soooo many more that I wished I had it on kindle too as I highlighted so many parts.
And to think I may never have heard of this book had it not been in a pile at my garden centre and I liked the look of the cover and the blurb on the back.
Now I want to read everything Kay Langdale has ever written.
It perhaps should contain a trigger warning as it has some sensitive issues in it.
Beautiful book 📖💙
April 8, 2021
I personally thought this book was a little bit bland. I read it really quickly since it is a very simple book about friendship and hardships. I did finish it but I didn't think it was worth recommending to anyone. However, I do believe that it's important for everyone to make up their own opinions and not discard a book just because of a review!
June 2, 2017
The Comfort of Others was a wonderful start to my #20BooksOfSummer challenge. There are two stories within the book. One strand is about Minnie and her sister Clara, two elderly sisters who live a large dilapidated house once surrounded by extensive grounds but now surrounded by a housing scheme. Young Max lives opposite them with his mum who has just begun a new relationship, changing their previously close relationship. The sisters have guarded a secret all their lives, a secret hidden within the estate. Throughout one summer, Max begins to record his feelings about the changes in his life on a dictaphone while Minnie writes a diary about what happened all those years ago.
I loved reading both parts of this book. The author has created characters I think you can't help but have empathy for. Max and his mum have been so close with their little routines and although I could understand that his mum was swept up in the excitement of her new relationship, I was exasperated that she didn't seem to be taking Max's feelings into account. Max was clearly a sensitive boy who didn't quite have the courage to make his voice heard. Recording his thoughts was his way of expressing himself.
My heart went out to Minnie. Her entire life had been shadowed by the guilt and shame she felt about an incident which took place when she was only 16. She was an intelligent and spirited girl at a time when that wasn't particularly valued, especially by her mother. Circumstances put her in a very difficult position and her strong willed mother made choices which made Minnie and her sister isolated really for the rest of their lives. She also has been unable to talk about what happened and writing in her diary helps her begin to express her feelings.
The unlikely friendship between young Max and elderly Minnie helped them both find the courage to finally face up to the difficult situations in their lives. They provide comfort and courage for each other in this heart-warming book which is not without its share of sorrow. The Comfort of Others is a compelling read which, although quite short, is full of warmth, compassion and hope.
I loved reading both parts of this book. The author has created characters I think you can't help but have empathy for. Max and his mum have been so close with their little routines and although I could understand that his mum was swept up in the excitement of her new relationship, I was exasperated that she didn't seem to be taking Max's feelings into account. Max was clearly a sensitive boy who didn't quite have the courage to make his voice heard. Recording his thoughts was his way of expressing himself.
My heart went out to Minnie. Her entire life had been shadowed by the guilt and shame she felt about an incident which took place when she was only 16. She was an intelligent and spirited girl at a time when that wasn't particularly valued, especially by her mother. Circumstances put her in a very difficult position and her strong willed mother made choices which made Minnie and her sister isolated really for the rest of their lives. She also has been unable to talk about what happened and writing in her diary helps her begin to express her feelings.
The unlikely friendship between young Max and elderly Minnie helped them both find the courage to finally face up to the difficult situations in their lives. They provide comfort and courage for each other in this heart-warming book which is not without its share of sorrow. The Comfort of Others is a compelling read which, although quite short, is full of warmth, compassion and hope.
May 23, 2017
The Comfort of Others is a novel about friendship, family and living with secrets that are too painful to reveal. I loved this novel for its gentleness, its honesty and for its poignancy. This is such a beautiful book. It is both heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time.
The novel is told from the viewpoints of two central characters. Max is an eleven-year-old boy who lives with his mother in a terraced house on a council estate. Opposite where he lives stands Rosemount House, where two elderly ladies live, Minnie and her sister, Clara. The house once stood alone in he middle of sprawling fields, but their father decided to sell the land and to build houses for the workers.
The story begins with Max. He wants to be an author, but because his writing skills aren't that great, he decides to use his mother's old Dictaphone to tell his story. The story he tells is of life with his mother and her new boyfriend. He feels unwanted, cast aside, and so his oral journal becomes his coping mechanism. It is this decision, that has a direct and positive impact upon Minnie. She watches the little boy from the comfort of her living room, she sees him speaking into his Dictaphone, and from doing so gets the idea that she too, could perhaps write a diary and tell the story of her own life. Although they have never met, just merely seen each other when sitting in their own homes across the wide road from each other, they begin to share a bond, a common understanding, and their two stories inevitably become one.
I found these characters hugely engaging. It was lovely to hear personal stories from both ends of the age spectrum. Max's voice was particularly strong and very much that of a young boy. The dialogue was clever and I believed what Max had to tell me. I felt for him, a little boy who simply wanted to be seen, heard and valued. For me though, it was Minnie who won my heart. Here is a woman who has lived a secret life, a life that cannot be seen on the lines of her face, or in her actions. It is through Max's strength in starting his own journal, that Minnie draws the strength to examine her own past. Minnie is the kind of woman I would dearly love to have a cup of tea and a slice of cake with, while putting the world to rights.
This really is such a beautiful story. It is seeped in sadness, a somewhat bittersweet story that had me sobbing in parts, but ultimately it is a story of strength and of dealing with the hardships of life. This is true for both characters, young and old. One particular scene concerning Minnie I found to be very upsetting, but it was pivotal to the plot, the novel centred on this moment in time, it made Minnie the woman she became.
I adored this novel. In a world were many books are fast paced, it was lovely to simply sit and read this book at its natural, gentle pace. The Comfort of Others, truly is a delightful and very special book.
The novel is told from the viewpoints of two central characters. Max is an eleven-year-old boy who lives with his mother in a terraced house on a council estate. Opposite where he lives stands Rosemount House, where two elderly ladies live, Minnie and her sister, Clara. The house once stood alone in he middle of sprawling fields, but their father decided to sell the land and to build houses for the workers.
The story begins with Max. He wants to be an author, but because his writing skills aren't that great, he decides to use his mother's old Dictaphone to tell his story. The story he tells is of life with his mother and her new boyfriend. He feels unwanted, cast aside, and so his oral journal becomes his coping mechanism. It is this decision, that has a direct and positive impact upon Minnie. She watches the little boy from the comfort of her living room, she sees him speaking into his Dictaphone, and from doing so gets the idea that she too, could perhaps write a diary and tell the story of her own life. Although they have never met, just merely seen each other when sitting in their own homes across the wide road from each other, they begin to share a bond, a common understanding, and their two stories inevitably become one.
I found these characters hugely engaging. It was lovely to hear personal stories from both ends of the age spectrum. Max's voice was particularly strong and very much that of a young boy. The dialogue was clever and I believed what Max had to tell me. I felt for him, a little boy who simply wanted to be seen, heard and valued. For me though, it was Minnie who won my heart. Here is a woman who has lived a secret life, a life that cannot be seen on the lines of her face, or in her actions. It is through Max's strength in starting his own journal, that Minnie draws the strength to examine her own past. Minnie is the kind of woman I would dearly love to have a cup of tea and a slice of cake with, while putting the world to rights.
This really is such a beautiful story. It is seeped in sadness, a somewhat bittersweet story that had me sobbing in parts, but ultimately it is a story of strength and of dealing with the hardships of life. This is true for both characters, young and old. One particular scene concerning Minnie I found to be very upsetting, but it was pivotal to the plot, the novel centred on this moment in time, it made Minnie the woman she became.
I adored this novel. In a world were many books are fast paced, it was lovely to simply sit and read this book at its natural, gentle pace. The Comfort of Others, truly is a delightful and very special book.
February 23, 2017
An unlikely friendship develops between Millie a 70 year old woman and Max an 11 year old boy one summer that helps each one to come to terms with events that have shaped their lives. Max is given a dictaphone for his birthday and starts to record everything that happens to him that summer. It coincides with his mother is asked out on a date bu the boiler man and from that point he becomes something of a fixture in Max's life and not one he is happy about. No longer the focus of his mothers' attention and having to put up with this new man in her life who is less than kind to him he finds solace in sharing his thoughts and feelings on his dictaphone and eventually the old lady across the street.
Millie lives in the house opposite on the same estate and when she was a young girl her family once owned all the land the estate is built on. Living with her sister Clara all she has is her memories and routines hardly ever venturing outside. Millie notices Max from her window recording his days events and she decides to do the same in a diary. The journey for her is both cathartic and painful and eventually when Max and Millie meet they share confidences which make them both stronger.
It is sometimes a difficult read in that it has incredibly sad and poignant events but a feel good factor in their friendship keeps the book moving along nicely. It was nice to see how the author managed to make a connection with the young and old to develop a friendship that developed into a strong bond between the two.
Not my usual read but it was well thought out and executed and although a bit sad it was nicely done if the ending was a bit flat. I would give this a 4 star rating for its' subject matter and managing to bridge the gap between generations so well.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
Millie lives in the house opposite on the same estate and when she was a young girl her family once owned all the land the estate is built on. Living with her sister Clara all she has is her memories and routines hardly ever venturing outside. Millie notices Max from her window recording his days events and she decides to do the same in a diary. The journey for her is both cathartic and painful and eventually when Max and Millie meet they share confidences which make them both stronger.
It is sometimes a difficult read in that it has incredibly sad and poignant events but a feel good factor in their friendship keeps the book moving along nicely. It was nice to see how the author managed to make a connection with the young and old to develop a friendship that developed into a strong bond between the two.
Not my usual read but it was well thought out and executed and although a bit sad it was nicely done if the ending was a bit flat. I would give this a 4 star rating for its' subject matter and managing to bridge the gap between generations so well.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.
September 12, 2020
4.5/5
A sweet relationship blooms during the summer, between an elderly lady who goes by the name of Hermione and a young boy called Max. We get to know these two and those around them through diary excerpts and dictaphone recordings, respectively.
The beginning was shocking and echoed child abuse- in two different ways in the two characters. I was appalled and heartbroken whilst I read this. So a definite disclaimer for this book is that there are some vivid descriptions of events that may cause distress to some people.
Max, a good little one and wise beyond his years yet still a child, is finding himself being edged out of his life as he knew it when it was just him and his mum. Then enters the Burly Boilerman who wreaks havoc in the life as Max knew it. There are aspects of neglect and maltreatment of the 12 year old, which was painful to read purely because no child should be treated that way.
Hermione, on the other hand, has lived a life of silence and agony alongside her older sister, Clara. Her diary excerpts detail and reveal what it is that caused them such horrible pain. She was a bubbly, cheerful child whose mother was not happy with just how energetic she was. The part of her was buried soon and she became the daughter her mum had always expected her to be.
The friendship that blooms between these two people is pure, sweet and unadulterated. It is something to cherish. Along the way you learn a lot from both these characters.
Happy Reading xx
A sweet relationship blooms during the summer, between an elderly lady who goes by the name of Hermione and a young boy called Max. We get to know these two and those around them through diary excerpts and dictaphone recordings, respectively.
The beginning was shocking and echoed child abuse- in two different ways in the two characters. I was appalled and heartbroken whilst I read this. So a definite disclaimer for this book is that there are some vivid descriptions of events that may cause distress to some people.
Max, a good little one and wise beyond his years yet still a child, is finding himself being edged out of his life as he knew it when it was just him and his mum. Then enters the Burly Boilerman who wreaks havoc in the life as Max knew it. There are aspects of neglect and maltreatment of the 12 year old, which was painful to read purely because no child should be treated that way.
Hermione, on the other hand, has lived a life of silence and agony alongside her older sister, Clara. Her diary excerpts detail and reveal what it is that caused them such horrible pain. She was a bubbly, cheerful child whose mother was not happy with just how energetic she was. The part of her was buried soon and she became the daughter her mum had always expected her to be.
The friendship that blooms between these two people is pure, sweet and unadulterated. It is something to cherish. Along the way you learn a lot from both these characters.
Happy Reading xx
September 20, 2017
‘… I will spend my working life being of comfort to others.’
Max and Minnie make an unusual pair, living across from each other their friendship begins with a tentative wave, they recognise in each other a need, a need to be heard and understood. They have both decided to keep a diary over the summer, with Max using a Dictaphone and Minnie turning to the more traditional pen and paper. By the end of the summer the pair are as thick as thieves and it’s a relationship that will warm your heart.
This is a story about the human need for others, about needing to be understood. Minnie has spent her entire life burdened with a secret that she couldn’t share with anyone, but through her diary and time spent with Max, she is able to let go and breathe for the first time in many, many years. I fell in love with both of them, but particularly Max. It’s always been just him and his mum, now she has a new boyfriend and he is struggling to see how he now fits into his mother’s life.
There were parts of this book that really made me chuckle! Max tells a very entertaining tale. I particularly enjoyed hearing about how he helps his mum with her beauty business, being a practise model. He has quite a wide knowledge of the beauty world! Minnie’s story was quite harrowing at times, my heart completely and utterly broke for her. And I did shed a tear.
This book is beautifully written, Kay Langdale has captured human emotion and her characters perfectly. Max and Minnie just leap from the page. Although this was an uncomfortable read at times, it was an enjoyable one. It’s full of hope, friendship and love, Max and Minnie will stay with me for a long time.
Max and Minnie make an unusual pair, living across from each other their friendship begins with a tentative wave, they recognise in each other a need, a need to be heard and understood. They have both decided to keep a diary over the summer, with Max using a Dictaphone and Minnie turning to the more traditional pen and paper. By the end of the summer the pair are as thick as thieves and it’s a relationship that will warm your heart.
This is a story about the human need for others, about needing to be understood. Minnie has spent her entire life burdened with a secret that she couldn’t share with anyone, but through her diary and time spent with Max, she is able to let go and breathe for the first time in many, many years. I fell in love with both of them, but particularly Max. It’s always been just him and his mum, now she has a new boyfriend and he is struggling to see how he now fits into his mother’s life.
There were parts of this book that really made me chuckle! Max tells a very entertaining tale. I particularly enjoyed hearing about how he helps his mum with her beauty business, being a practise model. He has quite a wide knowledge of the beauty world! Minnie’s story was quite harrowing at times, my heart completely and utterly broke for her. And I did shed a tear.
This book is beautifully written, Kay Langdale has captured human emotion and her characters perfectly. Max and Minnie just leap from the page. Although this was an uncomfortable read at times, it was an enjoyable one. It’s full of hope, friendship and love, Max and Minnie will stay with me for a long time.
June 10, 2024
The characterisation in this book demonstrates the authors ability in providing credible points of view as diverse as the characters of Max an Minnie. The reader has privileged insight not only to what happens / happened to these characters but how they are shaped, moulded and damaged by events and people in their lives.
Much of this story is about the getting of wisdom and sometimes Max seems the wisest of all.
But it is Minnie’s wisdom, experience and kindness that gives him voice.
The clever contrast of a crumbling age that had its rules and a more modern age struggling to find a new morality.
The author also explores the parent child relationship - all the harm that can be done - unwittingly sometimes , the difficulty in communicating our fears, desires, disappointments and confusion.
I was brought up with stories of happy endings and I do yearn for them even in the bleakest tale(which this was not) This story’s ending is not happy so much as hopeful that while we can’t change the past we can heal and make a better future with courage and openness.
Much of this story is about the getting of wisdom and sometimes Max seems the wisest of all.
But it is Minnie’s wisdom, experience and kindness that gives him voice.
The clever contrast of a crumbling age that had its rules and a more modern age struggling to find a new morality.
The author also explores the parent child relationship - all the harm that can be done - unwittingly sometimes , the difficulty in communicating our fears, desires, disappointments and confusion.
I was brought up with stories of happy endings and I do yearn for them even in the bleakest tale(which this was not) This story’s ending is not happy so much as hopeful that while we can’t change the past we can heal and make a better future with courage and openness.
January 16, 2022
I loved this so much. I didn’t know it was going to be sad most of the way through so that was a surprise. I enjoyed the writing and got heavily invested in the characters,which meant I felt like crying quite a few times! Max was a lovely intelligent boy and I loved him from the start,I hated his mums boyfriend and didn’t like his mum as much by the end either. Tony is really horrible to Max and I found those parts hard to read especially with all the news stories on step parents killing children lately.Tony made Max feel awful and doubted his whole happy life with his mum,I understand it was nice for them all to become a family but I would have preferred it if Tony was dumped at the end! Minnie’s story was also awful and sad and I was so happy she struck up a friendship with Max and they changed each other’s lives for the better.The alternate viewpoints and going back to Minnie’s past diary style was really good. I’m sad I’ve finished this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2017
This rich, moving novel is, simply put, the story of a friendship between an eleven-year-old boy and the elderly woman who lives across the street from him. Its power comes from the depth and strength of the author's writing and her ability to put herself vividly into the shoes of her two main characters, with their widely different viewpoints and backgrounds. Their friendship is believable and poignant. The characters and their stories have stayed with me, even as I read and was absorbed by another book.
SPOILERS:
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As I read the book I wondered how Langdale would end the story, which resonates with some painful episodes; how would she remain true to that and find some resolution? I think the story wraps up too neatly - the boy overcomes his differences with his mother's new boyfriend, who has been close to abusive; the woman comes to terms with a traumatic episode in her past and moves on (literally).
SPOILERS:
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As I read the book I wondered how Langdale would end the story, which resonates with some painful episodes; how would she remain true to that and find some resolution? I think the story wraps up too neatly - the boy overcomes his differences with his mother's new boyfriend, who has been close to abusive; the woman comes to terms with a traumatic episode in her past and moves on (literally).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2018
A beautiful, lovely book demonstrating the wonderful links between the very young and the old. Max pours his heart out into a dictaphone having been told by a visiting author that there is a writer in everyone " Mrs Winters didn't look convinced. She's been trying to get Johnny Parsons to write a full sentence for most of year 6". Minnie pours her heart and soul into a diary detailing an event when she was very young that had a profound effect on her. Ghastly and horrific it altered her whole life. The two become unlikely friends from across the street helping one another to overcome their troubles, traumas and worries. Beautifully written,Max is a gem, funny, wise with an old head on young shoulders. Minnie we feel for as to what might have been. This has everything, joy, laughter, sadness, highly recommended.
January 13, 2020
When you start reading this book you really don't know what you will get
The title and the beautiful book cover suggest that its going to be a cozy story about a young boy and an old woman, but half way through the book the pages turn dark
I dreaded every Minnie's chapter for its reality but i had to venture though it i had to read her story no matter how dark and sad it was
Picturing the things that she went through makes it even harder
I highly recommend this book
The author paints a clear picture of the character's struggle which makes you feel for them and root for their success and growth
Its a fast read but it is a happy ending for sure
The title and the beautiful book cover suggest that its going to be a cozy story about a young boy and an old woman, but half way through the book the pages turn dark
I dreaded every Minnie's chapter for its reality but i had to venture though it i had to read her story no matter how dark and sad it was
Picturing the things that she went through makes it even harder
I highly recommend this book
The author paints a clear picture of the character's struggle which makes you feel for them and root for their success and growth
Its a fast read but it is a happy ending for sure
October 25, 2023
This was a cover buy for me and I found it second hand as I do all my books.
Firstly this book was so wonderfully well written and I felt I knew each character individually and max was a wonderful boy who reminds me of my own son who has ADHD and leads a different life than “normal” kids his age. Max reminded me a lot of him with his lovely ways of looking at life and liking things just so in his home with his mum the way things always were.
Minnie was a fascinating character and I loved that she bounces back in the later parts of the book.
I would have loved to know more from Clara and her side of things maybe.
Ps. Sobbed at the last few chapters. Knew I would! What a fab story.
Firstly this book was so wonderfully well written and I felt I knew each character individually and max was a wonderful boy who reminds me of my own son who has ADHD and leads a different life than “normal” kids his age. Max reminded me a lot of him with his lovely ways of looking at life and liking things just so in his home with his mum the way things always were.
Minnie was a fascinating character and I loved that she bounces back in the later parts of the book.
I would have loved to know more from Clara and her side of things maybe.
Ps. Sobbed at the last few chapters. Knew I would! What a fab story.
December 16, 2025
In this story two people make notes on their lives. A young boy, Max, records the happenings of his summer on a dictaphone. He lives with his Mum, and his life is turned upside down when she gets a new boyfriend. The other is an old lady called Minnie who lives quietly in the big house with her sister. She starts to write about a defining moment in her life. It is absolutely heartbreaking and horrific, but you know that other people have found themselves in the same situation ,which makes it all the worse. The two meet up and help each other through their sorrows and they are both able to move on by the end of the book.
March 5, 2017
This is a great book. It's very touching and sad. It's the story of Max and Minnie, they live across a road from each other and sit at the window keeping their memoirs, max on a dictaphone and Minnie in a diary. Max's life has changed as his mum has a new boyfriend so he keeps a record of this and Minnie s diary records a traumatic event in her past. There is no plot so to speak in this book but it's wonderfully written, I enjoyed it immensely and max is very amusing. A must read.
August 21, 2017
Such a beautiful, sensitive story which pulled at my heart the whole way through.
It is so refined in its simplicity- a great story in the most old fashioned of ways.
Max & Minnie are a perfect pair with the years between them being an aid to their healing/progression.
This is a quiet little novel I shall be recommending to friends who seek a small pause for reflection in their own day to day life.
It is so refined in its simplicity- a great story in the most old fashioned of ways.
Max & Minnie are a perfect pair with the years between them being an aid to their healing/progression.
This is a quiet little novel I shall be recommending to friends who seek a small pause for reflection in their own day to day life.
September 5, 2019
What a beautifully written and heart wrenching, yet uplifting, story. A story about the effects of loss and the personal growth and self-realisation that can emerge from it, as well as the power of holding space for others. Regret, loyalty, forgiveness, acceptance, friendship...The Comfort of Others has the heart of a novel many times its size.
I shed many tears, not least because I recognise my own son in Max and my daughter in young Minnie. I can see myself revisiting this book many times.
I shed many tears, not least because I recognise my own son in Max and my daughter in young Minnie. I can see myself revisiting this book many times.
October 29, 2020
A very beautiful elegant and eloquent story. Just so ...... moving. Perhaps the boy is just a little too precocious, his insights and reading of his family situation being a little too cute for someone his age. And Winnie - getting her life back, at 70 something, after a life spent paying for something not her fault. A slim volume that took me a lot longer than I thought to read, but so enjoyable.
May 8, 2023
Absolutely beautifully heartbreaking. Oh my gosh my heart ached reading this. The writing is done so well, especially from Mikes side and it’s so incredibly convincing as an internal monologue of a child.
Minnie’s storyline is so gut wrenching and could be incredibly triggering for some women so I would advise reading into the TWs online before reading.
But I couldn’t recommend this enough, I devoured it in one sitting and it made me tear up on many occasions.
Minnie’s storyline is so gut wrenching and could be incredibly triggering for some women so I would advise reading into the TWs online before reading.
But I couldn’t recommend this enough, I devoured it in one sitting and it made me tear up on many occasions.
January 9, 2021
Wonderful novel. Full of heartache, friendship,acceptance, growing up and so much more. What started as a simple wave grew into a friendship between Max 12, and Minnie 70’s. A secret so dark for Minnie that it changed her whole life and Max who only had his mum to rely on, now finds a new man stepping in, and he has to learn how to still be part of his moms life.
October 22, 2024
Wow. What a great book. Absolutely harrowing in one one part (I got strange looks on the train because I couldn’t bear to read it but of course had to read it - I must have been gurning and squirming in my seat). The two central characters are so wonderfully voiced in this diary-type format - simple, true but just full of lines so good you want to shout them out to your partner.
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