The Waiting Game

by Bernice Rubens, Anna Bentinck (Reading)

At "The Hollyhocks" old people's home, the inhabitants are "waiting for the scythe." But while they are waiting...Lady Celia is running a blackmailing business, Mr Cross keeps a tally of fellow residents' deaths on the back of his wardrobe, and then there is the rabid old Scots nationalist, and Mrs Green, a woman with a mysterious past. Hardly surprising in this environment that Mrs Bellamy decides she can't take any more and slits her throat. When Matron hushes it up, Lady Celia sees an opportunity to expand her blackmailing operation. Meanwhile two new incomers disturb the life of the home further; Mrs Feinberg, a sprightly Jewish woman of whom the other residents are immediately suspicious, and the elegant Mr Rufus.

Genres: Fiction, British Literature, Literary Fiction, Literature

Audio CD

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Bernice Rubens was born in Cardiff, Wales in July 1928. She began writing at the age of 35, when her children started nursery school. Her second novel, Madame Sousatzka (1962), was filmed by John Schlesinger filmed with Shirley MacLaine in the leading role in 1988. Her fourth novel, The Elected Member, won the 1970 Booker prize. She was shortlisted for the same prize again in 1978 for A Five Year Sentence. Her last novel, The Sergeants’ Tale, was published in 2003. She was an honorary vice-president of International PEN and served as a Booker judge in 1986. Bernice Rubens died in 2004 aged 76.

Reviews

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just so deliciously waspish. Like Muriel Spark, but on a whole new level.

Hollyhocks is an old peoples home run by the avaricious, snobbish and greedy Matron and filled with residents who are now waiting for death. The characters are mostly pretty nasty in this one, they are a malicious and bitter bunch, with some dark secrets.

For Jeremy Cross longevity of life is a competition, and he is very competitive; he has a list of the people he has so far survived and his main pleasure comes from adding to that list. Lady Celia is up to no good and thoroughly enjoying it, and Mrs Treymane is embittered and deeply ashamed of her husband and very much wishes he had died in the early stages of her marriage, and Mrs Green has a secret. There are plenty of other characters as there is a high turnover in Hollyhocks.

I did find it very funny, but don't be fooled by that pastel cover, the humour is pretty dark and it did get rather more serious towards the end.

[Allie Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death comes to us all, so they say. At the Hollyhocks residential home they are acutely aware of this owing to their ages. They are, in fact, in the business of the waiting game. But you might as well have fun whilst you wait, right? And, of course, you can leave your past behind and be someone else entirely, can't you? Blackmail, sex and intrigue abound in this brilliantly sharp tragicomedy which I absolutely loved. Mrs Green's secret may have become obvious about 2/3 of the way through, but that didn't stop me enjoying the final revelation or, indeed, the comeuppance she so richly deserved. Wonderful stuff. Highly recommended.

[Story · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars of amusingly dark humour from an author who reminded me of Muriel Spark and Alice Thomas Ellis.

[Lucynell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 52


The Waiting Game
Bernice Rubens
1997

5/5


This is my second Bernice Rubens book. Took me a month to finish both books, a total of 450 pages, because I didn't want it to end and because almost every single page was so satisfying, so fun. Bernice Rubens does dark humour, almost macabre, completely non-pc. It's because that's how ridiculous the human condition is, or can be. She herself said this, more or less. Still, it's not for the sake of making you gasp. It's because she's curious about the myriad ways we communicate with each other and with ourselves. She cares, she has a big heart, she wants to know, and she's not afraid. At all. She's the best of Anne Tyler and Fay Weldon, elegant, precise, sharp. Bernice Rubens is literature's greatest witch.

[Iva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rubens gives us a sort of Wodehouse wit but with Barbara Pym's close observation. The theme of older people living out their life in a retirement home brings Muriel Spark's Memento Mori to mind. But it is that Rubens characters behave so awfully--every one of them--that keep the pages turning. I don't know why this Booker prize winning author isn't more well known in the U. S. She is simply an engaging writer.

[trishtrash · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favourite of Rubens' novels; it's witty, sly and seems a little slow to get moving (while things are actually happening just under the surface) - like the best residential home residents! The characters are, for the most part, quite horrible when taken at face value - but Rubens excels in finding the redeemable and ever likeable in each of her characters... and if we don't like them, we can often at least sympathise with them.

What struck me as most unusual about this book is how rare it is to see our elderly stripped of romantic notions in literature... their pettiness, secrecy and occasional nobility are a startling facet of the story, even before the seemingly trivial string of events start to coalesce into an observable plot.

[Nancy Gilreath · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 - quirky, fun read about the goings-on in the seemingly dull, respectable Hollyhocks home for the aged. A good reminder that residents of such places bring with them all of their baggage, including all of their proclivities. Their personalities aren’t lost in the move. As the characters battle loneliness and face the inevitable waiting game, love, crimes and their pasts rule the day. Rubens won the Booker Prize for another book, and I look forward to reading it.

[Margovanderaalstadriaansens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yup, loved it.

[Alan Draycott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black comedy is something that I want to enjoy, think I do enjoy, but then when I'm reading it actually don't very often. Reading this on a cruise ship , a very big version of the residential home for the genteel in which this book is set, it was easy to play the same waiting game. So we were introduced to the various residents who all have a little bit more history than it first seems. The book washes along telling their tales with a decent dose of humour and interest, though the Ealing comedy feel is a couple of times brutally changed unnecessarily before a quite frankly wholly unnecessary finale that sits in the book like a vegetarian in a butchers. Perhaps that was the point but it was a point very badly made.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The blurb said this was a combination of an Ealing comedy and grand guignol, so how could I resist? A good description, as it turns out.

This is a dark comedy that gets darker and turns serious, but it's all done with a light touch that's masterful. No wonder Rubens won the Booker (for another book).

The characters are mostly residents of a home for seniors, and the Waiting Game is what they're playing. They are mostly lively and interesting characters that have long and complicated histories that intersect in some surprising ways. They form alliances, they fall out, they fall in love. It's charming and real, and highly recommended.

Why isn't Rubens known here??

[thebookchap · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilariously violent tale set in an old people's home. Great place to start reading Bernice Rubens

[Alisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jock MacPherson rose from his seat and walked over to where Mrs. Green was sitting. He looked as though he might strike her. Mr. Rufus half rose in case a defense of some kind was called for and Mrs. Thackeray watched the proceedings with an excited anticipation that Mrs. Green would finally get her comeuppance. She moved her chair slightly so that she could get a better view.

Another darkly humorous gem from Bernice Rubens. The Waiting Game follows the daily lives and dramas of a group of elderly people in a retirement home. Rubens' characters are, as always, full of life and humorously over-the-top, from Mr. Cross, who keeps a list of deaths and vows to outlive everyone, to the greedy Matron, who hates her elderly charges but expects a place in their wills. There are several "waiting games" in the book (the macabre wait for the Grim Reaper being one of them), which makes the story even more entertaining and multi-layered.

Highly recommended read!

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read, and really enjoyed, a number of other books by Rubens, but confess to being somewhat disappointed with this one as I didn't think it was of the same standard. Not that it was bad, the plot line of suicide, blackmail, and intrigue keep me reading and engaged. The setting in a retirement home was an avenue for dark humour and social commentary, some of which just felt a bit flat and lacking inspiration. I liked the book but expected so much more from the author and the premise of the story. Perhaps my expectations were too high.

[Netta · Rating 2 out of 5]

כיאה לשמו, הספר מתנהל בעצלתיים. התנמנמתי בהמתנה שמשהו בעלילה יתפוס אותי, ובאיזשהוא שלב הנחתי את הספר בצד, במחשבה שמתישהו אחזור אליו. מאז חלפה חצי שנה ועשרות ספרים אחרים, מעניינים יותר, כך שנראה שמיציתי.

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant and scathing. Rubens leaves no prisoners behind. Her wit is beyond a razor's edge. Memorable characters throughout.

[Ido Hadanny · Rating 3 out of 5]

קניתי ליעל של מורבו - בתקווה שיחזור אלי מהר, וכך היה.
נחמד ולא יותר. יש קטעים מצחיקים, אבל ההרגשה הכללית היא של מחזה, כזה שמשווק כ'אנסמבל נפלא של דמויות'. הרגיש לי קריקטורי קצת, וגם הסוף המזכך היה לי קצת מודבק.
שורה יפה שהתחברתי אליה:

השיחה עברה לטיול שאם-הבית הבטיחה להם, פיקניק על נהר התמזה. תחילה היא הציעה את מצודת לונדון, או סיור בהמפטון, אבל אלה נפסלו בהצבעה בשל היותם מעייפים מדי. פיקניק הוא הנאה שבישיבה, ודורש פחות אנרגיה.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Waiting Game is an entertaining book about a community of senior citizens--and the "waiting game" is what they do while they wait for death. It is a light story, and even witty at times, with personalities and conflicts abounding as you might expect in a small community. However, the author introduces rather silly plot twists along the way, and the ending is simply ridiculous, so overall the book is a 3-star.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the audio version in the car....always entertaining to hear the talented narrators.
An easy to listen to, slightly amusing, dark humoured account of the ‘waiting game’ played by residents of an aged care facility in Kent, U.K.
Although, I doubt there’d be another home with quite this assortment of people with squalid secrets..... but if I live long enough, I may just find out.

[Sharron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think all elderly people are nice? Read this and you will quickly rethink matters. The unlikeable crew playing the waiting game in this nursing home will persuade any sane reader that aging in their own home is the answer. That said, the writing here is good and the cast of characters is well developed.

[John Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know anything about this little treasure before reading it. What a surprise this was! Darkly humorous and delightfully twisted. I found it engaging and so enjoyable that I read it over a weekend and was a bit sad when it finished, as I could have spent another 250 pages in this world of comedic mayhem.

[Zen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Waiting Game is an unusual but overall enjoyable read. Kudos to Ms Rubens for setting a novel in a home for the aged. The Hollyhocks considers itself to be "posh," The Matron (we never learn her name) has specific entrance criteria, but things don't always turn out the way she expects.

Each of the residents (or each "Hollyhock" as they are known), has a unique personality and worldview. Rubens does a great job describing the day to day of life in the home, the gossip, the feuds and the secrets. Some of the secrets of the residents are a little unsavoury, but that just serves to remind the reader that not all elderly people are benign and sweet. Rubens shows a very dark almost macabre, sense of humour, so be prepared.

[Merrilie Rowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love Bernice Rubens' books. Her sense of humour is devilish and always with a sting in its tail. I just loved this story, all those old people biding their time but still with hopes and dreams and some very disturbing back stories ! Excellent read

[Tracee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know the book was written in the 90s and I know it’s meant to be dark humour but definitely lost a * for the blatant racism toward Jewish people and the vulgar use of the N word. Pretty hard to take in this day & age.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comic, enjoyable and full of fun just like the cover says an Ealing-type caper.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful!

[Mareaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, witty, some what thought provoking.

[Winny Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its good fun dark comedy. I love the idea of all those old people just waiting to go but it didn't quite hit the spot for me . I'm not quite sure why I just didn't love it.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

ספר מקסים ומצחיק שהתיישן בצורה נהדרת. טוויסט שלא ראיתי מראש, הופתעתי ממש.
לקרוא את הספר הזה היה כמו גוסיפ גירל מהדורת גיל הזהב.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark humour about a pricey British retirement home. Lots of good characters brought together to await their deaths.

[Hallel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it very entertaining how insane and random the characters were, but I was left quite disappointed. I expected more nuance to the story, something that wasn't there.