Listening In: Stories

by Jenny Eclair

In this addictive short story collection, twenty-four very different women reach a pivotal moment in their lives.

A widow is liberated by a new job, but keeps it secret from her family. A date in suburbia has dramatic results. A seamstress takes revenge on an unsuspecting customer, while in France, a mother is promised 'fantastic news' - and lets her imagination run away with her.

With each story, Jenny Eclair introduces a fascinating new character. And behind each woman lies a gripping tale - of betrayal, of love, of hope and defiance.

Funny, heart-breaking, inspiring - and packed with wicked one liners - this wonderful collection shows Jenny Eclair's exceptional talent for observation at its very best.

Based on the BBC Radio 4 series Little Lifetimes.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

246 pages, Paperback

Published February 14, 2019

About the author

Jenny Eclair is an English comedian, author and actor. She has appeared on numerous tv shows, most notably Grumpy Old Women, and Loose Women, performed on stage and hosted her own radio shows. She continues to tour her one woman stand up shows throughout the UK and was the first female comic to win The Edinburgh Fringe Perrier Award, in 1995.
She has written three novels, as well as contributed to many comedic anthologies.

Reviews

[Indieflower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twenty four stories told in monologue form , funny, tragic, sad and poignant all with flashes of Jenny's trademark humour, I enjoyed this collection very much.

[G.L. Sheridan · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know what - comedians tend to write really good books. I've read a couple by Dawn French and several by Ben Elton and they were excellent - well-written and entertaining. This collection of short stories confirms my theory.
Jenny Eclair is a really good writer. These stories are all mini-monologues, some tragic, others funny, all told from a female point of view and with a twist at the end. Each one is a like little a slice of cake from someone's life, to be enjoyed down to the last crumb. There are twenty-odd stories in this collection and I read most of them one after the other, but they'd be far better enjoyed one at a time - one a day, perhaps.
I'm impressed by this lady's writing and didn't realise she's also written novels, but I will now be on the look-out for more of her books.

[Fern A · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of monologues of different women talking about their lives all with a slight twist at the end. Gently written but great captures of people, characters and everyday life. Really enjoyed this.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was quite amazed and a bit frightened when I looked back at my reading records and found that I read Jenny Eclair's first novel, Camberwell Beauty almost fifteen years ago. I remember it so well, I remember the sharp wit and the great plot, I remember reading it on a rainy afternoon in Corfu, sitting in a bar and just soaking up the story.

I've since read this author's other books and was really delighted to find that she had put together a selection of short stories. I was eager to read these and have not been disappointed. I enjoyed every single story, which for me is quite unusual in a short story collection, as I usually find that there's one or two that don't quite work. Not in Listening In. Each and every one is perfectly formed, expertly written and totally enjoyable.

Twenty four stories, with twenty four female lead characters. Very different characters, but recognisable, believable and so entertaining. Jenny Eclair has incredible insight and a sharp wit, her voice is strong within each story and the addition of line drawn illustrations by the author herself is a fabulous touch.

Bittersweet, modern and sharply observed this is a collection of stories that will delight and resonate with most women .... and with some men! There's a dark anger running through these tales that sits excellently with the touching, funny and flawless writing.

Really enjoyable and highly recommended from me.
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[Jo Ring · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a collection of stories about women but unfortunately, they are not nice women. Each one is bitchier than the last and has nothing good to say about anyone. It may as well be the same character in each story as they are exactly the same type of woman every time. Nasty comments which in isolation would be funny, but when it’s a continuous run of bitchery it soon becomes really tedious and makes the characters so unlikeable. Really it shows a side to women that is very unpleasant.

Not for me, but others may find it amusing.

[Pixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a short story collection of 'moments' in 20 women's lives that typify Eclair's clever and witty observation of human nature in female form. Although I enjoyed reading these short stories and they were definitely entertaining, and often with a curious twist at the end of each account, I did sense a level of cynicism on the author's part, maybe because the stories, as they unfolded, did not ultimately demonstrate any human virtues.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved each and every one of these beautiful stories. Perfect gems.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of short stories which started well but seemed all too familiar by the end

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not a great one for short stories, feeling that there’s usually a great novel in them waiting to come out, but I loved these.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

All these very short stories seemed rather sad and bitter to me. All were about middle aged or older women reflecting on their disappointments or resentments. They were easy to read and contained some perceptive and witty one liners but basically I didn’t really enjoy any of the stories and found them unmemorable. Disappointing overall.

[Sareen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why is it that reading short stories is so particularly relaxing? Perhaps it is the sense of achievement and the knowledge that you have completed something, while appreciating the enjoyment of sitting down for five minutes?

Jenny Eclair’s short stories are clever, insightful and so sharply observed they will most likely feel familiar to you. They make for compulsive reading.

Her stories serve to remind us there is more to the everyday woman, wife, mother, grandmother, middle- aged, old- aged woman we see passing us in the street than meets the eye. We are privy to their inner-most thoughts, wishes and emotions. Sometimes appearing as revenge, love, exasperation, tales of the everyday appear alongside those of the opera singer and the actress.

Jenny Eclair writes with empathy and humour, we delve into the lives of these women for a snapshot. Sometimes it comes at a moment of realization, as in ‘Hannah’s Gone’. Hannah’s mother comes to understand at last that her daughter is spoilt and ungrateful.

Relationships between husband and wives sit alongside those of women with each other. It is to be hoped that ‘Valerie Lashes Out’ reminds us all to treat each other kindly!

A thoroughly enjoyable book, the stories stand up to reading a couple of times over. I would definitely recommend it.

[Donald · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Jenny Eclair, I love that she's on my telly almost every ad break uttering the words, "vaginal dryness" but I found these short stories rather samey. Perhaps as the short radio monologues they started out as, maybe not caught every day, with a new voice, they worked better. They are well written, and thought out, but ultimately all rather tragic. Depressed, unfulfilled, bitter old women, spinsters, widows, or cheated upon wives, with bastard husbands or brattish kids, the only really happy story I think was the granny life model, and she had only got there after her racist son had moved away and her disappointing husband was dead...

[Carol Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the beginning it was hilarious! I was literally laughing out loud. By the end I was getting a little bored. There were too many with the same theme and the humour had gone. It all became a bit sad. Overall though I enjoyed it.

[Suzie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank God I’ve finished that load of rubbish.

[Mary Collin · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love Jenny Eclair. Great stories. Easy read

I love her skill with words. She is so brilliantly observant and writes about real emotions.

As a woman of a certain age I loved it.

So I’d recommend it to others.

And to anyone who wants to know more about what we really think at times.

Superb.

Hannah’s gone was a particular favourite amongst many.

Off to read more now and wondering if she narrates the audiobook 🤔

Bloody great!!

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this book were food it would not be a nutritional bowl of soup that fortifies and sustains you. It would be a share-size bag of Maltesers that you leave in the fridge and dip into every so often for a lightweight, sweet and tasty treat.

Very satisfying, not overly filling ..... just nice and tasty.

[Vanessa-Ann Dowsett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am sorry, but I shall have to go against the grain. I really didn't enjoy this at all. I found it disjointed and was not as advertised, funny. This obviously is purely my opinion and I guess part of the problem was that it is a series of short stories, which I hadn't realised. Sorry Jenny, not one for me

[Jemima · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, but definitely not addictive like the blurb says; I've been gradually reading this for at least a year. The stories are good, but very repetitive by the end. Lots of cheating/demeaning husbands, useless children, and liberating secrets that would shock the family. I kept wishing that the next one would be just a liiiittle but different. Also, very British.

[Elaine Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant set of short stories only a few pages long each. All of them written really well. Some are quite moving, some have a twist and others just make you think. I've only read one other Jenny Eclair book but will definitely be looking to read the rest.

[Eve Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!

Really easy to pick up and read before bed. Loved the colloquial expressions- all the characters were relatable to people i actually know, they are so lifelike. Upset I’ve finished it ... more please... -and soon!!

[Lara A · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's easy to dismiss celebrity authors. But very few can write about "ordinary women" as Jenny Eclair can. These are short stories. Some are better realised than others, but several are very memorable and you may find yourself thinking about them long after the book has finished.

[Jane Riordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of clever and amusing short stories, told in the first person, all with a little twist at the end which, sometimes I guessed in advance and others where it took me by surprise.

A fine observation of the human persona and relationships.

[Margaret Gregg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love a Jenny Eclair book! This book was brilliant and just suited the gap between longer books when I was travelling. The stories within the book all explore different life experiences and how they are resolved. Thought-provoking.

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of 24 short stories. I binged them like a Netflix box set. Some laugh out loud funny, others poignant and heart-wrenching. Brilliant :)

[Alanboston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

Wish there was more short stories.
Can't book any of her books down once I start to read.
Truly entertaining. Got life to a t

[Birgitt Krumboeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

As all of her books, this one is a gem!!!!

[Karen Keane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little book consisting of short stories mainly about middle aged and elderly women. Some of the stories were quite sad, some entertaining but all of them were very well written.

[Jayne Woodbridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny as always.......can’t wait for the next great book from Jenny Eclair

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing, entertaining, and so very British. I love Jenny Éclair and her amazing style of writing. A light but enjoyable read.