Green Grass

by Raffaella Barker

Raffaella Barker's captivating novel about love, the countryside, and an invisible woman starting to catch sight of herself again. Laura Sale is becoming increasingly frustrated by the relentless demands of her life as partner of a famous conceptual artist and mother to teenage twins. As Inigo grows ever more successful in London, Laura longs for the rural Norfolk of her childhood, and a chance meeting with her first love is the catalyst she needs. Staying in the cottage she remembers from long-ago holidays, Laura confronts old ghosts, ferrets, a goat and a collapsing relationship as she begins a new stage of her life - one lit with possibilities.

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Raffaella Barker was born in London in 1964 and moved to Norfolk when she was three. Her father, the poet George Barker, had 15 children; she is the oldest of those by the novelist Elspeth Barker.

She spent her childhood in Norfolk sulking and refusing to get dressed, going everywhere in her nightie. She recalls worrying about how to respond at school when asked how many brothers and sisters she had. She did not know the answer.

After Norwich High School, Raffaella Barker moved to London and did life modelling and film-editing. She landed a job on Harpers & Queen magazine and later freelanced as its motoring columnist. For 10 years she wrote a column for Country Life about her week.

Her debut novel Come and Tell Me Some Lies was published in 1994, followed by The Hook, Hens Dancing, Summertime, Green Grass, the children's book Phosphorescence and A Perfect Life.

Divorced, she lives in Norfolk with her three children aged 17, 15 and eight.

Reviews

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this years ago but needed something lighthearted as an antidote to the oh so depressing The Good People. I’m not sure I can go back to The Good People. Anyway Laura and Inigo, the conceptual artist, are a couple with 13 year old twins, Fred and Dolly. Their life revolves around Inigo’s successful art practice. However Laura isn’t happy with that life and so spends weekends at the gatehouse of Crumbly, an estate/farm where her brother Hedley lives and where Laura spent her summers. The author describes daily mundane family life, self centred teenage life and the often banal practices of conceptual artists with wit. Not cerebral but entertaining.

[Lois · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertainingly terrible. Wafty melodramatic middle class people without much character to speak of doing wafty melodramatic middle class things in the countryside, with the bonus of 40 year olds acting like teenagers, teenagers acting like they've been written in a bad sitcom, and the affair equivalent of paint drying.

[Sue Corbett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and clever. So real!

[Dora Okeyo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did get this book- and I am glad at least I did so in an hour's time.
Story: Laura's been together with Inigo an artist who is fascinated by the Mobius strip since all his pieces are based on it- he's an adult toddler-she is tired of always fitting around his schedule, doing what he loves, and they have kids- twins- Fred and Dolly, the boy is like Laura, the girl is as temperamental as the Dad-and funny thing is they've never been married.
I liked: Laura's brother, Hedley-at least he was the only character that seemed human enough to actually know that he wanted something in his life but it was taking too long to get it-and that was a good relationship with his step-daughter, Tamsin. And he works so hard on it that when things finally get better, I felt happy for him.
Award: 3 stars
Reason: Effort, there's a story somewhere-but in a way some characters took up space and words when they never needed to- the pugs, goat, Guy, the guests at the party- all seemed to dull the story.

[Zara · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading the first few chapters of this book I thought that I would not enjoy it very much; but it grew on me. If I could give half a star I would have rated this book at 2.5 stars. However as I cannot, I have rated it as 2 stars based on the fact that it is nowhere near as good as the books I have previously rated with 3 stars. Rather than a real plot, this story felt more like of a stream of consciousness, and the punctuation (or rather lack of it) throughout the book is appalling. Despite this I warmed to the lead character Laura, laughed out loud more than once and enjoyed the lovely descriptions of the countryside and countryside living.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of this author. Her stories are not big on plot but I enjoy the eccentric characters and the English countryside. Laura is in her 40's and has been mother and caregiver to her twin children and her artist partner. When her brother tells her about a run down cottage for lease in the countryside, she decides to make some changes in her life. Meanwhile, it takes time for her "family" to adjust.

[Redfox5 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book detailing the breakdown of a relationship. Laura feels her life is insignificant compaired to her partners. She starts to change things which allows cracks to form. Their child, Fred is quiet charming but seemed much younger than the age he is supposed to be. There is nothing that really stands out for me in this book. It's not bad but it's pretty average.

[Lisa Faye · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book should be made into a Lifetime movie of the week. That is not meant as a compliment. If I said much more it might spoil it for others, but suffice to say that gender norms are NOT challenged in any way in this book.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had trouble getting into this book, in fact, haven't finished it. Maybe I'll try again...

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Naomi Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barker managed to crate both endearing and aggravating characters. There were poignant sections but the ending sucked, mangeing to ruin the experience.

[Mew · Rating 1 out of 5]

pointless and timewasting... plot-less...