Thursday Nights at the Bluebell Inn

by Kit Fielding

Six women, one aim and the stories they never told.

Each week, six women of different ages and from varying backgrounds come together at The Bluebell Inn. They form an unlikely and occasionally triumphant, ladies darts team, but it is there hidden stories of love and loss that in the end binds them.

There is the Irish widow with a heartbreaking secret; the young daughter of a gypsy family experiencing love for the first time; a cat woman alone with her memories who must return to the place of her birth before it's all too late. Their unspoken stories are ones of heartache, dull marriages, abusive relationships, lost loves and secret hopes.

These displaced women know little of each other's lives, but their weekly meetings at their local pub weave a delicate and sustaining connection between them all, a constant that maybe they can rely on as the crossroads in their individual lives threaten to overwhelm.

Raw, funny and devastating, all of life can be found at the Bluebell.

Genres: Fiction

352 pages, Hardcover

Published August 8, 2019

Reviews

[vivya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant book. Written beautifully, heavy and with such rawness. It was very specific and unique and strange. ❤️‍🩹

[Fay Flude]

This book grew on me. It is gritty, down to earth and rather raw in its telling of the lives of 6 women. They all belong to a pub darts team, Six of the Best. The novel tells each woman's story by way of the darts season and the matches they play at the Bluebell Inn. There is Katy, unhappy in her marriage with a daughter who becomes very unhappy about Katy's choices. There is Maggie, looking after her husband Ken who has Alzheimer's. There is Irish who has lost a child and is married to a terrorist. Scottie Dog originates from Scotland and had a very tough childhood. Lena is living with her Mum's boyfriend and Pegs is a Traveller, trying to recover from a recent attack. Their lives are full of pain and tough decisions, traumatic events and difficult endings. Yet in amongst it there is hope and the chance of new beginnings. The language is stark and coarse, which I didn't always like but it is in keeping with the story and themes of this novel.
There's a lot of buying of drinks which gets a bit tedious but then the story is set in a pub! There's some detail about darts and the scores too which is also a tad boring to read but again is part of the location and sets scenes for us to discover yet another chapter in the women's lives, amounting to some very sordid tales.
Overall there is a pervading sense of the unfairness of poverty, lack of education, infidelity and teenage pregnancy. Add to that list prostitution, incest and rape and you get the gist that this is not a carefree summer read! It made me sad, and it made me think about class divisions. It also made me think about how some people live from day to day and what chances they have or don't have. And there is a lesson in there about love and the very different forms it takes.
Worth looking at if you fancy some gritty realism dressed up in a darts match.

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a light fluffy read, this is about 6 women full of tales and tragic pasts, it was interesting and flowed well, but I felt the characters didn’t gel well at all and it felt like passing ships in the nice, the connectivity I would expect wasn’t there, the female bonding was lacking which I’d usually expect. Nice read, but lacked true warmth

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

[Angie (mushmysteriesandmore) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thursday nights have never been so entertaining.

Six completely different women with completely different backgrounds and stories yet one common interest - darts.

Even if you know nothing about darts, like me, this doesn’t matter; it’s the women who make the story and capture your interest.

Irish Mary, Katy, Lena, Pegs, Maggie and Marie, aka Scottie Dog all have their own upsets and tragic secrets which will all come out throughout the book as to what motivates and moves these women’s lives and how they deal with it, the darts being their only escape.

Although there were so many different tales, both in the present and flashbacks, it was never difficult to keep track of the story or who was who, the author wove each story separate yet kept bringing us all back together at the darts matches.

The chapters were only short but always kept you coming back for more.

Very easy to read but very hard to put down

[Justkeepreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thursday nights at the bluebell inn. A feel good, book full of friendship, family, love, secrets, solidarity, amazing characters, a fantastic storyline and the chance to loose yourself for hours in the pages of a great book.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to this on audio and thoroughly enjoyed it. Brilliant characters, witty dialogue and good plot lines

[Tehmeena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heavy content, read with care

[Stacey Mckeogh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit dubious a story about 6 women written by a man but Kit Fielding did a good job of creating these strong, vulnerable, tough women and their lives, relationships and flaws.
This isn’t a light read (mentions of sexual violence, incest, infanticide and murder) but it somehow manages to retain its humour and is easy to get through.

[Bri C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not such a light and fluffy read. These women come from murky and tragic pasts to an old worn out pub full of smoking, drinking and swearing to play darts. We learn all of their stories and while the darts season continues, some of the stories play out well, and some of them don't.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. I laughed,I cried, run the gauntlet of emotions. Read this on recommendation from online book group & wasn't disappointed.

[Alice Iveson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book great twists and did leave me with my jaw wide open for half of it! Definitely recommend.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book it was sad, distressing, funny and bittersweet throughout.
Each characters had a back story which was at times shocking and unexpected …a great read.

[Angela Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rollercoaster of a story with its emotional ups and downs. The book focuses on the lives of six women, all members of an all women's darts team. Even if you're not into darts the stories are fascinating enough to keep reading.

I found the book very easy to get into and didn't realise at first that it was written by a Male writer, not that that would have made a difference because I like good writing regardless of gender. I believe that the book is the writer's debut novel and it's a strong start.

Kate, Mags, Irish, Scottie Dog, Maggie and Lena are all memorable characters with their sometimes shocking and complicated stories.

[Whusky Words]

Hmmm, this is a difficult one for me to rate. I didn't finish this book, and usually I give DNF's an automatic 1 star, but with this one it's a case of me being the problem, not the book.

I loved the writing style, and from what I read, it seems like a character-driven book; something I love. Kit Fielding's writing gives off the impression that he is someone that loves figuring out how people tick, and it came across in his writing. The character's actually felt REAL.

The issue is I don't like pubs or darts! It was a straight-up turn off for me, so this story was wasted on me. I have a copy of The Undead Gypsy which I will be reading shortly.

[Abi · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an easy read, despite the character’s wildly dramatic histories. The book basically switches between members of a women’s darts team recounting their past and present traumas. Not much joy in it tbh, they barely like each other and none of them even seem like nice people. The sad bits didn’t hit that hard either.

[Hannah Simmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It stirred lots of emotions and it was well written. I would definitely recommend it.

[Joyce Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's lucky the Bluebell ladies are winning at darts, because they are losing at life.

[Amanda Barradale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a light read. This book grew on me but it seemed clear to me that this was women's stories written by a man.

[bella · Rating 3 out of 5]

loved the book and premise but devastating blow after devastating blow

[Old Soul Reader87 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely reminds me of my local pub . Hilarious in parts sad in others. Enjoyed it a lot more than i thought i would

[Lesley Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please read this book!!! It’s brilliant, fantastic characters

[Maggie Yang · Rating 4 out of 5]

crazy good book with shocking plot twists. I’m happy everyone found what they were looking for at the end. Oh how I wish for a book with just Pegs she was wonderful my comfort character by a mile

[Celia Latty-steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic, hard, sad and lovely. Also I didn’t understand half of what the women were saying 🤣

[Vicky Dickenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a grower. I really enjoyed it but expected more of a connection with the friendships.
Lovely read.

[Stacey Emery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the flawed, colourful characters and grimy setting

[Fiona Daintith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book. Don’t let the strange title put you off!