Dog Days

by Mavis Cheek

Newly divorced after 11 years of marriage, Pat feels attracted to Roland, a married man, especially after he gets her out of a tricky situation involving her dog Brian and a rabbit named Bulstrode. (Nancy Pearl)

After eleven years of marriage to an egocentric opera singer, Pat Murray packs up her daughter and leaves, regaining control of her life and approaching single parenthood bravely until she meets Roland and his pregnant wife.

Genres: Fiction, British Literature

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Born in Wimbledon, now part of London, Mavis left school at 16 to do office work with Editions Alecto, a Kensington publishing company. She later moved to the firm's gallery in Albemarle Street, where she met artists such as David Hockney, Allen Jones, Patrick Caulfield and Gillian Ayres. In 1969 she married a "childhood sweetheart", Chris Cheek, a physicist, whom she had met at a meeting of the Young Communist League in New Malden, but they separated three years later. Later she lived for eleven years with the artist Basil Beattie. She returned to education in 1976, doing a two-year arts course at Hillcroft College, a further education college for women.

Although Cheek had planned to take a degree course, she turned instead to fiction writing while her daughter, Bella Beattie, was a child. She moved from London to Aldbourne in the Wiltshire countryside in 2003, but as she explained to a newspaper, "Life in the city was a comparative breeze. Life in the country is tough, a little bit dangerous and not for wimps."

Cheek has been involved with the Marlborough LitFest, and also teaches creative writing. This has included voluntary work at Holloway and Erlstoke prisons. As she described in an article: "What I see [at Erlstoke] is reflected in my own experience. Bright, overlooked, unconfident men who are suddenly given the opportunity to learn grow wings, and dare to fail. It helps to be able to tell them that I, too, was once designated thick by a very silly [education] system. My prisoners have written some brilliant stuff, and perhaps it gives them back some self-esteem."

Reviews

[Justine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read most of Mavis Cheek's novels - this one was disappointing.The main character is completely unlikeable, and there were no laugh out loud moments as there usually are with her books.

[Elspeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable and fairly realistic, certainly made me smile a few times though not burst out laughing. Quick and straightforward.

[Alan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bleh

[Katie Jackman · Rating 4 out of 5]

More enjoyable than I thought, having gone into it thinking it would be a bit of a daily mail read. Far from it, was wickedly funny.

[Jean St.Amand · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think this was supposed to be funny. Nope, didn't like this at all. Patricia was a horrible, extremely unlikable character.

[Rosi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another of Mavis Cheek's farces, which she does very well, although this one is probably the most predictable of them. This book also deals with the subject of divorce, but Patsy Murray's decision to dump her pain-in-the-neck husband, Gordon, leads to many humorous situations, beginning with the need to acquire a new dog, named Brian, as an emotional replacement for her 11-year-old daughter.

However, Patsy's goal of setting her soon-to-be ex-husband on the path to his new, single life, beginning with him finding a new home - is only the beginning of a new set of frustrations as he isn't particularly interested in moving out, or on. Therefore, along the path there are misconceptions, misunderstandings, accidents and almost downright Laurel and Hardy moments.

I've re-read it several times, and I know I will read it again because I still enjoy the entertainment of Brian, He-of-the-Hairy-Nostril, Crap Green, the mislaid umbrella, Roland and - especially - THE BUNNY!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pat has finally decided to divorce her selfish, egomanical husband Gordon after 12 loveless years, but she feels very guilty. Her practical daughter Rachel uses this guilt to acquire a new puppy - a sad, nearly comatose specimen named Brian. Dog Days is the witty account of Pat's attempts to put together her new life as a single mother in modern London.

[Trish Saunders · Rating 2 out of 5]

A read for fun. Lots of telling and no surprises but good for a relaxing afternoon in front of the fire. It was first published in the 1990s and has some good observations of divorce and adjustment within the humour.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third Cheek book I've read. It's good, but doesn't have the sparkle and wit of either Mrs. Fytton's Country Life or Parlour Games.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Mavis Cheek, she's easy to read perfect holiday fare.

[Tamsin Bramwell · Rating 1 out of 5]

given up after 1/3 of the way through, dull dull dull