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Note to Boy
Eloise is an erratic, faded fashionista. Bradley is a glum but wily teenager.
In need of help to write her racy 1960s memoirs, the former ‘shock frock’ fashion guru tolerates his common ways. Unable to remember his name, she calls him Boy. Desperate to escape a brutal home life, he puts up with her bossiness and confusing notes.
Both guard secrets. How did she lose her fame and fortune? What’s he scheming – beyond getting his hands on her bank card? And just what’s hidden in that mysterious locked room?
In need of help to write her racy 1960s memoirs, the former ‘shock frock’ fashion guru tolerates his common ways. Unable to remember his name, she calls him Boy. Desperate to escape a brutal home life, he puts up with her bossiness and confusing notes.
Both guard secrets. How did she lose her fame and fortune? What’s he scheming – beyond getting his hands on her bank card? And just what’s hidden in that mysterious locked room?
280 pages, Paperback
First published July 23, 2020
3 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Sue Clark
2 books10 followersIn a varied writing career, Sue Clark has penned BBC radio and TV comedy scripts for the likes of David Jason, Lenny Henry and Tracey Ullman, as well as contributing to newspapers, magazines, trade journals and guidebooks, as a journalist, copywriter, PR and editor.
But she had never done what she had always longed to do: write comic fiction.
That is, until she was able to give up the old nine-to-five, take a creative writing course with Oxford University, join a writing group and – at last! – unshackle her Imagination and let her love for comedy roam free.
She brings this comic touch to her short story, On The Brushes, in this exciting new anthology, Taking Liberties.
Her debut comic fiction, Note to Boy, was published in 2020, gaining a Pencraft award, and her second, A Novel Solution, will be released in late 2023/early 2024.
Sue Clark believes no story, no matter how tragic isn’t enhanced by an injection of comedy. And likewise, no story, no matter how comic, isn’t enriched by an injection of pathos.
Her aim: to give the reader that winning combination of laughter, laced with a few tears. Heart and humour.
But she had never done what she had always longed to do: write comic fiction.
That is, until she was able to give up the old nine-to-five, take a creative writing course with Oxford University, join a writing group and – at last! – unshackle her Imagination and let her love for comedy roam free.
She brings this comic touch to her short story, On The Brushes, in this exciting new anthology, Taking Liberties.
Her debut comic fiction, Note to Boy, was published in 2020, gaining a Pencraft award, and her second, A Novel Solution, will be released in late 2023/early 2024.
Sue Clark believes no story, no matter how tragic isn’t enhanced by an injection of comedy. And likewise, no story, no matter how comic, isn’t enriched by an injection of pathos.
Her aim: to give the reader that winning combination of laughter, laced with a few tears. Heart and humour.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
November 11, 2020
“The three things are: Sapphie. You’ve met her already – top me up, a proper measure this time. That’s one. The other two are Gypsies and Cameroons . They are my staples. See that I never, and I mean never, run out of any of them. You can have a good dunk with a Gypsy. Oh, and coconut on the Cameroons.”
Note To Boy is the first novel by British journalist, BBC comedy scriptwriter, PR writer and author, Sue Clark. “Wanted!!! Urgent!!! Refined, respectable lady authoress seeks domestic assistant of same ilk. Usual rates” is what the card at the newsagent reads. Seventeen-year-old Bradley McCreedy grabs it before anyone else can and rings the mobile number. It’s a long walk from Kilburn to Lancaster Gate but he doesn’t have cash for the tube or the bus: that’s why he’s after a job. Anything to escape his dependency on his toxic family.
When he meets the old woman, she doesn’t react to his facial disfigurement like most people do: she’s only critical of his speech and grammar. The flat is in a dreadful state, dirt and decay everywhere, but Bradley isn’t afraid of hard work: he liked the sense of achievement it gives him. That locked room has him wondering, though…
But the old woman, Eloise Slaughter, “Style supremo and fashion phenomenon” has a different priority: Bradley has to write as she dictates her memoirs. Two mornings a week quickly become five: Miss E’s fairly happy, or at least not shouting so much as long as her priorities, once he has deciphered them (Bombay Sapphire Gin, macaroons, Romany Creams) are met. He keeps her fed and supplied with “Sapphie”, then brings her into the 21st Century with a “digital whatsit” to record her memories.
As Eloise sets down for posterity her journey from Midlands mediocrity to fashion fame as a Carnaby street icon and then through two marriages and countless affairs to her downfall via a vindictive competitor, she sinks deeper into that world: “Sometimes when I come into the room, she has a look on her face, like she’s looking right through me into the past. Don’t never want to get old.”
With a bit of security, Bradley gains confidence, enough even to court the young barista at the Greek’s café, Molly, whose ambition to excel in fashion and textile design eventually comes in handy. With unfettered access to the funds deposited regularly into Eloise’s account by her absent daughter, Bradley goes from minor pilfering of grocery money to more major personal purchases. Until, that is, the money runs out.
What a delightful tale! Clark’s main protagonists are perfect foils for one another: Bradley, the rough diamond, not quite honest but with a heart of gold, who turns out to be able to give Eloise just what she needs; And Eloise, once a fashion trendsetter, now determined to write her tell-all expose of London’s rag trade.
No sweet old lady, this, though: Eloise is a tough-talking old bird whose malapropisms, mixed metaphors (“To mix my semaphores,”) and spoonerisms are certain to have the reader laughing out loud: “no place for prudes and shrinking violins here”, “inner-tube babies and MDF clinics”, “that hangdog-in-a-manger expression”, “Why don’t we just let barking dogs lie?”, “‘Lionel Blair? Don’t you know anything, Boy? Used to be prime minister” are but a few examples. This is a charming debut novel, and more from Sue Clark will definitely be welcome.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Unbound.
Note To Boy is the first novel by British journalist, BBC comedy scriptwriter, PR writer and author, Sue Clark. “Wanted!!! Urgent!!! Refined, respectable lady authoress seeks domestic assistant of same ilk. Usual rates” is what the card at the newsagent reads. Seventeen-year-old Bradley McCreedy grabs it before anyone else can and rings the mobile number. It’s a long walk from Kilburn to Lancaster Gate but he doesn’t have cash for the tube or the bus: that’s why he’s after a job. Anything to escape his dependency on his toxic family.
When he meets the old woman, she doesn’t react to his facial disfigurement like most people do: she’s only critical of his speech and grammar. The flat is in a dreadful state, dirt and decay everywhere, but Bradley isn’t afraid of hard work: he liked the sense of achievement it gives him. That locked room has him wondering, though…
But the old woman, Eloise Slaughter, “Style supremo and fashion phenomenon” has a different priority: Bradley has to write as she dictates her memoirs. Two mornings a week quickly become five: Miss E’s fairly happy, or at least not shouting so much as long as her priorities, once he has deciphered them (Bombay Sapphire Gin, macaroons, Romany Creams) are met. He keeps her fed and supplied with “Sapphie”, then brings her into the 21st Century with a “digital whatsit” to record her memories.
As Eloise sets down for posterity her journey from Midlands mediocrity to fashion fame as a Carnaby street icon and then through two marriages and countless affairs to her downfall via a vindictive competitor, she sinks deeper into that world: “Sometimes when I come into the room, she has a look on her face, like she’s looking right through me into the past. Don’t never want to get old.”
With a bit of security, Bradley gains confidence, enough even to court the young barista at the Greek’s café, Molly, whose ambition to excel in fashion and textile design eventually comes in handy. With unfettered access to the funds deposited regularly into Eloise’s account by her absent daughter, Bradley goes from minor pilfering of grocery money to more major personal purchases. Until, that is, the money runs out.
What a delightful tale! Clark’s main protagonists are perfect foils for one another: Bradley, the rough diamond, not quite honest but with a heart of gold, who turns out to be able to give Eloise just what she needs; And Eloise, once a fashion trendsetter, now determined to write her tell-all expose of London’s rag trade.
No sweet old lady, this, though: Eloise is a tough-talking old bird whose malapropisms, mixed metaphors (“To mix my semaphores,”) and spoonerisms are certain to have the reader laughing out loud: “no place for prudes and shrinking violins here”, “inner-tube babies and MDF clinics”, “that hangdog-in-a-manger expression”, “Why don’t we just let barking dogs lie?”, “‘Lionel Blair? Don’t you know anything, Boy? Used to be prime minister” are but a few examples. This is a charming debut novel, and more from Sue Clark will definitely be welcome.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Unbound.
September 12, 2020
I loved this so much, I thought it was a really funny, well written book. It’s is humorous but with lots of emotion, empathy. It’s what I think of as an easy read and by that I mean it sucks you in, it’s addictive and before you realise it you’re towards the end and a bit sad, it goes by so quick you don’t realise you’re reading. A real tender read full of nostalgia and quite poignant, I enjoyed every minute of this book. Highly recommended
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
August 14, 2020
There’s a genre for this, the wily geriatrics as they share their accumulated life’s knowledge to teach youngsters lessons or just to have fun adventures. Some of them are genuinely good fun and some are positively sappy and this is somewhere in between but neither quite. Told in alternative chapter from the perspective of both main characters, this is a story of a once upon a time fashion designer (self)named Eloise and a surly teen Bradley from the estates who gets hired to take care of her. Bradley turned out surprisingly good at his job, owning to a penchant for cleaning and organizing and general ability to take sh*t from growing up in poverty with an indifferent mother and an abusive older brother. In a way, he is ideally suited to put up with whims and peculiarities of Eloise. And that’s really something, because Eloise has lived on her own for decades, becoming increasingly more erratic, both her place and her mind resembled Grey Gardens. She had her time in the sun once upon the 60s, 70s and 80s owing to a combination of natural beauty and fashion savvy, then the sun set, owing to a certain lack of personal judgement and discernment, and has never risen again. Now she’s decided to write a tell all memoir about it and Bradley is meant to be a sort of amanuensis (a word she repeatedly tries and fails to come up with), in fact she forgets lots of things these days including Bradley’s name, so she calls him boy instead. And Bradley calls her Miss E. and a savvy kid that he is proceeds to skim her bank account, although some argument might be made that he really does deserve the money, after all he’s very good at his job. Eloise in fact has no money of her own left due to rampant profligacy of years past and is living off of her daughter’s charity, a daughter she’s never really been a mother to, but still. Eloise isn’t all that into families anyway, her idea of a connection is based in potential profits, she was always that way, it took her from her low class origins to the high society glitz one upon a time. She married for money, divorced for money, and lied and cheated her way to the top of the fashion business, until love for a wrong man ended it all. All of this is to say that Eloise isn’t an especially likeable character, no matter what age you meet her in, she’s an interesting character, to an extent, but not likeable or wise or charming the way some fictional elderly are. Bradley is more of a charismatic lead out of the two, a genuinely nice kid from low circumstances who tries to improve his lot and, whole not always by moral means, he does, unlike Eloise, have a moral center. And so eventually their uneasy at times and uneven most times symbiosis comes to juncture where a change must occur, in this case a change that might make them both much needed money, but first they’ll do some scenes (including a makeover and a takeover) that are straight out of a cheesy comedy. I mean, cue in montage music and all that. It’s one of the drawbacks of the novel, actually, the uneven tone. It’s uncertain what it strives for, it isn’t funny enough to be a comedy or serious enough to be a drama, it’s somewhere in between. Very decent for a debut, Unbound books actually always seems to do decent work despite the publishing platform sponsored by popular opinion. Or maybe that’s just because I have such a low opinion of popular opinions. But yeah, it works for Unbound. And this book too, it works, it just needed something and I’m not quite sure what…it’s difficult with character driven narrative when the characters or at least one of them consistently are so freaking selfish. And that’s Eloise’s main MO, defining quality, really, she’s a selfish person who has lived a selfish life and made selfish choices. Not really someone you can care that much about, amusing as she might be in her infuriatingly impervious self diluted and demented (as in senile) way. Suppose this way more comedy than drama, though, not because it was funnier than it was sadder, but because of all the corny cheesy moments and no morals or lessons learned. Bradley came out of this ok, though, the boy might go places. A fairly entertaining mindless sort of a read, Might have been more, the potential was there. But works as is. Thanks Netgalley.
February 20, 2021
This delightful romp by comedy writer Sue Clark is an engaging, funny, and poignant read. It brings together two unlikely characters in the form of the theatrical and slightly cantankerous old dear, Eloise Slaughter, and the 17-year-old Bradley McCreedy. Eloise Slaughter, the one-time ‘style supremo’ and ‘fashion phenomenon’ of Carnaby street in the swinging 60s, is an energetic old bird with a penchant for more malapropisms and spoonerisms than most of us have had hot dinners. And her sparring partner Bradley McCreedy who she lures as a ‘domestic assistant’ via a card in the local newsagent, is a teenager from the rougher side of Kilburn. The narrative is conveyed by both these characters in their respective voices.
What McCreedy lacks in grammar and diction, he more than makes up for with his obsessive need to tidy. And there is plenty of tidying to do, as the old lady’s abode is in a pretty hideous state by all accounts. His other duty is to help the old girl write her biography by providing an attentive ear and a ‘digital whatsit’ to record her memoirs.
McCreedy may not be a saint and isn’t averse to pilfering money from his employee, but his fondness for her grows over time and his tenacity and wits prove to be precisely what Eloise Slaughter needs if she is to rise once more like the phoenix from the ashes.
'Note to Boy' reminded me a little of 'Harold and Maud', only in that the two characters are of similar age. But here the comparison ends. With 'Note to Boy', the dialogue is far funnier and the narrative has a great deal more depth. And as with all great comedy, there is a tenderness and poignancy to both of these well-drawn characters.
Sue Clark’s debut is a little gem and will appeal to anyone who enjoys the joy of language - particularly when it has been dragged through a hedge backwards by the book’s elderly protagonist. It would, dare I say it, make a wonderful stage play.
Alex Pearl is the author of ‘Sleeping with the Blackbirds’ and ‘The Chair Man’
What McCreedy lacks in grammar and diction, he more than makes up for with his obsessive need to tidy. And there is plenty of tidying to do, as the old lady’s abode is in a pretty hideous state by all accounts. His other duty is to help the old girl write her biography by providing an attentive ear and a ‘digital whatsit’ to record her memoirs.
McCreedy may not be a saint and isn’t averse to pilfering money from his employee, but his fondness for her grows over time and his tenacity and wits prove to be precisely what Eloise Slaughter needs if she is to rise once more like the phoenix from the ashes.
'Note to Boy' reminded me a little of 'Harold and Maud', only in that the two characters are of similar age. But here the comparison ends. With 'Note to Boy', the dialogue is far funnier and the narrative has a great deal more depth. And as with all great comedy, there is a tenderness and poignancy to both of these well-drawn characters.
Sue Clark’s debut is a little gem and will appeal to anyone who enjoys the joy of language - particularly when it has been dragged through a hedge backwards by the book’s elderly protagonist. It would, dare I say it, make a wonderful stage play.
Alex Pearl is the author of ‘Sleeping with the Blackbirds’ and ‘The Chair Man’
January 24, 2022
What a unique and entertaining little novel!
The volatile, yet affectionate relationship between the two main characters will be one that will stick in my memory for some time. Though Eloise was pitiable in many respects I did not find her all that likeable, whilst Bradley was a fabulous character. I cheered Bradley on throughout the story.
Humorous and poignant in equal measure, this is a captivating little novel which charmed me with its delightful characters.
I was ever so slightly disappointed with the ending, but could see why the author chose to end it that way.
Recommended to those readers who want an entertaining, quirky, character-rich, read.
The volatile, yet affectionate relationship between the two main characters will be one that will stick in my memory for some time. Though Eloise was pitiable in many respects I did not find her all that likeable, whilst Bradley was a fabulous character. I cheered Bradley on throughout the story.
Humorous and poignant in equal measure, this is a captivating little novel which charmed me with its delightful characters.
I was ever so slightly disappointed with the ending, but could see why the author chose to end it that way.
Recommended to those readers who want an entertaining, quirky, character-rich, read.
August 16, 2022
Sue's clarity of mind is impressive. At the same time that she shows her wonderful sense of humour, she also displays great sensitivity.
I fell in love with Bradley and Eloise, the characters are so human that it is easy for the reader to picture them and to empathise with their pain even though all their flaws are set on the table. The narrative was well constructed, transporting you back and forth in time. The story is funny, there's mystery and humour even in dramatic moments.
Highly recommended, hours of entertainment guaranteed!
I fell in love with Bradley and Eloise, the characters are so human that it is easy for the reader to picture them and to empathise with their pain even though all their flaws are set on the table. The narrative was well constructed, transporting you back and forth in time. The story is funny, there's mystery and humour even in dramatic moments.
Highly recommended, hours of entertainment guaranteed!
August 24, 2020
Sweet and entertaining. Although it wasn't laugh-out-loud (it's really rare to find a book that is, in my experience), Note to Boy was consistently amusing and often made me smile (also a rare quality in a book!). Sue Clark is an experienced comedy writer and you can tell. For a debut novel, the writing seems really confident, which is refreshing.
I think the strongest quality of the book was the character voices. At times they risked being overdone and slipping into caricature, but they actually worked really well - I really felt like I could hear Eloise and Bradley in my head as I was reading. They're distinctive voices and memorable characters. You find yourself rooting for them despite their many flaws - rooting for them not just as individuals, but also as an unlikely pairing. You want them to stick together and stay on good terms against the odds...
I'd recommend Note to Boy to anyone looking for a quick, light read. "Light" can seem like a criticism, but it's not. Thanks to the characterisation, there's plenty of depth, and it also makes you reflect on the absurdity of celebrity and the fashion industry, as well as the way we perceive the elderly. But it's an easy, enjoyable read, and the short chapters and alternating viewpoints mean that it's tempting to just keep turning the pages...The perfect holiday read!
I think the strongest quality of the book was the character voices. At times they risked being overdone and slipping into caricature, but they actually worked really well - I really felt like I could hear Eloise and Bradley in my head as I was reading. They're distinctive voices and memorable characters. You find yourself rooting for them despite their many flaws - rooting for them not just as individuals, but also as an unlikely pairing. You want them to stick together and stay on good terms against the odds...
I'd recommend Note to Boy to anyone looking for a quick, light read. "Light" can seem like a criticism, but it's not. Thanks to the characterisation, there's plenty of depth, and it also makes you reflect on the absurdity of celebrity and the fashion industry, as well as the way we perceive the elderly. But it's an easy, enjoyable read, and the short chapters and alternating viewpoints mean that it's tempting to just keep turning the pages...The perfect holiday read!
September 1, 2020
A fabulous read that weaves together the lives of two most unlikely characters, both eccentric, lonely and sad in their own way. Sue Clark has a way with words that make Eloise and Bradley both so likeable, that you end up rooting for them right from the start. The characters simply jump off the page and are totally convincing, even down to several cringeworthy and hilarious episodes. But what lies behind the humour is a commentary about the descent into old age and how society is so ready to turn its back on people who have no one close to care for them. Had it not been for Bradley, himself a social misfit, would Eloise have been able to mine her past with such devastating results? Clever stuff. I loved it!
November 20, 2020
I’ve just finished this little tale written by Sue Clarke.
I have to say, it isn’t the sort of book I would normally be drawn to but I found it amusing all the same. It is cleverly written and has some interesting and quite different characters whose lives become intertwined in a most peculiar way. A few hours well spent.
I have to say, it isn’t the sort of book I would normally be drawn to but I found it amusing all the same. It is cleverly written and has some interesting and quite different characters whose lives become intertwined in a most peculiar way. A few hours well spent.
August 13, 2020
A real laugh out loud, entertaining, speedy read!
The two main characters in this book are an unlikely pairing but you'll see their relationship blossom into something really special.
Told from the POV's of both main characters. Bradley who's a bit of a chancer and trying to make something better of himself and Louise, a 60's celebrity now battling with dementia. I loved reading about Louise's life stories, they really made me smile.
A true nostalgic story full of feeling.
Highly recommended if your after a quick read.
Thanks to netgalley and Unbound for the ARC.
The two main characters in this book are an unlikely pairing but you'll see their relationship blossom into something really special.
Told from the POV's of both main characters. Bradley who's a bit of a chancer and trying to make something better of himself and Louise, a 60's celebrity now battling with dementia. I loved reading about Louise's life stories, they really made me smile.
A true nostalgic story full of feeling.
Highly recommended if your after a quick read.
Thanks to netgalley and Unbound for the ARC.
July 16, 2020
Note to Boy, written by a BBC comedy scriptwriter, is funny - but also poignant. A culture clash, one could visualise it as a two-hander (Driving Miss Daisy meets Duet for One?) I loathe spoilers, so will just give the bare bones: Eloise (an aging, washed-up, once famous fashion designer/hoarder living in West London) hires 'Boy (a near-illiterate no-hoper youth with OCD, born on the wrong side of the tracks). The pair wind up influencing each other in unexpected ways. and there are several very clever plot twists. Sue Clark writes very stylishly, particularly for Eloise, who can have a vivid turn of phrase. Definitely an 'odd couple' - definitely a good book.
August 13, 2020
Want to know what’s really difficult? Writing a comic novel, that’s what. I know, I’ve tried. Just to make it a little more difficult have two first person narrators give their version of events. Well that’s what Sue Clark has done with her new novel, ‘Note to Boy’, published by Unbound. Want to know how she got on?
It’s fabuloso, darling. The tale of a faded fashion-ista drinking herself to death in her London flat and the council estate boy who comes to ‘do for’ her. We’re not talking a London crime novel here, he just helps her out with her housekeeping. Oh, and he’s helping her with her memoirs, too. These are the two highly contrasting narrative voices who tell us the story throughout. Eloise is a horror, but oh so funny: imagine a combination of Brenda’s mum from Dinnerladies, Baby Jane and Mrs Malaprop. Never has someone so self-absorbed been less self-aware. I’ll say no more, as I don’t want to spoil any of the jokes. Bradley is a ‘rough diamond, wrong-side-of-the-tracks kind of guy’, but is in no way clichéd or trite.
Never one to drop one mangled name when a dozen will do, half the fun is working out what or who Eloise means as she rambles into her dictaphone and at Bradley.
This is a seriously funny book. Buy it, if you need a laugh - as Eloise might have said “It’s a real humbugger”.
Note to Boy by Sue Clark. Published by Unbound ISBN-13: 978-1789650938
It’s fabuloso, darling. The tale of a faded fashion-ista drinking herself to death in her London flat and the council estate boy who comes to ‘do for’ her. We’re not talking a London crime novel here, he just helps her out with her housekeeping. Oh, and he’s helping her with her memoirs, too. These are the two highly contrasting narrative voices who tell us the story throughout. Eloise is a horror, but oh so funny: imagine a combination of Brenda’s mum from Dinnerladies, Baby Jane and Mrs Malaprop. Never has someone so self-absorbed been less self-aware. I’ll say no more, as I don’t want to spoil any of the jokes. Bradley is a ‘rough diamond, wrong-side-of-the-tracks kind of guy’, but is in no way clichéd or trite.
Never one to drop one mangled name when a dozen will do, half the fun is working out what or who Eloise means as she rambles into her dictaphone and at Bradley.
This is a seriously funny book. Buy it, if you need a laugh - as Eloise might have said “It’s a real humbugger”.
Note to Boy by Sue Clark. Published by Unbound ISBN-13: 978-1789650938
September 2, 2021
One Sentence Summary: Eloise needs someone to write her memoirs and Bradley needs a job and thus sparks an unlikely friendship between a teen boy and a former fashion trendsetter who is still intent on getting her due.
Overall
Eloise Slaughter is a has-been in the world of fashion, though, in some circles, is still considered a legend. Reclusive, she now seeks someone to help her write her memoirs. Enter, Bradley, a teen with a rough handle on the English language and questionable motives, but also possessor of a reasonably good heart. I thought this book would be heartwarming, but it ended up feeling more like a business relationship even though it's easy to see they're fond of each other. In their own ways. Ultimately, Note to Boy doesn't have the most lovable characters, but the characterizations are incredibly strong and some of the best I've read.
Extended Thoughts
Eloise was a fashion icon, a trendsetter, back in the 1960s and 70s in London. Even though she was thwarted by a fashion rival time and again, she's still a legend, albeit one basically in hiding after the disaster of her last show. She still thinks of herself as a queen of fashion, so has started to dictate her memoirs. If she can only find someone who will work out reliably for her.
Bradley is a seventeen-year-old boy who needs a job, if only to escape his mother and older brother, who really don't care much for him. He sees Eloise's ad, and ends up with the job. His intentions aren't exactly pure, though a strange relationship is struck up between the two, one that can potentially forever change their lives.
Note to Boy is one of those books I decided to take a chance on. I'm not a big fan of general fiction, nor do I particularly enjoy friendships between one older and one much younger person. But something about Eloise and Bradly in the book description caught my eye and I thought it would be a fun, heartwarming story.
Well, I didn't find Note to Boy to be particularly heartwarming, but I did enjoy it, in a kind of complicated way.
Note to Boy is set in London. The story is told mostly alternatively by Eloise and Bradley. They belong to two different classes, and it really comes through marvelously through their chapters. Bradley is young, rough, and not exceptionally educated while Eloise received a high education and always thought herself better than everyone else, so tweaked herself into a polished woman, if a bit dramatic. I loved how they had such different and unique voices. Even if I stopped in the middle of a chapter, I had no problems remembering who was telling the story. They were clear and consistent, though I did love how Bradley's slowly shifted to reflected the effect Eloise had on him.
I loved everything about how Eloise and Bradley were characterized. Bradley isn't exactly pure, but he does care about Eloise. And, seriously, if he needs a house to clean, I'll invite him into mine, though I'll be sure to keep a close eye on him! Eloise was clearly living in the past, but I loved how smart she was. I found her character to be fascinating. But, while I adored their characterizations, I didn't actually like the characters. I couldn't help but think they were horrible people. But I loved that they were horrible people? Their characterizations were so spot on and some of the best I've ever read (I completely forgot there was an actual author behind this book, that's how clearly they came through), but I really, really did not like them.
My feelings about the story itself are about the same. I really enjoyed the back and forth in time and getting to see glimpses of the fashion world through Eloise's eyes. I loved the relationship that developed between Eloise and Bradley, even if it did feel more like a business relationship than a friendship. They were using each other, but it was easy to tell there was fondness between them. Still, I wanted to slap Bradley and few times and shake Eloise a bit, but she was clearly starting to lose her marbles throughout most of the story. I really enjoyed reading Eloise's memories, but they're not like flashbacks where the reader is taken back in time. It really is just Eloise telling her story. Her chapters read as though she's in the here and now telling a listener what she did and what happened to her. I really wanted the flashbacks that took me back in time, but I did really enjoy it all while actively reading this book.
Note to Boy is a really well-written story with some great characters. I loved that both Bradley and Eloise come into the story with past hurts and prejudices, but manage to work through them. I wasn't a big fan of the ending, but the characters were working in that direction the whole time. Whether they knew it or not, they were exactly what the other needed. While I expected Note to Boy to be heartwarming, I'm actually glad it wasn't. This was such a fun book to read, even if I didn't like the characters.
Thank you to Sue Clark for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
Overall
Eloise Slaughter is a has-been in the world of fashion, though, in some circles, is still considered a legend. Reclusive, she now seeks someone to help her write her memoirs. Enter, Bradley, a teen with a rough handle on the English language and questionable motives, but also possessor of a reasonably good heart. I thought this book would be heartwarming, but it ended up feeling more like a business relationship even though it's easy to see they're fond of each other. In their own ways. Ultimately, Note to Boy doesn't have the most lovable characters, but the characterizations are incredibly strong and some of the best I've read.
Extended Thoughts
Eloise was a fashion icon, a trendsetter, back in the 1960s and 70s in London. Even though she was thwarted by a fashion rival time and again, she's still a legend, albeit one basically in hiding after the disaster of her last show. She still thinks of herself as a queen of fashion, so has started to dictate her memoirs. If she can only find someone who will work out reliably for her.
Bradley is a seventeen-year-old boy who needs a job, if only to escape his mother and older brother, who really don't care much for him. He sees Eloise's ad, and ends up with the job. His intentions aren't exactly pure, though a strange relationship is struck up between the two, one that can potentially forever change their lives.
Note to Boy is one of those books I decided to take a chance on. I'm not a big fan of general fiction, nor do I particularly enjoy friendships between one older and one much younger person. But something about Eloise and Bradly in the book description caught my eye and I thought it would be a fun, heartwarming story.
Well, I didn't find Note to Boy to be particularly heartwarming, but I did enjoy it, in a kind of complicated way.
Note to Boy is set in London. The story is told mostly alternatively by Eloise and Bradley. They belong to two different classes, and it really comes through marvelously through their chapters. Bradley is young, rough, and not exceptionally educated while Eloise received a high education and always thought herself better than everyone else, so tweaked herself into a polished woman, if a bit dramatic. I loved how they had such different and unique voices. Even if I stopped in the middle of a chapter, I had no problems remembering who was telling the story. They were clear and consistent, though I did love how Bradley's slowly shifted to reflected the effect Eloise had on him.
I loved everything about how Eloise and Bradley were characterized. Bradley isn't exactly pure, but he does care about Eloise. And, seriously, if he needs a house to clean, I'll invite him into mine, though I'll be sure to keep a close eye on him! Eloise was clearly living in the past, but I loved how smart she was. I found her character to be fascinating. But, while I adored their characterizations, I didn't actually like the characters. I couldn't help but think they were horrible people. But I loved that they were horrible people? Their characterizations were so spot on and some of the best I've ever read (I completely forgot there was an actual author behind this book, that's how clearly they came through), but I really, really did not like them.
My feelings about the story itself are about the same. I really enjoyed the back and forth in time and getting to see glimpses of the fashion world through Eloise's eyes. I loved the relationship that developed between Eloise and Bradley, even if it did feel more like a business relationship than a friendship. They were using each other, but it was easy to tell there was fondness between them. Still, I wanted to slap Bradley and few times and shake Eloise a bit, but she was clearly starting to lose her marbles throughout most of the story. I really enjoyed reading Eloise's memories, but they're not like flashbacks where the reader is taken back in time. It really is just Eloise telling her story. Her chapters read as though she's in the here and now telling a listener what she did and what happened to her. I really wanted the flashbacks that took me back in time, but I did really enjoy it all while actively reading this book.
Note to Boy is a really well-written story with some great characters. I loved that both Bradley and Eloise come into the story with past hurts and prejudices, but manage to work through them. I wasn't a big fan of the ending, but the characters were working in that direction the whole time. Whether they knew it or not, they were exactly what the other needed. While I expected Note to Boy to be heartwarming, I'm actually glad it wasn't. This was such a fun book to read, even if I didn't like the characters.
Thank you to Sue Clark for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
July 4, 2020
I was sent the ARC for this book by the author (thanks, Sue!) as we belong to the same online writers' group and I volunteered to read it. This is, after all, ultimately what we in the group are striving for (the majority at least) - a published piece of hard work.
My concentration has returned a bit in the past couple of weeks, which pleases me no end, as it's been a real struggle to connect with anything during the lockdown period. Although that really doesn't have much to do with anything, it is important to me as reading is more or less my favourite/only hobby. Not being able to focus on reading or writing was particularly frustrating.
So, having this and managing to read it so quickly was a real joy. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but it's a bit of a 'self-realisation' novel as much as anything. An aging fashion diva, Eloise Slaughter, hires a young council estate-raised young man, Bradley McCreedy, as a helper at her flat. She wants to write her memoirs, and he is supposed to be writing them up for her. What he finds is a rather eccentric, unkempt and slovenly woman living in a dirty flat (he's rather OCD about cleanliness), supported by her distant daughter Tabitha, who's a bigshot lawyer.
Eloise nicknames Bradley 'Boy' because she can't remember his name, and he and Eloise eventually establish a solid, if unusual, relationship, although not without some bumps along the way.
Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect with this and up until about a third of the way through I was finding it a bit difficult to get into. Once the initial 'hump' was over, I found I was really looking forward to reading it each night and I finished it relatively quickly.
I only have one totally personal niggle: dialects. Eloise is originally from Coventry and in the part of the story where she's talking about her growing up, they speak in that dialect. I'm Canadian, so not knowing what a Coventry dialect sounds like (Birmingham-ish??) didn't clarify anything for me, and I was a bit frustrated by that. There were also some instances at the auction at the end that I felt could have been expanded on (who was the mysterious scruffy man? What about Bradley's fight with Dom?) but as I say, that's entirely my own opinion.
It was really fun, and the characters quirky and nicely fleshed out in a thoroughly enjoyable story. Recommended and well worth the read.
Congratulations, Sue!
My concentration has returned a bit in the past couple of weeks, which pleases me no end, as it's been a real struggle to connect with anything during the lockdown period. Although that really doesn't have much to do with anything, it is important to me as reading is more or less my favourite/only hobby. Not being able to focus on reading or writing was particularly frustrating.
So, having this and managing to read it so quickly was a real joy. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but it's a bit of a 'self-realisation' novel as much as anything. An aging fashion diva, Eloise Slaughter, hires a young council estate-raised young man, Bradley McCreedy, as a helper at her flat. She wants to write her memoirs, and he is supposed to be writing them up for her. What he finds is a rather eccentric, unkempt and slovenly woman living in a dirty flat (he's rather OCD about cleanliness), supported by her distant daughter Tabitha, who's a bigshot lawyer.
Eloise nicknames Bradley 'Boy' because she can't remember his name, and he and Eloise eventually establish a solid, if unusual, relationship, although not without some bumps along the way.
Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect with this and up until about a third of the way through I was finding it a bit difficult to get into. Once the initial 'hump' was over, I found I was really looking forward to reading it each night and I finished it relatively quickly.
I only have one totally personal niggle: dialects. Eloise is originally from Coventry and in the part of the story where she's talking about her growing up, they speak in that dialect. I'm Canadian, so not knowing what a Coventry dialect sounds like (Birmingham-ish??) didn't clarify anything for me, and I was a bit frustrated by that. There were also some instances at the auction at the end that I felt could have been expanded on (who was the mysterious scruffy man? What about Bradley's fight with Dom?) but as I say, that's entirely my own opinion.
It was really fun, and the characters quirky and nicely fleshed out in a thoroughly enjoyable story. Recommended and well worth the read.
Congratulations, Sue!
November 9, 2021
Note to Boy: find out about that book by Sue Clark. It's supposed to be brilliant.
The boy in the title is Bradley McCreedy, a young man with a turbulent home life with his flaky mother and bullying older brother. He sees an ad in the local shop for a domestic assistant to a lady authoress and applies. The lady in question is Miss Eloise Slaughter, a faded glamourpuss with a high opinion of herself. Bradley has no idea who she is but slowly he settles into his time with Eloise, searching for her beloved Gypsy Cream biscuits and listening to her tell her story via her unfolding memoirs.
I've got to admit that I didn't particularly like either character for the most part and yet I was thoroughly engaged by them. An unlikely duo, each offers the other something they have been lacking: in Eloise's case it's somebody to look after her, to take notice of her and to see beyond her faded façade; in Bradley's case it's a place of safety and a chance to make more of himself for the first time.
Eloise's story is a rather torrid one of ups and downs, a former fashion icon who made some unfortunate decisions. I loved reading it and thought the author wrote her story with some very interesting parallels to real fashion milestones. There's a locked room in Eloise's flat, one which interests Bradley no end. What is behind it and why is it hidden away?
Note to Boy is a very clever and original read. It's sharp and witty, but also insightful and quite sad when you think about it. Bradley thinks about Eloise: "Her face looks old, but not her eyes. When I stare into them, funny thing is, I don't see an old lady. I see all the lives she's lived before, the people she used to be." I love the way Bradley recognises that whatever Eloise is now, she has so many memories, so much to share and so much still to give.
Clark has, in her debut novel, given us a satirical, entertaining and very readable book. I loved the relationship that developed between the two main characters, almost like grandmother/grandson but with a few sparks thrown in. It's great fun and would make a great play or TV show.
The boy in the title is Bradley McCreedy, a young man with a turbulent home life with his flaky mother and bullying older brother. He sees an ad in the local shop for a domestic assistant to a lady authoress and applies. The lady in question is Miss Eloise Slaughter, a faded glamourpuss with a high opinion of herself. Bradley has no idea who she is but slowly he settles into his time with Eloise, searching for her beloved Gypsy Cream biscuits and listening to her tell her story via her unfolding memoirs.
I've got to admit that I didn't particularly like either character for the most part and yet I was thoroughly engaged by them. An unlikely duo, each offers the other something they have been lacking: in Eloise's case it's somebody to look after her, to take notice of her and to see beyond her faded façade; in Bradley's case it's a place of safety and a chance to make more of himself for the first time.
Eloise's story is a rather torrid one of ups and downs, a former fashion icon who made some unfortunate decisions. I loved reading it and thought the author wrote her story with some very interesting parallels to real fashion milestones. There's a locked room in Eloise's flat, one which interests Bradley no end. What is behind it and why is it hidden away?
Note to Boy is a very clever and original read. It's sharp and witty, but also insightful and quite sad when you think about it. Bradley thinks about Eloise: "Her face looks old, but not her eyes. When I stare into them, funny thing is, I don't see an old lady. I see all the lives she's lived before, the people she used to be." I love the way Bradley recognises that whatever Eloise is now, she has so many memories, so much to share and so much still to give.
Clark has, in her debut novel, given us a satirical, entertaining and very readable book. I loved the relationship that developed between the two main characters, almost like grandmother/grandson but with a few sparks thrown in. It's great fun and would make a great play or TV show.
August 6, 2020
I liked the description of this novel, but it was when I read the author's bio that I knew I wanted to read it. Reading that she has written comedy for some of the greats, I knew this was going to be a funny book and I wasn't let down. There are some classic lines and right at the beginning Eloise is describing her previous "help" who couldn't even say essential words, such as "Gin and Tonic" - had me laughing out loud straightaway.
Once I got the characters voices in my head I cast Taron Egerton from the Kingsman in the role of Bradley - his grammar leaves a lot to be desired and Eloise tries to improve him in this respect. Eloise is a sort of Patsy Stone from Absolutely Fabulous, but if anything more outrageous and ditsy.
Each chapter gives the heading of one of the characters and in the case of Eloise could be in the present day, which at times paints a sad and sorry picture or it could be her recollection of her colourful and past life in the world of fashion.
Meanwhile Bradley has his own issues with a prominent strawberry birthmark and a bully boy of a brother. I was routing for him to get on with Eloise and maybe improve his lot. Eloise employs him as her help and feigns not remembering his name and refers to him as "boy" leaving him notes - while she ponders why he hasn't yet brought her the requested "gypsy creams". Bradley has no idea what gypsy creams are, but does an admiral job of trying to track them down. There are quite a few 70s references so you might not get all of them if you're from a younger generation but for me it was perfect. She gets a little confused and at one point talks about Lionel Blair who used to live down the road - "you know he used to be PM!"
This is a fab story of two unlikely people coming together to form a team who go on to take on some unscrupulous people in a funny yet at times sad and poignant landscape.
Once I got the characters voices in my head I cast Taron Egerton from the Kingsman in the role of Bradley - his grammar leaves a lot to be desired and Eloise tries to improve him in this respect. Eloise is a sort of Patsy Stone from Absolutely Fabulous, but if anything more outrageous and ditsy.
Each chapter gives the heading of one of the characters and in the case of Eloise could be in the present day, which at times paints a sad and sorry picture or it could be her recollection of her colourful and past life in the world of fashion.
Meanwhile Bradley has his own issues with a prominent strawberry birthmark and a bully boy of a brother. I was routing for him to get on with Eloise and maybe improve his lot. Eloise employs him as her help and feigns not remembering his name and refers to him as "boy" leaving him notes - while she ponders why he hasn't yet brought her the requested "gypsy creams". Bradley has no idea what gypsy creams are, but does an admiral job of trying to track them down. There are quite a few 70s references so you might not get all of them if you're from a younger generation but for me it was perfect. She gets a little confused and at one point talks about Lionel Blair who used to live down the road - "you know he used to be PM!"
This is a fab story of two unlikely people coming together to form a team who go on to take on some unscrupulous people in a funny yet at times sad and poignant landscape.
July 6, 2025
This book, considering how well it is written, has taken me longer to finish than planned. And it is my fault. Life! Balancing writing your own book, school, work, breathing, drinking water, and everything else is a sport! The adulthood they didn't warn us about. 🥲
Anywho, Note to Boy is a witty, heartwarming story about an unlikely friendship between faded fashion icon Eloise Slaughter and teenage misfit Bradley McCreedy. When Eloise hires Bradley to write her memoirs, what starts as a comic setup slowly transforms into a touching story and exploration of identity, reinvention, and connection.
Sue Clark balances sharp humour with emotional depth, giving us a narrative that is both laugh-out-loud funny and quietly profound.
I must confess, I didn't know much about the author before reading the book but I had to do my research along the line and I wasn't surprised to find out that Clark has worked on BBC radio and TV comedy scripts—because the comedy is good!
Though the premise leans into humour the novel never slips into caricature (which is a surest way to lose me as a reader, sometimes). Clark strikes a balance between ‘absurdity’ and emotional realism, slowly peeling back layers of her characters’ pasts.
The novel uses alternating voices between Eloise and Bradley. This offers readers a fresh and engaging dual narrative that highlights their starkly different backgrounds and personalities.
One thing I appreciate so much about this book is classy vs. vernacular clash in the chapters, especially the fact that Bradley’s chapters are written in Vernacular.
All in all, I would recommend this book if you are looking for a book that follows two characters with alternating chapters for each character, a book that is fast paced, easy to read and mostly light-hearted.
Anywho, Note to Boy is a witty, heartwarming story about an unlikely friendship between faded fashion icon Eloise Slaughter and teenage misfit Bradley McCreedy. When Eloise hires Bradley to write her memoirs, what starts as a comic setup slowly transforms into a touching story and exploration of identity, reinvention, and connection.
Sue Clark balances sharp humour with emotional depth, giving us a narrative that is both laugh-out-loud funny and quietly profound.
I must confess, I didn't know much about the author before reading the book but I had to do my research along the line and I wasn't surprised to find out that Clark has worked on BBC radio and TV comedy scripts—because the comedy is good!
Though the premise leans into humour the novel never slips into caricature (which is a surest way to lose me as a reader, sometimes). Clark strikes a balance between ‘absurdity’ and emotional realism, slowly peeling back layers of her characters’ pasts.
The novel uses alternating voices between Eloise and Bradley. This offers readers a fresh and engaging dual narrative that highlights their starkly different backgrounds and personalities.
One thing I appreciate so much about this book is classy vs. vernacular clash in the chapters, especially the fact that Bradley’s chapters are written in Vernacular.
All in all, I would recommend this book if you are looking for a book that follows two characters with alternating chapters for each character, a book that is fast paced, easy to read and mostly light-hearted.
August 5, 2020
In her beautifully written debut novel, Sue Clark tells a story that will make you laugh a lot and cry a little. She has created two convincing, realistic characters, each of whom is on the point of succumbing to an impossible situation. By introducing Eloise and Bradley, and making them bounce hilariously off each other, she not only saves them both, but also gives them hope for the future. I recommend Note to Boy to book clubs, not only because of its high entertainment value, but also because it bridges the generation gap and presents decades of social history, in a style as light and digestible as a macaroon; or, as Eloise would call it, a ‘Cameroon’.
Eloise, who’s on the wrong side of 80, hires Bradley, 17, as her housekeeper. Supported financially by her wealthy, but absent, daughter, both she and her flat are, to put it politely, ‘in a state’. Bradley’s home life, with a feckless mother and brutal brother, is falling apart. To him, even the chaos of Eloise’s place offers a welcome escape, and he sets about the job with youthful vigour. I especially liked the part where Bradley is cleaning the fridge, and sees something move inside it….
The adventures of this ill-assorted pair begin when Bradley realises that Eloise’s stories are something more than the ramblings of a dotty old lady. She has a past, and what a past! Although Bradley has never heard the word ‘amanuensis’, and Eloise cannot remember it, that is what he becomes. His efforts to find out the truth about his employer result in happier times for them both, and along the way, there is plenty of humour, and multiple reveals for the reader to enjoy.
Eloise, who’s on the wrong side of 80, hires Bradley, 17, as her housekeeper. Supported financially by her wealthy, but absent, daughter, both she and her flat are, to put it politely, ‘in a state’. Bradley’s home life, with a feckless mother and brutal brother, is falling apart. To him, even the chaos of Eloise’s place offers a welcome escape, and he sets about the job with youthful vigour. I especially liked the part where Bradley is cleaning the fridge, and sees something move inside it….
The adventures of this ill-assorted pair begin when Bradley realises that Eloise’s stories are something more than the ramblings of a dotty old lady. She has a past, and what a past! Although Bradley has never heard the word ‘amanuensis’, and Eloise cannot remember it, that is what he becomes. His efforts to find out the truth about his employer result in happier times for them both, and along the way, there is plenty of humour, and multiple reveals for the reader to enjoy.
September 18, 2020
Note To Boy is like a cross between ‘Absolutely Fabulous’, ‘Men Behaving Badly’ and ‘The Rag Trade’ - with a side order of Victor Meldrew thrown in for good measure! It’s about an unlikely pairing of a curmudgeonly old lady - Eloise, originally from the West Midlands and Bradley - a young London lad from a broken, dysfunctional family... (a good mix, and, for once, I can do both the accents!)
Bradley answers an ad from the local Newsagent’s window for a Domestic Helper (which turns in to a ‘live-in’ position) and he and Eloise slowly bond over his love of cleaning and her desire to prove that she was a big cheese in the fashion world.
She wants to write her memoirs and he sets out to help her, while at the same time, helping himself to cash from her bank account. An unlikely alliance, certainly, but they strike up a friendship, of sorts, and become reliant on each other for companionship, respect and love.
I adore both the main characters - Bradley with his attempt at gangsta slang and Eloise trying to keep a cap on her Brummie accent, getting her words and phrases mixed up and dropping more that a couple of hilarious Spoonerisms along the way - Like trying to conquer ‘a quiche market’.
So, if you would like to put a smile on your face, I would certainly give this book a read. It’s just what your ‘chuckle muscles’ have been waiting for. And, dear reader, just like Eloise, I also intend to grow old disgracefully!
Bradley answers an ad from the local Newsagent’s window for a Domestic Helper (which turns in to a ‘live-in’ position) and he and Eloise slowly bond over his love of cleaning and her desire to prove that she was a big cheese in the fashion world.
She wants to write her memoirs and he sets out to help her, while at the same time, helping himself to cash from her bank account. An unlikely alliance, certainly, but they strike up a friendship, of sorts, and become reliant on each other for companionship, respect and love.
I adore both the main characters - Bradley with his attempt at gangsta slang and Eloise trying to keep a cap on her Brummie accent, getting her words and phrases mixed up and dropping more that a couple of hilarious Spoonerisms along the way - Like trying to conquer ‘a quiche market’.
So, if you would like to put a smile on your face, I would certainly give this book a read. It’s just what your ‘chuckle muscles’ have been waiting for. And, dear reader, just like Eloise, I also intend to grow old disgracefully!
September 19, 2020
England swings, or at least it did in the sixties for Eloise Slaughter who set her self up as a fashion guru at that time, and it seems, very successfully. Now old, alone, poor and forgetful she wants to record her time of fame. For that purpose she hires a young man, Bradley, who is from the wrong side of town. Bradley is poor, from a poor family and will do anything to escape his situation. He is not above a bit of stealing from his employer, and in this way is finally able to afford some warm clothing.
The book is told in the first person, alternate chapters from Eloise and Bradley. This works surprisingly well. I have to say I enjoyed most the pieces by Eloise where she describes her successes in the 1960s. The main thing about the book, though, is the characters. Both Eloise and Bradley have convincing "voices" and both are done beautifully. While I didn't find any of the scenes overly funny that I had to laugh aloud, I did smile a lot.
I found it beautifully written and for someone who lived through the sixties (as a mature woman, I might add) it really resonated.
My copy was provided through Voracious Readers and I thank them and the author for the opportunity to read and review.
The book is told in the first person, alternate chapters from Eloise and Bradley. This works surprisingly well. I have to say I enjoyed most the pieces by Eloise where she describes her successes in the 1960s. The main thing about the book, though, is the characters. Both Eloise and Bradley have convincing "voices" and both are done beautifully. While I didn't find any of the scenes overly funny that I had to laugh aloud, I did smile a lot.
I found it beautifully written and for someone who lived through the sixties (as a mature woman, I might add) it really resonated.
My copy was provided through Voracious Readers and I thank them and the author for the opportunity to read and review.
April 10, 2025
Haha! This was a super funny, engaging, and actually quite poignant novel.
The author introduces us to two characters that are worlds apart, not only in age but in personalities, mannerisms, and experiences. They were just so different, but little do we know they will grow together and actually help each other in the ways that mean the most.
Elouise Slaughter, a long forgotten fasionista from way back in the day, is a hilarious character. What with her warped dress sense, her brutal way with words and her multitude of quirks. When she hires council estate teenager Bradley McCreedy as an assistant, he thinks he's hit the gold helping and old lady. As he slyly takes her money, his fondness for her grows, and an unlikely bond is formed.
These well developed characters make for a funny read that just flies by. As much as this novel has humour running through the pages, there is also some tenderness and actually quite heartfelt moments, making this a well-rounded story.
Highly entertaining from start to finish, this definitely would make a great little film.
Thank you to Randomthingstours for a spot on the tour.
The author introduces us to two characters that are worlds apart, not only in age but in personalities, mannerisms, and experiences. They were just so different, but little do we know they will grow together and actually help each other in the ways that mean the most.
Elouise Slaughter, a long forgotten fasionista from way back in the day, is a hilarious character. What with her warped dress sense, her brutal way with words and her multitude of quirks. When she hires council estate teenager Bradley McCreedy as an assistant, he thinks he's hit the gold helping and old lady. As he slyly takes her money, his fondness for her grows, and an unlikely bond is formed.
These well developed characters make for a funny read that just flies by. As much as this novel has humour running through the pages, there is also some tenderness and actually quite heartfelt moments, making this a well-rounded story.
Highly entertaining from start to finish, this definitely would make a great little film.
Thank you to Randomthingstours for a spot on the tour.
August 11, 2020
I know the author and was one of the earlier supporters for publication on Unbound which created a lot of anticipation and some nerves ahead of actually reading but I was happy to discover really enjoyed this story. The intertwined stories from the perspectives of Eloise and Bradley was well done, each had a clear voice and believable character, and I kept wanting to read on one more section. Some writers have a gift of helping you forget you are reading words on a page as the story comes to life and this was one of those. The main story itself was entertaining and all wrapped up nicely by the end.
The only very small thing I was unsure about (and this is my own ignorance) was some of the slang that Bradley, the teenager, used felt more as though it belonged to someone that age in Eloise's generation, I wasn't sure whether young people nowadays would have different jargon but once I got into the story and as it evolved with Bradley's character I didn't notice that so much.
Really looking forward to reading what Sue creates next!
The only very small thing I was unsure about (and this is my own ignorance) was some of the slang that Bradley, the teenager, used felt more as though it belonged to someone that age in Eloise's generation, I wasn't sure whether young people nowadays would have different jargon but once I got into the story and as it evolved with Bradley's character I didn't notice that so much.
Really looking forward to reading what Sue creates next!
July 26, 2020
A beautifully woven, bittersweet tale of the evolving relationship between two people who are at first glance a chasm apart, but whose bond grows with each deftly written page. While set today, the narrative roams to the Sixties and after; the period chapters are perfectly-drawn, the life of the protagonist becoming progressively vivid. I was reminded of those elegiac films of the 1960's such as Georgy Girl, and the central figure of Eloise assumes a significance and stature worthy of some of the great characters in literature such as William Faulkner's Addie Bundren in 'As I Lay Dying.' All in all an accomplished novel, sure of itself, with a quirky, tough style every bit as sturdy and gritty as the central character of Eloise. Thoroughly recommended - a warm, funny, uplifting book which is crying out to be on TV (and would be meat and drink for one of our great actresses like Penelope Wilton or Judi Dench).
July 28, 2020
I was hooked from the very first sentence!
Sue Clark has created two completely wonderful characters, whose highly specific (not to mention idiosyncratic) language and speech patterns are so true to life and believable that both the Boy and the fading fashionista jump right off the page.
Eloise's heady mix of spoonerisms and malapropisms had me chuckling out loud, while her snobbiness about the Boy's north London idiom and his apparent lack of class and education are cleverly and wittily undercut by the Brummy accent of her own origins.
Witty, warm, and with oh, so much depth, the plot is fast-paced, whisking the reader along through a rash of credible but oh-so-slightly-satirised characters that are both highly original and simultaneously familiar, in situations that are unpredictable but which we can all identify with.
The mystery of the locked room and the way this drives the plot is genius - and the resolution simply perfect. What a delight of a book!
Sue Clark has created two completely wonderful characters, whose highly specific (not to mention idiosyncratic) language and speech patterns are so true to life and believable that both the Boy and the fading fashionista jump right off the page.
Eloise's heady mix of spoonerisms and malapropisms had me chuckling out loud, while her snobbiness about the Boy's north London idiom and his apparent lack of class and education are cleverly and wittily undercut by the Brummy accent of her own origins.
Witty, warm, and with oh, so much depth, the plot is fast-paced, whisking the reader along through a rash of credible but oh-so-slightly-satirised characters that are both highly original and simultaneously familiar, in situations that are unpredictable but which we can all identify with.
The mystery of the locked room and the way this drives the plot is genius - and the resolution simply perfect. What a delight of a book!
August 15, 2020
I give this book 3.5 stars. I received a free ecopy from Voracious Readers. I was excited to read it because it was from a BBC comedy writer. I went to England once ( but had a hard time understanding the language).
I liked the characters. I haven't read a lot of books where each chapter, goes from a different characters, point of view. I really liked the ending. Some of the book was just too long for me. I started to get a little bored. What might be hysterical on television, didn't seem to translate into the book.
The characters were sweet and likeable flawed. I liked that it went from current times to back in the day. There was an innocence in both of the main characters. It was nice to read a book where one of the main characters was over a certain age.
I liked the concept. In these times, we could all use a happy ending. Just wish, the book, could have made me laugh. Thank you for allowing me to read this book.
I liked the characters. I haven't read a lot of books where each chapter, goes from a different characters, point of view. I really liked the ending. Some of the book was just too long for me. I started to get a little bored. What might be hysterical on television, didn't seem to translate into the book.
The characters were sweet and likeable flawed. I liked that it went from current times to back in the day. There was an innocence in both of the main characters. It was nice to read a book where one of the main characters was over a certain age.
I liked the concept. In these times, we could all use a happy ending. Just wish, the book, could have made me laugh. Thank you for allowing me to read this book.
April 21, 2025
Note To Boy was just a wonderful read. It's hilarious, but emotional and tender with more than a dash or two of great nostalgia.
We follow Eloise, an older fashionista, who's trying to write her 1960's memoirs, and teenage Bradley, who's helping her write it ( writing as she dictates ). Although Eloise Is bossy and can never remember his name ( so she calls him Boy ), Bradley's glad to be away from his awful home life, so puts up with her.
But they both hold secrets. Why does Eloise keep finding money to be missing? Why did Eloise lose her fame? Along with others, which I won't mention to avoid too many spoilers.
Want to know more? Be sure to pick your copy up to find out.
So all in all, a most enjoyable read. It's charming, so so funny, with more than a dash or two of cheesiness and a bit of corniness here and there for good measure, and somewhat sad too in parts, but that's all part of this novels charm.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
We follow Eloise, an older fashionista, who's trying to write her 1960's memoirs, and teenage Bradley, who's helping her write it ( writing as she dictates ). Although Eloise Is bossy and can never remember his name ( so she calls him Boy ), Bradley's glad to be away from his awful home life, so puts up with her.
But they both hold secrets. Why does Eloise keep finding money to be missing? Why did Eloise lose her fame? Along with others, which I won't mention to avoid too many spoilers.
Want to know more? Be sure to pick your copy up to find out.
So all in all, a most enjoyable read. It's charming, so so funny, with more than a dash or two of cheesiness and a bit of corniness here and there for good measure, and somewhat sad too in parts, but that's all part of this novels charm.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
July 20, 2020
What a joy to read a comic novel that’s actually funny. A novel with characters I cared about and with a well-crafted plot that delights to the final page. Spoiler alert! This isn’t the cliched Odd Couple relationship that ends in redemption, tearful hugs and declarations of love. She’s like the monstrous love child of Patsy Stone and The Lady in the Van and might elicit sympathy if she didn’t repel everyone. He’s an unloved, ill-educated teenager whose miserable life has literally nothing. And yet when their lives collide there’s a spark of something … Sue Clark’s Note to Boy is a wonderfully satisfying read, showing the possibilities of an undreamed-of future for two people at either end of adult life. With plenty of gin and laughs too, this is my kind of book. Highly recommended.
August 14, 2020
This is one of the best books that I have read in a long time. It's so easy to read and you become absorbed in the story very quickly.
Boy - Bradley hails from a London council estate and responds to an ad in the local newsagents for domestic help for an elderly lady.
This elderly lady is Eloise a former 1960's wild child and fashion trail blazer.
Boy thinks he is helping Eloise with her domestic arrangements but in reality she wants him to transcribe her life story and what a life story it is. Bradley continues to help Eloise with both her story and cleaning, all of the time battling his own family issues.
Boy and Eloise's relationship goes through lots of ups and downs and the ending is just superb - a little bit of a twist but it is just delightful.
The novel is hilarious in parts, its cleverly written and very heartwarming.
Boy - Bradley hails from a London council estate and responds to an ad in the local newsagents for domestic help for an elderly lady.
This elderly lady is Eloise a former 1960's wild child and fashion trail blazer.
Boy thinks he is helping Eloise with her domestic arrangements but in reality she wants him to transcribe her life story and what a life story it is. Bradley continues to help Eloise with both her story and cleaning, all of the time battling his own family issues.
Boy and Eloise's relationship goes through lots of ups and downs and the ending is just superb - a little bit of a twist but it is just delightful.
The novel is hilarious in parts, its cleverly written and very heartwarming.
August 22, 2020
Bradley needs an escape from his rough council house living so replies to an ad to carry out domestic chores. As he has a tendency and desire to clean things, this is right up his alley. His first meeting with Eloise would make most young gentlemen run for the hills. But we soon discover that Bradley isn’t your typical teen. And Eloise isn’t your typical elderly lady!
Fantastic read. Something about it reminded me of “A Man Called Ove” - possibly the intricacies and writing about an elderly persons past. Laugh out loud funny with serious and heart felt moments. As much as it put a smile on my face it also made me want to hug my family a little bit tighter. I couldn’t put it down.
Thank you to Voracious Readers Only for the complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Fantastic read. Something about it reminded me of “A Man Called Ove” - possibly the intricacies and writing about an elderly persons past. Laugh out loud funny with serious and heart felt moments. As much as it put a smile on my face it also made me want to hug my family a little bit tighter. I couldn’t put it down.
Thank you to Voracious Readers Only for the complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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September 8, 2020Step forward a script writer and casting director! I want to see the main characters Eloise and Bradley in all their glory on the screen. What fun that would be and I can name a few in the acting profession who would do them justice in bringing to life, the not particularly likeable, Eloise , and the poor boy ‘made good’, Bradley. I was not sure about the alternate monologues approach to the book but it kept me turning the pages as I was able to feel empathy for each character as they told the story of their lives from their own perspectives.
I smiled with recognition at some of their behaviours and felt warmth towards Bradley and missed him when the book ended and I wanted to know how he was going on in life. But, Eloise, as an essentially selfish diva, had less of my sympathy. However, a great character and Sue’s book will have you smiling and turning the pages.
I smiled with recognition at some of their behaviours and felt warmth towards Bradley and missed him when the book ended and I wanted to know how he was going on in life. But, Eloise, as an essentially selfish diva, had less of my sympathy. However, a great character and Sue’s book will have you smiling and turning the pages.
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