Rebuilding Coventry

by Sue Townsend

From its title on, Sue Townsend's short, utterly entertaining novel is full of jokes both sly and slapstick. The Coventry of the title is one Coventry Dakin, the novel's narrator, and a devoted, intelligent, but intensely bored wife and mother maintaining her dull husband and two nearly-grown children in suburban Midlands. Coventry also just killed her neighbor, a jerk named Gerald Fox who's been spreading nasty (and false) rumors about her. Now she's on the lam, and Townsend, author of the well-loved Adrian Mole series of books, takes us down and out on a comic excursion into London, where Coventry, now a penniless fugitive, seeks protection with both the lowest and highest levels of British society.

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Crime, Comedy, 20th Century, British Literature, Novels

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Susan Lillian "Sue" Townsend was a British novelist, best known as the author of the Adrian Mole series of books. Her writing tended to combine comedy with social commentary, though she has written purely dramatic works as well. She suffered from diabetes for many years, as a result of which she was registered blind in 2001, and had woven this theme into her work.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coventry Dakin, unusual name aside, was leading a perfectly normal, if slightly dull, life until the day she accidentally murdered one of her neighbours. Such is the inciting incident in this hilarious book.

I honestly can’t remember the last time I laughed as much at a book as I did with this one. I laughed aloud three times in just the first page!

This being Sue Townsend, of course, there is serious social commentary amongst all the gags, what with her being one of the UK’s most popular social satirists. This is definitely a feminist novel (and is all the better for it) but never takes itself too seriously and never becomes dour. I honestly think I laughed at least once on every page.

Sue Townsend was one of my favourite authors growing up, largely due to her brilliant Adrian Mole diaries, but I hadn’t read anything of hers since I read her final novel, The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year, about nine years ago and really didn’t enjoy it.

Rebuilding Coventry, however, has reignited my love for her work and I’ve decided to embark on a read through of all her books. I might even retackle her final novel again once I’ve read/reread all her other stuff. Watch this space… (or don’t; it’s up to you.)

[Dolores · Rating 4 out of 5]

More action happens in this 134-page novella than I have read in novels four times its size. The heroine, Coventry Dakin, begins the novel by stating, "I am beautiful and yesterday I killed a man." From here, we go on a whirlwind journey, as Coventry eludes the authorities, abandoning her controlling husband and the two children she loves. She runs to London, lives as a homeless person, then as a domestic, and even stoops to one incident of prostitution.
Meanwhile, the brother she loves, Sidney, is off in Portugal with his wife, Ruth, and is no help to Coventry. There is the police inspector obsessed with capturing her, in a very Inspector Javert style. There is the relieved widow of the man Coventry presumably killed. And, there is the question that Coventry doesn't need to be running away at all. How could she have killed a man more than twice her size by hitting him on the back of the head with an action figure?

Sue Townsend's style is witty, acerbic, fast-paced, and incredibly different. It is amazing the characters she creates, and the situations she puts them in, and the novella is over almost as soon as you start it. Townsend is indeed a rare and gifted writer, and this book is a very worthy read.

[notgettingenough · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been giving boxes of books by female authors to a newly established shop up the road which specialises in by or about females. That means I get to pick through them first and keep something that takes my fancy. This time it was Rebuilding Coventry by Sue Townsend.

Much as I loved the early Mole books (not having read the later ones), I'm very happy that Townsend had a writing life past that series. It's short and sad, while being sharply funny all the time. Publisher's Weekly hated it, concluding 'Many references are resolutely English, and destined to remain obscure to even the most Anglophiliac American.' Is there a bigger crime to be committed by a writer? PW also complained of the book's 'indiscernible moral intentions'. If they are indiscernible, can they be complained about? But in any case, the moral intentions are obvious enough and I can only assume that the anonymous reviewer is a man.

I think I need a new bookshelf, 'underrated'. This would go on it.

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Townsend had a very quirky and clever sense of humor. I really enjoyed the story about Coventry, a woman who accidentally kills a neighbor. She takes flight as a result and this book is about the many changes in her life afterward.

Couldn’t resist a reread on this title!

[Iona Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another laugh-out-loud book by Sue Townsend, one of my favourite authors.

Coventry Dakin is married to Derek, a boring man whose sole passion is tortoises. They have two half-grown children, John and Mary.

One afternoon, Coventry spots her neighbour Gerald Fox attempting to strangle his wife, rushes over to intervene and bangs him on the head with an Action Man. Unfortunately, he falls down dead; in a panic Coventry runs away to London. This book is about her life on the run, alone, penniless and without possessions. She has just been cleaning the chimney so she is covered in soot.

At one point, Coventry gets a job as a live-in housekeeper for a professor’s family where the wife, a psychologist, prances around naked all day. Their grownup son is “in a state of ontological insecurity” and has stopped eating. (It’s difficult for the children of psychologists/intellectuals with highly developed brow chakras and no grounding to become psychologically healthy human beings.)

The house was in an awful mess since it had never been cleaned. Coventry gets washed, gets a few good meals inside her and is presented with clean clothes; however, when the couple find out she’s wanted for murder, she’s soon chucked out on the streets again.

Sue Townsend was a brilliant writer and had a knack for portraying both the speech of the various layers of society and at the same time the various things going on in the outer world. In this book we get a glimpse of what it must be like to be homeless.

I highly recommend this excellent, hilarious book to Sue Townsend fans, who haven’t yet read it, and to others who need a good laugh.

[Lewis Woolston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back when i was a teenager in the 90's Sue Townsend was a big name. The Adrian Mole books were best sellers and widely read by all sorts of people.
My local public library had the complete set of Adrian Mole books (all the ones written up to that point) and i devoured them with glee. They were funny, humane and "true" in the way that all the best fiction is.
I also read a few of her non-Mole books including this one.
I read this book in about 1993 i think and as i re-read it just now for the first time in almost 30 years i was amazed by how much of it i remembered. Having remembered so much i was amazed by how much i still loved it and laughed at it.
Sue Townsend was a comic genius and a fine writer. Her death was a great loss to us all. Read this book, you'll love it.
I think i'm going to have to re-read all the Adrian Mole books again.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. Full of sly, dark humor, this short book kept my attention, hoping for the best for heroine Coventry Dakins, as she flees after accidentally killing her abusive neighbor. In doing so she finds many new experiences on her way to freedom.

[Kate Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coventry Dakin introduces herself with two facts: she’s beautiful and she killed a man. Specifically, her neighbour Gerald Fox. And now she’s on the run in London, without her handbag.

Killing Gerald was a spur of the moment decision, hence Coventry’s less-than-perfect running-away outfit. We learn the story behind the murder and the fallout for Coventry’s husband and children, interspersed between Coventry’s survival on the streets of the capital.

This being a comedy, there is an element of the ridiculous to much of the action. The murder weapon is an Action Man doll. She had been in the middle of cleaning her chimney, so she’s wearing old clothes and covered in soot. Her husband Derek is really only interested in his tortoises.

Inbetween the ridiculous and the action, there are serious points being made, specifically about marriage, gender, feminism, class and relative deprivation. Coventry has lived the kind of lower middle class life in which she has scrimped and saved to be comfortable. But now she is experiencing going without food or shelter, sleeping as little as possible because she doesn’t feel safe, being moved on by police and shunned or ignored by everyone else.

Read my full review: http://www.noseinabook.co.uk/2017/03/...

[Chantal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of course this writer has to use a lot of weird characters in this book. At times this book was a little bit funny, but it was way over the top most of time.

[Natalia Waaijer · Rating 3 out of 5]

After my last reading, a book by Eimear McBride, I needed something light and funny and this book did just that. Although the set up is terrible -the protagonist kills her neighbour- it is written with gusto, often dark humour and in a high pace. The perfect book to lift up my spirit.

[Ties Van zwol · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Julia Samkova · Rating 2 out of 5]

Как домохозяйка вырывается из привычного круга повседневности, случайно убив соседа и бежав из дома. Достаточно странная женщина.

[Sarah Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this novella every time I read it. Yes it's a bit silly and the story is pretty unbelievable, but it's a nice, easy, escape read written in Townsend's great style.

[uniquechicgeek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Sue Townsend, and really enjoyed this novella about a woman finding her freedom. Witty and emotional, this is a fast-paced story of a woman who kills her neighbour with an Action Man, then goes on the run. Coventry had been dissatisfied with her life for some time, but this is the event that helps her to change things. Townsend explores feminism and politics, but in such a light-hearted way that it is accessible for every reader.

[verbava · Rating 4 out of 5]

абсурдна історія, про яку читачеві розповідають у першому реченні, балаганний гумор, бурлеск і травестія (один із рідкісних випадків, крі�� "енеїди" котляревського, коли ці два слова справді доречні). і в самому серці її – підступне запитання: ви вже живете чи досі чекаєте, поки з вами щось станеться, аби почати?

[Kristin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had a few moments of comedy, but if you like the Adrian Mole diaries DO NOT read this. You'll just be depressed that this is what the author has gotten up to since.

[Ghennet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious!

[K.A. Laity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best known for the Adrian Mole books, the late Sue Townsend wrote a variety of other interesting novels, memoirs and plays. I picked up this one after Beth Jellicoe mentioned it on her piece about Muriel Sparks’ Loitering with Intent, the latter certainly one of my faves amongst her many fine novels—and a book that will appeal to almost any writer. What intrigued me was the thumbnail description: ‘In her underrated novel Rebuilding Coventry (1988), Sue Townsend tells the story of a housewife and mother, Coventry, who commits a murder and escapes to London without even a handbag.’

Even better, she commits murder with an Action Man. It makes me want to be more ambitious about murder weapons.

As it’s Townsend, there’s a lot of great satire along the way. You’ll recognise most of the characters along the way: the woman who has to look down on everyone, the man who has to pretend he’s had every woman, the husband who has never thought anything about his wife as a human being—and some totally bizarre characters who’ll make you laugh out loud, especially the eccentric couple near Russell Square.

Coventry commits murder in the Midlands and then flees to London, where she has never been in her life. A big part of the novel is her suddenly figuring out how one lives in London not only without cash but also without any kind of identification. Even in 1988, however, there are a huge number of people doing that (and more now). While there are a lot of humorous moments, that’s not part of it. Townsend doesn’t make light of life on the streets.

The most fascinating aspect is how in alternating chapters, Townsend takes us back to the Midlands to see how everything changes in Coventry’s wake. So, your mother/wife/friend/daughter is a murderer. Did you know she had it in her? Do you even wonder why it happened? Is this really all about you?

She shares a cardboard box with a woman who calls herself Dodo who turns out to be the sister of a very important cabinet minister whom they visit on Dodo’s birthday. Behind the scenes, as one suspects, the posh people all proudly give way to anti-Semitism, racism and outright fascism. Because Coventry is pretty (having been washed and plopped into an evening gown), so they think she’s one of them – at least until Dodo starts threatening to put their heads on spikes along Westminster Bridge. The two are packed off to the Ritz for the night.

There’s a wonderful dream sequence that we slide seamlessly into, slowly getting into greater absurdity until we arrive at, ‘The front door is opened by Les Dawson wearing a pantomime cook’s costume.’ A lot of the story feels as surreal as you would expect life after a sudden murder might be. Change is the only constant.

For Coventry’s husband, it’s the Flitcraft effect: as Hammett wrote, ‘He felt like somebody had taken the lid off life and let him look at the works.’ His world was built around his wife managing everything so he could devote himself to his turtles. He’s mostly annoyed: ‘Derek wondered why all of the women he knew appeared to be going mad. It wasn’t just members of his own family. The girls at work were getting stroppy: demanding things, more money, improved conditions, flexi-hours.’ His only aim is to put that life back on, thank you very much.

Coventry has the advantage of not being able to return. Murder might be the best thing that ever happened to her…

[NB this review originally appeared at Punk Noir Magazine]

[Karin Jäger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inhalt (Klappentext):
'There are two things you should know about me immediately: the first is that I am beautiful, the second is that I killed a man called Gerald Fox. Both things were accidents.'
So begins Coventry Dakin's tale. Forced to flee the law, Coventry deserts Grey Path Council Estate, her prize bore husband and two demanding children for the anonymity of London's Cardboard City.
Life as one of Britain's homeless, interspersed with forays into London's rich and influential society gatherings, teaches Coventry much about her country and herself. Her role in an imminent political scandal offers her a chande to escape for ever...
Rebuilding Coventry is Sue Townsend's first work of fiction since her Adrian Mole books.

Meine Bewertung:
... fängt mit dem Klappentext an, der die Geschichte aufbläst. Das Buch hat 160 Seiten und die Begegnungen mit Londons Reichen und Einflussreichen können daher genau wie der politische Skandal nur kurze Episoden sein. Aber wenn man schreibt, dass es um eine Emanzipation geht, dann will das keiner lesen. Der deutsche Titel verkündet es: Mit einem Schlag auf den Kopf von Gerald Fox ändert sich das Leben von Coventry komplett. Das klingt noch nicht nach Emanzipation. Aber auf der allerersten Seite des Buches (fliegendes Vorsatzblatt) ist die Szene des Mordes als Vorschau abgedruckt und beim Lesen merkt man, dass in dieser Geschichte etwas nicht stimmen kann. Der Klappentext deutet es bereits an: Coventry mag sich zwar gezwungen sehen, vor der Strafverfolgung zu fliehen; auf der anderen Seite jedoch verlässt sie ein Leben, das sie nicht mehr führen möchte. Die Tat liefert einen Vorwand, um aus dem verhassten, konventionellen Leben auszubrechen und Coventry umzubauen oder neu aufzubauen, wie es der englische Titel sagt. Die Hauptfigur Coventry ist nach der englischen Stadt benannt und bekannteste Legende ist die von der Lady Godiva. Der Name passt also sehr gut zu dem aufsehenerregendem Vorfall, den die Autorin Sue Townsend für ihre Figur eingerichtet hat. Die Geschichte hat mich von Anfang an irritiert. Coventry sagt irgendwo, dass sie Romane möge, die sie überraschen. Und ich denke, Sue Townsend hat versucht, genau so einen Roman zu schreiben. Die Handlung erfährt immer wieder Wendungen und die Figuren sind wenig berechenbar. Das, wie auch die Perspektive, die zwischen Coventry als Erzählerin und anderen Personen kapitelweise wechselt, machen das Buch auf jeden Fall interessant. Sprachliche Überraschungen wusste ich allerdings nicht zu schätzen; der Ton liegt irgendwo zwischen gehoben und gestelzt. Die Darstellung fand ich trotzdem sehr anschaulich und besonders der Part, wo Coventry obdachlos lebt, ist sehr eindrucksvoll. Er zeigt die Härte der Obdachlosigkeit und wie verschieden die Gründe sind, obdachlos zu werden. Das Ende ist für die Hauptfigur offen und für mein Empfinden ist das sehr passend. Denn obwohl man ihr ein Happy End gewünscht hätte, hätte dies das Glück überstrapaziert, nachdem sie mit nur ihren Kleidern am Leib ein neues Leben angefangen hatte. Ich gebe diesem Buch 3 Sterne.

[Chiara Santoianni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coventry Lambert, sposata Dakin, a dispetto del nome originale (e della bellezza straordinaria, di cui è consapevole) è una donna come tante altre: ha messo al mondo due figli, John e Mary, con l'uomo della sua vita, sposato a 18 anni; con lui trascorre un'esistenza sommessa, accontentandosi del ruolo di moglie, madre, casalinga. Finché un giorno un evento inaspettato la costringe a un atto di cui non si sarebbe mai considerata capace: uccidere il suo vicino di casa, per giunta con un'arma del delitto assai inusuale: un bambolotto Action Man. Da quel momento, la vita per Coventry non sarà mai più la stessa, e si ritroverà, fuggitiva, a compiere altre azioni che non avrebbe mai immaginato di fare, in compagnia dei personaggi più improbabili che si possano incontrare per Londra, e forse in un romanzo. Sue Townsend, dopo la mitica, fortunatissima, serie di Adrian Mole, ci regala un libro diverso, paradossale nella trama come tutti i suoi scritti, un po' amaro però; un libro in cui gli uomini e le donne sono due mondi diversi e quasi sempre inconciliabili, in cui la famiglia è un conforto ma anche un fardello, in cui la giustizia potrebbe esistere, ma di fatto non c'è. Da leggere subito, per tutti i fan della Townsend; da leggere dopo la serie di Adrian Mole, per gli altri.

[SecondStar · Rating 4 out of 5]

28.06.2019
I have never read anything like this book, and am startled by how easy it was to read, yet the complexity in which lies beneath the comedy.
I realised in the last few pages, when Derek (the husband) is talking about all the women around him going mad, that this book is about the oppression of women, no more and no less, and how women take there power, or do not access it.
I am a little embarrassed that I didn’t notice this earlier, but this single realisation has left me stunned and made me rethink the entire story.
It was fun, easy to read, and just startling enough that it made you think hard about people.
I’m glad I randomly found this book.

[Beáta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Vidám Könyvek sorozatban jelent meg a könyv, de én annyira vidámnak nem találtam, ettől függetlenül tetszett. A humora elég sajátságos.
Coventry miután megöli az erőszakos szomszédját, Londonba menekül és az utcán él. Jó érzés volt, hogy olyan londoni helyszíneket említett, ahol tavaly volt szerencsém járni. Szinte kedvem támadt, hogy újra ellátogassak Londonba (no nem ebben a vírusos időszakban).
Érdekes volt elképzelnem, hogy mi történik egy átlagos, normális életet élő nővel, mikor körözötté válik egyik percről a másikra.

[Beth Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 / 5 I don't know why, but the first time i picked this up about 3 weeks ago I got bored after the third page. But then I read it again this week and I loved it from beginning to end (probably had to be in a certain mood to read it!).
It has the typical Townsend tone of voice and the phrases she uses in most of her other books (consumer durables haha), along with some colourful characters. This is must-read for any Townsend fan.

[Red · Rating 2 out of 5]

Нормально, динамично, можно размышлять тут на темы морали, свободы, устройства общества и нищеты, но нет.
Наверняка найдется не одна сотня или даже тысяча книг, которые следует прочитать до, но если вас тоже гипнотизирует набор слогов в "Ковентри", то это неизбежность.
Я знала, что буду её читать, как только услышала название. Язык не совершает абсолютно никаких шажков вниз по нёбу, но оторваться загипнотизированно не выходит, и рука открывает книгу. Ко-вен-три.

[David Robert Bloomer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice read, with some interesting characters

Another enjoyable read from Sue Townsend. A good cast of characters. I found some of the action just seemed to get dropped but this is only a slight niggle. I'd recommend this book , especially if you like Adrian Mole as there is a lot about him at the end of the novel. Not in anyway involved in this story.

[Majken Nilsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not at all line her Adrian Mole dairies, Rebuilding Coventry was an interesting read. Was expecting a bit more humor than what was in this book, based on others I have read. Instead it was almost like reading and Townsend’s personal challenge to write something completely different than her other novels. Not bad; just not my favorite compared to the Adrian Mole series.

[Tanya Bartley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite being first published in 1988 during Thatcher’s Britain, the book remains relevant today. It’s astonishing and depressing that the social problems highlighted in the novel still persist. But they do. Townsend’s greatest strength lies in her ability to address these issues with wit, humour and humanity. Better than any of her Mole books. My favourite of her books.

[Stevie Harlem · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a riveting start, diving into suspense immediately. You kept being taken through a high pace story for the next few chapters but eventually, the ending left me a little dissatisfied, still wondering what would be next, as I also felt the story could've continued for a bit longer. Writing is good and Ms. Townsend manages to make you smile every now and then, especially when Coventry has to stay with a few odd folks.

[Elsa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Sue Townsend, but my opinion is that this novel hasn’t aged as well as Adrian Mole or The Queen and I, which I could reread forever. I found the random plot details too reminiscent of the lesser, earlier Fay Weldon novels, being whimsical and slightly odd rather than a satire. DNF after the first couple of chapters.

[DomBlack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was clearly an earlier work of Townsend - you can see her development between here and her later work. While it's not as polished it's still very good.

As with the Woman Who Went to Bed for A Year, it’s not as good as Adrian, but it’s still very good, very funny and the characters are very relatable.

I raced through this short book. It was very readable and very funny.