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Work in Progress: The untold story of the Crawley Writers' Group, compiled by Peter, writer
They've all got a book in them, unfortunately.
In December 2016, Julia Greengage, aspiring writer and resting actor, puts up a poster in her local library inviting people to join a new writers' group. The group will exchange constructive feedback and 'generally share in the pains and pleasures of this excruciating yet exhilarating endeavour we call Literature'.
Seven people, each in their own way a bit of a work in progress, heed the call.
There’s Keith, a mercenary sci-fi geek who can write 5,000 words before breakfast and would sell his mother for a book deal. Tom, a suburban lothario with an embarrassing secret. Peter, a conceptual artist whose main goal in life is to make everyone else feel uncomfortable. Alice, who’s been working on her opening sentence for over nine months. Jon, a faded muso with a UFO complex. Blue, whose doom-laden poems include ‘Electrocuted Angel in the Headlights of My Dead Lover’s Eye Sockets’ and the notorious ‘Kitten on a Fatberg’. And Mavinder, who sadly couldn’t make the first meeting. Or the second. But promises to come to the next one…
Soon, under Julia's watchful eye, the budding writers are meeting every month to read out their work and indulge each other's dreams of getting published. But it’s not long before the group's idiosyncrasies and insecurities begin to appear. Feuds, rivalries and even romance are on the cards – not to mention an exploding sheep's head, a cosplay stalker, and an alien mothership invasion. They’re all on a journey, and God help the rest of us.
A novel-in-emails about seven eccentric writers, written by three quite odd ones, Work in Progress is a very British farce about loneliness, friendship and the ache of literary obscurity.
In December 2016, Julia Greengage, aspiring writer and resting actor, puts up a poster in her local library inviting people to join a new writers' group. The group will exchange constructive feedback and 'generally share in the pains and pleasures of this excruciating yet exhilarating endeavour we call Literature'.
Seven people, each in their own way a bit of a work in progress, heed the call.
There’s Keith, a mercenary sci-fi geek who can write 5,000 words before breakfast and would sell his mother for a book deal. Tom, a suburban lothario with an embarrassing secret. Peter, a conceptual artist whose main goal in life is to make everyone else feel uncomfortable. Alice, who’s been working on her opening sentence for over nine months. Jon, a faded muso with a UFO complex. Blue, whose doom-laden poems include ‘Electrocuted Angel in the Headlights of My Dead Lover’s Eye Sockets’ and the notorious ‘Kitten on a Fatberg’. And Mavinder, who sadly couldn’t make the first meeting. Or the second. But promises to come to the next one…
Soon, under Julia's watchful eye, the budding writers are meeting every month to read out their work and indulge each other's dreams of getting published. But it’s not long before the group's idiosyncrasies and insecurities begin to appear. Feuds, rivalries and even romance are on the cards – not to mention an exploding sheep's head, a cosplay stalker, and an alien mothership invasion. They’re all on a journey, and God help the rest of us.
A novel-in-emails about seven eccentric writers, written by three quite odd ones, Work in Progress is a very British farce about loneliness, friendship and the ache of literary obscurity.
272 pages, Paperback
Published June 24, 2021
3 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
June 23, 2021
Hilarious. At a time when the world is in pandemic chaos following Brexit chaos, this book is a beacon of light in the darkness (I hope that is/is not too pretentious). In the spirit of the novel I am going to write in the style of the Crawley Writers Group. If I ever thought about joining a writer’s group I hope/dread that they would all be as mad as this lot.
Dear Peter
You are not misunderstood and unappreciated. You are simply a pretentious twat. And I’m not sure all that secret recording is actually legal.
Hey Jon
There are no aliens living in the sky or UFOs coming to rescue you. Get over it and keep taking the tablets or in your case probably stop taking the illegal substances. And as far as rebooting the rock band of the seventies, l should leave that elderly rockers thing to The Rolling Stones.
Hey Keith
I think maybe 4.5 million words, many of which are in a made-up language, is (are?) about 4.3 million too many. Can I have a Bink badge please at a hugely discounted price? Of course I can’t.
Dear Blue
Somewhere deep inside that Goth exterior is a really nice person desperately to trying to get out. I think I might be your friend.
Dear Alice
The Sentence has become a life sentence. Ditch it and realise that everything else you write is really rather good. Writers write. Everything else is procrastination. And keep blogging.
Hey Tomcat
A writer’s group is for writers to exchange ideas, not for perverts to pick up women. It can only end in disaster or the police coming round.
Hi Mavinder
Who are you? Where are you? Do you even exist?
And finally:
Dear Julia
I’m sure you are a beautiful person (both inside and out) with a beautiful house and beautiful clothes, the world’s biggest selection of canapes, more than one chimenea and a kidney-shaped infinity pool (how does that work?). Unfortunately, your ego is bigger than your talent, but no worries, talent is no requisite for success (you only have to watch reality TV) and I’m sure you will be the talk of the town.
This book is the most fun I have had reading in ages. It is so good and so funny. I wish there was more to come.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the authors and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.
Dear Peter
You are not misunderstood and unappreciated. You are simply a pretentious twat. And I’m not sure all that secret recording is actually legal.
Hey Jon
There are no aliens living in the sky or UFOs coming to rescue you. Get over it and keep taking the tablets or in your case probably stop taking the illegal substances. And as far as rebooting the rock band of the seventies, l should leave that elderly rockers thing to The Rolling Stones.
Hey Keith
I think maybe 4.5 million words, many of which are in a made-up language, is (are?) about 4.3 million too many. Can I have a Bink badge please at a hugely discounted price? Of course I can’t.
Dear Blue
Somewhere deep inside that Goth exterior is a really nice person desperately to trying to get out. I think I might be your friend.
Dear Alice
The Sentence has become a life sentence. Ditch it and realise that everything else you write is really rather good. Writers write. Everything else is procrastination. And keep blogging.
Hey Tomcat
A writer’s group is for writers to exchange ideas, not for perverts to pick up women. It can only end in disaster or the police coming round.
Hi Mavinder
Who are you? Where are you? Do you even exist?
And finally:
Dear Julia
I’m sure you are a beautiful person (both inside and out) with a beautiful house and beautiful clothes, the world’s biggest selection of canapes, more than one chimenea and a kidney-shaped infinity pool (how does that work?). Unfortunately, your ego is bigger than your talent, but no worries, talent is no requisite for success (you only have to watch reality TV) and I’m sure you will be the talk of the town.
This book is the most fun I have had reading in ages. It is so good and so funny. I wish there was more to come.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the authors and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.
June 26, 2021
This is an unusual book, hilarious and bonkers, but well worth the read!
Easy to fly through, the characters, who all seem as if they belong in a secure psychiatric unit, are cleverly drawn caricatures of different personalities brought together by a common thread, they are WRITERS.
Set in and around Crawley, West Sussex, Julia, privileged, moneyed and a bit part actress in Midsomer Murders, decides to start up a writing group.
The entire novel is a series of emails sent to the group as a whole and from individual to individual.
Warning: don't eat or drink anything whilst reading Work In Progress! I couldn't stop laughing out loud and spluttering at the very funny, wildly ridiculous antics and egos of this small and select group.
You will love to be irritated by them, I certainly was.
We have a lonely plagiarist seeking plenty of time with the women of the group, a prolific writer of fantasy novels with a language all of its own, a believer that there are alien life forces out there watching him (and the rest of society), a highly egocentric, preposterously pretentious philosopher whose gender appears to be fluid, a Goth like slit-your-wrists poet and another writer who cannot get beyond her first line. Known only as The Sentence, we know there is a salad, with olives, and a waiter with a limp, but everything else is rejected, deleted, reworked and unwritten!
Oh and how could I forget, a member who actually never turns up and whose emails simply apologise alongside another new excuse.
Tensions abound as we are treated to discovering how each meet played out (with bizarre, eye rolling, uproarious developments) until we reach the climax. A Channel 4 documentary filmed in Julia's lavish home with the group present, if not mentally correct. In keeping with the documentary style, the epilogue catches up with each group member, artist, author, aspiring literary megastar, to reveal a 'where are they now' resume of their current activities and achievements, creatively and personally.
A clever comedy , a refreshing read, and one I will not forget.
Easy to fly through, the characters, who all seem as if they belong in a secure psychiatric unit, are cleverly drawn caricatures of different personalities brought together by a common thread, they are WRITERS.
Set in and around Crawley, West Sussex, Julia, privileged, moneyed and a bit part actress in Midsomer Murders, decides to start up a writing group.
The entire novel is a series of emails sent to the group as a whole and from individual to individual.
Warning: don't eat or drink anything whilst reading Work In Progress! I couldn't stop laughing out loud and spluttering at the very funny, wildly ridiculous antics and egos of this small and select group.
You will love to be irritated by them, I certainly was.
We have a lonely plagiarist seeking plenty of time with the women of the group, a prolific writer of fantasy novels with a language all of its own, a believer that there are alien life forces out there watching him (and the rest of society), a highly egocentric, preposterously pretentious philosopher whose gender appears to be fluid, a Goth like slit-your-wrists poet and another writer who cannot get beyond her first line. Known only as The Sentence, we know there is a salad, with olives, and a waiter with a limp, but everything else is rejected, deleted, reworked and unwritten!
Oh and how could I forget, a member who actually never turns up and whose emails simply apologise alongside another new excuse.
Tensions abound as we are treated to discovering how each meet played out (with bizarre, eye rolling, uproarious developments) until we reach the climax. A Channel 4 documentary filmed in Julia's lavish home with the group present, if not mentally correct. In keeping with the documentary style, the epilogue catches up with each group member, artist, author, aspiring literary megastar, to reveal a 'where are they now' resume of their current activities and achievements, creatively and personally.
A clever comedy , a refreshing read, and one I will not forget.
June 23, 2021
Thank you Pigeonhole for the chance to read this one. Definitely 5 stars.
What a brilliant, funny, clever and unique book. Such an easy read that although it all wraps up at the end, you are left wanting more!
The book is written mostly as emails from a writers group to each other. The group have meet ups and we learn about the meetings events through emails sent afterwards.
Each writer has a unique style and it was so fun getting to know them and see their true characters come through.
This book has everything drama, romance, mystery and even surprise twists! Honestly whats not to like!
What a brilliant, funny, clever and unique book. Such an easy read that although it all wraps up at the end, you are left wanting more!
The book is written mostly as emails from a writers group to each other. The group have meet ups and we learn about the meetings events through emails sent afterwards.
Each writer has a unique style and it was so fun getting to know them and see their true characters come through.
This book has everything drama, romance, mystery and even surprise twists! Honestly whats not to like!
June 27, 2021
Absolutely hilarious modern epistolary novel, which is told entirely through the email exchanges of a writers’ group in Crawley.
These are not people you would want to hang out with in real life. There’s a fantasy writer with a penchant for monetising everything, a slightly depressive vegan writer of angst-driven poetry, a writer who has been working in an opening sentence forever and some other totally weird people, but the writing makes them somehow endearing (ish).
Very funny, madcap adventures which culminate in a documentary I’d love to watch.
Great stuff.
These are not people you would want to hang out with in real life. There’s a fantasy writer with a penchant for monetising everything, a slightly depressive vegan writer of angst-driven poetry, a writer who has been working in an opening sentence forever and some other totally weird people, but the writing makes them somehow endearing (ish).
Very funny, madcap adventures which culminate in a documentary I’d love to watch.
Great stuff.
June 23, 2021
Read this for free on The Pigeonhole and leaving an honest review. I really enjoyed it. Told in the form of emails within a fictional writing group. Some really quirky, over-the-top characters you wouldn't want to meet in real life. It captures the agonies of the writing community perfectly. Even though it was highly character driven, it also had a bonkers plot. Kept my fellow pigeons howling. I would recommend it if you are suffering from a reading slup as it's very light, yet clever and keeps you gripped.
June 24, 2021
This was such a refreshing read. Presented in the form of a series of emails we meet the most unlikely bunch of people brought together for a writing group. I've not laughed my way though a book for a long time. If you're looking for something a bit quirky and different to read then this is the book for you.
September 1, 2021
As a member of a writing group, Work in Progress, by Dan Brotzel, Martin Jenkins and Alex Woolf, naturally jumped out at me as something I should read. This book is a lot of fun, though I must say I’m glad nobody at Colchester WriteNight is anywhere near as out-there or lacking in self-awareness as any of the characters!
The story is written as emails between Julia, Keith, Tom, Peter, Alice, Jon, Blue and Mavinder, which makes it quite a speedy read that gives you lots of opportunities to see how relationships develop within the group, with some of its members meeting outside of sessions, both romantically and platonically. Every character has something going on for them, and the authors dial their personalities and problems up to 11 for maximum humour.
Over the course of the book, we watch tensions mount between the writers until the big finale - a session at Julia’s house that’s being filmed for a Channel 4 documentary. This part of the novel is presented as a transcript that provides a blow-by-blow account of a surprising and hilarious evening where the less sincere members of the group show their true colours and there are revelations galore.
The character I related to the most was Alice. While I’ve never spent nine months agonising over a sentence, I can only seem to write when instructed to, but nonetheless like to think of myself as a writer, and relate to writerly experiences.
I found Keith the most entertaining character. None of the writers are at all self-aware, to the point that they don’t even realise when antagonist Peter is mocking them, but Keith’s belief in the popularity and marketability of his ever-expanding sci-fi series is something to behold, and I enjoyed his attempts at creating a language for his world and selling his books and merchandise at every opportunity.
Work in Progress is an enjoyable and funny novel about a group of eccentric writers.
The story is written as emails between Julia, Keith, Tom, Peter, Alice, Jon, Blue and Mavinder, which makes it quite a speedy read that gives you lots of opportunities to see how relationships develop within the group, with some of its members meeting outside of sessions, both romantically and platonically. Every character has something going on for them, and the authors dial their personalities and problems up to 11 for maximum humour.
Over the course of the book, we watch tensions mount between the writers until the big finale - a session at Julia’s house that’s being filmed for a Channel 4 documentary. This part of the novel is presented as a transcript that provides a blow-by-blow account of a surprising and hilarious evening where the less sincere members of the group show their true colours and there are revelations galore.
The character I related to the most was Alice. While I’ve never spent nine months agonising over a sentence, I can only seem to write when instructed to, but nonetheless like to think of myself as a writer, and relate to writerly experiences.
I found Keith the most entertaining character. None of the writers are at all self-aware, to the point that they don’t even realise when antagonist Peter is mocking them, but Keith’s belief in the popularity and marketability of his ever-expanding sci-fi series is something to behold, and I enjoyed his attempts at creating a language for his world and selling his books and merchandise at every opportunity.
Work in Progress is an enjoyable and funny novel about a group of eccentric writers.
July 11, 2021
Such an easy read, and one that had me giggling throughout.
We follow a group of writers through emails, both to the group and some privately between members. This eclectic group would in both way be friends outside of the group, and it shows with just how different they all are. A couple do meet up outside of the group, with hilarious results (the night in the hotel before comic con being the one that sticks in my mind the most!) that mean you can’t help but wonder just how these people get through day to day life.
It was great to follow this group through the trials of trying to write their own work, as well as the trials of being thrust together with people they didn’t particularly like, and to also see that they either didn’t understand or didn’t want to see some of the sarcastic comments that were pointed towards them.
Reading this book was so easy, and such a different type of book with it all being written in email form. Although it sounds like it won’t work, in this case it absolutely does. I loved every minute of this, and could have read so many more pages of it!
Thank you to Dan Brotzel, Martin Jenkins, Alex Woolf and Pigeonhole for allowing me to read this beautifully written and extremely mad book, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
We follow a group of writers through emails, both to the group and some privately between members. This eclectic group would in both way be friends outside of the group, and it shows with just how different they all are. A couple do meet up outside of the group, with hilarious results (the night in the hotel before comic con being the one that sticks in my mind the most!) that mean you can’t help but wonder just how these people get through day to day life.
It was great to follow this group through the trials of trying to write their own work, as well as the trials of being thrust together with people they didn’t particularly like, and to also see that they either didn’t understand or didn’t want to see some of the sarcastic comments that were pointed towards them.
Reading this book was so easy, and such a different type of book with it all being written in email form. Although it sounds like it won’t work, in this case it absolutely does. I loved every minute of this, and could have read so many more pages of it!
Thank you to Dan Brotzel, Martin Jenkins, Alex Woolf and Pigeonhole for allowing me to read this beautifully written and extremely mad book, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
June 25, 2021
This was a funny, clever book that made me laugh out loud a few times. What more can you want in a pandemic? It was written so skilfully, and with the amount of writers, it was also seamless. As I have previously belonged to a writer’s group I found myself on familiar territory. The personalities that make up any group are often so different it’s a wonder they have anything in common.
The book is written as emails between participants of the writer’s group. It was easy to work out their personalities from the flavour of their words. I didn’t expect the romance that builds throughout the book and it was hilarious to read. There were also unexpected twists which were pleasant and welcome.
If the writer’s group I joined was half as much fun as this one I might still be a member. It was a brilliant, thoughtful read that was extremely welcome in these days full of misery. I hope there is a follow-up.
The book is written as emails between participants of the writer’s group. It was easy to work out their personalities from the flavour of their words. I didn’t expect the romance that builds throughout the book and it was hilarious to read. There were also unexpected twists which were pleasant and welcome.
If the writer’s group I joined was half as much fun as this one I might still be a member. It was a brilliant, thoughtful read that was extremely welcome in these days full of misery. I hope there is a follow-up.
June 28, 2021
This story of a writers group, told via their email exchanges, is an easy, funny read.
At first I wasn't sure how much "action" we would get if it was all told in emails. However, the authors manage to incorporate action from physical group meet ups by having characters apologise, ask for clarity, recap or otherwise re-tell events in a subtle but effective way.
The characters are all bonkers but their traits come through loud and clear, and it is a funny farce by the end of the novel.
Thoroughly recommend if you are looking for a funny book to fly through.
Thanks to the authors and The Pigeonhole for access to the book in daily staves.
At first I wasn't sure how much "action" we would get if it was all told in emails. However, the authors manage to incorporate action from physical group meet ups by having characters apologise, ask for clarity, recap or otherwise re-tell events in a subtle but effective way.
The characters are all bonkers but their traits come through loud and clear, and it is a funny farce by the end of the novel.
Thoroughly recommend if you are looking for a funny book to fly through.
Thanks to the authors and The Pigeonhole for access to the book in daily staves.
August 31, 2021
This book was so cleverly written, imaginative and funny.
The story is of a group of very different people who have come together because of their love of writing. However, there are many things that happen along the way that make for some very enjoyable, laugh-inducing reading.
There are several different storylines that are all slightly bizarre and eccentric, just like the characters! 😂 The ending was one thing after another that made me laugh in one way or another.
Well written and fun 😊
The story is of a group of very different people who have come together because of their love of writing. However, there are many things that happen along the way that make for some very enjoyable, laugh-inducing reading.
There are several different storylines that are all slightly bizarre and eccentric, just like the characters! 😂 The ending was one thing after another that made me laugh in one way or another.
Well written and fun 😊
July 4, 2021
Absolutely hilarious and a bit bonkers, but an all around good read! I’ve waited a good 2 years since pledging on Unbound for it and I was not disappointed! If ever you wanted to read a story about an insane writing group, this would be it!
June 23, 2021
Review to follow...
June 24, 2021
This is such a laugh-out-loud, wonderful read.
Thanks to Pigeonhole for the chance to read this.
Thanks to Pigeonhole for the chance to read this.
June 24, 2021
This is just so over-the-top, and gets funnier as it progresses to its climax. The use of emails as an insight into the writers' characters and quirks is different and works well in this book. I think the authors must have had such fun developing their characters and their relationships. My thanks to the Pigeonhole and to Dan Brotzel, Martin Jenkins, Alex Woolf for such a light-hearted experience. I loved it.
June 25, 2021
Easy to read and in an enjoyable format of emails but I just didn’t warm to this book as much as I thought I would. I didn’t like any of the characters and found some of them really annoying but that was probably half the point.
July 3, 2021
Didn't finish it
June 24, 2021
Didn’t find it to be ‘hilarious’ or even mildly funny but then my sense of humour goes in a different direction.
I found the characters to be pretentious, annoying, downright ridiculous or a combination of all three.
The style of the book makes it easy to read but it wasn’t really for me.
Thanks to pigeonhole for the chance to read it.
I found the characters to be pretentious, annoying, downright ridiculous or a combination of all three.
The style of the book makes it easy to read but it wasn’t really for me.
Thanks to pigeonhole for the chance to read it.
June 24, 2021
4.5⭐️ A very funny book written entirely in emails starring a cast of the maddest characters you could ever meet (or everybody has met at least one of these people in their lifetime).
Thanks to the authors and Pigeonhole for putting a smile on my face.
Thanks to the authors and Pigeonhole for putting a smile on my face.
June 25, 2021
Really funny
June 30, 2021
Work in Progress is a joyous romp of a book. It tells the story of a writing group from Crawley through the unique method of email correspondence. It’s told from all members perspectives as they meet throughout a year to discuss their works in progress but it is so much more than that.
It’s funny, quirky and the characters draw you in quickly. A funny book not to be missed.
It’s funny, quirky and the characters draw you in quickly. A funny book not to be missed.
June 24, 2021
Review to follow
August 30, 2021
This was pure comedy gold & all told through the power of email. The characters were such a farcical bunch & they all had their own quirky personalities & traits which unfolded as the book progressed. I really enjoyed reading it & was disappointed when it finished.
July 25, 2021
If a group like this exists, I want to join it.
I loved this book. I loved the format - emails sent to members of a newly formed writers group to each other individually and as a whole. It worked really well to bring out the quirkiness of each character, even the one that never turned up to physical meetings.
I loved getting to know each member and the development of each person's relationship with the others. Of course their writing is also showcased whether bizarre, obscure or half finished, all cleverly individualised.
If you want a light, hilarious read, and to be entertained by a group of the wackiest people one could ever encounter, then you just have to read this.
Dan, Martin and Alex have the talent, imagination and skill to pull off a format that would, in lesser hands, fail. I hope they are working on more stories, of Crawley writers' Group.
I loved this book. I loved the format - emails sent to members of a newly formed writers group to each other individually and as a whole. It worked really well to bring out the quirkiness of each character, even the one that never turned up to physical meetings.
I loved getting to know each member and the development of each person's relationship with the others. Of course their writing is also showcased whether bizarre, obscure or half finished, all cleverly individualised.
If you want a light, hilarious read, and to be entertained by a group of the wackiest people one could ever encounter, then you just have to read this.
Dan, Martin and Alex have the talent, imagination and skill to pull off a format that would, in lesser hands, fail. I hope they are working on more stories, of Crawley writers' Group.
August 19, 2024
I really enjoyed this. It's an entertaining read. As someone who tries to write from time to time I'm guilty of being an Alice. This was a good little nudge for me to try and break that cycle. It's really a 3.5 stars from me.
September 3, 2021
𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀
𝗕𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘁𝘇𝗲𝗹, 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝗲𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗪𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗳
4⭐
A huge thank you to @annecater14 @unbounders for my #gifted copy of this book for @randomthingstour
This is an absolute brilliant, funny and easy read and I definitely think everyone needs to read this just to have fun!
Work in Progress is the untold story of The Crawley Writer's Group. Every writer involved is explainer through emails, which I absolutely adored and it made you fly through the book ever so quickly.
We follow 8 writers in this story, Julia Greengage, (who is the one behind this group) aspiring writer and resting actor, whose very much made of money and extremely posh. Julia likes to talk about all the things and places she's been too. Then there is Keith, a mercenary sci-fi geek who can write 5,000 words before breakfast and would sell his mother for a book deal. Tom, a suburban lothario with an embarrassing secret. Peter, a conceptual artist whose main goal in life is to make everyone else feel uncomfortable. Alice, who hass been working on her opening sentence for over nine months. Jon, a faded muso with a UFO complex. Blue, whose doom-laden poems include Electrocuted Angel in the Headlights of My Dead Lovers Eye Sockets and the notorious Kitten on a Fatberg . And Mavinder, who sadly couldn t make the first meeting. Or the second. But promises to come to the next one.
Under Julia's watchful eye these writers meet up once a month and talk all things writing. We have feuds, personality clashes, fights, romance, ufos, sheep explosions and cosplay dress ups. Each character brings a complete personality and I couldn't help but love and hate them equally. Every meet up has some kind of drama (mainly Peter being a mean sod!) Work in Progress isn't just a writers group though, it's a place to combat loneliness, to make friendships and to be aspiring writers.
This is one bizzare book but its brilliant. It's so funny and the easy layout makes you breeze through the book easily. Definitely a fantastic book to pick up when you just need a good old chuckle and some fun.
𝗕𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘁𝘇𝗲𝗹, 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝗲𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗪𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗳
4⭐
A huge thank you to @annecater14 @unbounders for my #gifted copy of this book for @randomthingstour
This is an absolute brilliant, funny and easy read and I definitely think everyone needs to read this just to have fun!
Work in Progress is the untold story of The Crawley Writer's Group. Every writer involved is explainer through emails, which I absolutely adored and it made you fly through the book ever so quickly.
We follow 8 writers in this story, Julia Greengage, (who is the one behind this group) aspiring writer and resting actor, whose very much made of money and extremely posh. Julia likes to talk about all the things and places she's been too. Then there is Keith, a mercenary sci-fi geek who can write 5,000 words before breakfast and would sell his mother for a book deal. Tom, a suburban lothario with an embarrassing secret. Peter, a conceptual artist whose main goal in life is to make everyone else feel uncomfortable. Alice, who hass been working on her opening sentence for over nine months. Jon, a faded muso with a UFO complex. Blue, whose doom-laden poems include Electrocuted Angel in the Headlights of My Dead Lovers Eye Sockets and the notorious Kitten on a Fatberg . And Mavinder, who sadly couldn t make the first meeting. Or the second. But promises to come to the next one.
Under Julia's watchful eye these writers meet up once a month and talk all things writing. We have feuds, personality clashes, fights, romance, ufos, sheep explosions and cosplay dress ups. Each character brings a complete personality and I couldn't help but love and hate them equally. Every meet up has some kind of drama (mainly Peter being a mean sod!) Work in Progress isn't just a writers group though, it's a place to combat loneliness, to make friendships and to be aspiring writers.
This is one bizzare book but its brilliant. It's so funny and the easy layout makes you breeze through the book easily. Definitely a fantastic book to pick up when you just need a good old chuckle and some fun.
July 17, 2021
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Work in Progress is a marvelously funny "behind-the-scenes" story of the fictional Crawley Writers' Group told entirely in emails. Released 24th June 2021, it's 272 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately; it makes it so easy to find information with the search function.
This is a genuinely humorous novel which actually surprised me into laughter at several points. It's witty and acerbic and lampoons the archetypal characters so exquisitely that ribbing never shaded over into cruelty and I spent the entire read (in one glorious session) giggling out loud. There's a moneyed diva (with IMDB credits on Midsomer Murders) hosting an ensemble of oddballs, misfits, and an angsty poet. The tagline "They've all got a book in them, unfortunately." sums the whole up pretty succinctly.
I enjoyed this one enormously. The epistolary format suited the book perfectly and was a brilliant choice. It's presented in such a deadpan factual manner that it took me a while to ascertain if it really was fiction or a tie-in to an actual writers' group. For anyone who has ever enjoyed mockumentaries like This Is Spinal Tap or All You Need is Cash this one has a lot to offer. Very funny.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Work in Progress is a marvelously funny "behind-the-scenes" story of the fictional Crawley Writers' Group told entirely in emails. Released 24th June 2021, it's 272 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately; it makes it so easy to find information with the search function.
This is a genuinely humorous novel which actually surprised me into laughter at several points. It's witty and acerbic and lampoons the archetypal characters so exquisitely that ribbing never shaded over into cruelty and I spent the entire read (in one glorious session) giggling out loud. There's a moneyed diva (with IMDB credits on Midsomer Murders) hosting an ensemble of oddballs, misfits, and an angsty poet. The tagline "They've all got a book in them, unfortunately." sums the whole up pretty succinctly.
I enjoyed this one enormously. The epistolary format suited the book perfectly and was a brilliant choice. It's presented in such a deadpan factual manner that it took me a while to ascertain if it really was fiction or a tie-in to an actual writers' group. For anyone who has ever enjoyed mockumentaries like This Is Spinal Tap or All You Need is Cash this one has a lot to offer. Very funny.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
July 12, 2021
“I am in shock, as perhaps we all are, after the business with the sheep.” -From Work in Progress
3.5 stars
When I opened the book and learned that this story was told through e-mails, I about died. I started questioning every path that led me to this moment, about to attempt to read an e-mail book. Why don’t I read summaries more carefully and fully? I swore I would from this point on. Alas, full of dismay I started, sure it was going to be a horrible slog to get through.
Luckily, that is not the case. It isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Would the story be better in a different format? YES. But it is what it is. I’m sure there is a (small?) selection of readers who would find it fun and quirky. The characters are almost comically caricatures, designed to be funny in the way that they are so extreme. Sometimes it is successful, other times (mostly Peter, writer probably) it falls flat. It cumulates into a narration of a TV segment the group does of one of their meetings. Alright. Oddly enough I found what weren’t e-mails the weakest part. I would like to know how to sign up for Blue’s Beet Box.
I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars
When I opened the book and learned that this story was told through e-mails, I about died. I started questioning every path that led me to this moment, about to attempt to read an e-mail book. Why don’t I read summaries more carefully and fully? I swore I would from this point on. Alas, full of dismay I started, sure it was going to be a horrible slog to get through.
Luckily, that is not the case. It isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Would the story be better in a different format? YES. But it is what it is. I’m sure there is a (small?) selection of readers who would find it fun and quirky. The characters are almost comically caricatures, designed to be funny in the way that they are so extreme. Sometimes it is successful, other times (mostly Peter, writer probably) it falls flat. It cumulates into a narration of a TV segment the group does of one of their meetings. Alright. Oddly enough I found what weren’t e-mails the weakest part. I would like to know how to sign up for Blue’s Beet Box.
I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 30, 2021
Thank you to the author, publishers Unbound and online book club Pigeonhole for access to read this book for free. This is an honest and voluntary review.
This was such a fun read. Ridiculous, over the top, but lots of fun. The story is almost wholly told through emails exchanged between the main characters (with the end being the script of a short documentary). I was worried at first that the format might be too restrictive, but actually it always felt like an asset to the storytelling rather than a barrier.
The emails are exchanges between the members of the newly formed Crawley Writer’s Group, eight (although only seven actually go to group meetings) people brought together by their literary ambitions. Each of them bring a very different style from Keith’s prolific writing of epic fantasy worlds to Alice who faces a seemingly eternal struggle to compose the perfect first sentence of her planned story.
It’s wonderful how the authors convey these eight different characters just through the emails they write. They do meet in person as well, but we only see these meetings through the emails as different members of the group recap what happened in an email of thanks or thinly veiled criticism of the contributions given at each meeting. There are also the direct emails between different group members engaging in some off-topic discussions, with the obligatory accidental reply all email to reveal something which was meant to be a secret between two of them.
Romance, intrigue, book deals, dead sheep and fantasy conventions all keep the plot rolling along. While I’d never want to be in the same room as any of these people for too long reading about them was a lot of fun.
This was such a fun read. Ridiculous, over the top, but lots of fun. The story is almost wholly told through emails exchanged between the main characters (with the end being the script of a short documentary). I was worried at first that the format might be too restrictive, but actually it always felt like an asset to the storytelling rather than a barrier.
The emails are exchanges between the members of the newly formed Crawley Writer’s Group, eight (although only seven actually go to group meetings) people brought together by their literary ambitions. Each of them bring a very different style from Keith’s prolific writing of epic fantasy worlds to Alice who faces a seemingly eternal struggle to compose the perfect first sentence of her planned story.
It’s wonderful how the authors convey these eight different characters just through the emails they write. They do meet in person as well, but we only see these meetings through the emails as different members of the group recap what happened in an email of thanks or thinly veiled criticism of the contributions given at each meeting. There are also the direct emails between different group members engaging in some off-topic discussions, with the obligatory accidental reply all email to reveal something which was meant to be a secret between two of them.
Romance, intrigue, book deals, dead sheep and fantasy conventions all keep the plot rolling along. While I’d never want to be in the same room as any of these people for too long reading about them was a lot of fun.
July 24, 2021
Hilarious and absurd … highly recommended
Work In Progress is a hugely comic telling of the lives and loves of the members of the Crawley Writers' Group and their quest for literary and artistic nirvana.
I am familiar with the work of Dan Brotzel from his excellent short stories (see 'Hotel du Jack') and here he has teamed with Martin Jenkins and Alex Woolf – I can only imagine how much fun their creative sessions must have been, albeit perhaps not involving such indignities as a severed sheep's skull dropping on their heads…
The book is quick reading, which is partly due to its format – a series of emails in date order – but is also due to the care that has gone into the writing (in particular the creation of the individual voices of the group members) and the close attention to detail to ensure that the concept works.
If you are in need of something to lift your spirits and distract you from the traumas of social distancing and face mask etiquette, then this is it.
Buy it.
Highly recommended.
Work In Progress is a hugely comic telling of the lives and loves of the members of the Crawley Writers' Group and their quest for literary and artistic nirvana.
I am familiar with the work of Dan Brotzel from his excellent short stories (see 'Hotel du Jack') and here he has teamed with Martin Jenkins and Alex Woolf – I can only imagine how much fun their creative sessions must have been, albeit perhaps not involving such indignities as a severed sheep's skull dropping on their heads…
The book is quick reading, which is partly due to its format – a series of emails in date order – but is also due to the care that has gone into the writing (in particular the creation of the individual voices of the group members) and the close attention to detail to ensure that the concept works.
If you are in need of something to lift your spirits and distract you from the traumas of social distancing and face mask etiquette, then this is it.
Buy it.
Highly recommended.
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