Einatmen, ausrasten. Niemand ist perfekt, aber mit 50 ist man verdammt nah dran

by Georgie Hall, Corinna Vierkant (Translator)

Und das nennt ihr die besten Jahre?

Eliza Finch ist fünfzig, kämpft mit Schweißausbrüchen, Wutanfällen, den Härten des Lebens mit drei Kindern und dem Gefühl, dass da doch noch mal was kommen muss – wenn sie nachts wach liegt, hat sie dummerweise Zeit, darüber nachzudenken. Ihre Karriere als Schauspielerin kann man nicht mal als gescheitert bezeichnen, sie hat einfach nie begonnen. Jetzt liest sie erotische Hörbücher ein und ist bei jeder Familienfeier der Running Joke. Ihr Mann Paddy ist die Liebe ihres Lebens, aber nach zwanzig Jahren ist eben auch hier der Lack ab. Als sich Eliza einmal mehr in eine peinliche Situation verstrickt, bricht sie einfach aus. Allerdings halten Freiheit und Abenteuer einige Stolpersteine bereit …

»Georgie Hall hat eine brandneue, lustige und umwerfend ehrliche Stimme geschaffen, mit der man sich sofort identifizieren kann. Eine tolle Mischung aus Humor, Wärme und Offenheit!« Sophie Kinsella

Genres: Fiction

449 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2021

Reviews

[Ágnes Palásthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand I liked the plot and the heroine.On the other I found the heroines inner monologues too lengthy and, frankly, not very interesting. It felt a bit too much and I wanted to go on with the story itself. I was not very keen on the TED talks of Summer, the heroine's teenage daughter. They felt a bit like reading a pamphlet on MeToo etc. Which is very important, but not in a novel in this way. I could not warm towards Summer herself either. So, this book had excellent parts, but on the whole I was a little disappointed.

[Mrs J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our main character Eliza is a mum, daughter, sister, and wife who is finding menopausal life a bit tough.

As it's written in the first person, her experiences and thoughts are clear and oh so familiar. Many of us will know the changes you feel as a parent of growing children, the fear of your own parents' mortality, and the way others see aging women.

Woman of a Certain Rage made me laugh, made me sad, and as a lady of a similar age, I could identify with this on so many levels.

Although Eliza's "adventure" is maybe not something we will all get to experience, it's full of real life scenarios. The way that the little dog's death was dealt with was spot on and gave me misty eyes on several occasions remembering the loss of my own dog.

I love that autism features as a big part of the story and think it's important for neurotypical people to know more about it.

I'm pleased to find this was written by Fiona Walker, who has been a long time favourite author of mine. Once I realised this I could clearly see it was written in Fiona's tone.

Even though Eliza is a middle-aged woman, the story is bang up to date. It's written to include current culture and thoughts.

It also made me look up the meanings of heart emojis. Who knew? I just use them because the colours match the photo I'm sharing on Instagram 😂. I'll be more careful in future.

Thanks to @headofzeus @Netgalley and @georgiehalluk for the ARC

I find I'm wanting to read more books that have characters my age. Does anyone have any other recommendations?

[Tracey Wilde · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm afraid although I am menopausal at the moment I couldn't relate to this. I have most of her symptoms but it doesn't colour my whole life the way it does for the main character. I found the whole book so bleak. Everything was blamed on the menopause when actually lack of communication was the problem.
If they had all talked to one another honestly though there would have been no book !
Thank you Netgalley for the review copy but I'm afraid it wasn't for me.

[Iona Sharma · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could have been a funny, interesting book about middle age, the invisibility of womanhood and how menopause ought to take up much more literary space than it does. might even have been a gentle lampoon of teenage Gen-Zers and their social justice concerns! but no actually it's racist. Just that, just racist caricatures and and calling actual human people "oriental".

[Mae Lender · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiire, hoogne, humoorikas, õnneliku lõpuga romaan.

Teemaks, nagu kaaneltki aimata võib, menopaus ja sellega kaasnevad mured ja rõõmud. Jah, ka neid viimaseid leidub.

Tegelikult tuleb sel teemal harimine kõigile kasuks, ka siis, kui endal veel pikk tee minna või kui sind otseselt see ei puudutagi (oled näiteks mees või midagi muud sellesarnast).

[Laura Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh how this dragged on. I didn’t know there were quite so many ways to describe hot flushes. And if I hear the phrase ✨the change ✨ when referring to menopause again, I shall scream. Maybe it’s just me, but I found Eliza entirely solipsistic and about as 3 dimensional as Flat Stanley.

However, this book was worth reading alone for the way Eliza’s kids were written. The portrayal of Eliza’s autistic son Ed was both wonderfully realistic and sensitive and Summer was a surprising delight. Three stars for the kids, and none for poor old Eliza, whose descriptions of canal locks was more loving and detailed than those of her husband.

[F Begum · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

An enjoyable read covering the mid-life of Eliza and her endeavours whilst trying to reconnect with her younger self and bring back the things that made her happy.

Oh and she gets very sweaty doing so.

Would love to see what a sequel could bring about, but the writing felt drawn out at points, with Eliza's monologues going on for a bit longer than I cared for.

Overall, the main character is hard not to like - despite points where she goes on about her aversion to gen z, which honestly didn't bring much to the plot and could have been excluded altogether.

That said, I'd still be up for another book to see how the dynamics between the characters could change in the future!

[LindyLouMac · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Woman of a Certain Age' is the debut novel of Fiona Walker's alter ego Georgie Hall. As Fiona she writes multi character comedies, to my surprise I have only read one and that was in 1994, 'French Relations', her first published novel. Maybe I should rectify this!

Writing as Georgie she has produced a witty portrayal of the menopause, motherhood and marriage. The moral of this delightful read, set in the beautiful countryside surrounding Stratford upon Avon, is to make sure you shake your life up and don't on any account let the menopause drag you down.

Although we may not all experience such menopausal adventures as the protagonist Eliza, many readers will certainly identify with the real life scenarios, the marital ups and downs, teenage angst, autism and the death of a much loved family pet.

Some women suffer badly during the menopause, but many others don't, so if you read this and you are pre-menopausal just don't assume Eliza is the norm! Remember this is a comic romp and should not be taken too seriously. Recommended if you want a funny, mainly authentic and fairly light hearted read.

https://lindyloumacbookreviews.blogsp...

[Lucía · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sooo much fun with this one. LOL

[Miranda Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read! Very funny and yet emotional as the character comes to terms with her life through the menopause . It's a good story and somewhat believable ! I loved it!

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Head of Zeus and NetGalley for this book.
This is Fiona Walker writing under a different name
Oh god could I relate to some of this being 50 something and very menopausal but with no kids thankfully.
Life is in a rut for Eliza but she is wanting to free herself and change things and this is such a fun book, a bit of a slow starter but I loved it. Funny, enjoyable and a great read.
Definitely recommend .

[Frankie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly fun, heart-warming and very relatable!

This book has it all, it made me laugh so much I felt like crying, it's incredibly relatable, any woman can relate to this in some way, it's one of those books that even though there are few serious undercurrents running through it just makes you smile, it leaves you feeling incredibly happy and fills yours with joy. I loved the humour, and the wittiness which jumps off the page the characters are brilliantly written, I felt connected with them instantly, it's a joy to follow the journey.

There is so much to love about this book, it's what I would call a proper; for all women book no matter your stage in life there is something in the book which will have your thinking 'Oh, my Gawd I can totally relate' I loved it, I flew through the pages and literally read it in one weekend - which is pretty good ging with me as I am a notoriously slow reader but with this book, I couldn't put it down. I giggled my way through every page - yes, I was getting some weird looks, but who cares?!

A definite must-read!!

[Lobby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I wasn’t enjoying this as I’m not the target demographic, but regardless it’s a poorly written and overly long book.

The stereotypical characters have no depth or growth - commentary is peppered with racist and ableist comments. The novel feels poorly researched and for a piece that is supposedly feminist and social narrative on women’s aging, it got very tiring to constantly read how she felt that she was become “decrepit”. The protagonist consistently blamed everything going wrong on her menopause or other people rather than her constant lying, poor communication skills and lack of emotional maturity.

It could’ve challenged the pressure on older women more effectively and spent more time on character development than constant, sometimes unrelated, flashbacks.

It’s a quick and easy read, perhaps more suited to a couple of generations above myself who want something lighthearted.

[Elle Ellis Schiemer · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was NOT for me - I believe that life is what you make it. So if you go around whinging about everything and blaming everything that you dislike about your life on someone else, it is not surprising that you'll become miserable and slightly neurotic. I also found it difficult to relate to the super-privileged attitude. I got this as an audible, and out of 28 chapters, I made it to 12 before I decided it wasn't getting any better. It is rare that I don't finish a book, even if I don't like it I will usually read it to the end, but I just couldn't bear the negativity. Life is too short.

[Ly Leek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oeh! See oli nüüd selline lugemine, et ma ei tahtnud, et see otsa saaks! Humoorikas, vaimukas, teravmeelne. 50+ ruulib! Ja täiega! Elagu menopausid ja hõrenev juus, kui julgetakse ja soovitakse muutuda. Iial pole iial!
Nautisin ja naersin pisaraid ja kohe lähen netikosmosest otsima, mida Georgie Hall veel on kirjutanud.

My high recommendation!

[Sally Sutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t live up to its claim of being hilarious but it was ok, but too long. I identified with some of Eliza’s emotions but she was definitely experiencing a more extreme version of menopause. Possibility of a sequel but I won’t bother to read it.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a holiday read and I was looking forward to a bit of a laugh but after about half way through all I felt was I was being lectured to for political correctness......Boring!

[The Grim Reader Podcast · Rating 3 out of 5]

The motto of this book should be you’re never too old for anything. Age is just a number. Eliza is a mom, actor, and part-time estate agent. And she’s finding menopause incredibly difficult, they do not educate women enough on this (angry ramble on this later).

The book opens with the death of her beloved dog, and how she can’t cope with their loss. After a raging argument with her husband, Eliza begins to turn inwards and contemplates her marriage. After nearly twenty-two years together, they’ve had their ups and their downs, but now things just seemed to have stalled. As she tries to keep everything and everyone ticking over, she craves her youth.

This book was incredibly funny, with many laugh out loud moments that didn’t feel manipulated or forced. Eliza is hilarious, a woman who is stronger than she realises. I found that her inner monologues at times were a little too long and too frequent. It got to a point where the story was interrupted with flashbacks and thoughts every two minutes, and this gets tiresome.

I really enjoyed that autism featured very heavily in this book. Autism should have more awareness, and I felt that it was highlighted very well. To find out why Eliza’s son didn’t want to get his assigned travel to school as heart-breaking, and something that happens all too often in life. It was a point that although followed up a little, I wanted Eliza to have a full on confrontation with the narrow-minded driver.

Menopause is something that I don’t think has ever featured so much in any book I’ve read, if it’s been featured at all. Even when I think about it, it’s often referred to as a taboo subject to discuss. Although partially terrified of it now, I was glad to see a character who openly shares her experiences. Eliza often blames a lot of her problems on her menopause, which isn’t always the case. Her marriage is suffering more from a lack of communication than anything else.

Rebecca, 1/3 of The Grim Readers

Thank you to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for the copy of this book.

[Karen Huxtable · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Avneet at Head of Zeus for my copy of proof and for my invitation to the tour. Eliza is frazzled and she is angry. 50 and with two children and a husband who she loved dearly. Life has taken over and now she is really stressed out.

This is a funny, honest and very realistic look at women of a certain age and all the horrors that come with it, I really felt for Eliza and she is typical of many middle aged women juggling many plates in her life. She feels like her marriage maybe in trouble and she is also in mourning for Arty her dog who she felt was the only one who really understood her.

A visit to the family narrowboat The Tempest makes things even worse as Eliza discovers that Paddy has been keeping secrets from her. She decides to take drastic action and do something that is so far out of her comfort zone and try and find the old Eliza.

Paddy is also wondering where the relaxed and carefree woman he fell in love with has gone.

A funny tale of relationships, getting older and the ups and downs of life. An enjoyable read.

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Sirli Uiboupin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eliza pole kindel, kas ta mees Paddy armastab rohkem teda või isalt päritud jõepaati. Vanem poeg on ülikoolis, tütar suunamudija ja nooremal pojal on autism. Vanemad on heal järjel pensionärid, õde edukas advokaat ja vend hiljuti kapist välja tulnud ja nüüd elu nautiv tüüp. Ta ise auhinnatud erootiliste romaanide audioraamatute sisselugeja, kes kuumahoogude vahel ka kohalikus kinnisvaraäris maaklerina tegutseb.

Ja siis sureb ta koer, ning Paddyt ähvardab oht jõepaadist ilma jääda. Ning Eliza võtab vastu venna väljakutse, mis ta Paddy paadiga hullumeelsele retkele Iglismaaa jõelüüsidega heitlema saadab.

Hoogne, muhe ja kohati pöörane. Menopaus ja sellega kaasnevate hädadega toimetulek, aga misjärel elu täitsa edasi läheb.

[Ophelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny, warm tale of life, love, family and menopause. Eliza is an easy character to warm to and the first half of the book in particular is well written and engaging. Towards the end it lost me slightly but I enjoyed how it all played out (however improbably). An easy read for anyone who has experienced the feeling of becoming invisible and irrelevant as we age.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Michele Brooker · Rating 3 out of 5]

'A smart and funny novel about love, life, and a second shot at freedom for rebellious women of a certain age'.

I defy any menopausal woman not to read this and identify with Eliza- She nearly makes the menopause look cool!

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

päris osavalt balansseeris see raamat seal piiril, kus ma oleks tahtnud ta pooleli jätta, aga ikkagi ei jätnud, sest kuigi ma laias laastus aimasin, kuhu see lugu jõuab, siis tahtsin ikkagi teada, kuidas täpsemalt ta seda teeb.

ja no lubati jõepaadiseiklust. mis tõesti oli olemas, aga teda ikka andis oodata - minu meelest ikka jube pikalt oli siin sellist... bridgetjoneslikku jauramist. ma saan aru, et see on kõik britilik self-deprecation ja just nii peab olema, st peategelane PEAB sattuma alailma hästi piinlikesse olukordadesse. aga veidi liiga palju sai mu jaoks sellist... eksituste komöödiat ja jaburaid möödarääkimisstseene ja veel jaburamaid, ma ei teagi, tagaajamisstseene? ja kõige selle taustal eriti ekstreemsed menopausinähud.

aga kogu selle jauramise taustal oli täpselt parajalt sellist siirast südamlikkust ka, peategelase suhted oma ema ja õe-venna ja laste ja koertega olid kõik tegelikult väga toredalt ja samas realistlikult kujutatud. aga kui Eliza lähisugulased välja arvata, võinuks selle raamatu meestegelased vabalt kõik ka olemata olla ja ikka oleks põhiosa loost olemas ja sugugi mitte halvem.

[Melanie Hill · Rating 1 out of 5]

A DNF for me which is highly unusual, the characters all irritated me and it has sat on by bedside table far too long. I have attempted to pick it up more than once and I just can’t get back into it when there are so many ‘good’ reads out there. Will be charity shopped, I’m sure there are others that will enjoy it - just not me.

[Lorraine Lenihan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect holiday read lol constantly a real feel good book

[Robert Cubitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

IMHO, “Woman of a Certain Rage”, should be read by all men of a certain age.

At any time, half the population of the world is either going to go through the trials and tribulations of the protagonist, Eliza Hollander, they are actually going through them or they have been through them already. If men who are in a relationship with women were to read this book, it might help them to understand their partners better and it may also help to save a few relationships.

But I’m guessing that this book was aimed mainly at women of a certain age and will mainly be read by them.

That’s a bit of a pity, made even more so by the fact that it’s a very enjoyable read, says a man of a certain age.

Eliza Hollander is fifty and is suffering the rigours on menopause. The use of that word alone will probably send male readers rushing towards their man caves to take refuge, but if you are male and still reading, I encourage you to continue.

Eliza once had ambitions to become a great actress, until life got in the way and she had to settle for a lesser career. She still practices her art, but not on the grand stage she once imagined. Her relationship with husband Paddy is strained, for many reasons.

The triggering event for the book is a simple one, which many readers might relate to. Her beloved dog died. The dog’s unquestioning devotion helped to mask the cracks that had opened up in Eliza’s life and now she is forced to face them at the same time as she is having to deal with the menopause and all that goes with it.

Eliza has three children, Joe who is a student activist, Summer an A Level student and wannabe social media influencer who is suffering a teenage crush on one of her teachers. And Ed, who suffers from autism, which brings along its own problems.

Throw into this mix the family from hell (or purgatory at least) and an amorous Italian restauranteur and you have the cast list for a delightfully humorous and touching novel.

But Eliza is made of stern stuff. She wants to fight back against the aging process and “make a difference”, just as she had planned to do when she was a young actress in the late 80s. Like many women of her age, Eliza feels she has become invisible and wants to be seen as a person once again. So while the backdrop of the book may be the menopause, the foreground is very much Eliza’s fight to get her identity back, at the same time as she saves her marriage.

It helps if, as a reader, you have a liking for narrowboats (or barges as they are sometimes incorrectly called) but that isn’t essential. The narrowboat in question is just a vehicle (groan) to help maintain a larger metaphor. I won’t go into detail but “The Tempest”, as the narrowboat is called, plays a pivotal role in the story for several reasons. It also helps to have a liking for the writings of Shakespeare but that, too, isn’t essential.

The book is well paced and it is very easy to engage with the likeable Eliza, who tells her story in the first person. Starting the book I was unsure that it was really something that I would enjoy, but several chapters later I found that I was wrong about that. Despite the difference in gender and the biological issues that creates, I was able to relate to quite a lot that Eliza was describing.

In between narrating the current plot, Eliza goes back and tells us what her earlier life was like and that provides plenty of light and shade for the story. These passages are memories, not flashbacks, and make it easier to understand how Eliza drifted into the unsatisfactory state in which she now finds herself.

So an engaging and entertaining book which works on several levels. If you are female and under forty, read this to find out what life has in store for you. If you are female and over forty, it may help you to know that you are not alone and if you are male and in a relationship with a female in either of the aforementioned groups, then this will help you to prepare for what might be ahead. I just hope it doesn’t send you running for the hills in fear, because your partner will need you, probably more than at any other time of her life.

I highly recommend “A Woman of a Certain Rage” by Georgie Hall. To find out more about the book, click on the cover image at the top of this blog.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had every menopausal symptom and cliché in it. Probably so that a big as possible audience could identify. And it did feel nice to see some of your own experiences in there.
But the Italian lover and misogynist was a bit over the top.
It also nearly felt like a book about a person loosing their dog instead of struggling with menopause. It was probably a symbol for the loss but didn't work for me...
Nevertheless, the book flowed nicely and I was able to finish it.

[Mana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, it's never too late to shake things up! Even if you're menopausal fifty years old woman with three kids and now pretty dull marriage. Life is a rut, but Eliza Finch is adamant to free herself and change everything.

Every woman of certain (r)age can easily relate to Eliza and her inner monologue.

Funny and sincere, really enjoyable read.