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Going Gently
Kate Thomas was beautiful, intelligent, witty, passionate and sexy. Now, at 99, she is paralyzed by a stroke and unable to speak. She escapes from the reality of a hospital ward full of sad, mad and bad old women by playing to herself the video of her life. And what a life it has been - six husbands - one lost to suicide, one in adultery, one in an ignominious deportation, another in a union dispute, yet another in a murder and one to a natural death. And then there was Gwyn with whom she spent a night of passion at the age of sixteen, and whose love haunted her for the next eighty-three years. But Kate's journey through the twentieth century is more than an escape. It is a search for the truth - about life, death, the acceptance of death, and about which of her three sons murdered her fifth husband. Set against the turbulent background of the twentieth century whose great events change Kate's life in all sorts of ways, this is David Nobbs' most ambitious book yet, and his best.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
June 18, 2020
This is just so brilliant, original, insightful and downright funny.
The main character is lying in a hospital bed, paralysed and awaiting her inevitable death. Unbeknown to her visitors and the hospital staff, she is totally aware of everything that is going on around her, and relates all of that to her long, and eventful, life.
You can read the synopsis for more of what has actually occurred in her life, without giving too much away.
David Nobbs is a very funny man. You can read some of his other books to confirm my assertion.
When I was a small boy in the 'sixties, he worked as a journalist on the Sheffield Star with my father, Tony Greenfield, and recently departed author, Pete Tinniswood, and he often visited our house. I can remember how he used to make me and my sister laugh until our sides split, with his funny stories and games such as picture consequences. That is consequences where you draw the next part of the sequence and unfold the paper at the end - hilarious!
Anyway, back to this book: I would recommend it to anyone.
The main character is lying in a hospital bed, paralysed and awaiting her inevitable death. Unbeknown to her visitors and the hospital staff, she is totally aware of everything that is going on around her, and relates all of that to her long, and eventful, life.
You can read the synopsis for more of what has actually occurred in her life, without giving too much away.
David Nobbs is a very funny man. You can read some of his other books to confirm my assertion.
When I was a small boy in the 'sixties, he worked as a journalist on the Sheffield Star with my father, Tony Greenfield, and recently departed author, Pete Tinniswood, and he often visited our house. I can remember how he used to make me and my sister laugh until our sides split, with his funny stories and games such as picture consequences. That is consequences where you draw the next part of the sequence and unfold the paper at the end - hilarious!
Anyway, back to this book: I would recommend it to anyone.
April 21, 2009
I didn’t dislike this book -- I wouldn’t have finished it if I had -- but it didn’t live up to the cover blurb. Jonathan Coe saying it’s “extraordinarily rich and satisfying” makes me sit up and take notice, but it definitely wasn’t up to Coe standards ... absolutely nobody does tragicomedy like Jonathan Coe!
Kate isn’t a particularly likeable character, but I don’t have a problem with that -- it’s quite possible to enjoy reading about obnoxious people! The trouble was that all the characters seemed to be caricatures with no real depth -- OK if it’s a purely comic novel but not if you are attempting to be more “profound”, for want of a better word, which I think Nobbs is here (I haven’t read any of his other books). Parts of the plot were very implausible, which is OK on a fantasy level, but Kate seemed to be seriously lacking in judgment most of the time and didn’t do a very good job of learning from her mistakes! She doesn’t seem to develop much -- she’s basically the same at 100 as she was at 20, which seems implausible given her experiences.
I did laugh out loud at times, especially at some of the conversations between patients and Dr Ramgobi in the ward, but the novelty wore off with frequent repetition (especially the business of farting, which is funny a couple of times, but not beyond that). Towards the end, during the rapid canter through the last 45 years of Kate’s life, I got bored, and I didn’t care in the least who had murdered Graham (since he was such a nonentity anyway). It certainly could have been 100 pages shorter.
So Nobbs is no Jonathan Coe! I could imagine Coe or Kate Atkinson taking the same basic idea and making it really compelling, both moving and funny. This book probably also suffered in my eyes because I read it immediately after Jane Stevenson’s Good Women, which truly does combine comedy and pathos.
Kate isn’t a particularly likeable character, but I don’t have a problem with that -- it’s quite possible to enjoy reading about obnoxious people! The trouble was that all the characters seemed to be caricatures with no real depth -- OK if it’s a purely comic novel but not if you are attempting to be more “profound”, for want of a better word, which I think Nobbs is here (I haven’t read any of his other books). Parts of the plot were very implausible, which is OK on a fantasy level, but Kate seemed to be seriously lacking in judgment most of the time and didn’t do a very good job of learning from her mistakes! She doesn’t seem to develop much -- she’s basically the same at 100 as she was at 20, which seems implausible given her experiences.
I did laugh out loud at times, especially at some of the conversations between patients and Dr Ramgobi in the ward, but the novelty wore off with frequent repetition (especially the business of farting, which is funny a couple of times, but not beyond that). Towards the end, during the rapid canter through the last 45 years of Kate’s life, I got bored, and I didn’t care in the least who had murdered Graham (since he was such a nonentity anyway). It certainly could have been 100 pages shorter.
So Nobbs is no Jonathan Coe! I could imagine Coe or Kate Atkinson taking the same basic idea and making it really compelling, both moving and funny. This book probably also suffered in my eyes because I read it immediately after Jane Stevenson’s Good Women, which truly does combine comedy and pathos.
March 27, 2009
Feisty woman (99yo) reviews her life and tracks down her husband's killer from her deathbed. Cheerier than it seems! The woman has interests beyond family - oh dear because this is written by a man? Some amusing scenes. She and her husbands are brittle but siblings and sons have less exciting and more touching lives.
April 24, 2007
Fantastic account of a woman on the verge of turning 100's life. The book takes you from her birth through to her eventual death hours away from her 100th birthday, via the births, deaths and marriages (five) that have occured to her and her family throughout her years.
It made me look at elderly people with a curiosity about what tales they could tell if I only had the courage to ask. Highly recommended.
It made me look at elderly people with a curiosity about what tales they could tell if I only had the courage to ask. Highly recommended.
November 19, 2025
A wonderfully complete and satisfying story. Kate, is ordinary and extraordinary and beautifully Welsh. Life doesn’t flash before her eyes; we can savour and enjoy her journey. David Nobbs has created a must-read, touching and insightful masterpiece. Life at the edge of death.
October 8, 2019
Didn't really have me in stitches.
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December 1, 2025A try hard but failing to be witty prattle of a book. The funniest yet briefest part was the young son who already knew the swear words. The rest, going drearily.....
April 13, 2014
this is my book club's book for this month. Not something i would have chosen - I don't normally go for male writers writing in a woman's voice or for comic writing. Just goes to show! I really enjoyed this story of a 99 year old woman who is lying on her deathbed reviewing her life. It was a light read and a page turner and I did laugh and find the voice authentic. A great character and a breathe of fresh air. I loved the way her youthful outlook and attitude to life stayed with her throughout her life. Five times married and would have been six if the last man had proposed, albeit three times to the same man, she covers the 20thC. Probably more engaging for me personally as her hometown is Swansea, where I live and I loved the descriptions of the town and the Gower peninsula.
March 12, 2013
After Reginald Perrin, Going Gently is a superb read that both enthralls, makes you laugh and again question life with a bittersweet melancholy and inspiration.
Dying in a hospital bed, Kate, now aged and wrinkled is trapped inside her own mind. As she reflects on her life and past loves, she uses the last of her willpower to retrace her life and discover which one of her children killed her husband.
Sentimental and comic, the poignant tale is written in first person through Kate's perception of events over the course of her life. This book is probably Nobb's finest and well worth reading.
Dying in a hospital bed, Kate, now aged and wrinkled is trapped inside her own mind. As she reflects on her life and past loves, she uses the last of her willpower to retrace her life and discover which one of her children killed her husband.
Sentimental and comic, the poignant tale is written in first person through Kate's perception of events over the course of her life. This book is probably Nobb's finest and well worth reading.
January 13, 2011
This is one of my all time favourite books. There is something about it that I find totally captivating. It tells the story of the main characters whole life which has been filled with so many amazing things. There is the detective story going on in the background, the effort to discover her hsubands killer before she dies, but that's such a small part of the story. This is a wonderfully written book and I found it almost impossible to put it down.
January 1, 2014
This was one of the most powerful epic novels I had read for a while! It spans 100 years of the central character's sometimes turbulent life! I particularly was moved by the compelling ending which was her actual death and what she was thinking as she slipped "gently into that good night!" I liked the reference to Thomas' poem in the title and the antithesis of it- she did go gently into the night because her life had been so rich!
November 15, 2016
The book tells the story of Kate who, at 99, has suffered a massive stroke and lies in a hospital bed, apparently unconscious. But Kate has one last task to achieve - decide which of her children murdered her fifth husband. So she goes back over her life, her marriages and her children. The story is entertaining but not as funny as I expected it to be from this author, rather it was very poignant and moving as opposed to hilarious although there were some amusing incidents - 6/10.
May 30, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. A mixture of sadness and humour. A 99yr old lady, lying in hospital after a severe stroke, relives her loves and marriages. She has a lovely sense of humour, and a very eventful life. It was easy to read and I found myself chuckling a lot. Now passed it on to another family member to read.
February 2, 2016
Deathbed tragic life story that was supposed to have some comedy in it - nope. Just didn't like it. The writing isn't bad - just didn't like the characters or the plot. The female main character just wasn't believable in her thoughts and actions.
January 10, 2010
Not too keen on the main character too smug
June 2, 2011
A blend of humour and sadness. Very enjoyable.
July 27, 2011
A lovely book.
July 28, 2011
Enjoyable enough but to be honest I was expecting a Reginald Perrin-esque laffriot, and this wasn't.
August 6, 2011
Very enjoyable and touching
December 6, 2011
Very light
July 29, 2015
Good holiday lecture, page turner.
Interesting main character, but sometimes I found her irritating (so not like me).
Interesting main character, but sometimes I found her irritating (so not like me).
March 7, 2017
Delightful; beautiful, sad, funny. A lifetime and a life not wasted.
Read
November 26, 2016Failed to finish.
Interesting theme but the longer it went, the more credibility was stretched.
Interesting theme but the longer it went, the more credibility was stretched.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews