The Book Boy

by Joanna Trollope

Alice is 38 and has a house, a husband, two teenage children and a part-time job. She thinks she ought to be happy, but he isn't. Instead she feels that she has vanished, that she is like something lost down the back of the sofa. Because Alice has a secret that is never spoken of in the she can't read. Now timid, quiet Alice must start out on her own brave journey, and for it she chooses the strangest companion. For the first time in her life, she knows what she wants and she is going to get it. With the help of the book boy.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Novella, Books About Books

112 pages, Paperback

First published March 2, 2006

About the author

Joanna Trollope Potter Curteis (aka Caroline Harvey)

Joanna Trollope was born on 9 December 1943 in her grandfather's rectory in Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, England, daughter of Rosemary Hodson and Arthur George Cecil Trollope. She is the eldest of three siblings. She is a fifth-generation niece of the Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope and is a cousin of the writer and broadcaster James Trollope. She was educated at Reigate County School for Girls followed by St Hugh's College, Oxford. On 14 May 1966, she married the banker David Roger William Potter, they had two daughters, Antonia and Louise, and on 1983 they divorced. In 1985, she remarried to the television dramatist Ian Curteis, and became the stepmother of two stepsons; they divorced in 2001.

From 1965 to 1967, she worked at the Foreign Office. From 1967 to 1979, she was employed in a number of teaching posts before she became a writer full-time in 1980. Her novel Parson Harding's Daughter won in 1980 the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association.

Reviews

[Erica⭐ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice is thirty-eight, married to the bullying Ed, mother of Craig and Beck and working as a cleaner in a corner convenience store. Alice's secret shame is that she cannot read, but attitudes and events decide her: she will finally do something about it. Her methods are unconventional, however, and she has her family and friends concerned. However, Alice finds help with her illiteracy from an unexpected source.

[Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good short story. This book was close to my heart as I teach people to read. I did not like the husband or the kids, thought Alice was too nice for them.

[Andrew Sammut · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't really say that this one blew my mind but it was a short and sweet read. It's about the freedom knowing how to read can give someone yet I think that Trollope intentionally made a mountain out of a molehill to emphasise her point. The main character, Alice went from being timid to becoming confident in a matter of pages through learning how to read and in doing so she also helped the dream of a teenager come to fruition. I do love how Alice is such a hardworking woman and how she goes from a person easily intimidated to taking advantage of that power and flipping the switch.

[Ally Atherton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Quick Reads books are a great way of getting to know other Authors and new genres without having to sift through too much of a book. Joanna Trollope is one of those such Authors and one that I have heard about but never had the inclination to read.


This is a harmless enough tale about a mother who has managed to let her husband and life in general get the better of her. It' s an uplifting little story about how we can all find a way forward even when life seems hopeless and bleak.



This isn't what I would normally read. There's not an awful lot to get your teeth into. It's what I would call Woman's Weekly Fiction. It's the kind of story you'd read in a woman's magazine while you're waiting at the dentist. I really don't know how else to describe it. If anybody else has a better way of putting it then please get in touch!

It's harmless, it's a nice quick read. Nothing to rave about, yet nothing to moan about either.


It is what it is. A quick read.



3/5

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to read a 'Quick Read' as they're obviously written for an intermediate reader (learning to read English, or someone who's becoming more literate perhaps?) but with adult themes.but with adult themes.
I'd love to read a more complex version of this story with a glimpse of what happened next in the storyline.

[Matthew Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Book Boy

This 94-page novella tells the story of Alice, a wife and mother harboring a secret that threatens to unravel her family when her husband Ed discovers money she’s been hiding. The twist? Alice isn’t having an affair—she’s illiterate and has been saving to pay her son’s friend Scott to teach her to read.

While the premise has potential, the execution falls short. The writing feels elementary and lacks the polish needed to carry even this brief story. Heavy reliance on dialogue makes it difficult to distinguish between characters, and the pacing drags despite the short length—I found myself needing three separate sessions to get through what should have been a quick read.

The character development suffers from the story’s brevity. Relationships feel underdeveloped and sometimes unclear, leaving readers without the emotional investment needed to care about Alice’s journey. The story would have benefited from either tighter writing or additional length to properly explore its characters and themes.

The title is misleading, this isn’t really about books or a boy, and Scott hardly embodies what I’d consider a “book boy.” It feels like an attempt to add literary flair to what is essentially a straightforward tale about adult literacy.

A quick addition to your reading challenge if you’re looking to boost your numbers, but not much more than that. The intriguing title drew me in, but the story didn’t deliver on its promise. This one will likely be passed along rather than kept on my shelf.

[DubaiReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if you couldn't read?
I have never read a 'Quick Read' novella before. They are published in large print, as part of a literacy programme that encourages non readers to discover the magic of reading. Apparently they are aimed at the one in six adults in the UK with reading difficulties, a frighteningly high number.
Dating back to 2006, there is now quite a number of titles available, penned by many well known authors.

Joanna Trollope's contribution centres around a mother/wife, who has never learned to read, it is her dirty secret and she is hugely embarrassed about it. The distressing aspect of this is that her husband chose her because he would therefore have power over her and her kids have adopted their father's lack of respect.

This is a book of empowerment and hopefully will help many non-readers to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As part of a “quick reads” series, this book truly was a quick read! At 94 pages, and kind of large type for an adult book, I read this while my kids were napping!

Alice is a quiet one, she gets pushed around by her husband and her kids. Why? Well she has a secret, one that makes her feel dumb and useless. In this quick page-turner, you’ll discover what that is, and how she finds herself, releases the secret, and ultimately becomes a much happier woman!

[David Crespin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very uplifting read about a woman who no longer wants to be a victim but who is willing and able to take complete control of her life.
The Quick Read format is ideal for those of us who made the New Year's Resolution to read more this year.
Highly recommended.

[Els]

Borrowed from Burnside library long time ago. Interesting topic, it's so important that nobody is illiterate. I'd almost forgotten the story, but Fay's review reminded me that I didn't like the husband or the family and that I thought Alice was too nice to them.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but lovely book about a woman,Alice, married with two children, who had never learned to read. She gets help from a most unlikely source and it changes her world. Delightful book, made me smile.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Sometimes it takes a stranger to guess a family secret."

[Clurr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick, one sitting read. Was entertaining, but not very much more than that. I wouldn’t encourage or discourage reading this book.
And in saying that I suppose it’s not worth reading.

[AGMaynard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alice learns to read, a story that always touches me.

[Javad Karimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a nice quick read about women empowerment.

[Graziela · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Very sweet story and I wish it was bit longer.

[Karen Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little story

[Jodi Wray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short read

[Madelyn Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Joanna Trollope’s writing, and anything with “book” in the title. I didn’t realize this was written for the Quick Reads series, books designed to improve literacy. The characters were not pleasant. Off to the book sale box with this one!

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought that a quick read book, which is so short, could pack such a punch. I had never read Trollope before but I am going to now simply because I am so impressed she can pack so much feeling into so few pages. This story points out so many good things that could occur in a bad world if only the right people met.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alice has a secret, and it’s destroying her life. Her family think of her as the scum of the earth, she has a hard job for underpaid money, and her friend abandons her. At the age of 38, she thinks she should be happy. When Alice finally chooses to go out on her own and take control of her life, it’s with an unlikely companion: the book boy.

This was a short, sweet Quick Read and I did enjoy it but I had some qualms with it, too. Let’s start with those, shall we?

1)Alice’s family. Basically, they treated her like utter dirt, and I was genuinely shocked at their behaviour. How could you treat anyone like that, let alone your mother?! Alice wasn’t necessarily in an “abusive” relationship, but it was clear she was emotionally abused by her husband. I wanted to punch him in the face and hug her. To be fair, he had some extraordinary character development (which I loved) and was all right by the end, but still. Be nice, kids.

2)The title of the novella? What? That didn’t come into it at all, and I’m very confused. It might as well have been called “The Chocolate Teapot” because that’s how useful this title was.

3)The writing style. It was all written like this. In short, sweet sentences. Which was great to start with. I like short sentences… when they’re needed. After a while, it got boring. Kind of like how I’m writing now. Not fun.

I did like the whole plot and the idea of it, however, and I might even write my own based on this novella. Believe it or not considering what I’ve just said, I would definitely read this again, and I do recommend it! The plot with Scott seemed almost unbelievable and I was half-expecting an affair (totally not a spoiler btw) but other than that it was good. Definitely an adult novella, though. Not that it has sex or drugs or anything, but I can’t see anyone aside from me in my young adult friendship group reading this (actually, I can only see my mum and grandma reading this. And maybe one other person… that’s it). So yeah, 3/5 because of the things I mentioned, but it was enjoyable as a whole.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very short novella; only 94 pages, and the font isn't small. Still, Joanna Trollope creates believable characters, and a story of hope. Alice is the main protagonist; she's rather a down-trodden housewife with a somewhat controlling husband and two somewhat supercilious teenage children. She works as a cleaner, and has been saving a pound or two every week over several years...

Alice feels inferior because she never learned to read. She knows that people look down on her, including her family, and tries to keep this secret from as many people as possible. However, an unlikely, tattooed friend of her son guesses her secret... and is the catalyst for change.

The story was over almost before it had begun; the plot felt more like that of a short story, inevitable perhaps with a 'quick read'. But I found it interesting and am glad I read it. Three and a half stars would be a better rating.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Book Boy is a novella by British author, Joanna Trollope, and is part of the Quick Reads series. Alice is thirty-eight, married to the bullying Ed, mother of Craig and Beck and working as a cleaner in a corner convenience store. Alice’s secret shame is that she cannot read, but attitudes and events decide her: she will finally do something about it. Her methods are unconventional, however, and she has her family and friends concerned. This novella is written in a very simplistic style: the reader might wonder if Trollope has actually written it for adults who are learning to read. It has an uplifting conclusion.

[Grada (BoekenTrol) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was a quick read. At times funny, at times very sad.
What struck me most, was that it was a book of hope. A woman with two teenage children can't read meets a teenage boy, of whom everyone says he's good for nothing. Both of them want something and in the end they help each other achieve it.
Against the current that took them in the opposite direction for so long, they get together and surprise everyone around them.
Loved it!

I think I'll put this one in the book box that'll come my way shortly.

[Emily G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not my usual reading fayre but I liked the premise of a woman (Alice) getting to 38 and not being able to read.

Basically Alice is a shy, fairly innocuous person who feels not being able to read traps her and means her family don't respect her (all sadly true). Through meeting her son's friend and slowly realising that there is more to the scary exterior, she is able to take the first decisive steps to changing her life for the better.

This is a feel good, pick me up tale and I would recommend it!

[Reema · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrowed from the library and within 45 minutes I had finished it. No surprises it was a Quick Read but still it had its own set of twists and turns.

A short novel very well paced and with likable and easily relate to characters - a husband who though loved his wife also wished to have power, a son who knew his mother could do nothing but when she did become his friend he was amazed, a daughter who also took his mom for granted, and a friend's whose very words and walk-out made Alice change.

No one can help you buy you can do it yourself.

[Brian Robbins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written as part of the "Quick Reads" series to encourage adult literacy, the book had some of the mechanisms of a reading book - simple language, regular repetitions of words, phrases and key vocabulary.

However, it was not in the Janet & John class. She actually produced a story that was worth reading. Reminded me of that now outdated (sadly) method of teaching children to read by helping them to engage with real books, rather than dry drilling in the mechanisms of grammar and phonics.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Book Boy” is one of the early ‘Quick Read’ books. It tells the story of a woman called Alice trapped in a marriage where she is down trodden purely because she is illiterate and reliant on her husband to do everything for her. However, Alice finds help with her illiteracy from an unexpected source.
A moving story, with dark undertones. As the series suggests, this book was a quick read and easily read in one sitting but well worth reading.

[Foxears · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this book is such a short read that it is hard to say anything more than that it filled it's purpose of being short and easy to read. The story was good, and I have nothing bad to say about it. Maybe not my kind of book, but as a quick read at close to the end of a 24 hour readathon, it was really nice.

[Muskan · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is a mediocre book. And a bit lame, because the woman suddenly became so clever from her quiet nature, maybe this feeling or change was not described very well and that is why it seemed so sudden. I expected the ending to be far better, and thought Ed would say something nicer to her but the ending was not like this so I was disappointed.