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Without Alice
Have you ever had a secret? One so important that it feels as if it will tear you in two? Stephen's got one. He's also got a great job, beautiful wife and an adorable son. Outwardly his life seems perfect but it means nothing without Alice. Read 'Without Alice' and meet a man who you will love to hate until you learn to love him.
212 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2010
5 people are currently reading
255 people want to read
About the author
D.J. Kirkby
8 books98 followersDee lives in the South of England in a home otherwise filled with males – husband, boys and pets – she writes to escape the testosterone.
She writes using the name D.J. Kirkby and Dee Kirkby. Dee is the author of Without Alice, My Dream of You, My Mini Midwife, the Special Deliveries series, Realand, Raffie Island and Queendom (The Portal Series for 7 - 11 year olds), and The Rules.
Dee can be found chatting to people on Twitter and Facebook.
Her website for childrens' books is here: http://www.deekirkby.co.uk
Her website for adult books is here: http://djkirkby.co.uk/
She writes using the name D.J. Kirkby and Dee Kirkby. Dee is the author of Without Alice, My Dream of You, My Mini Midwife, the Special Deliveries series, Realand, Raffie Island and Queendom (The Portal Series for 7 - 11 year olds), and The Rules.
Dee can be found chatting to people on Twitter and Facebook.
Her website for childrens' books is here: http://www.deekirkby.co.uk
Her website for adult books is here: http://djkirkby.co.uk/
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 31, 2010
Within a very few pages, I was hooked, caught up in people’s lives and sucked into their story, as if I were in the same room and living through it with them in real time. D.J. Kirkby’s writing is extraordinary and dazzling. She works on every one of your senses: the world she creates feels so real that the characters are more like people you know whom you’re eavesdropping.
D.J. does something remarkable in this, her debut novel. She makes her main character intensely unlikeable and sustains this for half the book. That’s difficult for a reader to cope with and potentially disastrous in the hands of the wrong author. But D.J. has a light touch and handles it deftly. I knew from the blurb that I wasn’t supposed to like Stephen initially (“meet a man who you will love to hate until…”) but I was surprised at how strongly I raged against him throughout Part One. But I didn’t throw the book at the wall or stop reading because, not only did I still want to know who Alice was and why she mattered so much to him, but I also had to know why he was behaving in this way to people I liked and sympathised with. There seemed no good reason for it.
D.J. drops the reader hints and clues along the way but she doesn’t fully explain Stephen or his behaviour until Part Two. I had my theories as to what was behind it all and an idea as to who Alice was but I couldn’t put the book down until I had the answers. Then I had to keep reading to find out if and how it would all be resolved.
Without Alice looks at the important relationships in our lives and raises questions about duty, loyalty and love within those same relationships. But, perhaps most interesting of all for this reader, the book forces you to look at how quickly and easily you can form an opinion or reach a conclusion about someone, not knowing all there is to know about them, only to have to later reassess it when you have more information available to you.
Without Alice is an incredibly accomplished debut novel. It’s a story with many strands to it but somehow D.J.Kirkby threads them all seamlessly together to create an enthralling and credible whole. It is a harrowing story, beautifully told, and one which shows the redemptive power of love. She is a gifted storyteller, an exciting writer to watch, and I can’t wait to read what she does next.
D.J. does something remarkable in this, her debut novel. She makes her main character intensely unlikeable and sustains this for half the book. That’s difficult for a reader to cope with and potentially disastrous in the hands of the wrong author. But D.J. has a light touch and handles it deftly. I knew from the blurb that I wasn’t supposed to like Stephen initially (“meet a man who you will love to hate until…”) but I was surprised at how strongly I raged against him throughout Part One. But I didn’t throw the book at the wall or stop reading because, not only did I still want to know who Alice was and why she mattered so much to him, but I also had to know why he was behaving in this way to people I liked and sympathised with. There seemed no good reason for it.
D.J. drops the reader hints and clues along the way but she doesn’t fully explain Stephen or his behaviour until Part Two. I had my theories as to what was behind it all and an idea as to who Alice was but I couldn’t put the book down until I had the answers. Then I had to keep reading to find out if and how it would all be resolved.
Without Alice looks at the important relationships in our lives and raises questions about duty, loyalty and love within those same relationships. But, perhaps most interesting of all for this reader, the book forces you to look at how quickly and easily you can form an opinion or reach a conclusion about someone, not knowing all there is to know about them, only to have to later reassess it when you have more information available to you.
Without Alice is an incredibly accomplished debut novel. It’s a story with many strands to it but somehow D.J.Kirkby threads them all seamlessly together to create an enthralling and credible whole. It is a harrowing story, beautifully told, and one which shows the redemptive power of love. She is a gifted storyteller, an exciting writer to watch, and I can’t wait to read what she does next.
April 8, 2012
I really loved and enjoyed this book.
Without Alice started with different people being pregnant and giving birth. These scenes fall into place further into the book.
Part one of the book started with Jennie giving birth whilst husband Stephen hovered around in the background not being particularly complementary towards Jennie or helping her in any way whatsoever. Whilst Jennie and their baby Marcel were still in the hospital and Stephen was working away from home (allegedly), their house was burgled. The police tried to get hold of Stephen yet nobody could get in touch with him leaving Jennie to leave her baby in hospital going to sort out the mess then returning to the hospital.
Stephen worked away from home a lot leaving Jennie to cope with a fractious baby and learning how to be a new mom to a demanding baby all on her own. Their love life became non-existant and it became clear to her that Stephen didn't love her or want to be with her but was only with her because he loved their baby.
It would appear that Stephen has many many secrets that he has kept from his wife. Stephen also appeared to have lots of secrets from other people too. Part two of the book introduces you to the likeable character of Alice and tells you about her life and explains how she is part of Stephen’s life too. I won't spoil the story of the book by telling you any more of the storyline but I will tell you that a totally shocking event happens at the beginning of part three that left me stunned, shocked, open-mouthed and lost for words. And that is not something that happens very often I can tell you!
I thoroughly enjoyed Without Alice. The scenes that Denise describes when the moms are in hospital with their newborn babies reminded me so much of being in that very same position. It reminded me of how I used to stand in the window at night with the curtains open so that if my mom was looking down upon us from Heaven she could see me and my beautiful baby boy. It brought back all the emotions that motherhood meant to me and what a wonderful fabulous experience it was.
I loved the character of Jennie who tried to be the best mom that she possibly could be to her son Marcel. I learned very quickly to dislike the character of Stephen who constantly put Jennie down at every opportunity and was a generally unpleasant person. I felt lots of empathy and compassion towards Alice who through no fault of her own was put into a situation which was unthinkable. Denise's writing in my opinion was excellent. The way she portrays places and characters make them easy to imagine and the storyline had lots of unexpected twists and turns which made the plot interesting yet believable.
The storyline was based around Stephen and Jennie having a one night stand and the consequences of their behaviour on that evening which was life changing for many people who were involved in their lives.
I thoroughly enjoyed without Alice I would love to read more of Denise Kirkby's work and hope that she won’t keep me waiting too long!
Without Alice started with different people being pregnant and giving birth. These scenes fall into place further into the book.
Part one of the book started with Jennie giving birth whilst husband Stephen hovered around in the background not being particularly complementary towards Jennie or helping her in any way whatsoever. Whilst Jennie and their baby Marcel were still in the hospital and Stephen was working away from home (allegedly), their house was burgled. The police tried to get hold of Stephen yet nobody could get in touch with him leaving Jennie to leave her baby in hospital going to sort out the mess then returning to the hospital.
Stephen worked away from home a lot leaving Jennie to cope with a fractious baby and learning how to be a new mom to a demanding baby all on her own. Their love life became non-existant and it became clear to her that Stephen didn't love her or want to be with her but was only with her because he loved their baby.
It would appear that Stephen has many many secrets that he has kept from his wife. Stephen also appeared to have lots of secrets from other people too. Part two of the book introduces you to the likeable character of Alice and tells you about her life and explains how she is part of Stephen’s life too. I won't spoil the story of the book by telling you any more of the storyline but I will tell you that a totally shocking event happens at the beginning of part three that left me stunned, shocked, open-mouthed and lost for words. And that is not something that happens very often I can tell you!
I thoroughly enjoyed Without Alice. The scenes that Denise describes when the moms are in hospital with their newborn babies reminded me so much of being in that very same position. It reminded me of how I used to stand in the window at night with the curtains open so that if my mom was looking down upon us from Heaven she could see me and my beautiful baby boy. It brought back all the emotions that motherhood meant to me and what a wonderful fabulous experience it was.
I loved the character of Jennie who tried to be the best mom that she possibly could be to her son Marcel. I learned very quickly to dislike the character of Stephen who constantly put Jennie down at every opportunity and was a generally unpleasant person. I felt lots of empathy and compassion towards Alice who through no fault of her own was put into a situation which was unthinkable. Denise's writing in my opinion was excellent. The way she portrays places and characters make them easy to imagine and the storyline had lots of unexpected twists and turns which made the plot interesting yet believable.
The storyline was based around Stephen and Jennie having a one night stand and the consequences of their behaviour on that evening which was life changing for many people who were involved in their lives.
I thoroughly enjoyed without Alice I would love to read more of Denise Kirkby's work and hope that she won’t keep me waiting too long!
October 29, 2010
I have discovered some fabulous new (to me) authors via Twitter so I can testifiy that it’s not all mundane tweeting about what folk have for dinner or outpourings of grief at news of the latest X Factor evictee! Via Caroline Smailes (whose excellent novel Like Bees to Honey I have reviewed here) I found out about D J Kirkby (Denyse) who has already written From Zaftig to Aspie, a memoir of her extremely colourful childhood and eventual diagnosis with Aspergers Syndrome at the age of 40. My son has Aspergers and although I’ve read a lot of non-fiction written by Aspies, Without Alice was my first encounter with an Aspie produced work of fiction. Folk on the “spectrum” are often considered to be quite rigid in their thinking, less able to deal with emotions so I guess I wanted Denyse to prove them all wrong!
The novel opens with the birth of Jennie and Stephen’s son and it quickly becomes apparent that Stephen has a dark secret which would, if disclosed, signal an end to any relationship with his child. The author takes no pains to hide Stephen’s complete lack of respect for Jennie and we wonder how on earth this couple ever got together in the first place. What follows is a slow reveal of Stephen’s past which explains his current dilemna and the emotional void which cripples his existence. Of course, we are free to make up our own minds about Stephen and play the moral high ground judges if we so wish – the novel certainly makes you think how easily it is to get trapped by circumstances and to feel unable to act for fear of hurting others, indeed Stephen has procrastination down to a fine art!
The scenes involving childbirth and the aftermath are particularly true to life, perhaps not surprising given D J Kirkby’s career as a midwife. She really captures the vulnerability of women during pregnancy and the shock of being responsible for a new life. All her characters are very realistic, flawed and all the more engaging for their lack of perfection.
Considering I’m more often drawn to historical rather than contemporary fiction, I was very impressed by this debut novel – great storytelling, vivid characters and a narrative which really engages the reader and makes you think what would you do…
The novel opens with the birth of Jennie and Stephen’s son and it quickly becomes apparent that Stephen has a dark secret which would, if disclosed, signal an end to any relationship with his child. The author takes no pains to hide Stephen’s complete lack of respect for Jennie and we wonder how on earth this couple ever got together in the first place. What follows is a slow reveal of Stephen’s past which explains his current dilemna and the emotional void which cripples his existence. Of course, we are free to make up our own minds about Stephen and play the moral high ground judges if we so wish – the novel certainly makes you think how easily it is to get trapped by circumstances and to feel unable to act for fear of hurting others, indeed Stephen has procrastination down to a fine art!
The scenes involving childbirth and the aftermath are particularly true to life, perhaps not surprising given D J Kirkby’s career as a midwife. She really captures the vulnerability of women during pregnancy and the shock of being responsible for a new life. All her characters are very realistic, flawed and all the more engaging for their lack of perfection.
Considering I’m more often drawn to historical rather than contemporary fiction, I was very impressed by this debut novel – great storytelling, vivid characters and a narrative which really engages the reader and makes you think what would you do…
March 18, 2011
I loved this insightful look into the intertwining lives of Stephen, Jennie and Alice. Perhaps the central idea at the heart of this compelling novel is the fact that the smallest things can have the most profound impact. In her debut novel, D J Kirkby explores the lives of three people born in the same year, who as adults are unexpectedly drawn together. Kirkby has worked for years in midwifery and she depicts birth and early motherhood with great skill and tender compassion - Jennie's experiences in particular will resonate with anyone who has had to cope with a difficult baby. I was particularly struck by the author's dispassionate depiction of an essentially unlikeable central character - she portrays him as a fully three-dimensional person, offering no excuses and no blame, which forces the reader to make their own judgements about him. This is a thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable novel.
September 28, 2010
I won a copy of this book on First Reads..............and after reading it, I give this book 5 Stars! In my opinion, D.J. Kirkby writes an incredible story displaying the good and bad; beautiful and ugly; strengths and weaknesses of humankind. The author draws you into the story on page 1, and keeps you turning the pages, with surprise after surprise throughout the book...........all the way until the End! I definitely recommend adding this to your "to read" list. :-)
October 22, 2012
Loved this book. A story of love and tragedy.
Hated Stephen to start off with and couldn't understand who Alice was!
Part two reveals the complicated truth and then I started to understand why Stephen was the way he was.
Heartwarming, sad in parts but with a lovely ending.
A feel good book
Hated Stephen to start off with and couldn't understand who Alice was!
Part two reveals the complicated truth and then I started to understand why Stephen was the way he was.
Heartwarming, sad in parts but with a lovely ending.
A feel good book
April 11, 2012
Just really, REALLY not my cup of tea. As another reviewer said, I just felt too horribly for Jennie to really enjoy it.
MAJOR SPOILER:
I disagreed with the blurb: "...meet a man who you will love to hate until you learn to love him." Unfortunately, I never did learn to love him.
So no, I have no sympathy for Stephen, even towards the end. He made his bed, and then barely even had to lie in it. I wanted, and still want, to smash his face with a hammer.
I suppose, though, that if nothing else, at least the author was certainly able to give me a character that I could feel passionately about, one way or another.
1/5 Stars
MAJOR SPOILER:
I disagreed with the blurb: "...meet a man who you will love to hate until you learn to love him." Unfortunately, I never did learn to love him.
So no, I have no sympathy for Stephen, even towards the end. He made his bed, and then barely even had to lie in it. I wanted, and still want, to smash his face with a hammer.
I suppose, though, that if nothing else, at least the author was certainly able to give me a character that I could feel passionately about, one way or another.
1/5 Stars
January 22, 2011
I read Without Alice very recently after talking to Denyse via twitter and Facebook. I'm usually a crime novel kind of girl as you can see from the books on my read list, but I wanted to read work by people I actually "knew", so I started Without Alice.
I found it brilliantly written. The first part of the book really had me hooked as I connected with everything that was happening as Jennie gave birth and worked through all the concerns mothers to premature babies go through. The story then goes on to intertwine the lives of several people and this is done with ease. I don't think I had even read the blurb before I read the book, so didn't realise Stephen was the main character and just disliked him. As another commentator states, this is a difficult thing to do, but the book just pulled me along and it worked.
If you want to sit in with a well written book about peoples lives impacting on each other, where you can connect with every person mentioned, then this is a book for you. Lovely!
I found it brilliantly written. The first part of the book really had me hooked as I connected with everything that was happening as Jennie gave birth and worked through all the concerns mothers to premature babies go through. The story then goes on to intertwine the lives of several people and this is done with ease. I don't think I had even read the blurb before I read the book, so didn't realise Stephen was the main character and just disliked him. As another commentator states, this is a difficult thing to do, but the book just pulled me along and it worked.
If you want to sit in with a well written book about peoples lives impacting on each other, where you can connect with every person mentioned, then this is a book for you. Lovely!
December 28, 2012
I was told this is a marmite book, but i have to disagree, with the time scale and the different characters, I am sure there is some thing for everyone.
Starting with the parents giving birth to the main characters, this book takes you on many journeys with lots of twits, turns and leaving you guessing. Most stories I can predict what is going to happen, but with this book i was shocked, surprised and sitting on the edge of my seat. The writing style is unusual and a refreshing change which personally i loved. It was like chatting to your friend and them telling you a story... A roller coaster of a read that will keep you reading till the last page.
Starting with the parents giving birth to the main characters, this book takes you on many journeys with lots of twits, turns and leaving you guessing. Most stories I can predict what is going to happen, but with this book i was shocked, surprised and sitting on the edge of my seat. The writing style is unusual and a refreshing change which personally i loved. It was like chatting to your friend and them telling you a story... A roller coaster of a read that will keep you reading till the last page.
November 15, 2011
I liked the story line of this book, i just couldn't stand the main character. It started off pretty slow as well, but i just hated Stephen. He was a complete asshat!
I did like the basis of the story with his double life and everything. But Jennie was the main caretaker for Marcel and did everything for Stephen. Then she dies and Stephen doesn't even care that he made her life a living hell? Then just takes him over to Alice's like nothing ever happened!
While the story was good, i felt too bad for Jennie to enjoy it all the way.
I did like the basis of the story with his double life and everything. But Jennie was the main caretaker for Marcel and did everything for Stephen. Then she dies and Stephen doesn't even care that he made her life a living hell? Then just takes him over to Alice's like nothing ever happened!
While the story was good, i felt too bad for Jennie to enjoy it all the way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2010
It says a lot about this book that despite it being over 30 degrees on the Central Line, I couldn't stop turning the pages even as sweat dripped from my brow.
The narrative sweeps you along through the lives of the characters, keeping you guessing and wondering how it all will resolve - or indeed if it *will* - in the end.
With realistic, complex characters and an intriguing storyline, it's a must-read!
The narrative sweeps you along through the lives of the characters, keeping you guessing and wondering how it all will resolve - or indeed if it *will* - in the end.
With realistic, complex characters and an intriguing storyline, it's a must-read!
May 28, 2012
The premise was good but unfortunately I just didn't feel that the characters were fully developed
Why did he lead a double life?
Why didn't he care he put her through misery?
Unfortunately I felt like I was wading through treacle
A 4* idea but a 2* result. I on,y finished the book because I hate not to. Sorry to disappoint, everyone seems t have given this 5*....
Why did he lead a double life?
Why didn't he care he put her through misery?
Unfortunately I felt like I was wading through treacle
A 4* idea but a 2* result. I on,y finished the book because I hate not to. Sorry to disappoint, everyone seems t have given this 5*....
Read
September 24, 2012Have you ever had a secret? One so important that it feels as if it will tear you in two? Stephen’s got one. He's also got a great job, beautiful wife and an adorable son. Outwardly his life seems perfect but it means nothing without Alice.
July 30, 2012
Oh no no no! You don't construct a plot this way. 80% before the main event, a truly horrible central character that no one in their right mind would sympathise with and a heroine who does nothing to help herself.
The worst 77p I've ever spent. I could have had chocolate!
The worst 77p I've ever spent. I could have had chocolate!
February 1, 2014
Without Alice opens with the birth stories of three people - well, four, if you count Marcel - and goes on to weave the tale of how their lives are interconnected. We first meet Jennie and Stephen, unhappily married with a newborn son. Jennie does her best to take care of the baby, the house, and deal with all of the crapola that comes her way (including a home invasion) despite Stephen's treatment of her, which ranges from emotionally distant to outright hostile. Eventually, we find out why Stephen is behaving the way he is; enter the title character. When tragedy strikes, to paraphrased a peripheral character, "the chickens finally come home to roost".
What I liked: This novel was a real page-turner. I'm pretty sure I finished it in one night. The characters themselves are extremely well-developed. I admire Ms. Kirkby's ability to make me feel strongly for them, even if it was a strong negative emotion. I understand Ms. Kirkby is (or was?) a midwife by profession, and this is evident in the detailed descriptions of the births, the hospitals, the post-natal appointments. I could actually see and feel the green-tiled government hospital room Jennie stayed in (I've been there, too). Finally, I couldn't help but notice the deliberate ambiguity of the gender of the couple at the end. That was kinda neat.
What I didn't like: There were a couple of WTF moments here and there. For example, about two-thirds of the way through we meet a character named Maggie Stowerby, who is described in detail, has a few things to say from her own POV, and disappears a few chapters later. What happened to her? There's also a few allusions to baby Marcel having developmental issues, but this isn't resolved and we never hear about it again. I also thought that the entire Prologue was nice but largely unnecessary to the rest of the story. Finally, without giving too much away, I felt that the ending was just a little too neatly happily-ever-after for (almost) everyone. I so wanted Stephen to experience the full consequences of his actions; to feel some semblance of remorse for the giant mess he made. I wanted there to be some kind of poetic justice for Jennie. Real life isn't fair, I suppose, but it did leave me feeling kinda frustrated.
In conclusion, this book is like a piece of candy: not much nutritional value, but sweet and goes down fast. :)
What I liked: This novel was a real page-turner. I'm pretty sure I finished it in one night. The characters themselves are extremely well-developed. I admire Ms. Kirkby's ability to make me feel strongly for them, even if it was a strong negative emotion. I understand Ms. Kirkby is (or was?) a midwife by profession, and this is evident in the detailed descriptions of the births, the hospitals, the post-natal appointments. I could actually see and feel the green-tiled government hospital room Jennie stayed in (I've been there, too). Finally, I couldn't help but notice the deliberate ambiguity of the gender of the couple at the end. That was kinda neat.
What I didn't like: There were a couple of WTF moments here and there. For example, about two-thirds of the way through we meet a character named Maggie Stowerby, who is described in detail, has a few things to say from her own POV, and disappears a few chapters later. What happened to her? There's also a few allusions to baby Marcel having developmental issues, but this isn't resolved and we never hear about it again. I also thought that the entire Prologue was nice but largely unnecessary to the rest of the story. Finally, without giving too much away, I felt that the ending was just a little too neatly happily-ever-after for (almost) everyone. I so wanted Stephen to experience the full consequences of his actions; to feel some semblance of remorse for the giant mess he made. I wanted there to be some kind of poetic justice for Jennie. Real life isn't fair, I suppose, but it did leave me feeling kinda frustrated.
In conclusion, this book is like a piece of candy: not much nutritional value, but sweet and goes down fast. :)
August 10, 2016
Really interesting story. I enjoyed it. At first I wasn't sure where the story was going because it starts with the birth of 3 babies - and I thought it was going to be a story about those parents. It's not, well, not really. It's about those 3 babies, 1 boy and 2 girls when they are older and basically how their lives end up intertwined. I just gotta say that the author is a fricking expert on the whole birth, delivery and baby details. I totally appreciated the details and information because they are so true!!! Or at least, I could totally relate to what was going on, being a mother of 3! :) I also loved how the book pulled me in several different directions. You felt deeply about all of the characters - whether you liked them or hated them - I personally, ended up caring about all of them. All in all, I liked how everything played out - it was a very ideal ending and I hope the author writes a book about Marcel. :)
October 27, 2014
Well written novel about the effects people have on one another, particularly liked the depictions of birth and new motherhood, not an easy thing to write about, but Denyse has done a great job. An engrossing story with a surprisingly feel good ending!
Read
August 9, 2016(I won this book from a forum giveaway.)
(I am holding off on reading until I have the time to.)
(I am holding off on reading until I have the time to.)
February 7, 2016
disappointed with twee ending
December 1, 2012
Gripping story line. Excellent read.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews