Stand by Your Man

by Gil McNeil

Is it better to forgive and forget, or should you just get even? Is it possible to live in the country and not lose your mind completely? Do chickens really make good pets? And what exactly is a hardy perennial? Alice Mayhew, part-time architect and full-time mother to Alfie, is to gardening what Alan Titchmarsh is to deep-sea fishing. So finding she€™s been volunteered to design a new garden for the village comes as a bit of a shock, because apart from anything else she€™s far too busy trying to convince Alfie that wearing green trousers doesn€™t make you Peter Pan, and that flying is best left to the experts. Molly O€™Brien is finding it hard enough coping with Lily (age four and likes washing up) and Matt (age 32 and doesn€™t) before she discovers she€™s pregnant. And then there€™s Lola Barker, who causes havoc wherever she goes, and brings a whole new meaning to the word high-maintenance. Toddlers, jelly, bad behavior, romance, and gardening ti

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published July 19, 2004

About the author

Gil McNeil is the author of the bestselling The Only Boy for Me, Stand By Your Man, In The Wee Small Hours and most recently Divas Don’t Knit. The Only Boy For Me has been made into a major ITV prime-time drama starring Helen Baxendale and was broadcast in 2007. Gil McNeil has edited five collections of stories with Sarah Brown, and is Director of the charity PiggyBankKids, which supports projects that create opportunities for children. She lives in Kent with her son and comes from a long line of champion knitters.

Reviews

[Angelique Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading Gil McNeil's knitting series, and enjoyed them so much that I'm working my way back through her other books. Read Gil McNeil if you like:
-Light hearted books starring single parents
- Books where the protagonist is searching for what makes life meaningful and enjoyable to them.
-Books where characters grow into their best selves.

This book involves gardening, which I love; but the real story is the protagonist finding her happiness. This is a quick, easy read starring and English single mum in the countryside. Perfect for when you need something for a laugh.

[Pgchuis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must have read this the first time when my children were small and I related in an immediate way to the humorous (but fairly realistic) portrayal of toddlers'/preschoolers' little quirks. Even now, this made me smile a lot and the reference to 'Thomas the Incredibly Boring Tank Engine' made me laugh out loud. I appreciated Alice and Molly being quietly excellent at their jobs, and all the various romances were very sweet.

[IrishFan · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is the 2nd book by McNeil that I have read where I have thought - what the heck is with the children in her books?! they are horrible! I like Alice, but man her son Alfie is a brat, and I can't imagine letting my children act like that. And the other children aren't much better. I enjoyed the character of Lola, even though she was horrible. But the way she was written, you just had to hate her. Entertaining book, but just kind of meh.

[Joan Horkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful! A laugh-out-loud book. I can't wait to read more of Gil McNeil.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun story of friendship and parenthood.

[Kirsty Ellinor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice easy, cosy read . Very light hearted and sweet.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very slow, quiet story but in a good way.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much complaining and not enough charm. I liked Alice, but her mundane life just wasn't interesting enough to carry the book.

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the author. All of her books are excellent reads and I wish there were more!

[Kelsey Banks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy going chick lit but fairly well written

[Angharad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, funny, just what I needed

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very similar to the Beach Street Knitting series. Similar setting and characters, but more about gardening than knitting.

[fictional Hima · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters, the places, the writing, the style, i could just go on and on to tell you how much i loved this book!!
This is my comfort book that i have read a dozen times 🥰

[Joy Bellotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book! I love her books. They always make me laugh!! I’ve read several and can’t wait to read more.

[Cara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like I can’t read books once I know they’re from England bc then my internal voice will have an accent everytime I start reading

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It's the story of a single mom raiding a three year old and it had me laughing aloud at much of the book, and feeling very sentimental in others. Alice Mayhew is an architect who lives in a small English village and commutes part time to a job in London. The story is told in episodes over the course of a year. One major theme involves the community garden that Alice suddenly finds herself in charge of. From beginning planning in January to the judging in October, the garden brings many members of the community together and forms fast friendships.
It's a fast read and utterly charming.

[Sallyann Van leeuwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute small town read of a single parent, Alice and her day to day life in the village. When the new couple from London arrive, things in the village spice up a little, with socialite Lola urging the town to enter a garden competition. While everyone is busy with that, Lola is busy with her own games....

Another nice snapshot of village life, but very similar to the knitting trilogy. Nice bit of amusement that you don't have to concentrate too hard on.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abandoned. I have read it before, wasn't memorable, tried it again and it just was not doing it for me. Very slow, very predicatable, not very interesting, didn't keep my attention, tried too hard to be witty and was basically a re-hash of the previous 2 books I've read of hers but with different characters.

[Lucie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kept waiting for something to happen and when it finally did, it was a bit anti-climatic i thought, but it was an easy read and somewhat entertaining at times. There were a lot of british references of which i knew nothing about, but didn't bother me so much, yet it might bother others.

[Angel Serrano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alice es una madre separada que vive en un pueblo del sur de Inglaterra. Con su amiga Lilly se integrará en la vida local a través de un proyecto de jardín. Aunque el centro de su vida es su hijo, descubrirá el amor de nuevo.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. The casual light humour and loving thoughts toward her son entertain the reader. An enjoyable read.

[Eva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing special, but it doesn't pretend to be. Entertaining. Could not finish it, though, so not enterntaining enough. Maybe I was in the wrong mood...

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hysterical!! I absolutely loved it!! Very realistic depictions of life as a mom.

[Giovanna Slon · Rating 4 out of 5]

McNeil's books are like candy. I want to drop everything and read them from cover to cover.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great Book! Love this author x x

[Holly Gault · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm crazy about all of Gil McNeil's books. This is the only stand alone and I loved it.

[Clare Coffey · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was funny in parts. I did not like her usage of foul language-there was no need for it.
The best characters in the book were Jim, Lola and Molly. Alice was ok.

[Christine Monk · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a light read thoroughly enjoyable

[Mindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another light romance! Interesting gardening topic for the backdrop.

[Carmel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! Made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion :-) very realistic story of life as a mother. Liked all her other books too, although they are very similar to each other.