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Walsh Family #1
Watermelon
Claire has everything she ever wanted: a husband she adores, a great apartment, a good job. Then, on the day she gives birth to their first baby, James informs her that he's leaving her. Claire is left with a newborn daughter, a broken heart, and a postpartum body that she can hardly bear to look at.
She decides to go home to Dublin. And there, sheltered by the love of a quirky family, she gets better. So much so, in fact, that when James slithers back into her life, he's in for a bit of a surprise.
She decides to go home to Dublin. And there, sheltered by the love of a quirky family, she gets better. So much so, in fact, that when James slithers back into her life, he's in for a bit of a surprise.
520 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1995
3205 people are currently reading
51627 people want to read
About the author
Marian Keyes
89 books11.7k followersMarian Keyes (born 10 September 1963) is an Irish novelist and non-fiction writer, best known for her work in women's literature. She is an Irish Book Awards winner. Over 22 million copies of her novels have been sold worldwide and her books have been translated into 32 languages. She became known worldwide for Watermelon, Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, and This Charming Man, with themes including domestic violence and alcoholism.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,015 reviews
September 4, 2007
I am quite random myself, skipping from subject to subject without segways, but Keyes takes it to another level. I just felt like yelling "get to the point!". Some of Claire's inner dialog was funny, but by page 30 I was skipping over large chunks to get to the actual moving plot line of the book. A couldn't whole heartedly recommend this to anyone looking for a mindless chick book that is a quick read, cause it was too annoying to be mindless. Marian Keyes came highly recommended too, but I don't think I'll bother with anything else by her. I don't have the time or patience.
November 10, 2017
1 Stars
Watermelon follow's our protagonist Claire as she is left by her husband James for her downstairs neighbour, about 2 minutes after giving birth to their daughter. She soon after takes her newborn child back to her eccentric family so she can lick her wounds in the comfort of her old home and thus meets a new younger man named Adam.
To say Claire is an embarrassing wet drip of woman is putting it lightly. She spends 40% of this way too long novel in a depression slump where she neglects her new born child to sulk and drink and sulk and sleep and then drink some more. Instead of going through some momentous montage scene of getting her shit together and realizing she's an empowered single mom that doesn't need a horrible man in her life. The author decides the only way to get over one man is under another (literally). My god feminist writing at work here people.
I’m fine with romance but not when it is the pivotal turning point that makes the character change her ways and get out of her depression. Why couldn’t it be her dysfunctional but loving family or her NEW BORN CHILD that made her wake up and realize that the world doesn’t stop spinning because of one horrible man?
The new love interest for our lead was no improvement from her husband. He was just as controlling but in entirely different way but none the less bossy. He was the type of man that tells you what's good for you like; how have you been able to properly take care of yourself without him telling you how to do so kind of bastard. When a man tells me whats best for me, I want to punch him in his face. I'm adult woman I'm quite aware whats best for me I don't need your commentary from the peanut gallery.
James (her ex-husband) was written not just as insufferable but like an actual sociopath. A pathological liar, that was manipulative, bitter, and just kept forgetting he had a daughter like literally every second was like 'oh ya, I have her I guess.' It was a really weird character choice the author made because now I'm questioning our protagonists intellect because she married a crazy person like psych ward crazy. Like keep an eye on your kid because she's got his genes so look out for prolonged bed wetting and her killing the house pets in your future BECAUSE YOU MARRIED A STRAIGHT UP LUNATIC!
The lead character was such a weak insecure woman that you couldn't even be satisfied with her triumphant 'I don't need you in my life' attitude in the end because it took about a thousand people telling her that her husband is a manipulative asshole to get her there. It wasn't even her in the end that realized he was horrible it was everyone telling her to wake the fuck up and have some self respect. And then she was all "oh maybe I should defend myself?" Like nope took you way too long to get to this point, I no longer care you weak willed sad excuse for a woman. It was like pulling fucking teeth to get this character to do anything that involved her using her back bone. Which made it so lack luster in the end when she finally stood up for herself.
If you want to read a book about thousand pages too long revolving around a weak willed woman running from one man into the arms of another because she's has no ability to take care of herself may I suggest Watermelon by Marian Keyes. You'll love it.
Watermelon follow's our protagonist Claire as she is left by her husband James for her downstairs neighbour, about 2 minutes after giving birth to their daughter. She soon after takes her newborn child back to her eccentric family so she can lick her wounds in the comfort of her old home and thus meets a new younger man named Adam.
To say Claire is an embarrassing wet drip of woman is putting it lightly. She spends 40% of this way too long novel in a depression slump where she neglects her new born child to sulk and drink and sulk and sleep and then drink some more. Instead of going through some momentous montage scene of getting her shit together and realizing she's an empowered single mom that doesn't need a horrible man in her life. The author decides the only way to get over one man is under another (literally). My god feminist writing at work here people.
I’m fine with romance but not when it is the pivotal turning point that makes the character change her ways and get out of her depression. Why couldn’t it be her dysfunctional but loving family or her NEW BORN CHILD that made her wake up and realize that the world doesn’t stop spinning because of one horrible man?
The new love interest for our lead was no improvement from her husband. He was just as controlling but in entirely different way but none the less bossy. He was the type of man that tells you what's good for you like; how have you been able to properly take care of yourself without him telling you how to do so kind of bastard. When a man tells me whats best for me, I want to punch him in his face. I'm adult woman I'm quite aware whats best for me I don't need your commentary from the peanut gallery.
James (her ex-husband) was written not just as insufferable but like an actual sociopath. A pathological liar, that was manipulative, bitter, and just kept forgetting he had a daughter like literally every second was like 'oh ya, I have her I guess.' It was a really weird character choice the author made because now I'm questioning our protagonists intellect because she married a crazy person like psych ward crazy. Like keep an eye on your kid because she's got his genes so look out for prolonged bed wetting and her killing the house pets in your future BECAUSE YOU MARRIED A STRAIGHT UP LUNATIC!
The lead character was such a weak insecure woman that you couldn't even be satisfied with her triumphant 'I don't need you in my life' attitude in the end because it took about a thousand people telling her that her husband is a manipulative asshole to get her there. It wasn't even her in the end that realized he was horrible it was everyone telling her to wake the fuck up and have some self respect. And then she was all "oh maybe I should defend myself?" Like nope took you way too long to get to this point, I no longer care you weak willed sad excuse for a woman. It was like pulling fucking teeth to get this character to do anything that involved her using her back bone. Which made it so lack luster in the end when she finally stood up for herself.
If you want to read a book about thousand pages too long revolving around a weak willed woman running from one man into the arms of another because she's has no ability to take care of herself may I suggest Watermelon by Marian Keyes. You'll love it.
December 25, 2022
View my full review on: diaryofdifference.com/2018/04/25/wate...
A lovely read! Marian Keyes is one of my favourite authors of all time. The story of how I discovered Marian is quite funny, actually.
It was back in the days when I was a teenager and I was in love with the Gifted Series from Marilyn Kaye. I have read only the first two books and I have asked my mum to bring me the rest of them (there were six in total). She came back with a book with an author that had a similar name, and here we are today :)
I have read Watermelon a long time ago, but I have decided to share my thoughts with you now.
This is a chick lit book about a woman left on her own right after she gives birth to her first child and then goes back to her parent's house to start her life over.
This is a story about bravely, love, family and all little things that will melt your heart.
Prepare to cry - Actually, prepare to cry a lot, and don't say I haven't warned you.
A story that will stick with you for years after you've read it. The characters that will make you wish you met them and were their friends over and over again.
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A lovely read! Marian Keyes is one of my favourite authors of all time. The story of how I discovered Marian is quite funny, actually.
It was back in the days when I was a teenager and I was in love with the Gifted Series from Marilyn Kaye. I have read only the first two books and I have asked my mum to bring me the rest of them (there were six in total). She came back with a book with an author that had a similar name, and here we are today :)
I have read Watermelon a long time ago, but I have decided to share my thoughts with you now.
This is a chick lit book about a woman left on her own right after she gives birth to her first child and then goes back to her parent's house to start her life over.
This is a story about bravely, love, family and all little things that will melt your heart.
Prepare to cry - Actually, prepare to cry a lot, and don't say I haven't warned you.
A story that will stick with you for years after you've read it. The characters that will make you wish you met them and were their friends over and over again.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Pinterest |
November 28, 2016
Marijanu i njenog muža Tonija upoznala sam 2002. godine na sajmu u Njujorku... I zaprepastila se... Pa, oni znaju ponešto da kažu na srpskom! Misterija je brzo rešena, Marijanin brat oženjen je Beograđankom Ljiljanom i otud poznavanje i srpskog jezika i kulture, a bogme i hrane... :) Po povratku u Beograd, odmah sam krenula da čitam Lubenicu, totalno se zaljubila u Marijanino pisanje i nagovorila svog izdavača da odmah kupimo prava za pet Marijanin knjiga... i poslušao me je... A onda su Marijana i Toni došli u Beograd da se Marijana druži sa svojim čitaocima... Porodica Volš iz Marijaninih knjiga veoma podseća na na njenu... I ona ima braću i sestre... Ukupno ih je petoro dece u porodici i veoma su vezani i rasejani svud po svetu... Kasnije sam je "ponela" sa sobom kod drugog izdavača ali su uspeli da je izgube zbog nemara i loših korica... Toni me je glede jednih korica bojažljivo priupitao: "A što su ove nove korice tako crne i mračne, jel' ova knjiga izdavača asocira na 11. septembar?"... I tako se Laguna dočepala autorke... :) Marijane duhovite tekstove možete čitati i na njenoj veb-stranici... :)
February 4, 2023
This was a lovely light hearted and funny chick lit when it was needed most. I love easy listening, and this was, with added accents and lots of light hearted moments. Claire, almost 30, is left by her boring and awful husband James on the day she gives birth to their first child, for another woman. Of course.
She copes with this quite well, and retreats back home to Dublin, from London, taking baby Kate with her (left unamed for a while in the manner of Claire's bereftness). Claire's family is funny, flawed, a little cooky. But they look after her, welcome both girls and Claire has a room for her and Kate.
Marian Keyes has a way of writing about life's hard stuff well; she has her own addiction issues and the issues of her fictionalised characters are real in this way. Claire tries to find solace in the bottle, not while taking over the entire story, but we see her trying to deal with life in ways that aren't helping her.
Claire meets Adam, a man who treats her well and in the way she deserves, but she is so unsure of herself, her confidence has been shattered and she is constantly thinking she still loves James. No self esteem but a lot of funny jokes about herself, as the novel progresses one feels like she's making progress.
There are scenes where I wanted to strangle her, she allowed James to doubt herself completely, he was delusional and twisted the way their marriage played out and being simply terrible. So annihilated with self grandeur, this chipped away at her self belief quite alarmingly.
An easy read, lessons to be learned and a funny family supporting one of their own. This is old, but I'm looking forward to continuing this series. I almost rated it 5 stars, and have faith the newer ones may hit this mark.
She copes with this quite well, and retreats back home to Dublin, from London, taking baby Kate with her (left unamed for a while in the manner of Claire's bereftness). Claire's family is funny, flawed, a little cooky. But they look after her, welcome both girls and Claire has a room for her and Kate.
Marian Keyes has a way of writing about life's hard stuff well; she has her own addiction issues and the issues of her fictionalised characters are real in this way. Claire tries to find solace in the bottle, not while taking over the entire story, but we see her trying to deal with life in ways that aren't helping her.
Claire meets Adam, a man who treats her well and in the way she deserves, but she is so unsure of herself, her confidence has been shattered and she is constantly thinking she still loves James. No self esteem but a lot of funny jokes about herself, as the novel progresses one feels like she's making progress.
There are scenes where I wanted to strangle her, she allowed James to doubt herself completely, he was delusional and twisted the way their marriage played out and being simply terrible. So annihilated with self grandeur, this chipped away at her self belief quite alarmingly.
An easy read, lessons to be learned and a funny family supporting one of their own. This is old, but I'm looking forward to continuing this series. I almost rated it 5 stars, and have faith the newer ones may hit this mark.
January 8, 2025
Sometimes I enjoyed this book and the main character, but other times I didn’t at all. For example I didn’t like when she joked about suicide, and her insecurity, although understandable, was tiresome.
April 7, 2023
Book one in the Walsh Family series and I fell in love with this family instantly.
This has such a great opening which really kept me hooked.
Five stars.
This has such a great opening which really kept me hooked.
Five stars.
July 1, 2021
No es que no me haya gustado. Lo que es la trama la he disfrutado muchísimo, es una historia tipo chick lit super divertida y entretenida. Peeeeeero ciertos comentarios que se repiten una y otra y otra y otra vez a lo largo de la novela es lo que le ha hecho perder puntuación.
Ejemplos (nada es spoiler de la trama):
- No tengo la cita exacta pero la protagonista tenía celos de que la gente anoréxica sea capaz de no comer porque ella no tiene ese "self-control" HELLO? WTF?
- El libro se llama Watermelon porque la protagonista, después de haber tenido un bebé, está más gorda y se pasa el libro diciendo que parece una sandía de lo "redonda" que está.
- La protagonista no se siente guapa ni se acepta a si misma hasta que adelgaza de forma NADA sana porque tiene una depresión enorme y se le quitan las ganas de comer. Luego adelgaza y ya se siente guapa y entonces puffff ya mágicamene no hay depresión
- Continuamente se refiere a la mujer con la que su marido le puso los cuerdos como "Fat cow" (vaca gorda)
- Asume que un taxista es gay y ya todo el rato se dirige a él en su mente como "el taxista gay" solo porque es bajito y no se siente atraída por él.
Y si, ya lo sé, el libro se publicó en los 90' y en esa época ese tipo de comentarios eran de lo más normal y aparecían en todos los libros, películas o series. Pero lo siento mucho, yo no voy a ignorar toda esa toxicidad solo porque el libro tenga X años.
Ejemplos (nada es spoiler de la trama):
- No tengo la cita exacta pero la protagonista tenía celos de que la gente anoréxica sea capaz de no comer porque ella no tiene ese "self-control" HELLO? WTF?
- El libro se llama Watermelon porque la protagonista, después de haber tenido un bebé, está más gorda y se pasa el libro diciendo que parece una sandía de lo "redonda" que está.
- La protagonista no se siente guapa ni se acepta a si misma hasta que adelgaza de forma NADA sana porque tiene una depresión enorme y se le quitan las ganas de comer. Luego adelgaza y ya se siente guapa y entonces puffff ya mágicamene no hay depresión
- Continuamente se refiere a la mujer con la que su marido le puso los cuerdos como "Fat cow" (vaca gorda)
- Asume que un taxista es gay y ya todo el rato se dirige a él en su mente como "el taxista gay" solo porque es bajito y no se siente atraída por él.
Y si, ya lo sé, el libro se publicó en los 90' y en esa época ese tipo de comentarios eran de lo más normal y aparecían en todos los libros, películas o series. Pero lo siento mucho, yo no voy a ignorar toda esa toxicidad solo porque el libro tenga X años.
October 4, 2013
Opening Line:” ”I’m sorry, you must think I’m very rude. We’ve hardly even been introduced and here I am telling you all about the terrible things that have happened to me.”
Claire thought she had the perfect life right up until her husband James announced that he didn’t love her anymore and was leaving her for another woman. He might have picked a better day to deliver this earth shattering news than directly after the birth of their first child. Shocked, heartbroken and now packing some serious baby weight, Claire flees London and retreats back to her dysfunctional family in Ireland to regroup. Claire’s idea of regrouping is of course to take to bed and only emerge when the baby needs feeding or she runs out of liquor.
Eventually she does get out of bed, hitting her father’s dusty stationary bike to work off the rage and inadvertently the pounds. Yes her period of mourning has gone from devastation to depression to rage. And then she goes about starting her life again. Along the way one of her sisters drags home Adam, the cute, younger and (obviously unobtainable) man that honestly seems to be flirting with her. Before long Claire has almost forgotten James, well not really but he’s no longer her first waking thought and besides Adam has a really nice bum. So then the story gets kinda predictable because of course James comes slinking back. He has some interesting excuses for having his affair but now basically just wants everything to go back to the way it was!
Okay I have to talk about James, what an asshat. I understand he is meant to the antagonist here but jeez. It’s not so much his character I am judging but that of the author deciding our heroine would actually be dumb enough to consider taking him back after the shit he pulled. I mean he hasn’t phoned once or even asked after his daughter, in fact doesn’t even know her name and to top it all off he blames Claire for the fact that he had an affair. And then Keyes continued to write him in such a way that he actually comes across a bit psycho, with moods changing on a dime (yes she loves to use idioms) and yet Claire still wants him in her daughter’s life. I would be doing everything I could to make sure he never had contact with her. Anyways.
This was a super long book (614 pages) which wouldn’t have been an issue if the author had stayed on track. As it was this could have been cut by about 200 pages as the heroine’s silly (see annoying) inner dialogue prattled on with random off topic issues, spending 8 pages talking about the history off her parents’ liquor cabinet and other non-related issues. Some of her inner ramblings were funny but I’ll be honest it got to the point where I was skimming just to get on with the actual story (this continued for the entire 600 page read.)
I did enjoy the sections where it was written as though the author/heroine is talking directly to the reader. However I still never got a real “feel" for her. I also had a hard time believing that she was a new mother, her baby is such a non-issue throughout this book, just part of the plot and then she remains in the background as an accessory while Claire goes about her binge drinking and depression at her parents’ house. And with that in mind I would have to describe this as bitter chick-lit because while it has its moments of humour its always with a harsh edge so that you’re not so much laughing as cringing. 380jb3.5
Claire thought she had the perfect life right up until her husband James announced that he didn’t love her anymore and was leaving her for another woman. He might have picked a better day to deliver this earth shattering news than directly after the birth of their first child. Shocked, heartbroken and now packing some serious baby weight, Claire flees London and retreats back to her dysfunctional family in Ireland to regroup. Claire’s idea of regrouping is of course to take to bed and only emerge when the baby needs feeding or she runs out of liquor.
Eventually she does get out of bed, hitting her father’s dusty stationary bike to work off the rage and inadvertently the pounds. Yes her period of mourning has gone from devastation to depression to rage. And then she goes about starting her life again. Along the way one of her sisters drags home Adam, the cute, younger and (obviously unobtainable) man that honestly seems to be flirting with her. Before long Claire has almost forgotten James, well not really but he’s no longer her first waking thought and besides Adam has a really nice bum. So then the story gets kinda predictable because of course James comes slinking back. He has some interesting excuses for having his affair but now basically just wants everything to go back to the way it was!
Okay I have to talk about James, what an asshat. I understand he is meant to the antagonist here but jeez. It’s not so much his character I am judging but that of the author deciding our heroine would actually be dumb enough to consider taking him back after the shit he pulled. I mean he hasn’t phoned once or even asked after his daughter, in fact doesn’t even know her name and to top it all off he blames Claire for the fact that he had an affair. And then Keyes continued to write him in such a way that he actually comes across a bit psycho, with moods changing on a dime (yes she loves to use idioms) and yet Claire still wants him in her daughter’s life. I would be doing everything I could to make sure he never had contact with her. Anyways.
This was a super long book (614 pages) which wouldn’t have been an issue if the author had stayed on track. As it was this could have been cut by about 200 pages as the heroine’s silly (see annoying) inner dialogue prattled on with random off topic issues, spending 8 pages talking about the history off her parents’ liquor cabinet and other non-related issues. Some of her inner ramblings were funny but I’ll be honest it got to the point where I was skimming just to get on with the actual story (this continued for the entire 600 page read.)
I did enjoy the sections where it was written as though the author/heroine is talking directly to the reader. However I still never got a real “feel" for her. I also had a hard time believing that she was a new mother, her baby is such a non-issue throughout this book, just part of the plot and then she remains in the background as an accessory while Claire goes about her binge drinking and depression at her parents’ house. And with that in mind I would have to describe this as bitter chick-lit because while it has its moments of humour its always with a harsh edge so that you’re not so much laughing as cringing. 380jb3.5
August 13, 2018
EXCERPT: February fifteenth is a very special day for me. It is the day I gave birth to my first child. It is also the day my husband left me. As he was present at the birth, I can only assume the two events weren't entirely unrelated.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: Claire has everything she ever wanted: a husband she adores, a great apartment, a good job. Then, on the day she gives birth to their first baby, James informs her that he's leaving her. Claire is left with a newborn daughter, a broken heart, and a postpartum body that she can hardly bear to look at.
She decides to go home to Dublin. And there, sheltered by the love of a quirky family, she gets better. So much so, in fact, that when James slithers back into her life, he's in for a bit of a surprise.
MY THOUGHTS: This was the first book by Marian Keyes that I ever read. I read it quite some time after she had made a name for herself with Rachel's Holiday. The first time I read Watermelon, and there have been several readings over the years, I was enamoured by Keyes' writing. Warm and witty, it was like sitting down and having a good gossip session with your best friend and a bottle of wine. . . 'And did you hear about Claire?....No? Well, James has only gone and left her, and with a brand new baby. . . And you'll never guess who he left her for. . .'
I haven't always liked all of Keyes' books (Rachel's Holiday being one in particular), but Watermelon? I loved it.
😍😍😍😍
THE AUTHOR: Marian Keyes (born 10 September 1963) is an Irish novelist and non-fiction writer, best known for her work in women's literature. She is an Irish Book Awards winner. Over 22 million copies of her novels have been sold worldwide and her books have been translated into 32 languages. She became known worldwide for Watermelon, Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, and This Charming Man, with themes including domestic violence and alcoholism.
DISCLOSURE: I own my copy of Watermelon by Marian Keyes. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system.
This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
ABOUT THIS BOOK: Claire has everything she ever wanted: a husband she adores, a great apartment, a good job. Then, on the day she gives birth to their first baby, James informs her that he's leaving her. Claire is left with a newborn daughter, a broken heart, and a postpartum body that she can hardly bear to look at.
She decides to go home to Dublin. And there, sheltered by the love of a quirky family, she gets better. So much so, in fact, that when James slithers back into her life, he's in for a bit of a surprise.
MY THOUGHTS: This was the first book by Marian Keyes that I ever read. I read it quite some time after she had made a name for herself with Rachel's Holiday. The first time I read Watermelon, and there have been several readings over the years, I was enamoured by Keyes' writing. Warm and witty, it was like sitting down and having a good gossip session with your best friend and a bottle of wine. . . 'And did you hear about Claire?....No? Well, James has only gone and left her, and with a brand new baby. . . And you'll never guess who he left her for. . .'
I haven't always liked all of Keyes' books (Rachel's Holiday being one in particular), but Watermelon? I loved it.
😍😍😍😍
THE AUTHOR: Marian Keyes (born 10 September 1963) is an Irish novelist and non-fiction writer, best known for her work in women's literature. She is an Irish Book Awards winner. Over 22 million copies of her novels have been sold worldwide and her books have been translated into 32 languages. She became known worldwide for Watermelon, Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, and This Charming Man, with themes including domestic violence and alcoholism.
DISCLOSURE: I own my copy of Watermelon by Marian Keyes. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system.
This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
June 1, 2021
1.5 Stars
A hotchpotch story of Claire, 29 who recently gave birth to a girl. Her husband James was having an affair and wanted divorce. Met James in London at a restaurant where she worked as a waitress.
Moved back to Dublin where her parents lived. Kept throwing tantrums at her sisters and parents which kept on for a while. Eventually got her senses and started mending things.
Started liking Adam who owned a bar, Adam was Helen's friend who once came to their house. James came to Dublin to meet her and blamed her for his affair. She went back to him because of her daughter. Eventually realised that James was always manipulating her for everything. Left him and stayed in London.
A typical story with cliched characters and narrative.
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A hotchpotch story of Claire, 29 who recently gave birth to a girl. Her husband James was having an affair and wanted divorce. Met James in London at a restaurant where she worked as a waitress.
Moved back to Dublin where her parents lived. Kept throwing tantrums at her sisters and parents which kept on for a while. Eventually got her senses and started mending things.
Started liking Adam who owned a bar, Adam was Helen's friend who once came to their house. James came to Dublin to meet her and blamed her for his affair. She went back to him because of her daughter. Eventually realised that James was always manipulating her for everything. Left him and stayed in London.
A typical story with cliched characters and narrative.
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January 12, 2011
This is chick-lit, so you can't come in thinking it will be masterfully written. That said, this was worse than most. I picked it up because it was recommended and looked like a quick read. It was even quicker than expected, because I was able to skip a huge portion of the angst at the beginning and jump directly to the climax.
The premise of the book is that Claire's husband announces his affair and their separation on the day that Claire has their baby. The break-up of her marriage leaves Claire in a state of depression where we plumb the depths of her soul for about 150 pages. The plot is thin on the ground for this portion of the book, and we mostly hear about how dreadful she feels. Fortunately, she has what must be the easiest newborn ever and apparently needs to spend little time actually caring for the baby. Events proceed predictably, and (at the risk of spoilers), she meets another man. Finally, she is forced to choose between her marriage and the other man, but (gasp!) perhaps she can't really recover either relationship.
The denouement of the book begins with chapter 24. If you get sick of the characters before you reach that point, but want to find out what happens (like I did), I recommend skimming from that point on.
The premise of the book is that Claire's husband announces his affair and their separation on the day that Claire has their baby. The break-up of her marriage leaves Claire in a state of depression where we plumb the depths of her soul for about 150 pages. The plot is thin on the ground for this portion of the book, and we mostly hear about how dreadful she feels. Fortunately, she has what must be the easiest newborn ever and apparently needs to spend little time actually caring for the baby. Events proceed predictably, and (at the risk of spoilers), she meets another man. Finally, she is forced to choose between her marriage and the other man, but (gasp!) perhaps she can't really recover either relationship.
The denouement of the book begins with chapter 24. If you get sick of the characters before you reach that point, but want to find out what happens (like I did), I recommend skimming from that point on.
August 24, 2008
Someone left this book in the lobby of my apartment building so I picked it up to read. I understand why it was abandoned. I don't understand Marian Keyes' popularity. The main character was vapid, the secondary characters one dimensional, the plot improbable and the writing mediocre. Often I would throw it across the room in frustration.
Don't bother. I think I will take it back down to the lobby and leave it where I found it.
Don't bother. I think I will take it back down to the lobby and leave it where I found it.
July 1, 2010
I don't think I've ever been so glad to finish a book. Of course I wasn't expecting this to be a literary masterpiece but I thought being to some degree enjoyable wouldn't have been too much to ask.
The premise is probably standard for a chick-lit novel - a woman's husband tells her he's been having an affair for six months and is leaving her the day she gives birth to their first child. But that all happens within the first few pages and it seems that nothing else of much interest occurs in the massive amount pages that come next.
Instead Claire's emotions take on capital letters as she recounts their little plays in her head, she repeats and repeats and goes over things and goes over things and takes us on random trips down memory lane with seemingly unrelated antidotes about her family. At so many points I just wanted to yell "Shut up and get on with the story!" I also seemed to worry more about the baby's whereabouts than its mother did as it conveniently disappeared into the background.
Keyes does write with some humour and there are some great funny lines but these are too often then reiterated upon until they lose any entertainment value and just become annoying.
This book may have been more tolerable if it had been shorter. As in much shorter. There's just no excuse for its chunky 600+ pages, I wouldn't recommend it.
The premise is probably standard for a chick-lit novel - a woman's husband tells her he's been having an affair for six months and is leaving her the day she gives birth to their first child. But that all happens within the first few pages and it seems that nothing else of much interest occurs in the massive amount pages that come next.
Instead Claire's emotions take on capital letters as she recounts their little plays in her head, she repeats and repeats and goes over things and goes over things and takes us on random trips down memory lane with seemingly unrelated antidotes about her family. At so many points I just wanted to yell "Shut up and get on with the story!" I also seemed to worry more about the baby's whereabouts than its mother did as it conveniently disappeared into the background.
Keyes does write with some humour and there are some great funny lines but these are too often then reiterated upon until they lose any entertainment value and just become annoying.
This book may have been more tolerable if it had been shorter. As in much shorter. There's just no excuse for its chunky 600+ pages, I wouldn't recommend it.
August 17, 2008
What a Way to Start a Brand New Baby’s Life!
Claire can’t believe that the very day that she gives birth to her first child is the same day that her husband decides to leave her. What Luck! Marian Keyes pulls out all the stops in the development of the story and the characters. Claire and her husband James have been married for a few years and are living in New York. She thought things were going just great, then out of nowhere James announces that he’s fallen for someone else and is leaving their home to move in the with the other woman.
Claire is devastated and decides to move back home to her family in Ireland. Once she gets there, her parents and her sisters (there are five girls altogether – poor Dad!) try their best to help her deal with her abandonment and pitch in to help take care of the baby – she even has to name her baby girl without James’ input. So she’s down but she’s not out and after a bout of depression in which she terrorizes her family – she finally decides to move on with her life and she…leaves the house – for the first time in weeks!
She meets Adam, one of her sister Helen’s college classmates who although a little older than the average college student, is still a little young for her, but he’s hot and she can’t help being drawn to him and he seems to have a fondness for her brand new baby. Claire is still heart-broken over her husband’s betrayal, but maybe she can find a way to see the good in mankind by befriending Adam. Claire discovers a lot about herself, about her marriage and finds out the truth about her husband and comes to a crossroads and makes a decision about the way she’s going to live her life and raise her daughter.
This is my first Marian Keyes novel and I was instantly swept up in Claire’s personality and the humor that’s infused in her books. I especially enjoyed listening to the battles that would go on in Claire’s head between the good vs. evil – masterfully done. I was engrossed in every page and read it quickly and was sorry to have it end and then was so pleased to learn that there were more books in this series – I would like the chance to get to know the Walsh sisters better and I know that I’ve found a favorite author in Marian Keyes.
Claire can’t believe that the very day that she gives birth to her first child is the same day that her husband decides to leave her. What Luck! Marian Keyes pulls out all the stops in the development of the story and the characters. Claire and her husband James have been married for a few years and are living in New York. She thought things were going just great, then out of nowhere James announces that he’s fallen for someone else and is leaving their home to move in the with the other woman.
Claire is devastated and decides to move back home to her family in Ireland. Once she gets there, her parents and her sisters (there are five girls altogether – poor Dad!) try their best to help her deal with her abandonment and pitch in to help take care of the baby – she even has to name her baby girl without James’ input. So she’s down but she’s not out and after a bout of depression in which she terrorizes her family – she finally decides to move on with her life and she…leaves the house – for the first time in weeks!
She meets Adam, one of her sister Helen’s college classmates who although a little older than the average college student, is still a little young for her, but he’s hot and she can’t help being drawn to him and he seems to have a fondness for her brand new baby. Claire is still heart-broken over her husband’s betrayal, but maybe she can find a way to see the good in mankind by befriending Adam. Claire discovers a lot about herself, about her marriage and finds out the truth about her husband and comes to a crossroads and makes a decision about the way she’s going to live her life and raise her daughter.
This is my first Marian Keyes novel and I was instantly swept up in Claire’s personality and the humor that’s infused in her books. I especially enjoyed listening to the battles that would go on in Claire’s head between the good vs. evil – masterfully done. I was engrossed in every page and read it quickly and was sorry to have it end and then was so pleased to learn that there were more books in this series – I would like the chance to get to know the Walsh sisters better and I know that I’ve found a favorite author in Marian Keyes.
November 3, 2022
My second by Marian Keyes and I adore her world. It's so 90-ties, that to me it is a sentimental journey. Yes, some views outdated, but such was the western world at the end of the XX century. Many, many other views and observations are still valid.
Claire and her struggels were so human it hurt. She was far from being perfect. I would have never behaved like her, but I am sure there are many women who were/are like her. And this story could be wise and funny guide for them.
And I loved the humour.
I don't know if it is a common thing in Keyes' novels (I will know after a few more books), but her endings are wonderful and original - there is a happy ending, but you don't get HEA - like in the real life. You just see that the couple got a chance for trying. Whether they would survive, whether they would be happy for the long run, you don't know. A splendid ending.
PS A note for those who haven't read it (I think, especially after reading a few reviews, it is valid for all Keyes' novels):
--> Don't search for a romance in it - pick another author (there is a love story, but there is a chance you will not be satisfied with it).
--> It is almost too "heavy" for a typical chick-lit.
--> Keep in mind it was written in the 90-ties.
--> In the foreground are the heroine's thoughts and emotions, the plot is less important.
[Not 5 stars, because it was "rough at the edges", some dots just didn't connect.]
Everyone had their own worries. Nobody was perfectly happy
there was no Relationship Fairy
Claire and her struggels were so human it hurt. She was far from being perfect. I would have never behaved like her, but I am sure there are many women who were/are like her. And this story could be wise and funny guide for them.
But life was an irrepressible kind of a chap, and no matter how much I tried to pretend that he wasn’t there he kept poking his head through any gaps in my defenses and trying to get me to play with him.
Sad for me for being so misunderstood. Or was it sad for me for being so misunderstanding
I’m going to be me, whether it’s good or bad
And I loved the humour.
Who’s in charge around here? I’d like to complain about my life. I distinctly ordered a happy life with a loving husband to go with my newborn baby and what was this shoddy travesty that I’d been served up instead?
I don't know if it is a common thing in Keyes' novels (I will know after a few more books), but her endings are wonderful and original - there is a happy ending, but you don't get HEA - like in the real life. You just see that the couple got a chance for trying. Whether they would survive, whether they would be happy for the long run, you don't know. A splendid ending.
PS A note for those who haven't read it (I think, especially after reading a few reviews, it is valid for all Keyes' novels):
--> Don't search for a romance in it - pick another author (there is a love story, but there is a chance you will not be satisfied with it).
--> It is almost too "heavy" for a typical chick-lit.
--> Keep in mind it was written in the 90-ties.
--> In the foreground are the heroine's thoughts and emotions, the plot is less important.
[Not 5 stars, because it was "rough at the edges", some dots just didn't connect.]
August 12, 2017
3,5/5 Mi estreno con Marian Keyes ha estado bien, pero quizá por las expectativas, creía que sería mejor. Lo que se me ha hecho pesado en muchas ocasiones han sido los pensamientos de Claire, se alejaba tanto del tema en cuestión que me perdía y me costaba volver a coger el hilo, aunque a otra persona puede que no le pase y que simplemente no era el momento para leer este tipo de historia, pero con la sinopsis me parecía una lectura perfecta para el verano. Me ha parecido muy peculiar la familia Walsh, así que posiblemente siga conociendo las historias de las otras hermanas, así como otros libros de Marian que me han recomendado.
April 2, 2008
I picked this book up after I finished Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married. Like Lucy Sullivan, I enjoyed Marian Keyes chatty style. Reading this book feels like a chat with a friend and I found that I got to know the main character very well. Marian Keyes excels at character development.
As you probably know, this story is about Claire, a 29 year old Irish woman living in London. A few hours after she gave birth, her husband James announces that he doesn't love her anymore and that he is leaving her for another woman. Devastated, Claire left London for her family in Dublin. In Dublin we experience with Claire her stages of "mourning," which seem quite accurate for a woman in her predicament. First, she wants her husband to come back to her and for everything to return how it was, then she is angry, and then she finds acceptance. As Claire goes on with her life and meets someone knew, her husband James pops back into her life and wants her back. Claire contemplates taking him back because she wants to have the perfect family and her old life back. In the end, she realizes that she cannot forgive her husband. The book is a predictable plotline, of course, but what is special about it is how Claire wrestles with her changing perception of her husband and herself. She realizes that she had placed her husband on a pedestal and she figures out that he was really not the guy she thought he was.
Yes, Claire gets annoying at times. Don't we all? And aren't most poeple who go through big breakups kind of selfish and self-centered? The fact is, Claire is a very real person. She has her flaws and faults, but the reader grows to care about her.
I gave this book four stars because some sections were kind of wordy and at some points (e.g. the baggage claim scene when Claire first arrives in Dublin) where it looks like the author is trying too hard to be funny. But this is a fantastic book if you are looking for a light, funny read.
As you probably know, this story is about Claire, a 29 year old Irish woman living in London. A few hours after she gave birth, her husband James announces that he doesn't love her anymore and that he is leaving her for another woman. Devastated, Claire left London for her family in Dublin. In Dublin we experience with Claire her stages of "mourning," which seem quite accurate for a woman in her predicament. First, she wants her husband to come back to her and for everything to return how it was, then she is angry, and then she finds acceptance. As Claire goes on with her life and meets someone knew, her husband James pops back into her life and wants her back. Claire contemplates taking him back because she wants to have the perfect family and her old life back. In the end, she realizes that she cannot forgive her husband. The book is a predictable plotline, of course, but what is special about it is how Claire wrestles with her changing perception of her husband and herself. She realizes that she had placed her husband on a pedestal and she figures out that he was really not the guy she thought he was.
Yes, Claire gets annoying at times. Don't we all? And aren't most poeple who go through big breakups kind of selfish and self-centered? The fact is, Claire is a very real person. She has her flaws and faults, but the reader grows to care about her.
I gave this book four stars because some sections were kind of wordy and at some points (e.g. the baggage claim scene when Claire first arrives in Dublin) where it looks like the author is trying too hard to be funny. But this is a fantastic book if you are looking for a light, funny read.
March 10, 2017
Este es mi primer chick lit y he quedado bastante satisfecha. Y es que tenía algo de prejuicio por el género y este libro me lo ha curado. La narración es bastante ágil y apenas si decae sobre la mitad del libro para recuperarse rápidamente. La virtud de la escritora de este libro, radica en hacerlo cercano con su personaje principal, Clare, uno puede sentirse identificada con varias actitudes, sentimientos e inseguridades. Lo que más me gustó es como retrata estas situaciones cotidianas con una narrativa… con un humor cínico, muy bien puesto y empleado. También logra muy buenos personajes, entrañables, y en su carácter muy humanos, como la protagonista. Este primer libro, mi primer libro de Marian Keyes, me ha dejado con ganas de volver a leer a esta autora.
June 11, 2021
It's not a perfect novel but it was the right amount of sillyness and fluff I was craving at the moment and wasn't really looking for something to be taking seriously in this book. I tought this was fun and enjoyable for what it was and I'm tempted to read more by Marian Keyes now, even though I havnt liked the others I've read or tried to read. But I want to give her another chance.
February 10, 2024
“Temporary Insanity had come a-knocking and I had shouted "Come on in the door is open." Luckily, Reality had come unexpectedly and found Temporary Insanity roaming the corridors of my mind unchecked, going into rooms, opening cupboards, reading my letters, looking in my underwear drawer, that kind of thing. Reality had run and got Sanity. And after a tussle, they both had managed to throw out Temporary Insanity and slam the door in his face. Temporary Insanity now lay on the gravel in the driveway of my mind, panting and furious, shouting, "She invited me in, you know. She asked me in. She wanted me there.”
I’ve been re-reading Marian Keyes's books on Audible for the last couple of years. They have been so rich and funny. I had only read Watermelon, Keyes’s introduction to the Walsh family, one time, and it was a long time ago. I remember not being too impressed with it.
I re-read Rachel’s Holiday (again) in 2022 in preparation for its long-anticipated sequel, Rachel Again. I had previously listened to Helen’s story, The Mystery of Mercy Close, in 2020, and somewhere in there Mammy Walsh's A-Z of the Walsh Family, because I felt the need to re-acquaint myself with Helen and the rest of them. In those latter books, Claire is an interesting but not particularly nice woman. In fact, she is rather unlikeable. Not so in this one. I was amazed by how different she is in this first book, from how I remembered her. Perhaps because I listened to it on Audible rather than read it, I loved Watermelon this time. I thought it was hilarious and engaging throughout. Part of this may have been the narrator’s charming Irish accent and inflections which made Claire, who narrates her story in first person, even more sympathetic and charming than on paper. I was rooting for her all the way. Another reason I was so taken with her was that she addresses the reader directly in a metatextual way which made me feel a personal connection to her.
This is not a plot-driven book. The book begins with Claire, having just given birth, being told by her husband while she is still in the hospital, that he is leaving her for another woman.
Who’s in charge around here? I’d like to complain about my life. I distinctly ordered a happy life with a loving husband to go with my newborn baby and what was this shoddy travesty that I’d been served up instead?
**Spoilers Ahead**
First, she leaves London to go back to Dublin to live with her parents and her two younger sisters, Anna and Helen. From there, we go with her on her journey from grief and devastation, confusion, and anger to healing and a fresh start with a new and wonderful man. The book mainly consists of Claire’s musings, observations, and memories. As she remembers it and tells it, her marriage with James was blissful, and James, as she remembers him to us, seems like a great guy and her perfect match. Until he finally shows up, that is. We see that he is actually a pompous sanctimonious pig. For me, this added an extra layer of interest because I started to wonder about Claire's reliability as a narrator if not her sanity. Does James have a point when he accuses her of being childish, selfish, and a total flake? Claire had expected regret and shame from James but instead, he actually blames her for his having the affair. At first, James has Claire completely gaslighted. She starts to believe him and he has her under his thumb with her apologizing to him and promising to change her ways to save their marriage. Luckily her delusion was very brief and she comes to her senses with a vengeance.
No more humiliation for me, thanks very much. No more swallowing my anger. Honestly, I couldn’t manage another mouthful.
In many of her later books, Marian’s heroines are victimized and bamboozled by bad men throughout the whole book. I was thrilled such was not the case with Claire. She pretty much sees him for what he is but is very confused because she remembers their great marriage and their love. Plus, she feels she has to try again for the sake of their baby.
I loved the character of Adam, Claire’s love interest. He is such a great guy that the fact that he loves and admires Claire serves to reassure us that however flawed and crazy she sometimes is, she is a lovable and good person. Their romance is sweet, as is her love for her baby Kate. And of course, the rest of the Walshes are a constant source of entertainment and amazement.
Next to read on my agenda is Angels, which features Margaret, the “good” sister, who was not in this one. After that, hippy-dippy druggie Anna’s story, which I remember as being heartrending, and then a re-read of scary and combative Helen’s story. It will be interesting to meet Claire again in those and see how (or if) she changes or if this book is just another side of her.
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2024
Dnf’ed at 30% I couldn’t take her constantly talking about drinking and ignoring her newborn daughter 🙃 however, it was funny at parts and I liked the setting of Ireland but not enough to finish it
September 3, 2018
No sé muy bien cómo calificar este libro, porque es un SI pero NO. Dos meses me ha durado y con eso ya lo digo casi todo. A ratos me he sentido sobresaturada de tanto pensamiento de Claire, incluso tengo que reconocer que algunos párrafos me los he saltado, porque creo que son excesivos, y eso que sólo me lo he leído en los días de playa. Pero por otro lado, las ideas y pensamientos de Claire son ingeniosas y divertidas y me he reído mucho. A partir del momento conozco a Adam, creo que mejora todo el libro. No sé si será suficiente para que me lea otro libro de esta autora ;)
February 22, 2017
DNF.
I don't usually give up on books.
In fact, I can't recall when I last gave up on one.
It might have been some assigned reading way back when.
But this one, I just couldn't get into.
I read a lot of praise and recommendations of Keyes, so I had high hopes. And I tried.
God knows I tried.
But I couldn't.
I hated the style.
(This review is an attempt at approximation of the style.)
It made my eyes bleed.
It made my brain hurt.
But I perservered. Surely the characters will be interesting, at least.
At 33%, the characters were all caricatures. Annoying, unlikeable caricatures. I don't need to like characters in a book I'm reading, but I would like to at least feel interested in someone.
Maybe the plot, then.
The narrator-protagonist was dumped by her husband on the day their daughter was born and she went to her family in Ireland to mope around. At 33%, she's slowly stopping the moping around. I assume she will go on to find herself and then either find herself a new guy (she's very into guys) or decide she is a complete being on her own. Something like that.
This is a comedic book.
It relies on hyperbole and satire for the sake of the comedy.
The narration very, very rarely allows genuine human emotions to show, either from the protagonist or from her family.
This is a terrible pity, because the few times the protagonist shows human emotion, one can tell that there is a poignant point of view somewhere in there.
But instead, the reader is treated to the backstory of the protagonist's teenage casual drinking through her parents' liquor cabinet.
And her current dealing with her abandonment by the means of a bottle of alcohol a day.
(The baby is not breastfed. Don't worry.)
Or cheap laughs at a younger's sisters interest in the ~spiritual~.
Or driving the point about the mother's not cooking to the hyperbolic conclusion of the family being now suspicious of all real food.
You get my drift, I think.
So at 33% I looked at the book and I said, f it. I'm not entertained. I'm not engrossed. I don't care.
DNF.
I don't usually give up on books.
In fact, I can't recall when I last gave up on one.
It might have been some assigned reading way back when.
But this one, I just couldn't get into.
I read a lot of praise and recommendations of Keyes, so I had high hopes. And I tried.
God knows I tried.
But I couldn't.
I hated the style.
(This review is an attempt at approximation of the style.)
It made my eyes bleed.
It made my brain hurt.
But I perservered. Surely the characters will be interesting, at least.
At 33%, the characters were all caricatures. Annoying, unlikeable caricatures. I don't need to like characters in a book I'm reading, but I would like to at least feel interested in someone.
Maybe the plot, then.
The narrator-protagonist was dumped by her husband on the day their daughter was born and she went to her family in Ireland to mope around. At 33%, she's slowly stopping the moping around. I assume she will go on to find herself and then either find herself a new guy (she's very into guys) or decide she is a complete being on her own. Something like that.
This is a comedic book.
It relies on hyperbole and satire for the sake of the comedy.
The narration very, very rarely allows genuine human emotions to show, either from the protagonist or from her family.
This is a terrible pity, because the few times the protagonist shows human emotion, one can tell that there is a poignant point of view somewhere in there.
But instead, the reader is treated to the backstory of the protagonist's teenage casual drinking through her parents' liquor cabinet.
And her current dealing with her abandonment by the means of a bottle of alcohol a day.
(The baby is not breastfed. Don't worry.)
Or cheap laughs at a younger's sisters interest in the ~spiritual~.
Or driving the point about the mother's not cooking to the hyperbolic conclusion of the family being now suspicious of all real food.
You get my drift, I think.
So at 33% I looked at the book and I said, f it. I'm not entertained. I'm not engrossed. I don't care.
DNF.
August 1, 2010
I don't know exactly how I feel about this book. On one hand, I enjoyed the story. I am strangely drawn to stories of wives being unexpectedly dumped by their husbands. I suppose it's because I imagine it as one of the worst things that could happen to a woman (aside from the death of loved ones or contracting a fatal disease, etc). Anyway, I liked the story and I find the Walsh family utterly charming.
I think Marian Keyes has a particular style that is amusing and absorbing. She goes beyond the standard illogical and incomprehensible character reactions in her approach to chick lit, and I find that I am enjoying it.
However, there was much here that was highly irritating. First of all, Keyes went into an unrelated story tangent SO OFTEN that I found myself saying "get on with it!!!" more often than not. I also skimmed quite a few passages. If I skim passages too often, I get irritated, because that means I paid for pages I'm not reading. I know that this type of amusing tangent is one of the hallmarks of chicklit, and it CAN be quite chuckle-worthy, but, in this case, it was too too much.
Also, there was a bit too much introspection by the heroine. Now I KNOW that introspection is also a main component of chicklit. I expect quite a lot of it if I'm reading chicklit. But there was more than the standard allotted amount of introspection in the introspection/dialogue/descriptive passages/action ratio in this novel. Once again, I began to skim more than I would've liked.
Lastly, I found the ending a bit too pat. I would've liked for the husband not to be SUCH a pathetic character. I would've liked Claire to come to some conclusion about her own culpability in the break up of her marriage. I was unsatisfied that the husband became an utter villian instead of a realisticly dissatisfied ex. And the love interest was a little TOO fantastic. :-P~~~
I think Marian Keyes has a particular style that is amusing and absorbing. She goes beyond the standard illogical and incomprehensible character reactions in her approach to chick lit, and I find that I am enjoying it.
However, there was much here that was highly irritating. First of all, Keyes went into an unrelated story tangent SO OFTEN that I found myself saying "get on with it!!!" more often than not. I also skimmed quite a few passages. If I skim passages too often, I get irritated, because that means I paid for pages I'm not reading. I know that this type of amusing tangent is one of the hallmarks of chicklit, and it CAN be quite chuckle-worthy, but, in this case, it was too too much.
Also, there was a bit too much introspection by the heroine. Now I KNOW that introspection is also a main component of chicklit. I expect quite a lot of it if I'm reading chicklit. But there was more than the standard allotted amount of introspection in the introspection/dialogue/descriptive passages/action ratio in this novel. Once again, I began to skim more than I would've liked.
Lastly, I found the ending a bit too pat. I would've liked for the husband not to be SUCH a pathetic character. I would've liked Claire to come to some conclusion about her own culpability in the break up of her marriage. I was unsatisfied that the husband became an utter villian instead of a realisticly dissatisfied ex. And the love interest was a little TOO fantastic. :-P~~~
October 19, 2022
When Claire Walsh is told by her husband, the morning she'd just delivered their baby, that he's met someone else and he's leaving her, she's understandably devastated. She ends up packing her things, and heading home to Ireland to the safety nest of her chaotic family home with her mam, dad and sisters. Healing her heart, and learning to look after her daughter on her own, Claire has a lot of strength to find.
I listened to this on audiobook and it was definitely an entertaining read. I've read one other Marian Keyes book before, one of her latest releases, but I've always wanted to start from the start and go from there and Watermelon is just an impressive debut book - especially knowing Marian's character and style of voice, and how it's developed over the years, it's amazing how she was able to have it come across so strong in her first book and make it very much hers.
I do think there's often a tendency in books of this time and nature to make the men in the story extremely stupid, and I don't think Watermelon was any different but the way gaslighting and manipulative relationships are portrayed in this book - before the term gaslighting was even really used a lot - were so interesting to see. I was practically screaming when Claire was allowing James to convince her everything was her fault.
I do think there were some iffy moments centered on Claire's body weight at the start and how she felt like she needed to lose weight very quickly (she'd literally just had a baby!), but thankfully it wasn't too bad. I'm looking forward to reading more books from the Walsh sisters and hopefully seeing how Claire is doing if she pops into them.
I listened to this on audiobook and it was definitely an entertaining read. I've read one other Marian Keyes book before, one of her latest releases, but I've always wanted to start from the start and go from there and Watermelon is just an impressive debut book - especially knowing Marian's character and style of voice, and how it's developed over the years, it's amazing how she was able to have it come across so strong in her first book and make it very much hers.
I do think there's often a tendency in books of this time and nature to make the men in the story extremely stupid, and I don't think Watermelon was any different but the way gaslighting and manipulative relationships are portrayed in this book - before the term gaslighting was even really used a lot - were so interesting to see. I was practically screaming when Claire was allowing James to convince her everything was her fault.
I do think there were some iffy moments centered on Claire's body weight at the start and how she felt like she needed to lose weight very quickly (she'd literally just had a baby!), but thankfully it wasn't too bad. I'm looking forward to reading more books from the Walsh sisters and hopefully seeing how Claire is doing if she pops into them.
January 14, 2008
A Christmas present from Megan...I was really excited to read this because it is the story of the oldest Walsh sister.
The very day she gives birth to their first child, Claire is told by her husband that he is leaving her for another woman. She returns home to Dublin, seeking the comfort of her crazy and quirky family, while she figures out how to deal with this abrupt change in her life. Something I love about Keyes' writing - although her books are most definitely of the chick-lit genre, the story lines involve aspects of the darker side of life.
I was not disappointed, and will be picking up more Marian Keyes - once I get through my long list of to-reads! I'm sad that I only have one sister left to read about. Although, fingers crossed that the youngest sister's book is still yet to come!
The very day she gives birth to their first child, Claire is told by her husband that he is leaving her for another woman. She returns home to Dublin, seeking the comfort of her crazy and quirky family, while she figures out how to deal with this abrupt change in her life. Something I love about Keyes' writing - although her books are most definitely of the chick-lit genre, the story lines involve aspects of the darker side of life.
I was not disappointed, and will be picking up more Marian Keyes - once I get through my long list of to-reads! I'm sad that I only have one sister left to read about. Although, fingers crossed that the youngest sister's book is still yet to come!
February 11, 2015
2.5 stars
Marian Keyes is the Queen of Chick Lit. I've read (& Loved) Rachel's Holiday. Read another two - enjoyable but not memorable.
Anyway, this was Keyes's first & I'm picking that after it's success that she was given a more senior editor. There were so many superfluous sentences that someone should have ruthlessly crossed out with a red pen.
The book did improve but the ending had too many strings wrapped up in a neat, tidy bow. It didn't help that I know someone who had a similar experience as the opening premise - & it wasn't jolly ditsy chick lit experience. & I didn't buy the romance either.
Marian Keyes is the Queen of Chick Lit. I've read (& Loved) Rachel's Holiday. Read another two - enjoyable but not memorable.
Anyway, this was Keyes's first & I'm picking that after it's success that she was given a more senior editor. There were so many superfluous sentences that someone should have ruthlessly crossed out with a red pen.
The book did improve but the ending had too many strings wrapped up in a neat, tidy bow. It didn't help that I know someone who had a similar experience as the opening premise - & it wasn't jolly ditsy chick lit experience. & I didn't buy the romance either.
August 14, 2022
This book could’ve been cut down by 300 pages, most of the sentences were pure random babble that was irrelevant to the story. It made it really difficult to enjoy and read the book and I spent large part of it skimming chapters to get to the main point - wouldn’t recommend
June 3, 2019
So I have all of the Walsh Family books in paperback. I haven't read them in years, but decided to take the first two for a whirl this weekend. And now I wonder if I read this years ago and liked Claire or what? Cause Claire drives me a bit insane in this book. And when you read about how she changes over the course of the series, she ends up being the Walsh sister I dislike the most (tied with Helen and her book, "The Mystery of Mercy Close"). So good things I can say, the re-read went by fast and I loved the change in Claire, but it didn't really stick though. The not so good things, I see more flaws in this one upon re-read. The Walsh family is kind of nasty and not supportive. I thought that Claire too easily caved and was sitting around waiting for a man to save her. Also the whole why behind James's affair read as unbelievable to the extreme. I also thought that her romance came out of nowhere and ultimately didn't work.
"Watermelon" is the first book in the Walsh Family series by Marian Keyes. The first book deals with the oldest of the Walsh sisters, Claire. Claire is happily married to her husband James and living in London. She's expecting their first child any day now. When Claire goes into labor and gives birth to their daughter, James informs her that he's been having an affair and is leaving her for the other woman.
So there is Claire days post-partum with no husband which causes her to return home with her daughter to her family in Dublin, Ireland.
Most of the book deals with Claire depressed and upset (rightfully so) with wondering where did things go wrong with her husband. Keyes does a lot of switching between past events and the present day. I have to say that Claire was pretty much a mess. Her mother deals with the baby for the most part and the baby isn't even a thought I felt after a while. When Claire starts to feel tingles towards a man she meets I just hard sighed. And of course Claire's husband returns and I maybe sighed some more. So we get a love triangle which is one of the romance tropes I hate the most.
The other characters in this book are not developed very well. Claire's mother kind of sucks and isn't that supportive of her daughter actually kicking her lousy husband to the curb. Her two younger sisters, Anna and Helen sound exhausting. I would have ended up slapping Helen and trying to smother her. She's nasty and everyone seems to excuse it cause's she's small and gorgeous.
James was developed very well, but the real why behind the affair read as false to me. I scratched my head a few times because I couldn't remember that at all. James seemed to undergo a personality transplant that didn't work. Romance trope that I hate, make the guy who actually sounds awesome suddenly turn into a monster for plot reasons so heroine can be with the other guy.
The writing was okay, I was mostly bored though with the book after a while. I realized it was because that unlike with most of my favorite re-reads, I wasn't enjoying this one that much and since I knew the ending I was wondering why it was taking Keyes so long to get there. This is a pretty big paperback that I have (it's over 400 pages) and I am wondering about donating it since there are other series that I like a lot more and I don't want to wait another 10 years before picking this up again.
The ending was flat. I honestly wish that there had been additional conversations between Claire and James. Honestly I wish that Keyes had decided to focus in on them and not even bring in that other love interest. It was just a mess and the backstory of that guy had me sighing hard too.
"Watermelon" is the first book in the Walsh Family series by Marian Keyes. The first book deals with the oldest of the Walsh sisters, Claire. Claire is happily married to her husband James and living in London. She's expecting their first child any day now. When Claire goes into labor and gives birth to their daughter, James informs her that he's been having an affair and is leaving her for the other woman.
So there is Claire days post-partum with no husband which causes her to return home with her daughter to her family in Dublin, Ireland.
Most of the book deals with Claire depressed and upset (rightfully so) with wondering where did things go wrong with her husband. Keyes does a lot of switching between past events and the present day. I have to say that Claire was pretty much a mess. Her mother deals with the baby for the most part and the baby isn't even a thought I felt after a while. When Claire starts to feel tingles towards a man she meets I just hard sighed. And of course Claire's husband returns and I maybe sighed some more. So we get a love triangle which is one of the romance tropes I hate the most.
The other characters in this book are not developed very well. Claire's mother kind of sucks and isn't that supportive of her daughter actually kicking her lousy husband to the curb. Her two younger sisters, Anna and Helen sound exhausting. I would have ended up slapping Helen and trying to smother her. She's nasty and everyone seems to excuse it cause's she's small and gorgeous.
James was developed very well, but the real why behind the affair read as false to me. I scratched my head a few times because I couldn't remember that at all. James seemed to undergo a personality transplant that didn't work. Romance trope that I hate, make the guy who actually sounds awesome suddenly turn into a monster for plot reasons so heroine can be with the other guy.
The writing was okay, I was mostly bored though with the book after a while. I realized it was because that unlike with most of my favorite re-reads, I wasn't enjoying this one that much and since I knew the ending I was wondering why it was taking Keyes so long to get there. This is a pretty big paperback that I have (it's over 400 pages) and I am wondering about donating it since there are other series that I like a lot more and I don't want to wait another 10 years before picking this up again.
The ending was flat. I honestly wish that there had been additional conversations between Claire and James. Honestly I wish that Keyes had decided to focus in on them and not even bring in that other love interest. It was just a mess and the backstory of that guy had me sighing hard too.
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