The Book Vipers discussion

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Finished today. Looking forward to sharing thoughts - but enjoyed it. Here's my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

I finished reading it this evening. Absolutely loved it. I wasn't expecting to enjoy this novel quite so much as I did. It is quite a hard-hitting tale of domestic violence perpetrated against a group of women by their abuser Paddy de Courcy, a high-flying ambitious and Machiavellian Irish politician.

I so agree with you, Elizabeth - it was a really unexpected pleasure. She's an absolutely wonderful story-teller, and although she captures some real and shocking cruelty in this book, and broke my heart with Marnie's story, there were so many laugh-out-loud moments. I've been inspired to start the Walsh sister series - though sadly they're not all available on Kindle, so I've started in the middle somewhere - hope it doesn't matter? I love too the rhythm of her writing - you can really hear an Irish lilt in your head. Lovely stuff - good easy reading.

It was interesting the way she drew the reader in to de Courcy's world and got you to start liking him before his true nature was revealed, just like his victims. By the end though I was cheering for them, but did feel that Alicia his wife had been left high and dry. I know she wasn't portrayed as a sympathetic person, stealing him from Marnie originally, and getting involved in his political plotting against Dee but she was also a victim. He had started abusing her too, har burned her hand and you just knew after he'd been sacked from NewIreland he woul unleash the anger against her. Would she survive that? How vicious would he have been then? That moment made me shudder.

Did you have a favourite character, Susan? I felt Marian was leading us towards Lola, but I think Grace was the best - she had the strength to go against de Courcy and suffer the consequences.

What I like about Marian Keyes is that she really is a very good writer. She's so often dismissed as a writer of chick-lit but she is much better than that.

I've read some of the Walsh sisters stories but will read them again as it's been so long. Rachel's Holiday is a good one, second in the series. Thought Watermelon a bit dull in places - story began to drag a bit.

Going back to Charming Man, Marnie's story was the most heartbreaking. What an awful life and written so well it upset me.

I have a close relative who is an alcoholic but who refuses to admit it and it's taken years for me to accept there's nothing I can do for him. It's all just so true that reading her story was quite painful.

I was very angry about the way in which Alicia was left - until I realised it was deliberate. I think it was Keyes' way of showing how perpetrators get away with it - over and over again - it s not about conspiracies of silence, it's about the difficulty of getting a strong enough case and the way the police and judiciary work. I've never been a victim of domestic abuse, but I could feel Alicia's gut-wrenching fear when she realised what was waiting for her at home after de Courcy has been fired. It was difficult to celebrate the girls' 'victory' in view of that.

I too liked Grace. I found her story the most believable and I enjoyed her relationship with Damien - I was glad it worked out in the end. Lola made me laugh and I loved the zany character and the molichino highlights, but I had to suspend my disbelief a bit too much with her!

I think it was Marnie's story that affected me the most, though. I watched a much loved life-long friend drink herself to death at the age of 47 and another whose drinking is killing her and her loyal, loving partner. Along the way my life has been touched by many other alcoholics, and it breaks my heart. Alcohol really is a scourge, and God knows I enjoy a drink. It may be an unbelievable storyline if alcoholism is something unfamiliar to you - but Marnie's binges, her emotional frailty, the power of the alcohol - even greater than those she loved most in the world - all rang so tragically true to me. I'm glad she went to AA - but I'm not hopeful for her - and I'm glad Nick had the strength and wisdom to know when he couldn't do any more, and had to save the children and, of course, himself. Poor Marnie.

I think you're right about the quality of her writing and the strength of her story telling - much, much better than I expected. I think the title and the cover didn't help - they conceal the really quite dark and gutsy element of the novel - but hey - this lady sells - and if, as I suspect, part of her intention was to reach out to a wide range of women, she's far more likely to do that with a more light-hearted presentation package than a big heavy-handed gloomy jobbie. Good luck to her - I just wish I had that talent.

Small note: my Kindle edition didn't have a list of helplines / organisations at the end, which I think would be a useful addition.

Is this 'a woman's book' do you think?

I had more hope for Marnie because she had finally reached rock bottom and called for help. Finally she admitted she was an alcoholic and that's a huge step forward. I think she and Nick would eventually get back together because she's taken that big step to get help, and that's what he wanted for her. I'm sure it wouldn't be the end of her alcoholism though - it would be a lifetime struggle.

I did enjoy the light relief of the story of Lola and the cross dressers. That made me smile. And the happy ending for her and Considine - she deserved it. De Courcy had unleashed the worst perverted behaviour towards her, not just violence but he'd taken it to a new level because he thought he would be able to get away with it with Her, being younger and less confident. He came close to destroying her confidence entirely. And we could easily overlook that because her tale was written more lightly.

I have to say this book disappointed me. I thought most of the characters were so well portrayed. But De Courcy was the big exception. I never got what was so appealing about him. And there was so much of how awful he was. I know women go back again and again to abusers but neither Lola nor Grace seemed like the type to fall for him. Or, at the very last, I never saw what they saw in him.

Keyes is a great storyteller but the whole abuse dynamic seemed more researched than organic to the characters.

That said, there were many terrific and memorable scenes, especially with the cross dressers.

I have to say this book disappointed me. I thought most of the characters were so well portrayed. But De Courcy was the big exception. I never got what was so appealing about him. And there was so much of how awful he was. I know women go back again and again to abusers but neither Lola nor Grace seemed like the type to fall for him. Or, at the very least, I never saw what they saw in him.

Keyes is a great storyteller but the whole abuse dynamic seemed more researched than organic to the characters.

That said, there were many terrific and memorable scenes, especially with the cross dressers.

I agree Ellen, the book disappointed me too. I was waiting for a good twist at the end as I expected De Courcy to take some form of revenge on one or all of the women before his political career was ended.

I got the impression that, far from having his political career come to an end, he would be in the "wilderness" for a couple of years and then re-emerge in the party he really wanted to be in. He wouldn't be down for long. Teflon-coated, as they say!

I don't disagree with you, Gail and Ellen. In my review I talk about the need to suspend one's disbelief quite significantly. I also think de Courcy's character is the least skilfully drawn. However, it's perhaps worth remembering that there are plenty of men out there who aren't intuitively prepossessing, and yet have a level of charisma that persuades people to trust them, and then a level of power that silences their victims ... Jimmy Saville, Rolf Harris, Stuart Hall, Dave Lee Travis ...

I don't know when she wrote this book, but it was this sort of abuser she had in mind, I think.