I seem to have come of (a certain) age early - this was my first foray into the fluffy pink world of chick lit, all 600+ pages, and I enjoyed it! Marian Keyes is a witty, insightful writer, and her characters really come to life. Pure escapism, but not overly romantic or ridiculous.

The lives of three women are connected by books - Gemma and Lily, once best friends, are writing their first novels, and Jojo, a glamorous yet approachable literary agent, helps them to get their work published. The separate threads of the story are neatly woven together, with no trite happy endings or impossible coincidences. Life for all three does eventually work out for the best, but the reader is happy for good things to come to them. Gemma and Lily's narratives are given individual 'voices', whereas Jojo - perhaps because she would be too intimidating in first person - is presented via quick-fire dialogue and her interaction with the other characters. I loved them all - Gemma's fantasies and high-maintenance mother, Lily's distinctive appearance and wonderful boyfriend, and Jojo's spirit.

A very funny and engaging read from start to finish. I might have to read more from this author, now that my prejudiced opinion of chick lit has been challenged! ( )

I love her books for the sheer volume, but this one also wasn't as depressing as a lot of her others were (which isn't to say that this one was light and happy, not at all). I especially enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look of the publishing world. As always, MK weaves story threads so beautifully tightly together, you can't help but mmarvel how it all falls into place after a 648-page tour de force. ( )

Economic policy, conditions of foreign aid, and structural adjustments programs in Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Bolivia and El Salvador are examined.

Chick lit, Irish, Writers, Divorce, Infidelity ( )

The first Marian Keyes book I read, was hoping to pass idle time blissfully and remain worry-free. so it's nice to read about a couple of women going through little trials in their lives now and then. A little longer than necessary, but Marian has good style and doesn't fail to bore you even when the story drags. A good afternoon/tea-time read.
I'll be searching for more Marian Keyes books! Let's just hope they aren't as long-winded as this one. ( )

Boring.

**possibly spoilerish to some**

The setting of Marian Keyes "The other side of the story" is the world of contemporary London publishing, with the viewpoints of both agents and authors presented in the characters.
The storylines revolve around relationships, marriage and affairs. Both from the view of characters in an affair and others impacted or feeling betrayed by one.

Unfortunately, I really didn't like this book as much as her other books. (And I've absolutely loved some of the others). I just had difficulty empathising with any of the characters.

This is a shame as there's some really good moments in the novel, but other parts felt extremely forced. The parts of the story that I felt flowed naturally were the competitive politics at the publishing house and the feelings of an author as she becomes well-known and feels pressured to write a book her readers expect.

What didn't work for me was another major storyline and the anger felt by one character to another. The refusal of that character to (from my view) 'grow up', lessened my enjoyment in reading anything involving her. This was disappointing as there's an interesting subplot of how she as an adult woman had to deal with looking after her mother in the aftermath of her parent's marriage breakup. That's a theme not frequently covered in contemporary novels but something becoming all too familiar in our non-fiction world. I wish it was handled with more subtlety in this novel. ( )

Fun and light ( )

I love Marian Keyes, she is my favourite authoress! This story is full of wisdom. She makes you sympathise completely with the revenge story of one woman, only to introduce the other side of the story immediately after. It teaches you to hear both sides of each story. Loved it! ( )

Great book- well written, likeable characters and an engaging story. The best women's fiction I've read for ages. ( )

This book was hilarious, it had me laughing out loud at times. The three-ways story was really well built: the change between the characters was frustrating in the beginning, because you reall want to know what is going to happen next with that character, but in the end you get used to it and it even makes you hungrier for the next part of the story.

A very funny book.

http://bookcrossing.com/journal/41589... ( )

Brilliantly funny and heartwarming--A perfect beach book! ( )

I love her books for the sheer volume, but this one also wasn't as depressing as a lot of her others were (which isn't to say that this one was light and happy, not at all). I especially enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look of the publishing world. As always, MK weaves story threads so beautifully tightly together, you can't help but mmarvel how it all falls into place after a 648-page tour de force. ( )