Celia Imrie

Married in haste, seamstress Marcella Navratil repents her choice. She loves her children but her husband has changed. Michael Navratil is on the verge of bankruptcy so decides to escape France and make a new life for himself in America. He takes the two children of the marriage and sets sail but the ship itself is about to play a huge role in the family's future.
It wasn't until I got the the end of the book that I discovered that this is based on a true story which was a surprise as the show more tale was far-fetched to say the least. However it is the telling of the tale rather than the narrative that seems at fault. Marcella comes across as a silly girl and, although a devoted mother, she lacks dimension. Michael is written as a pantomime villain. It's a great tale but overly embellished with emotive detail which spoils. show less

Theresa has lost her job and on impulse decides to "retire" to Southern France. She finds a lovely flat with a view of the harbor in Bellevue-Sur-Mer, a small village near Nice, where she meets a group of ex-pats, mostly British, who befriend her. But not all is perfect in paradise. A series of burglaries and a couple of vicious muggings have people on edge. Not to mention the family difficulties each of them has - cheating spouses, ungrateful children, dwindling funds, alcoholism, etc.
In show more her debut novel, Imrie has given us a sort of “coming of old age” story. I loved Theresa, though I wanted to shake her a few times when she put up with bad treatment by her ungrateful, selfish daughter and her bratty grandchildren. Still, this is a woman who has always done her best and who is slowly but surely realizing that she deserves some pleasure in life. The cast of supporting characters was marvelous as well: the smooth and attentive Brian; Sally a former British TV star; Americans Carol and David; “dragon lady” Sian and her philandering Aussie husband Ted; the witty, seemingly never aging octogenarian Zoe; compliant Faith and her pushy son Alfie who insists she needs a mansion rather than the small flat she’d prefer; and gay couple Benjamin and William.
I thought it was an enjoyable, fast novel. Perfect for a vacation read. The bad guys get what’s coming to them, and everyone learns a lesson or two. It’s not exactly a happily-ever-after ending, but it gives me hope for the future of these characters. There are two more books in the series (thus far), and I look forward to reading them. show less

At the end of part one I was looking to see if there was sequel. But at the beginning of part two the style of writing changed. Instead of being immersed I became a distant observer and was much less engaged. I also kept getting confused between Theresa and Sally, their lives and personalities were so similar. I also found, there were too many peripheral characters, with no real depth to them. I don't think I'll be reading the sequel.

Read 06.02.2023

I'm hardly an authority on (or great reader of) what might be classified as celebrity or luvvie memoirs, but this is a very entertaining read delivered in the kind of tone you would expect from a very accomplished and self-possessed actress who's not afraid of self-deprecation but also not in the habit of selling herself short or being patronised.

That tone is free from explicit score-settling, and the names mentioned or dropped (depending on your point of view) are generally presented in a show more positive light. Where that's not the case, no names are mentioned (that I can recall).

At times I found myself imaging (in my mind's eye and ear) the author delivering the text with a slightly arch look, twinkle in the eye and and ever-so-slightly raised eyebrow. Is there an audiobook?

A slightly sensationalised summary might read "Life, loves, luvvies and the art of living with bigger buns (c/o Calendar Girls) without letting them define you". However there is certainly more to it than that, and certainly a few surprises along the way, as well as the occasional tangent.

Possibly a book that would provoke a marmite reaction: if that british reference puzzles you then you may not get the most out of this memoir. show less