Sophie Duffy

Some years ago I read Sophie Duffy’s debut novel, The Generation Game, and loved it for its nostalgic feel and social references. I’ve long been meaning to read another of her books, and in particular Betsy and Lilibet with its royal connection as I am a huge fan of royal fiction.

Betsy Sunshine and Elizabeth Windsor were born on the same day in 1926. Of course, we know that one was born a princess and went onto be a queen. Betsy was born an undertaker’s daughter and went onto be an show more undertaker herself, taking over the family business when there were no sons as heirs to Sunshine & Sons. Over the course of their lives Betsy and Elizabeth meet three times. This is very much Betsy’s story though, with the royal link being more of a background feature, and a series of cleverly written parallels.

I enjoyed this book immensely. I love a story of one person or family that spans a long period and this book follows Betsy from her birth until 2016 when she’s in a residential home. It’s dual timeline with alternating chapters set in 2016 and then throughout Betsy’s life, looking back to key events. Duffy’s sharp wit is in evidence and I laughed out loud so many times. She has a way of describing things that is steeped in dry humour and Betsy’s own acerbic manner just added to that. With any family comes the highs and the lows and Betsy has her share of bad fortune. Her strength and stoicism kept her going and she's a brilliantly drawn character.

Betsy and Lilibet is a wonderful novel, one for any fans of 20th century historical events. Alongside Betsy I witnessed the war years, the VE day celebrations, the royal wedding, the coronation and then later, IRA bombings, HIV and AIDS, and the death of a princess. Having Betsy be an undertaker was such a great move too, giving a sense of the passage of life that we all must take, and it made her a sympathetic character, putting on a good show no matter what. This book also reminded me of all that I liked about Duffy’s writing in The Generation Game and I now want to make sure I read her other books as well. show less

The story begins in a hospital where 40 year old Philippa Smith has just given birth to a daughter. As she recovers, Philippa reminisces over her past life starting with her childhood in the 1960s, her teenage years in the 1970s and 80s, through the 1990s and then onto her current situation in 2006. Along the way this touches on television programmes such as The Generation Game and Dallas and also historical events such as Charles and Diana's wedding and Diana's tragic death.

Well, didn't show more Sophie Duffy do well! I thought this was an excellent book, a real trip down memory lane. I found I could really relate to this tale - it was an entertaining, amusing, at times moving and nostalgic read. There was a great cast of characters, including Wink, Captain the parrot and Bob Sugar (a marvellous name for a newsagent, I thought!). I liked the style of writing as it flowed easily and kept my interest throughout - definitely a page turner for me.

So, to coin a couple of phrases, it was nice to read it, to read it, nice! And I will not be shutting the door on any future work by this author, in fact I am eagerly looking forward to Sophie Duffy's next book. show less

I didn't really know what to expect from The Generation Game and I think, because I had no preconceptions, that it turned out to be a wonderful trip down memory lane and a heart-wrenching story to boot.

Philippa Smith reminisces about her life as she welcomes her new baby into the world in 2006. Philippa is an older mother and refuses to see her husband in the hospital, so I was immediately intrigued. With no other visitors coming to see her, we look back over Philippa's very colourful life show more with amazing references to tv game shows, both in the chapter titles and hidden within the prose.

You can't help but feel sorry for young Philippa as she is dragged from pillar to post with her mum, Helena. Helena isn't very maternal and is happy to leave Philippa with sweet shop owner, Bob, when she has the opportunity to move to Canada with her new man. As Bob becomes both mother and father to Philippa, he is helped by hilarious neighbour, Wink, who is addicted to game shows in particular The Generation Game. Bob and Wink become more of a family to Philippa than Helena has ever been.

Funny, sad and unbelievably nostalgic, The Generation Game is a love letter to the 1980's; beautifully written, if I wasn't smiling I was struggling to hold back tears whilst reading it. It reminded me that appearances can be deceptive and there is often a reason for people behaving the way they do. Nobody knows what private anguish is going on behind a person's public facade and there are always two sides to every story. You can read Philippa's full story in The Generation Game whilst reminiscing about some of the key moments from the past 40 years.

The Generation Game is like a little British history lesson in a nutshell, with the bonus of also being a superb examination of how complicated family life can sometimes be. A beautifully simple but tremendously clever debut from Sophie Duffy.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. show less

When I first started reading, I wasn't certain I would be able to relate to Vicky and to her complicated life; frankly, I would have booted Martin out after the first night! Still, I kept reading, and found myself unable to stop. Vicky is a woman under siege, one battling with family history, the loss of a child, her husband's abrupt decision to embark on a life in the church, and the realities of her daily life.

Vicky is a sympathetic character because she is real and because the way she show more works through her problems is real. I loved her daughters (especially Olivia), though her husband I was less a fan of her husband- in my opinion he should have been paying more attention to the impact of his choices on her life. Martin was a nightmare and frankly so annoying that I'm giving this 4 stars rather than 5- I simply can't imagine why Vicky tolerated his presence in her house, brother of no brother.

Regardless, this is a excellent look at one woman's attempt to hold it together for everyone else and yet somehow finding that she's in the place that she always needed to be. Highly recommended! show less