Keeping Up with Magda
by Isla Dewar
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In the Scottish fishing village of Mareth, everyone knows everything about each other - and what they don't know they assume; the villagers live against a constantly changing backdrop of elaborate scheming and sexual innuendo. At the hub of this world is the Ocean Cafe, run by tousle-haired, forty-something Magda, who makes grown men eat their greens, won't serve customers she doesn't like, and loves her children and their father with a passion. When Jessie Tate, devastated by recent show more tragedy, rents the flat above the cafe in an escape from the city, her dream of peace and solitude is shattered by the rock 'n' roll music that thuds through her floor. But perhaps a dose of life in an intimate, colourful and utterly self-absorbed community is just what Jessie needs to break free of her ghosts... show lessTags
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A slice of life set in a Scottish fishing village. It's the stuff of everyday, with characters you get to know as if they were your neighbors, warts and all. Feistier and bawdier than Miss Marple or Agatha Raisin ever were, but more real as well. Interestingly enough, this is the third book in a row that has illiteracy (and dyslexia) as a plot element.
This book was sent by a BookCrosser for our book exchange here in the building and I decided to read it first, as I was unfamiliar with the author, who appears to have a loyal following.
This book was sent by a BookCrosser for our book exchange here in the building and I decided to read it first, as I was unfamiliar with the author, who appears to have a loyal following.
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24+ Works 750 Members
Isla Dewar was a Scottish author, born in Edinburgh on June 29, 1946. She was educated at Leith Academy. Early in her career she wrote for teen magazines. Her first book was Keeping up with Magda (1995). Women Talking Dirty (1996) was her second book. It was made into a film for which she wrote the screenplay. Some of her other work includes show more Giving Up on Ordinary (1997), Two Kinds of Wonderful (2000), Dancing in a Distant Place (2003), Izzy's War (2010), It Takes One to Know One (2018), and A Day Like Any Other (2020). She also wrote a novella for young adults, Briggsy (2008) and a children's book, Rosie's Wish (illustrated by Bob Dewar, her husband). Isla Dewar, author of over twenty books, died on June 20,2021 from a heart attack at the age of 74. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Awards
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- Members
- 54
- Popularity
- 563,025
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.60)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook
- ISBNs
- 5
