Rainy Days and Tuesdays

[fionnuala]

Meet Grace Adams who has lost her bling! Grace is a journalist for Northern People! She used to be the Health and Beauty Editor but has now been relegated to the Parenting section and is surrounded by nipple creams and free nappies.

When she is asked to lose weight and be a guinea pig for a feature that, stick insect bimbo, Louise is doing for the health and beauty editorial she is insulted but perhaps it has done her a favour as it makes her take a long hard look at herself, her friends, her marriage, her mothering skills and her relationship with her parents.

Rainy Days and Tuesdays is a book that all women shoud be able to indentify with! Grace's crises' with her weight and self confidence as a mother and wife affect us all at some stage - but that's not the important bit - the important bit is how we get it back and get it back she does!!

I really enjoyed this book girls and would highly reccommend it to you all! It is extremely witty and humourous with great observations about life in general - I also loved all the refereneces to Derry and places in Donegal - Buncrana beach, Letterkenny, Glenveagh National Park etc!

I can't wait to read more from Ms Allan!

[charlene]

I have this book I am so excited, it come the other day smelling lovley from amazon, I just have to find out the end of Harry Potter and then I can get stuck in

[fionnuala]

Oh do get stuck in Charlene! You won't be disappointed - I promise!

[megan]

SPOILERS INCLUDED HERE. DON'T READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK.

I really enjoyed this book right from the beginning. The writing is concise, clear and full of humour - very honest too which I love. Like Mary, said on another thread, I had a little weep at the end. I love when a book makes me do that.

But there was just one character/relationship that I DID NOT get at all in the book. It was the best friend Daisy. I couldn't stand her!!!! I didn't think she was supportive at all during the weight watchers programme (wailing about her own weight when she weighed nothing and offering Grace sweets and goodies) and when she went into a huff because Grace was upset and went away from her husband and child (not her!) for one night, I felt like throwing down the book and not continuing.!! She thought only of herself and not her friend's upset. I would find it very difficult to have a 'friend' like Daisy. In my opinion she was far too involved in her Grace's life. There seemed to be no space between them.

Anyway apart from that I loved the rest of the book, the parents, the husband, the work. All were great. And the solution, in the end, to Grace's problems was lovely and very true - sniff, sniff!

[nicc]

I finished this book a week ago (just now getting a chance to leave my views).
I really enjoyed this book, at times it felt like it was about my life. Like you Megan I didin't like Daisy either. I felt like telling her to grow up, not everything in life is about her. I was pleased when Grace told her that also.
I could really feel where the character was coming from. The book read realistically and had a touch of humour aswell.
Will definately be reading more of Ms Allens work.

[megan]

So will I!

[claireallan]

Thanks girls.
I find your opinions really interesting, as I love Daisy as a character - but you would not be the first people to say she got on their nerves.
She is supposed to be quite self involved - but also very vulnerable, and scared of being hurt. It shows we are all carrying around our own baggage and while we might not openly be trying to hurt someone we can anyway.
I know for certain I've had a lot of friends rattle on about their size when I'm sitting there twice the size of them and feeling rubbish about myself!
Daisy's reaction to Grace running away says more about her, but yes I'm glad you wanted to give her a good slap because she needed it then! She does redeem herself though in the end (I hope!)

[megan]

Hi Claire,

Thanks for posting. It's fascinating to get your insight on the characters you created. I take your point (it is a very true one) that we can all hurt people without meaning too because of our own baggage. And I know Grace does finally get around to thinking that Daisy was in the wrong and she tells her so - thank goodness! But before that, when she was going around to Daisy's house apologising, I felt like screaming at her. You've nothing to apologise for!!! (I become very emotionally involved with whatever I am reading - if it's good.)
I thought Grace's husband was far more supportive and a much better friend to her, and was delighted that they got sorted out in the end.

[claireallan]

Thanks Megan,
I wanted to make their relationship work. Funny a lot of people wanted to batter the life out of Aidan and I had to tell them to keep reading because I think by the end (hope anyway) we see the characters as all a little bit flawed but all trying - just like us I suppose.

[claire]

I liked Aidan, didn't have any problem with him at all. He sounded a bit like my other half sometimes. I think Daisy turned out ok in the end, and she did help Grace. I know people too that are always moaning about what the weigh and then sit there eating away on a packet of biscuits and not putting on a pound.. I loved the book read it in two days, just could not put it down and saw a lot of me reflected in it. I read Nic saying it too.
But I have to say, and some of you i know won't agree, I loved the use of the word 'mammy'. To me that said a lot about the relationship between mother and daughter, and I felt a lot of warmth coming from it everytime it was used.

Looking forward to reading more, Claire!