183 Times a Year
Author: Eva Jordan
Published: 15 September 2015
Reviewed: 19 July 2016
4 out of 5 stars
I received a copy of this book from Booklover Catlady Publicity in return for a fair and honest review
Description:
Mothers and daughters alike will never look at each other in quite the same way after reading this book—a brilliantly funny observation of contemporary family life.
Lizzie—exasperated Mother of Cassie, Connor and Stepdaughter Maisy—is the frustrated voice of reason to her daughters’ teenage angst. She gets by with good friends, cheap wine and talking to herself—out loud.
16-year-old Cassie—the Facebook-Tweeting, Selfie-Taking, Music and Mobile Phone obsessed teen—hates everything about her life. She longs for the perfect world of Chelsea Divine and her ‘undivorced’ parents—and Joe, of course.
However, the discovery of a terrible betrayal and a brutal attack throws the whole household into disarray. Lizzie and Cassie are forced to reassess the important things in life as they embark upon separate journeys of self-discovery—accepting some less than flattering home truths along the way.
Although tragic at times this is a delightfully funny exploration of domestic love, hate, strength and ultimately friendship. A poignant, heartfelt look at that complex and diverse relationship between a Mother and daughter set amongst the thorny realities of today’s divided and extended families.
My Thoughts & Review:
I’m so glad I took a chance on this book, when I read the description I was curious but not entirely sure if it was the book for me.
A funny, entertaining and light hearted read for most parts, the reader is introduced to a typical dysfunctional family, a mother nearing the end of her tether with her teenage daughter and stepdaughter, and worrying her delightful son will find his hormones and will turn into another moody teen. Throw in her ex husband who seems to have abandoned the kids almost completely, her new partner working away from home a lot so not able to support her when it comes to the kids, it’s no wonder that Lizzie needs the help of good friends and wine to keep her sanity.
Lizzie is a fantastic character, her quirkiness makes her leap off the pages and seem so real. I can see traces of my own mother in her, and I can see myself already following down some of the pathways taken by Lizzie, especially talking out loud to myself and having a full blown conversation half inside my head and aloud.
Cassie is the typical 16 year old, her life revolves around what others think of her, her social status and making sure everyone knows that life isn’t easy when you’re 16. She’s a character that I think most people can see traces of themselves in, I know I certainly can and I really need to apologise to my mother for that – amazing I made it through teenage years without any injuries!
The narration from alternating perspectives of Lizzie and Cassie is incredibly well written. It gives the reader a great insight into each character, but it also opens the characters up even more, makes them even more relatable.
The writing is superb, for a début novel I was impressed. I particularly liked how Eva Jordan dangled the implication of there being more to a situation but not giving all the details away at that time. Doing this ensured that my attention was held captive by her storytelling but also, illustrated that Jordan has quite a talent for writing.
I would definitely say this is a book that both teenagers and adults should read, it relates to so many issues cleverly whilst telling a heart warming story. Most importantly though, it reminds us not to take others for granted and appreciate the things that others do for us – even if it is just emptying the dishwasher or taking cups from the bedroom before they start to grow penicillin cultures.
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