BOOK REVIEW : "Grown Ups" by Marian Keyes

Book Review in March:

Grown Ups by Marian Keyes.

Released on 20/02/2020 with Penguin Books Ltd.

Marian Keyes is one of these authors that I discovered years ago and that I follow closely through years and publications. I love her witty style and puns. Her fiction and non-fiction books are really worth your time and money. She wrote among others, Watermelon, Rachel's Holiday, Anybody Out There with the Walsh's fantastic and crazy family members. And as I am always looking forward to her writing, I could not resist this new one, set as usual in Ireland.

This new book concentrates on a new family, the Casey's and it is a rather very long book with up to 656 pages and a profusion of characters.

The synopsis is the following: 

"They're a glamorous family, the Caseys.

Johnny Casey, his two brothers Ed and Liam, their beautiful, talented wives and all their kids spend a lot of time together - birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, weekends away. And they're a happy family. Johnny's wife, Jessie - who has the most money - insists on it.

Under the surface, though, conditions are murkier. While some people clash, other people like each other far too much . . .

Everything stays under control until Ed's wife Cara gets a concussion and can't keep her thoughts to herself. One careless remark at Johnny's birthday party, with the entire family present, starts Cara spilling out all their secrets.

In the subsequent unravelling, every one of the adults finds themselves wondering if it's time - finally - to grow up?"

Just by reading the synopsis I knew I was going to have fun with this new family. The force of the book is that the large family's members are presented layer by layer or secret by secret and it is worth the trip down. 

The top of the family is presided over by Johnnie and Jessie. They own their own business (grocery stores chain) and are really wealthy. Jessie organises regular family get-togethers with Johnnie’s brothers, Ed and Liam, their wives Cara and Nell respectively and the brothers' assorted children. There are weekends away, lunches, parties and they get to see each other almost every week. But, even with these regulars parties and get-togethers, there are secrets within the family and when, during Johnnie's birthday party, Casey suffers from a headache and a concussion, she reveals all the secrets and lies within the family. And this is where we travel back in time, not far, just 6 months before, and we can witness the force, weakness, lies and secrets at work before reaching the "concussion" time period.  And it is worth reading and laughing and worrying. We get to hear and see what happens behind closed doors with excellent dialogues between the various characters. The children are also fantastic and are probably the only adults in this family.

Some may say that they are too many characters and sometimes you can get lost within the plots but stick to it and you will enjoy the ending.

You will love reading this marvellous, laugh-out-loud, feel-good book, at least I did and I will not spill the bean here. 

Love,

Reading Freak