Saturday 16 July 2011

Book Review - The Desperate Diary of a Country Housewife by Daisy Waugh

Fantastic Fiction Review: If you've ever dreamt of a new life in the country, this highly entertaining and candid account of country living might make you think again...Fresh air, rolling fields, Cath Kidston tea towels and home-baked cake -- isn't that what Martha's new life will be? Apparently not. Having upped sticks and moved her young family from the gritty city to Paradise, she discovers things aren't quite that easy. Collapsing kitchen ceilings; a plague of slugs; coffee mornings with Stepford mums and garden warfare with the neighbours are just a few of the trials. And with her husband away working in London, Martha just can't stop thinking about the sexy builder who's meant to be turning the house into her dream home!

I found this book on the shelves of the library and it was the first by book Daisy Waugh that I had read. I have mixed feelings abut the book. I found the format of the book hard to get used to. The book is written in a diary style but is interspersed with newspaper columns written by the main character Martha.

Whilst in some ways I enjoyed the story, as a reader who her self is a country housewife and has always lived in the countryside, I found the picture it painted of country life somewhat unrealistic and rather patronising. Yes, I could relate to some parts but others were alien to the countryside I know.

Probably not an author I would read again.

1 comment:

Samantha said...

Looks like a fun book!