We expected not to like it, thinking it was chick-lit, but were drawn in by the need to know what happened. There were lots of good laughs. We felt it was true to life anywhere with slight exaggeration to highlight effects.
There were three of the disturbing aspects of life that were addressed by this book:
- Wife beating
- Bullying
- Children of split families
It was quite real and quite disturbing the effect on children of switching between families, and also the effect on the split parents.
It was cleverly constructed in showing how Max the bullier had seen his father hitting his mother, and Bonnie reacting because she had had similar experience.
The characters were distinctive and in the main likeable, though Mrs Ponder only appeared at the beginning and the end. Some of us thought that there could have been more of her. The teachers were very well drawn.
It was 'not badly written'. We liked the clever device of including snippets of peoples testimony throughout. This also highlights the way rumours spread and the damage that they can do. [ A fourth aspect of life addressed by the book]
At the end - A self-evident truth that a hairdo makes woman.
Would we read another of hers? Very likely. It has shades of Jodie Picoult in taking up a cause and highlighting it.
This month all 8 of use were present, and the marks were 6*8, 7 &6, so average just below 8.
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