...to read this one – A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon.
I bought it, because I enjoyed his previous novel – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – and was interested to see what this one would be like. But I was also attracted by its theme of depression, as I have suffered with that myself, on and off for five years. So I bought the paperback version of the book from Amazon for £3.99. The cover price is £7.99. It’s the sort of book you ... ...front cover with a picture of a house, marquee and a man with an umbrella. This fits in well with the content of the story. The novel is around 500 pages long, but it is split into short chapters, so it doesn’t look too daunting and is an easy read. WHAT’S IT ABOUT THEN?
George and Jean are a retired couple with two grown up children, Katie and Jamie. On the surface, everything looks cosy. They have a nice house and an apparently idyllic existence. ...
KarenUK 20.07.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
Advantages: Excellent writing. Nice balance between humour and sadness. Disadvantages: Lost pace in places
...of Bother' was written from a more conventional narrative, I was keen to see how Haddon would fair. My hopes were high as the book jacket boasts accolades such as 'unforgettable' and ' brilliant'. 'A Spot of Bother' introduces the reader to a far from functional family. We meet father (George), mother (Jean), sister (Katie) and brother (Jamie). And surprisingly enough, they each have their own spots of bother (some more literally than others) that ... ...Some chapters are less than a page long. For this reason, I found it to be quite a page-turner, in the sense that I found the same thing with 'The Da Vinci Code'. I kept thinking to myself 'well, the next chapter is only 2 pages, I'll quickly read that, oh and the next is 1, I'll read that too'...etc. Conversely however, it took me a month or so to read. I kept leaving it and started to read other books instead, as it was never at the forefront of ...
MarcoG 20.02.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
Advantages: Funny, easy to read. Disadvantages: None
...and ability to make such a tale an absolute page-turner, I knew his next one would be a must read. Strangely enough, though, it took me nearly three years to read _A Spot of Bother_. My brother lent me the paperback version, and it then went on to sit on my book shelf for far too long. He kept asking me if I had read it yet, to which I would reply No, and therefore fear that I may get into a spot of bother because of this… But during a recent holiday ... ...==So what about A Spot of Bother?== This is the story of the dysfunctional Hall family. 57 year old George is suffering deep anxiety and is slowly going mad, not before finding out his wife is having an affair, which sends him further over the edge. Jean Hall is having said affair with George’s ex work colleague David. Their daughter Katie has announced she is going to get married again, this time to a man all the family hate and whom she wonders ...
Borg 15.08.2009 (19.08.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
Advantages: Very funny, fast moving Disadvantages: None
...few years. It only took a few days to finish as I couldn't put it down. It tells the story revolving round a family and all the individual charcters within the family... in the lead up to the daughter, Katie's wedding.
'If he drank enough whisky he might be able to summon the courage to crash the car. There was a big stone gateway on the A16 this side of Stamford. He could hit it doing 90mph with no difficulty whatsoever.
But what if his nerve ... ...and died of cancer in a wheelchair in prison?'
The main characters are George, who is the father going through depression and anxiety attacks as he has discovered his wife is having an affair, and he has noticed a spot which he presumes is cancer and no matter what anyone tells him, refuses to see it for what it really is (eczema)! George is the best character in the book, as we slowly see him go completely crazy during his retirement - which is ...
LADYFUCHSIA 24.09.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
Advantages: Good plot, interesting and real characters, enjoyable Disadvantages: At some points long winded, not as funny as I expected it to be
...==
George Hall is a 57 year old retired man who, on the surface at least, lives a comfortable life with his wife Jean. As with most families, George's nice family life is soon stripped bare and secrets, problems and lies are all exposed. Jean has been having an affair with one of George's old work colleagues and is contemplating leaving George all together, Katie his fiery daughter is considering marrying a man that she might not be in love with ... ...cancer whilst slowly falling into a deep hole of depression and anxiety causing him to do the craziest things in the lead up to Katie's wedding day and causing his family to worry about his sanity......
== STORYTELLING ==
I found this quite a hard book at first to get in to. It may have been all the names thrown in to the mix at once, George, Jean, Jamie, Katie, Ray, Jacob....the first two chapters I kept constantly getting them confused with each ...
burtybookworm 27.10.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
Advantages: Wry, funny, wicked, cruel, you name it, it's got it! Disadvantages: None
I'm going through a phase. It's a very enjoyable phase. After years of reading typically 'highbrow' literature like Dickens, Hardy, the Brontes and various other whopping great tomes, I have just discovered the joys of modern authors like Joanne Harris, Nick Hornby and, most recently, Mark Haddon.
Haddon has written two novels 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time' (review to follow shortly) and, most recently, 'A spot of Bother' which ... ...should be a peaceful, enjoyable and selfish relief from the world of work. This is certainly how George, the unlikely 'hero' of the tale views it. At the start of the book, he is happily building a studio at the end of the garden and preparing to devote his time to drawing and painting. Time has passed since he retired from his job as a children's play equipment salesman and he is settling into a more sedentary life with his wife Jean, who works ...
jm160 01.10.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
Advantages: Another intriguing look at mental illness from Haddon Disadvantages: A rather forced, flat ending
..._A Spot of Bother_ is a story about George, a 57 year old retiree who's mind begins to unravel after he finds a 'legion' on his hip. His Daughter, Katie, is getting married to Ray (which no-one approves of) and his Son, Jamie, is having his own commitment crises with his boyfriend, Tony. Add to this the fact that his wife is having an affair with his former colleague and it's not hard to see why George is losing his grip slightly!
'''My Thoughts'''
... ...The book starts strong with a gritty-ish look at family life of the middle classes; ungrateful children making mistakes with their lives; parents desperate to intervene in their children's lives but choosing to store up their angst so it can be release later on with a sever explosion; and dysfunctional relationships kept securely behind closed doors! This outlook on life from Haddon readily gives way to sentimental mush that just doesn't seem to ...
jonescraiga 31.03.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
Advantages: funny, touching Disadvantages: quite short
...novel. Dealing with a family where each member is trying to cope with various difficulties you quickly get to know and love each character as the story unfolds. The father in the story, George has recently retired and lives with his wife Jean. They have two grown up children Jamie and Katie. Sounds fairly sedate doesn't it? Well underneath all the normality you find that each member of the family has their own issues. George starts to behave very ... ...issues and is considering marrying a man she's not sure if she loves, while Jamie is having trouble accepting his fate and letting the man of his dreams in. And in the middle of it all, George is fighting to keep his sanity.
The book deals with many themes, infidelity, love, family, lust, depression, happiness ,illness, jealousy and protocol all ties together in a wonderfully engaging tale. I found this novel extremely easy to read, it has moves ...
mussonanna 11.02.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
Advantages: Funny, moving and thought provoking Disadvantages: Labours slightly at stages.
...be honest i didn't expect a great deal. A birthday present from a family member which was put to one side and gathered dust.
However.
Once opened I found it to be engrossing and something which I truly struggled to put down. The book starts somewhat slowly, although I later realised that this was essential in order for the complex characters, and their associated storylines, to be adequately outlined. Once this has been accomplished I embarked ... ...and a real sense of willing for some of the characters to succeed. Beware however as this book may make you take a long, hard and maybe guilty look at the relationships in your life - an outstanding achievement alone
In my opinion this book is a must read for all. ...
dandrews010 12.05.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
Advantages: short chapters, addictive storyline Disadvantages: can be jumpy at times, not the best book to put down
...good as eachother! It's a story about a family that has it's ups and downs like any other....
This book can be read by anyone! The characters maybe ordinary but isn't that what we all are? It makes you understand that we really don't know what goes on behind closed doors! There are lots of little secrets in this family and Haddon has managed to turn what could be a very plain story into a comedy.
The basis of the story is on the whole family which ... ...deal with a marriage that the dad George isn't happy about, a homosexual son, difficult relationships, illness and coming to terms with getting old. The chapters are very small and changes from character to character frequently building up the thoughts and feelings off all family members.
I really felt sorry for George in the novel, you can understand that he is worried about getting old and the thought of death which must cross everyones mind at ...
stephie_b 29.02.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
Advantages: A normal family dealing with life - easy to relate to in many ways Disadvantages: Vivid scene with George 'cutting out' his cancer
An easy 'to read in a weekend' book. The story soon grips you and then it becomes a page turner. It doesn't actually go very far, just a regular family getting on with their lives. The more you read the more you discover how disfunctional they are, but in reality it makes you wonder if they are that different than the rest of us?
Their son Jamie is a a great character and his feelings are discribed so well you feel as if you know him. So many times ...
lillygirl 03.07.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
Advantages: Fast and copious human insight Disadvantages: Lacks the penache of his earlier work
...is having an affair with a former colleague.
Amidst this bedlam George discovers a cancerous lesion on his hip, creating the conditions for the family to fall into total chaos.
Haddon's work after the hugely successful The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time is similar in that it delves into familial dysfunction, but it lacks the farcicity that hs earlier book had in droves.
Overall an enjoyable book to read through the author's simple ...
SamGB 24.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
Advantages: Easy read funny in places Disadvantages: female characters not always credible
...and I think it made a good read with a few bits that made me laugh and some that made me feel sad for George and Jamie who were the two characters I cared about most. I think the male characters in the book are well written and I had most sympathy with them. The female characters do not have such coherent personalities and I found myself not believing that they would do some of the things the author said, particularly Katie punching her brother in ...
sgriffin 16.08.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
Advantages: charming Disadvantages: wish the book would carry on
...the night time), this is a must have as it continues his brilliant writing style and atmosphere. If you haven't then it is a wonderful introduction to this writer. The book made me laugh many times and cry more than once. It brings many different subject matters together, showing what a real hectic family is like. Perfect for a holiday read as it is so hard to put down, but also ideal to read at your own pace as you will constantly want to come back ...
malteser12 02.09.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
Advantages: a good read for the train Disadvantages: can be a bit jumpy
"A Spot of Bother" is a book in which Mark Haddon takes issues surrounding traditional family problems and puts it into sense. From affairs to homersexuality this book has it all. It is a good following book from his first "The curious incident of the dog in the night time" . As in that, it is written in a relaxed style which appeals to the audience, with an amusing storyline that makes you giggle it is something for the boring time on the train ... ...Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire building, in a normal family. With grown up children with their own problems and the problems that are often in the parental household once children have fled the nest and retirement has set in. The main character could be said to be George, just retired with his "projects" currently a workshop, he finds a defect in his skin and can immediatly be seen to react to this thing. (I dont want to give too much away) with ...
Kerialex 20.09.2006 (01.10.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon
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