“Good Eggs” is the debut novel from Rebecca Hardiman, set in Ireland for readers of adult contemporary fiction and fans of Marianne Keyes and Caitlin Moran.
Featuring three generations of a Dublin family - the Gogarty’s - this story is a fun read with some very interesting and eccentric characters. Gran Millie, who is partial to petty-theft and reckless driving, stepson Kevin, a stay at home dad desperately on the brink but with a wandering eye and teenage daughter Aideen, moody and disaffected. Kevin’s wife Grace is a workaholic trying to keep the family afloat financially and Aideen’s siblings are typical to any family where’s there jealousy of love and affection.
As each character gets themselves into various predicaments which need untangling, the exasperation the family experience is quite funny to observe. Millie in particular gets into some unique scrapes, yet though she’s old and gets slightly confused she’s very much switched on and quite a character.
I did find the first three quarters rather slow going and sometimes the humour did get a bit repetitive but the last quarter more than made up for that and engaged my interest with fervour.
The denouement was quite emotional in a happy way and I was very pleased with how it ended. For a debut novel, this is a very well written story that lots of parents of teenage children and families of wayward grandparents will no doubt relate to the capers the Gogarty’s find themselves in and I would read more by Rebecca Hardiman again.
3 stars
Featuring three generations of a Dublin family - the Gogarty’s - this story is a fun read with some very interesting and eccentric characters. Gran Millie, who is partial to petty-theft and reckless driving, stepson Kevin, a stay at home dad desperately on the brink but with a wandering eye and teenage daughter Aideen, moody and disaffected. Kevin’s wife Grace is a workaholic trying to keep the family afloat financially and Aideen’s siblings are typical to any family where’s there jealousy of love and affection.
As each character gets themselves into various predicaments which need untangling, the exasperation the family experience is quite funny to observe. Millie in particular gets into some unique scrapes, yet though she’s old and gets slightly confused she’s very much switched on and quite a character.
I did find the first three quarters rather slow going and sometimes the humour did get a bit repetitive but the last quarter more than made up for that and engaged my interest with fervour.
The denouement was quite emotional in a happy way and I was very pleased with how it ended. For a debut novel, this is a very well written story that lots of parents of teenage children and families of wayward grandparents will no doubt relate to the capers the Gogarty’s find themselves in and I would read more by Rebecca Hardiman again.
3 stars