A fourth and very fitting and poignant finale to the ‘Why Mummy’ books.
The fourth and final book in the ‘Why Mummy’ series follows another momentous year in the life of refreshing modern mummy, Ellen Green, as she deals with the challenges of single parenting two teenagers on the cusp of adulthood, a ‘restructuring’ at work and an existential crisis as she tries to work out what the future holds for her once the moppets leave home. Ellen is now forty-eight with Jane on the verge of turning eighteen and Peter age sixteen, meaning the nightmare of double exam hell with A-Levels and GCSE’s looming. Newly single after her love interest transplanted to Antarctica, Ellen is also suffering further indignity in the form of the moppet’s dad, Simon, dating a woman a decade younger than her! And with Jane planning on going to university before the year is out Ellen is all at sea about what her own future holds once she is no longer a mother with children still at home and they are adults in their own right.
The year begins with Jane taking her driving test for the second time, Simon being whisked away on a couples’ retreat by Marissa, his smug and far too youthful girlfriend, and Ellen facing the prospect of re-entering the job market in a threatened merger and streamlining at work. Between navigating Jane’s 18th birthday, Peter’s attachment to his electronic devices and getting either of them to revise, Ellen also attempts to come to the rescue of Hannah with an unforgettable overnight stay from Conan the Destroyer of Houses (aka Hannah’s two-year-old Edward)! With Ellen and Simon thrown together for the teenagers rites of passage including exam results day and depositing Jane at university they also find time to talk about themselves for once including Ellen’s career and Simon’s new relationship issues.
The diary format and conversational style of writing throughout makes Gill Sims’ book the perfect pick me up for besieged mummies and any other readers looking for a funny, very honest and hugely relatable book full of witty observations on not only parenting but relationships and modern life in general. ‘Sloshed’ is another wonderfully irreverent encounter with Ellen and company that includes best friend, Hannah, now the exhausted mother to a feral toddler and husband’s Colin and Sam with occasional appearances from both Ellen and Simon’s families (including Louisa, Simon’s barmy sister)! Whilst there is obviously an element of predictability in this book as with previous outings the character development of Ellen and most significantly, that of Simon is worthy of a mention and has been noticeable throughout the course of the series. However as a reader who has followed the entire series and perhaps because I knew largely what to expect from the off I did find the book a little too formulaic and lacking in surprises to the point where I found the book easy to put down and it was the first of the series that didn’t hold my attention entirely.
The year begins with Jane taking her driving test for the second time, Simon being whisked away on a couples’ retreat by Marissa, his smug and far too youthful girlfriend, and Ellen facing the prospect of re-entering the job market in a threatened merger and streamlining at work. Between navigating Jane’s 18th birthday, Peter’s attachment to his electronic devices and getting either of them to revise, Ellen also attempts to come to the rescue of Hannah with an unforgettable overnight stay from Conan the Destroyer of Houses (aka Hannah’s two-year-old Edward)! With Ellen and Simon thrown together for the teenagers rites of passage including exam results day and depositing Jane at university they also find time to talk about themselves for once including Ellen’s career and Simon’s new relationship issues.
The diary format and conversational style of writing throughout makes Gill Sims’ book the perfect pick me up for besieged mummies and any other readers looking for a funny, very honest and hugely relatable book full of witty observations on not only parenting but relationships and modern life in general. ‘Sloshed’ is another wonderfully irreverent encounter with Ellen and company that includes best friend, Hannah, now the exhausted mother to a feral toddler and husband’s Colin and Sam with occasional appearances from both Ellen and Simon’s families (including Louisa, Simon’s barmy sister)! Whilst there is obviously an element of predictability in this book as with previous outings the character development of Ellen and most significantly, that of Simon is worthy of a mention and has been noticeable throughout the course of the series. However as a reader who has followed the entire series and perhaps because I knew largely what to expect from the off I did find the book a little too formulaic and lacking in surprises to the point where I found the book easy to put down and it was the first of the series that didn’t hold my attention entirely.