It is charming, funny and poignant. But also profound, heartbreaking. If you already love Marian, this is her best yet. If you haven't read her, this is the one * Nina Stibbe * Johnnie and Jessie Casey own their own business but seem to be running into monetary difficulties which Jessie is resolutely ignoring while she pays for the entire family to spend the holidays together at a swanky hotel. Messy, tangled complex humans who reminded me that few of us ever really sort out our lives at all Jojo Moyes The story centred on three families, brothers, wives and children. The brothers weren’t particularly close but the other people around them included some particularly strong personalities in Jessica, Ferdia, Nell and Liam. The character I probably liked the most was Nell but like is too strong a word, the rest of them I disliked or felt ambivalent about. I didn’t make connections with the characters as I had hoped at all.

Grown Ups by Marian Keyes | Goodreads Grown Ups by Marian Keyes | Goodreads

Sometimes serendipity strikes and you find yourself reading the right book at the right time, this was a case in point, after some dark reads this lighthearted and amusing Irish family drama was the perfect antidote that I needed. Marian Keyes immersed me into the life and times of the Casey Family, three brothers, their assorted marriages, children and families. The good looking Johnny is the second husband of the powerhouse of energy that is Jessie, with two children from her previous marriage, and three with Johnny. She is the big family earner with her exotic grocery business, and she funds the family get togethers that are at the heart of this novel, family is the most important thing that matters to her. Easy going Ed is married to his beloved Cara, who works at the Ardglass Hotel business, handling difficult customers with ease, they have two children. The smarmy, less than truthful and sleazy Liam has just got married to the free spirited, humanitarian and compassionate Nell with her pink hair, working as a theatre set designer. Liam has two children from his previous marriage to Paige. The latest novel from the beloved Irish author, Grown Ups delves into the Casey family whose secrets start to spill after one member gets concussed * Evening Standard, Books to look forward to in 2020 * Acne?’ … ‘No, don’t tell me. Filippa K? One of the Swedish designers? I adore that oversized look.’ Whilst there is a lot I like about this book there are an awful lot of characters to get your head around and it took me a good while to sort everyone out. I also think it takes the story a while to really get going but once it does you see the point that Marion Keyes is making. The adults are not very grown up, they need to face reality and face their varying truths. The children are actually more grown up than they are. The end is good as Cara unwittingly forces them all to stop messing up their lives and embrace their problems and move on.

It is the characters that really drive this novel. Jessie, slowly bankrupting herself and husband Johnny with her largesse, frightened that if she doesn't pay for everything, the 'spensie' stuff, no one will love her. Cara, reservations manager at an exclusive hotel, married to Johnny's younger brother Ed, who hides a dangerous secret. Finally there is Nell, artistic and enviably comfortable in her own humanitarian and environmentalist skin, married to the youngest brother, Liam. Then there is a dead husband, the numerous children, an ex-wife (Liam's), parents, parents-in-law, ex-parents-in-law, cousins, friends, partners, business associates, Karl Brennan - who defies description, workmates, a barman named Gilbert and, no, on reflection, I don't think there was a milkman.

Grown Ups By Marian Keyes | Used | 9780718179748 - Wob Grown Ups By Marian Keyes | Used | 9780718179748 - Wob

THE AUTHOR: Marian Keyes (born 10 September 1963) is an Irish novelist and non-fiction writer, best known for her work in women's literature. She is an Irish Book Awards winner. Over 22 million copies of her novels have been sold worldwide and her books have been translated into 32 languages. She became known worldwide for Watermelon, Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, and This Charming Man, with themes including domestic violence and alcoholism.The latest novel from the beloved Irish author, Grown Ups delves into the Casey family whose secrets start to spill after one member gets concussed Evening Standard, Books to look forward to in 2020 Comic, convincing and true. The warmth and empathy of Keyes's writing shine through this tale of family secrets revealed. Katy Guest, Guardian A brilliant bunch of flawed individuals, all battling to understand themselves and those around them. Definitely worth devouring this year! What a treat Giovanna Fletcher As everything unravels, each of the adults finds themselves wondering if it's--finally--the time to grow up.