Quite: The Top 10 Sunday Times bestseller, hilarious stories and heartfelt advice from the much-loved Strictly Come Dancing co-host

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Whispering Stories was established in 2015. The blog is here to share our love of books and the bookish world, alongside our other passions in life. We are based in the UK. Claudia Winkleman is a proud mum-of-three but likes to keep her personal life out of the spotlight. If you love brightly coloured clothes, wearing kitten heels, and green eyeshadow then you might not like what Claudia has to say. This is a beautiful book that isn’t preachy, nor is it a serious book. It is a book that will make you smile. It is relatable, clever, and had me strangely wanting to hear more about topics Claudia has feelings on. Absolutely hilarious, light hearted and easy going. Exactly the kind of book needed this year. It’s not pretentious, it’s down to Earth and totally relatable. However I’m not quite prepared to agree with Claudia on only needing to own one blazer.

They hold your hand when your child is going in for an operation, they hold your hand when the surgeon says there's bad news, they hold your hand when the doctor says the medication isn't working." So, to begin with I was slightly confused by this book. I didn't 'quite' understand the point. But the more it went on, the more I really enjoyed it. I have been a fan of Claudia's for a long time, and her humour really comes through with this book. I love the fact the audiobook is narrated by Winkleman herself too. Thrown into the mix is a chapter on “Squirrel Etiquette”, insisted upon by her eight-year old son. (FYI, you should never throw a nut at a squirrel; just leave it close by so the furry little creature can see it.) This is an author who shows that, if your writing is sharp enough and witty enough, you can get away with ignoring the normal literary rules on structure and even subject matter. Claudia has previously presented four series of The Great British Sewing Bee and was the host of BBC Film. Claudia is also a trustee of Comic Relief and has fronted the live television shows for both Red Nose Day and Sport Relief, along with spin-off shows including Let’s Dance for Comic Relief/ Sport Relief and the Comic Relief Danceathon.Claudia Winkleman's warmth, humour, no-holds-barred attitude and smoky eye have made her the favourite broadcaster of millions and a much-loved household name. Secondly, this book consists of a lot of opinions. This is not per se a problem, but it reads more like a collection of blogposts - or in places Buzzfeed listicles - than a traditional book. Some chapters give interesting insight into Claudia's character and interests - her passion for the history of art really comes through and is great to read about - while others are opinions on fairly superficial things, told in an exaggerated way for comic effect. There are some glimmers into Claudia's life, but she keeps some cards closely guarded - e.g. a chapter on the health service alludes to various illnesses in her family but never gives any details. Winkleman is also an author who doesn’t shy away from emotion, particularly in the chapters on parenting. She writes about her obsession with imprinting her kids’ names on everything from the bread-board to the doorstop and how she is dreading her eldest child leaving home, which moved me to tears. With so many opinions, it would be difficult to agree with them all, and it would be unreasonable to expect to. Most are innocuous but some are simply offensive - e.g. "an over-enthusiastic user of [the exclamation mark] is physically repellent. You don't want to go out with someone who uses emojis either." Sure, this is likely exaggerated for comic effect, but it is pretty extreme (and out-of-touch with common linguistic practice). Another part says that liking spicy food is an indication of "bad taste" - she goes on to say you shouldn't care, but it is an example of where this book is relatable mainly to the white middle class.

Describing herself in the opening sentence as “a short, orange woman who occasionally reads out loud on the telly”, Claudia Winkleman seems unable to quite believe her own success. But this book will further it, though its title does her a disservice. It’s much more than “quite” good. To borrow a favourite Winkleman word, it is excellent. Claudia wrote their comments in the praise section of the book. Matilda said: "A book? Hahahahaha," Jake asked: "Seriously Mum, who's going to read this?"and her youngest suggested: "Can I highly recommend a David Walliams instead?" It’s not a book that you have to read straight through from cover to cover (although I did) but you can dip in, as the layout makes for an easy read. There were so many sections where I was nodding furiously in agreement and just one or two where I skim read, (usually the children focussed ones – only because I don’t have any and didn’t really relate to it). They are kind, they are clever, they work incredibly hard, they are there to save us, or to help us through it when saving is simply not possible.In presenter Claudia Winkleman’s first book she talks about life. From children to husbands, clothes to footwear, celebrities to Strictly, (sorry I’m not a fan), she covers all aspects that she has an opinion on. From 1st July 2021, VAT will be applicable to those EU countries where VAT is applied to books - this additional charge will be collected by Fed Ex (or the Royal Mail) at the time of delivery. Shipments to the USA & Canada: I was expecting more of a memoir type book but it's actually a more 'how to Claud' manual and that's okay and I enjoyed the how to but I personally think Claudia is fascinating and would love to know more about her and how she ended up where she ended up. Alas, Quite is just observations and advice. Claudia has a way with words, she makes you smile with her honest opinions and her openness. she even made me laugh on occasions. The book left me with a feel-good feeling and I sat and read it in one go, though it will be a book I will return to and go over again. Matilda had to undergo a series of operations on her leg after her supermarket witch costume caught fire from a candle.