Why Mummy Series 4 Books Collection set by Gill Sims (Why Mummy Drinks Book & Journal, Why Mummy Swears, Why Mummy Doesn’t Give a)

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I enjoyed the format of the book as being split like a diary, this helped as there was a point to work towards and helped build drama. When we first meet Ellen (Mummy) she is waiting to take her daughter, Jane to her driving test. Her children Jane and Peter are now older. Jane is studying for her A Levels and hoping to go to university and Peter is studying for his GCSEs. She is now separated from her husband Simon and going through the process of a divorce. Throw in some changes at work and Mummy’s plate is full to bursting. However, she still has time to see Hannah one of her oldest friends and babysit Hannah’s 2 year old son Edward, who gives new meaning to the term ‘the terrible twos’. The book follows Mummy’s life in a year and each chapter represents a month and what happens in her life. This will definitely be an eventful year for Mummy, no wonder she’s partial to a drink. Things absolutely deteriorate when there is a big row over her overspending on the shopping although it is mostly his sister and her insistence on organic, non-gluten wholefood from specialist shops. Mummy says, do you think I have time to traipse around the supermarkets to save a few pence on this item and that? His sister comes with her brood and her campervan having left her unfaithful husband and not wanting to actually work, decides she will leech again off her brother and sister-in-law. She would like her own house in France, but her parents are suddenly short of money. Review: I just adore this series. I feel like main character Ellen talks in exactly the same way as me, like we would be friends. I just love the way she views the world and the way she reacts to everything that happens to her. You don't have to have kids to love this series, I'm not a mummy but I can so relate to everything that happens to Ellen.

Some women are idiots unto themselves. Yes I see why she drinks, it's a few hours of fuzzy pleasure not having to face up to the realities of her life and her absolute stupidity of putting up with a man and his family who use her. Falling in love is a dizzying emotion, but the love that comes in marriage brings with it rights and duties, and the duties are all on her side. In the book Mummy is constantly thwarted in her efforts to have well turned out, well rounded children who she has delightful little chats with and goes on lovely walks in the countryside with. They won't eat her lovingly prepared healthy food, look in horror at the idea of improving visits to art galleries etc and Daddy (otherwise known as Gadget Twat) longs for a 'simple lasagne', little knowing how much effort it takes to make said dish. His plaintive cries when failing to cope with his little dears if Mummy is out for a while made me laugh and I think that many stay at home parents will recognise the other parent not really understanding just what they do all day with the children. It's not all sitting about having coffee with the other mums!On the surface, this is a humorous look at a middle-class, middle-aged couples marriage with an appalling new-age leech of a sister-in-law and a pretentious mother-in-law. But it goes two layers deep, and it made me very sad. She also doesn't seem to like her kids. But this as was a heart warming as it got on Mother's Day... "Breakfast would have been a challenge at the best of times. But, managing to eat half cooked scrambled eggs seasoned liberally with chunks of shell, served on burnt toast, with a tepid cup of tea coloured milk on the side, ALL with a tequila hangover is testimony if ever there was one to the strength of a mother's love". She also doesn't appear to like her husband who by her own admission adores her. She won't let him say anything nice to or about her, and she accuses him of not doing this at the same time. The author has obviously learnt everything first hand and has managed to convey every experience a parent could endure, funny, sad, serious or lighthearted, into a fabulous set of books every mother (and possibly fathers - for a once in a lifetime chance to see inside a women’s mind) should read. However, the book group did find themselves concerned that drink seemed to be the answer to all of the central character's issues; as a fairly middle class person this mum is the acceptable face of drinking and being drunk. But, if the central character was instead a working class mum, single parent, with no job, then would it seem to be so funny...we doubted it. Here we see Ellen dealing with devilish kids, hers as well as others, trophy mummies, irate head teachers, troublesome in laws ... meeting up with old paramour, making friends with yummy men and welcoming new neighbours.

I also liked the pet dog, very much. The way he kept giving Ellen disapproving looks after she'd had another blinder was brilliant "The dog could not look more disgusted with me if he tried." Way to go Fido! I'm really glad I read this book and I'm definitely interested in looking at the previous books in this series now. Pe lângă faptul că e amuzantă, reflectă, pe alocuri, sută la sută, provocările vieții de părinte, mai ales a unei mame. BTW, the consensus from Bookclub was a thumbs down...at least it wasn't just me that struggled with it).I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review of the book*